Life can be really overwhelming. There are so many things I try to accomplish, and it seems like I barely get a fraction of it done. Right now, my toddler is throwing a tantrum on the floor in front of me. She's mad at her crayons right now, and there's really no explaining it. I don't want to complain, though. I think I can get too caught up in complaining and focusing on what's wrong or even what MIGHT go wrong in life (boy, am I a worrier) that I forget to pay attention to what's going right.
I found an old Ensign article by Neal A. Maxwell that was uplifting, so I thought I'd share some of it. Elder Maxwell says:
President Brigham Young said of a geographical destination, “This is the place.” Of God’s plan of salvation, with its developmental destination, it can be said, “This is the process”!
President Young, who knew something about trial and tribulation but also of man’s high destiny, said that the Lord lets us pass through these experiences that we might become true friends of God. By developing our individual capacities, wisely exercising our agency, and trusting God—including when we feel forsaken and alone—then we can, said President Young, learn to be “righteous in the dark.” (Secretary’s Journal, 28 Jan. 1857.) The gospel glow we see radiating from some—amid dark difficulties—comes from illuminated individuals who are “of good cheer”!
To be cheerful when others are in despair, to keep the faith when others falter, to be true even when we feel forsaken—all of these are deeply desired outcomes during the deliberate, divine tutorials which God gives to us—because He loves us. (See Mosiah 3:19.) These learning experiences must not be misread as divine indifference. Instead, such tutorials are a part of the divine unfolding.
I found an old Ensign article by Neal A. Maxwell that was uplifting, so I thought I'd share some of it. Elder Maxwell says:
President Brigham Young said of a geographical destination, “This is the place.” Of God’s plan of salvation, with its developmental destination, it can be said, “This is the process”!
President Young, who knew something about trial and tribulation but also of man’s high destiny, said that the Lord lets us pass through these experiences that we might become true friends of God. By developing our individual capacities, wisely exercising our agency, and trusting God—including when we feel forsaken and alone—then we can, said President Young, learn to be “righteous in the dark.” (Secretary’s Journal, 28 Jan. 1857.) The gospel glow we see radiating from some—amid dark difficulties—comes from illuminated individuals who are “of good cheer”!
To be cheerful when others are in despair, to keep the faith when others falter, to be true even when we feel forsaken—all of these are deeply desired outcomes during the deliberate, divine tutorials which God gives to us—because He loves us. (See Mosiah 3:19.) These learning experiences must not be misread as divine indifference. Instead, such tutorials are a part of the divine unfolding.
That's really beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat was great. Thanks! I really loved reading that. Something we all need to remember.
ReplyDelete