Strength

Some days are hard. Everyone has them. We wonder why is it that we have to endure certain trials. Sometimes we feel weak and unable to bear the burdens that lay before us. If we were all alone I'm certain that would be the case. However, we are not. We have our elder Brother, our Savior, Jesus Christ that bore our burdens in the Garden of Gethsemane. Because of Him we can bear life's trials.

The beauty is that it didn't end at the Garden that night, when He was in agony on our behalf. The beauty of it is that it is eternal, an everlasting blessing given to every person. Every person, ever.

Our Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson said this in October General Conference:

Our Heavenly Father, who gives us so much to delight in, also knows that we learn and grow and become stronger as we face and survive the trials through which we must pass. We know that there are times when we will experience heartbreaking sorrow, when we will grieve, and when we may be tested to our limits. However, such difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were, more understanding than we were, more empathetic than we were, with stronger testimonies than we had before.

This should be our purpose—to persevere and endure, yes, but also to become more spiritually refined as we make our way through sunshine and sorrow. Were it not for challenges to overcome and problems to solve, we would remain much as we are, with little or no progress toward our goal of eternal life.

Only the Master knows the depths of our trials, our pain, and our suffering. He alone offers us eternal peace in times of adversity. He alone touches our tortured souls with His comforting words:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this will never change.

Personally, with all the suffering I see in the world, with the sorrow of those I am close to who lose loved ones far too early; with the trials I am enduring now, and you are enduring now, I find peace in the words of President Monson, and those he quoted from our Savior, Jesus Christ. The depth of gratitude I feel for Him, for our Father, and for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, I am unable to express with words. My heart, my mind, my soul, know, without a doubt, that they are there for us. They love us. They want us to be happy. They want us to be successful in living the gospel principles. They want us to return home to dwell in their presence someday. That knowledge is what I am most grateful for today...it strengthens me.