Trails and Hardships
So I watched a movie this afternoon that involved a man who allowed himself to become bitter against God following the accidental death of his wife. Eventually, the man became bitter towards, um, pretty much life in general. The whole shebang. He seemed to hate everyone and everything, and few people were particularly fond of him as a result. This went on for about 10 years or so until, of course, the heroine of the movie appears and alters his way of thinking. He regains faith in God and turns his life around... slowly.
But this all got me to thinking. I thought about my own life and the trials I've passed through. I thought about how I'd certainly never want to pass that way again, but how thankful I am that I did. Life is hard. There are times where nothing seems to be going right. There are times in each of lives where life just seems to stink up a royal storm. Am I right? If, by some random chance, you just shook your head... don't worry. Your time will come ;)
As the fellow in the movie was asked to undergo yet another hardship just as he was starting to rebuild the ruins of his shattered faith, I found myself wondering, "I wonder what he's feeling right now. For a man who had written the book on bitterness towards God for 10 years and strongly believed that God did not want him to be happy, I can only imagine how difficult it must be for him to pass through yet another struggle right now. You'd think Heavenly Father would cut him some slack and allow his faith to become a little more secure before loading him down with more..."
I understand the concept that we don't get to choose our trials or when they happen. I also understand that Heavenly Father often puts these things in our path to help us grow stronger and turn to Him. I even understand that, theoretically, God was pushing this man in the movie beyond his limit for just such a purpose. He knew exactly what the man could handle. But as the man seemingly teetered dangerously close to a relapse into his past life, I suddenly wanted to holler at the TV screen. "Don't do it! Dude. Just step away. Have a little faith. Trust me, if you do that, you'll never get the girl."
And THAT, folks, is where a light bulb went off in my noggin.
I could suddenly start to understand how frustrating it must be to our Father when he presents us with a trial to test our faith and, instead of turning to Him for help and guidance to learn how we can best grow from it, we weep and wail and wring our hands and give up. I could suddenly understand, in a whole new light, how very hard it must be to sit by and watch someone you care deeply about make a wrong decision because they exercised their free agency... especially when there was someone within reach that could help them make the right decision.
Our lives are like a movie in a lot of ways. A movie the Lord has seen from beginning to end. I often wonder if He wants to take us by the shoulders through the movie screen and say, "Don't do it! Dude. Just step away. Trust me." We need to have faith in His plan for us. We need to exercise patience and realize that we don't know it all. We also need to turn to our Father in Heaven and pray for guidance that only He can offer. If we don't, our movie will have a VERY different ending than what it could have had.
Doing so won't make the hard times go away. It won't even make the trails and hardships easy. But it will make them bearable. I promise! Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are right on the other side of the TV screen (so to speak, of course) urging us on down the path that leads back to them. They know better than any of us what is going on in our lives. They know what we need; they can help us through. But here's the catch: they will never march onto the set and shout orders like a deranged director when we mess up. They respect us and our agency too much.
If there's one thing I know, it's that Jesus Christ died so that we can choose how we live our life. He died because of his love for each of us as individuals. He knew that I, Jessica McAllister, would struggle with patience long before I ever came to earth. He knew I would have depression after my parents were divorced. He knew I would love music and choose to play the violin. He knew I would hate sweeping the basement stairs growing up because I thought the crusty bug carcasses would somehow attack me. He knew my strengths; he knew my weaknesses. And he knows what awaits me down the road of life. He loves me despite his knowledge that I would often sin and alienate the Spirit of the Lord. He paid for those sins with his divine blood so that I can be forgiven. He paid for my sins. He paid for my sins. Because he loves me. More than I can comprehend. It literally makes my mind reel at the thought.
I bear my testimony to you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You are never alone. People are often tempted to think that when life is peachy, Heavenly Father is sitting off in the distance, letting us enjoy our moment and only when trails come upon us that He steps in and takes our hand. Not hardly, my friends. I strongly believe that when we laugh, Heavenly Father and His beloved son, Jesus Christ laugh with us. When our hearts are brimming with joy, they feel it, too. They celebrate when we rejoice. And they also weep bitterly when we feel that our hearts are breaking. They mourn when we are sad. They are always with us. We are their most cherished creations. They will not leave us comfortless.
