Trials, Stress and Cold sores!

It has been a while since I have blogged!  I have had alot of things going on in my life.  As I have thought about the meaning of trials and why we have to go through them.  I have come to realize that through trials we can turn 2 ways...We can turn to God for help and inspiration, or we can turn to the world for help, and not turn to God. Luckily I chose to turn to God! I feel like trials can make you stronger if you let them.  they defiantly humble you and hopefully you learn from them (so you don't have to repeat them over again!)

We all go through trials or stress in our lives.  I do not think that there is anyone exempt from the trials of life, whether it be health issues, financial issues, children!,   etc.....the list goes on and on! but the one thing I know is that like the poem Foot prints in the Sand....God is always there, walking beside you, helping you and even carrying you at the times when you feel like you cannot go on!

Some trials can be caused by your choice, or by the choices of others.  Sometimes we think that doing what we are doing only affects us, but in reality they affect those who love us the most, as well as others around us.

I like what Larry Richman had to say about trials in his address at BYU Idaho entitled Learning through life's trials:http://lds.org/ensign/2010/03/learning-through-lifes-trials?lang=eng&query=trials  It is worth clicking on the link and reading it!

Trials give us opportunities to show the Lord and ourselves that we will be faithful. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves and ask, “Why me?” or we can grow from our trials, increase our faith in the Lord, and ask, “How can I be faithful in the midst of this trail?” We can let adversity break us down and make us bitter, or we can let it refine us and make us stronger. We can allow adversity to lead us to drift away from the things that matter most, or we can use it as a stepping-stone to grow closer to things of eternal worth.

Spiritual growth can often be achieved more readily by trials and adversity than by comfort and tranquility. Trials can teach us that faith in God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ is the source of inner strength. President David O. McKay (1873-1970) recounted the testimony of one of the survivors of the ill-fated Martin handcart company, who said: “We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but … [we] came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with Him in our extremities.”

Another thing that help me through my trials is music.  Hymns and uplifting thoughts and quotes.  Here is one of my favorite hymns called Count your blessings "When upon lifes billows you are tempest tossed, do not get discouraged thinking all is lost, count your many blessings name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done"

The thing I like most about going through my trials in life, is looking back and knowing I didn't give up, I didn't give in, and that I made it!  I am always a better person and can see the growth that perhaps I wouldn't have had otherwise.  The thing I hate the most is the added stress in my life and the Cold sore that I have to remind me of my stress for the next 2 weeks! haha  I also noticed that I am better able to help others who are going through he same stress or trial in their lives as also others have streghthened me from their experiences.  

I think that when we go through trials it makes us appreciate the good times in our lives, the times that are happy and carefree! it seems that I long for those times when I am going through trials, and when I trial is over, I am so appreciative for the happy times to come.  it is like when it rains, and pours for days and days, you cannot wait for the sun to come out again and dry up the ground so you may once again play outside.  However one of my favorite quotes reads "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It is about learning to dance in the rain!"