Family By Divine Design:: Wonderful Wednesdays: Trials

23 October 2013

Wonderful Wednesdays: Trials

There is a lot of joy in life. Finding it and living joyfully is a talent that some people have. But it is one that all can learn. On the other hand, life is hard; cripplingly hard for some. I marvel at the horrible circumstances that many children in this life are born to. And yet there are some who find it in themselves to rise above their circumstances and become more than many would have believed possible. The fact is, I believe that everyone has the potential to overcome their circumstances or at the very least improve upon them. The doctrine of the LDS church teaches that we are all of us 'gods in embryo' - children of a divine Heavenly Father, with the potential to become as He is. And what is He? He is love, He is perfection, He is the creator of the heavens and the earth . . . and much, much more. And we could potentially be like Him.

Trials are given to us as a means to facilitate our becoming more like God. When we have experienced hard things, we develop more love and empathy for others who experience similarly hard things. We can also develop a greater relationship with Jesus Christ since He has already suffered everything that we'll ever suffer in this life. And without a relationship and reliance on the Savior we cannot become like God, since we cannot be perfect without Him and we will not live with God (and therefore, continue to become as God is) without perfection.

So when I hear of people claiming that life shouldn't be 'hard' or that we somehow need to make life 'fair' for everyone I generally will reject their ideas because that doesn't align with what I believe to be true at all. 2 Nephi 2:11 states, "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." It is true that a negative outlook can make life harder than the Lord actually intends for us, but that is something that is in our control. The Lord allows hard things that are beyond our control to happen in our lives for our benefit.

Joseph Smith, the prophet of the restoration of God's church on earth was allowed to endure awful things even though he was doing as the Lord asked him to. So did most of the early members of the church. In Doctrine and Covenants 128:24 it says, "For he (referring to the lord) is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver . . . Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness . . ."

One of the times that Joseph Smith was falsely accused and subsequently imprisoned the Lord told him, ". . . peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high . . . " D&C 121:7-8. Those words are meant for us as well. As we do our best to remain faithful under difficult circumstances, we allow the Lord to purify and refine us in order to make us fit for His kingdom. Trials that come to us are beyond our control, but we are not without help; the Lord will help us as long as we remain true to Him. Trials are really just blessings in disguise . . . think of them as 'blessings of the trial variety'. :)

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David's Bio

I grew up in southeastern Idaho moving at age one from the center of our town to the outskirts. This home had approximately ten acres and much of my youth was spent outdoors both playing and working with my grandparents on their farms. I enjoyed sports throughout my life and was active in wrestling and football throughout junior high and high school. My junior and senior years at high school a sweet young girl even convinced me to join the ballroom dance team. I graduated from high school and attended BYU where I earned my Bachelors degree in Biology in April 2007. Having been raised in the gospel it has always been an influence in my life.

Rachael's Bio

I lived in south central Idaho on a two-acre property in a three-story home until the fourth grade. We moved to Idaho's capitol where we lived until I was in eighth grade when we moved to south eastern Idaho. This move affected my life greatly. It helped me to gain and solidify my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as helped me decide how accurately I was going to live the gospel. This is also where I met David who was to become my best friend and husband. After graduating from high school in 2001 I attended BYU for four and a half years and graduated with a B.A. in Modern Dance, shortly before giving birth to our first child. Through all of my experiences my faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ and my dedication to living His gospel with integrity has increased. My greatest desire is that I will be able to help my children live and love the gospel.

Our Love Story

Rachael and David met first in their ward after Rachael moved in at the age of fourteen. Rachael's family had just moved across town to a home more suited to their needs than the original duplex. Both of their families were active in the church and Rachael and David both served in leadership positions of their respective YM/YW groups. With that constant exposure to each other was added the fact that they went to the same high school and were in the same graduating class. They found each other to be attractive and dated each other quite a bit near the end of their senior year and the summer afterward. After his freshman year at BYU David went on a mission to Russia - Rachael wrote him about every month and a half, just as an "interested" friend. Rachael was at home working for the summer when David returned from his mission and immediately felt that she wanted to date him again, so she asked him to go see the Phantom of the Opera in Salt lake City; thereafter followed about six months of courtship before they were married in Logan, Utah. Now they're both "the luckiest."