We just need to remember that and turn to them.
But this all got me to thinking. I thought about my own life and the trials I've passed through. I thought about how I'd certainly never want to pass that way again, but how thankful I am that I did. Life is hard. There are times where nothing seems to be going right. There are times in each of lives where life just seems to stink up a royal storm. Am I right? If, by some random chance, you just shook your head... don't worry. Your time will come ;)
As the fellow in the movie was asked to undergo yet another hardship just as he was starting to rebuild the ruins of his shattered faith, I found myself wondering, "I wonder what he's feeling right now. For a man who had written the book on bitterness towards God for 10 years and strongly believed that God did not want him to be happy, I can only imagine how difficult it must be for him to pass through yet another struggle right now. You'd think Heavenly Father would cut him some slack and allow his faith to become a little more secure before loading him down with more..."
I understand the concept that we don't get to choose our trials or when they happen. I also understand that Heavenly Father often puts these things in our path to help us grow stronger and turn to Him. I even understand that, theoretically, God was pushing this man in the movie beyond his limit for just such a purpose. He knew exactly what the man could handle. But as the man seemingly teetered dangerously close to a relapse into his past life, I suddenly wanted to holler at the TV screen. "Don't do it! Dude. Just step away. Have a little faith. Trust me, if you do that, you'll never get the girl."
And THAT, folks, is where a light bulb went off in my noggin.
I could suddenly start to understand how frustrating it must be to our Father when he presents us with a trial to test our faith and, instead of turning to Him for help and guidance to learn how we can best grow from it, we weep and wail and wring our hands and give up. I could suddenly understand, in a whole new light, how very hard it must be to sit by and watch someone you care deeply about make a wrong decision because they exercised their free agency... especially when there was someone within reach that could help them make the right decision.
Our lives are like a movie in a lot of ways. A movie the Lord has seen from beginning to end. I often wonder if He wants to take us by the shoulders through the movie screen and say, "Don't do it! Dude. Just step away. Trust me." We need to have faith in His plan for us. We need to exercise patience and realize that we don't know it all. We also need to turn to our Father in Heaven and pray for guidance that only He can offer. If we don't, our movie will have a VERY different ending than what it could have had.
Doing so won't make the hard times go away. It won't even make the trails and hardships easy. But it will make them bearable. I promise! Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are right on the other side of the TV screen (so to speak, of course) urging us on down the path that leads back to them. They know better than any of us what is going on in our lives. They know what we need; they can help us through. But here's the catch: they will never march onto the set and shout orders like a deranged director when we mess up. They respect us and our agency too much.
If there's one thing I know, it's that Jesus Christ died so that we can choose how we live our life. He died because of his love for each of us as individuals. He knew that I, Jessica McAllister, would struggle with patience long before I ever came to earth. He knew I would have depression after my parents were divorced. He knew I would love music and choose to play the violin. He knew I would hate sweeping the basement stairs growing up because I thought the crusty bug carcasses would somehow attack me. He knew my strengths; he knew my weaknesses. And he knows what awaits me down the road of life. He loves me despite his knowledge that I would often sin and alienate the Spirit of the Lord. He paid for those sins with his divine blood so that I can be forgiven. He paid for my sins. He paid for my sins. Because he loves me. More than I can comprehend. It literally makes my mind reel at the thought.
I bear my testimony to you that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. You are never alone. People are often tempted to think that when life is peachy, Heavenly Father is sitting off in the distance, letting us enjoy our moment and only when trails come upon us that He steps in and takes our hand. Not hardly, my friends. I strongly believe that when we laugh, Heavenly Father and His beloved son, Jesus Christ laugh with us. When our hearts are brimming with joy, they feel it, too. They celebrate when we rejoice. And they also weep bitterly when we feel that our hearts are breaking. They mourn when we are sad. They are always with us. We are their most cherished creations. They will not leave us comfortless.
We just need to remember that and turn to them.
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