Trials. We all have them, regardless of our age, ethnicity, education, spirituality, etc. For some of us, it drags us down. We feel alone, inadequate, and at a loss of hope. And I believe that it is natural to feel this way at times, but I hope that there are more times that we are able to look forward with an eternal perspective and recognize, maybe not all at once, how this challenge we are facing is going to help us to get one step closer to what we are intended to become; extraordinary.
Today at church, it was fast and testimony meeting, which simply means that anyone in the congregation can get up to the pulpit and bear their testimony. I felt the churning of the spirit in the pit of my belly, and I marched with a smile to the stand. I just love bearing my testimony! It was my hope to get across two points about trials; first, our trials are what help us to become perfected. If you've ever gone swimming with me, you'll see that I have many physical scars. I've had plenty of health challenges growing up that resulted in countless surgeries. And so as a young girl, I've always looked forward to the day that I would be resurrected and my body would become perfected. But as I have gotten older, and gained a greater understanding about the Gospel, I realized that even when Christ was resurrected, he still had the scars in His hands from when we was crucified. He still had His scars, yet His body was perfected. Now I'm not a hundred percent sure what will happen to my scars when I'm resurrected, but I sure hope that they are still there. Because behind each scar, whether physical, mental, emotional, or any other type of scar, is a story or experience that helped us to become who we are today. And I am beyond grateful for my scars, because they have not only been of a strength to me, but to those I have been able to share my experiences with. Which brings me to my second point, we do not face challenges so that we can learn how to overcome them and improve ourselves, but so that we can help others overcome them and come closer to Christ. Now this may seem contradictory to what I just said about helping us to become perfected, but stay with me. The reason we go through them is to help others, but one result is the process of our perfection. Christ is the perfect example of this, His whole life was an illustration of selflessly overcoming trials. He didn't suffer in the Garden so that He could be better, but so that we could. He didn't carry His cross so that He could be stronger, but so that we'd know how to carry ours. He didn't die on the cross so that He could return to Heavenly Father, but so that we could. He is honestly the perfect example to follow in ALL things, nothing excluded. Having this knowledge and striving for it will give us greater strength and hope to overcome the trials and challenges that we face everyday, because we are living for a greater purpose than ourselves. It drives us. Gives us hope. And ultimately, perfects us.
I absolutely love what you said. You are a warrior.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for your valiant example. What a blessing it is to have you in my life and many people's lives! I am so happy to be able to continue to be nourished by your words and example. Thank you for the blog!
Sister Reneva, my first district leader, taught me that: There is no growth in comfort. There is no comfort in growth. To become perfect even as He is, we have to walk the path He walked. Those who wait at the altar ought to be partakers of the altar. The plan of salvation is meant to give each person a fair chance to become holier, happier, and to be perfected for eternity.
Roman 8 is my favorite chapter that helped me go through tough times since I was baptized. I love how it perfectly shows that the plan is perfect, and where sufferings are great, comfort, love and glory are even greater from God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.