I have come to the realization recently that the covenants I have made with my Heavenly Father in His Holy Temple bind me to Him and to His Son Jesus Christ. And because of that, and my faith and trust in them, any trial I have can be endured and can be a learning experience for me, knowing that this life is a test, to prepare us for Eternal Life and Eternal Happiness with our Heavenly Parents.
Because of the unbelief of a few of my children, at times I have asked myself if the gospel could be a lie? How would believing that change my life? I would be devastated. If the gospel wasn't true, I could no longer have the hope of being with my parents and other loved ones again. When I am feeling lonely or inadequate, where would I receive the peace and confidence that I needed? Of course there are loved ones I could go to for a pep talk, but people are human, and don't always know what to say or what we need to hear.
But I have felt the Spirit too many times throughout my life to not believe that God lives. Just the thought that I might be delusional brings a feeling of darkness into my life, of sadness and confusion. If God isn't real, where does the joy and peace and happiness come from? As I think that, I feel uplifted and happy again. I cannot not believe that I have a loving Heavenly Father who cares about me and wants my eternal happiness!
Lack of self esteem? With God, all things are possible! If I rely on myself, I have no confidence. I know I don't have the talent or knowledge to fulfill all of my responsibilities. I worry that my efforts aren't good enough, but when I rely on my God for help, He gives me the confidence I need to do whatever He wants me to do. "I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me." Just remembering that Christ suffered for all of my sins, insecurities, pains, etc. gives me the courage to carry on and trust that all will be well.
Physical pain? Why do we have to go through physical pain in this life? I remember having a migraine headache once that consumed me. I wasn't able to even think of anything else. And I know there are those in the world who suffer from chronic pain every day. It would be very difficult to carry on under those circumstances. And yet, knowing that our Savior Jesus Christ suffered our pain, that He knows exactly how we feel, helps me to endure the pain. I remember one day when I was having some kind of pain, I think it was stomach pain that was very hard to bear. I remember praying to know what I was to learn from this. Just knowing that this life is for us to gain experience helped me to get through it, and it seems that as soon as I acknowledged the fact that my pain was to give me experience and I even thanked God for the experience I was having, my pain started letting up from that moment. I don't know if that would always happen. Gratefully, I don't suffer from chronic pain, but I wonder if it would help others to thank God for the pain?
Loneliness? I have had times of loneliness where I was in the midst of a crowd, many people around me laughing and talking and enjoying each other, and I felt alone, wrapped up in my own insecurities and feeling uncomfortable and wanting to escape. When I was able to turn my thoughts to my Savior, and remember that He knew how I felt and that He loved me, I was able to relax and when I was able to remember that He loved all those people around me, I was able to look around for those in the crowd who seemed lonely and looked like they could use a friend. Then as I went to them, I felt peace in knowing my actions were pleasing to my Heavenly Father. It's not easy changing our mindset, but it's possible as we remember our Savior Jesus Christ and reach out to him in silent prayer. He and our Heavenly Father can help us have a better perspective of the challenges we're going through.
Death of a loved one? Without the beautiful teachings of the church that this life isn't the end, that life goes on forever and that our mortal life is a test to prepare us for the next life, I would be devastated. If I thought I would never see my loved ones again, it would be horrible! I don't know how people do it. I'm grateful for my testimony of life after death and my perspective that death is just a part of our eternal progression. Of course I'm sad that I won't have their presence in my life, but the hope of seeing them again, helps me to move on.
Mental illness, clinical depression? I have a dear friend who suffers from PTSD along with other mental illnesses, but the way she copes is through her trust in her Savior Jesus Christ. He helps her get through each day. How do those who don't have a belief in God and in Jesus Christ cope with such debilitating mental illness?
Inequality? Life is not fair. If fair means equal for all people, then life isn't fair. We can feel angry or hurt or jealous of others when we see they have so much more than we do, that their life seems so much happier than our life, or we can try to see the situation as Heavenly Father might look at it. Perhaps their challenge in life is to hold onto and build their faith when things are going so well. They have the opportunity to reach out to help those around them who aren't so privileged. As in the Book of Mormon, when the people were thriving, they frequently turned from God and became prideful because of their riches. It was the poor in worldly goods who were humble enough to listen to the word of God and who were willing to let Him into their lives. Perhaps we need to ask God what He wants us to learn from our challenges and realize that as we confront those challenges with faith in Him, He gives us greater spiritual strength to overcome whatever might come next.
I have only mentioned a few of the trials we might have in this life, but with faith in God, and being bound to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, there is no trial that we can't overcome with their help!
