On Friday evening we went to the Seminary for a Book of Mormon class that one of the seminary teaches is teaching. He started out the class by dividing us into five groups and as a group we were to come up with things that we won't miss during the millenium. We then compared our lists and we all had things such as death, sickness, pain, loneliness, disasters, cruelty, abuse and many other kinds of trials we face. He then taught us that there are 3 types of trials or tribulations. 1. self-caused such as sin 2. Mortality such as cancer or accidents and 3. God caused which we could only come up with callings in this category. In Moses 3:2 the last part of the verse says that God called it all good. Everything on the earth is good if we look at it as a way to get us to turn to God. Br. Laga then told us a story about a shepherd breaking the leg on one of his lambs because the lamb wouldn't follow him and he had to carry the lamb everywhere but now the lamb totally depended on him and he compared it to the Lord giving us trials so that we would turn to him. He then took the story of the brother of Jared and showed us how after not praying for 4 years that he finally turned to the Lord. He was given the instructions on how to build the barges but there were three things left out. How to steer, how to get air and how to have light. He had to turn to the Lord for answers. It was such a good lesson. These are the quotes that he used
"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God. And it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven" Orson F. Whitney
"How can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy joy!" Neal A Maxwell
As I have been struggling with some of the things going on in my life it really helped me to quit wishing life would be easier and instead trust more and lean more on He who can help me through all things.
I can hardly wait for next Friday.
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6 comments:
Thanks Mom. I really needed that today. Even though I have committed to 'cheerful endurance' I start to give in after a while and get rather whiney. I needed this reminder and it will help me to start the next week. If school is cancelled again tomorrow I may call you to get another shot of "I can endure this".
It's interesting that you had trouble coming up with trials that God put in motion, and yet He's the first one the world blames in almost every situation. That's very sad to me. I can't remember ever blaming God for anything... but my parents never did either.
Although, he did make church 3 hours long. That's a trial for me every week. I think 90 minutes would be just about right. :)
I didn't know they were doing classes for adults at the seminary. How cool! I loved both quotes. Although, right now I am wondering what qualities this stupid cold could possibly be trying to give me. :)
Sounds like it was a great uplifting experience. I know it can be hard to get there even though you are looking forward to it...so good job and I'm glad that it paid off.
I like that Heavenly Father "makes us" learn through trials. He doesn't just give in the first time and say "okay, you can have that quality now" and then when I get to something harder I don't know how to handle it. I might have a hard time but I was actually thinking this weekend through all my pain that Jesus bore that and more for me, surely I can handle what little I've been given to bear. I think it makes it easier to bear the hardest times (I can't even imagine being pregnant and the pain involved in giving birth).
“ Although, he did make church 3 hours long. That's a trial for me every week. I think 90 minutes would be just about right. :) ”
Amen!
Thanks for sharing this mom, it was wonderful to feel the message here.
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