Sometimes I feel that we get to thinking that Heavenly Father is entitled to fix our trials right away. He will not...It is up to us to faithfully endure to the end. We are given trials that are specifically designed for us. Heavenly Father only gives us trials that He knows we can overcome. Each trial we face is perfectly tailored to us. He carefully considers our strengths and weaknesses and gives us trials that He knows we will be able to learn from.
That being said, every once in awhile, I get to feeling like my trials are too much for me. One of my favorite scriptures says, "for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3) This scripture has recently become one of my favorite. It helps remind me that my trials won't last forever and that even though right now it may be hard, I have my Heavenly Father on my side lifting me up. Everyone has stuff in their life that don't go as planned. You really can't predict what is going to happen and sometimes it may feel like nothing is going quite right. It is tempting not to trust in Heavenly Father when things aren't working out. Especially when prayers aren't getting answered right away. We may figure that we have been abandoned by Heavenly Father, but if I have learned anything through reading the scriptures it is that the only way our Heavenly Father is taken out of our lives is if we choose to take Him out. He has promised that in times of need, He "will not fail thee nor forsake thee" (Joshua 1:5). It may take a while for prayers to be answered and they may not be answered in the way we want, but they will be answered nonetheless. I think the best things to do when we are overwhelmed and frustrated is not to turn away from Heavenly Father, but to rely on His guidance more fully. A couple months ago, I ran into a setback that I was not expecting at all. As it progressed, things got worse and worse and I felt really alone. I knew my Heavenly Father was there, but I was angry that he would let it keep happening. So I decided that He wasn't going to help me and I stopped reading my scriptures and praying. Now I can tell you that that was probably the worst thing I could have done at that point. When life gets rough, there is nothing we need more than to rely on Heavenly Father's guidance. When I returned to saying my prayers, reading my scriptures and listening in church, a lot of things got a whole lot better. I have decided that surviving this unpredictable life is about two things: courage and faith. Because I know that if I have faith in my Heavenly Father, everything will work out in the end. But for now it is important that we have the courage to endure whatever it is God has placed in front of us. Being courageous doesn't mean that you are not afraid. Being brave is just acting in faith and trusting that Heavenly Father will protect you. I know everyone gets a variety of trials and they differ from person to person. So I can't tell you that I understand what you are feeling. But I know that you are never alone in your trials because Christ not only suffered for your sins, but for your pains, sorrows and frustrations as well. Christ is and always will be there to buoy us up. Sometimes when I get frustrated, I need someone that understands me and my feelings. Christ is that person. He knows exactly how I feel and how to comfort me. A lot of the time we don't know what the Lord is trying to teach us, but if I really trust Heavenly Father, it really doesn't matter what I don't understand. Because I know He has a plan for me that might not be the same plan that I have for myself. Though His plan is not always easier, it's always better.
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Today, I’d like to take a moment to talk about one of my favorite people in the world; my little sister, Raquel. I have no idea what I would do without her. Now, if you know anything about Raquel, you know that she can be a bit crazy at times. Being her older sister, sometimes I cringe a little when her crazy side comes out in public, but at the same time, I have to laugh and say yup, that’s my sister. Her sense of humor never fails to cheer me up and her sass makes everything so much more entertaining. Raquel is one of the most outgoing people I have ever met. When she was little, my parents wanted to enroll her in a preschool class with a lady from our church. The only problem was that there was an one all girl class, one all boy class and one mixed class. My mom soon discovered that both the mixed and all girl classes were full. But my parents really wanted Raquel to go that particular preschool, so they enrolled her in the all boy class. I don’t really know why my mom decided to keep her in that class, but I’m certainly glad she did. Raquel fit right in with those three year old boys. They would do plays and dress up and she absolutely loved it because she would be the only little princess in a room full of superheroes. On show and tell days, she would bring her pink princessy, girly toys to show off to the boys. But she says that if she could have switched classes, she wouldn’t have. I remember one day she came home from school with a huge smile and exclaimed to my mom, “I kissed Johnny today!” The things Raquel’s teacher told us about her never failed to amuse us. One of my favorite things about Raquel is that she does not discriminate. She always makes sure that all of the people around her are included, even if they don’t seem to fit in just yet. A couple years ago, one of Raquel’s teachers told her about a new girl in Raquel’s grade at school. The teacher explained that the new girl didn’t have any friends yet and asked Raquel to hang out with her. I remember being so proud of Raquel for being an good example so that her teacher trusted her enough to help this new girl. Over the past couple months, I have noticed how much Raquel has grown up. She is no longer my little snuggly Bubba. Part of me is sad that she won’t always be the little girl with the crazy hair and extreme sass, but another part of me is so excited to see who she becomes. I still can’t believe she is going to be a freshman this year, but I know she is going to absolutely crush it. I’m excited to get to see her on campus and say, “Heck yeah, that’s my crazy little sister!” She’ll probably hate it and be embarrassed, but hey, that’s kind of what sisters are for! Just last week, I had the opportunity to go to girls’ camp with our church. For me it had been a pretty rough week leading up to camp. But then when we left I got to leave everything behind and hang out with some amazing girls and listen to their testimonies all week. I think my favorite part was watching Raquel interact with the girls around her and how she made sure to include whoever she could. Even though I cringed a couple times when I spotted her in her tiger onesie PJ’s, she definitely made up for it when I saw her listening thoughtfully to the devotionals. But I think the best part of camp was when she bore her testimony on the last night. We don’t really bear our testimonies out loud very often in our house, so I had no idea what she was going to say and I was a little nervous when she stood up. But when she bore her testimony, it was exactly what I needed to hear that night. Just knowing that Raquel knew the church is true and that her Savior and her Heavenly Father love her, it made me realize what a spiritual giant she is. I am so grateful that I get to call this kid my little sister. I know that my Heavenly Father knew I was going to need an amazing sister like Raquel in my life. There really aren’t words sufficient enough to express how grateful I am that I get to have her as a sister. I love how Raquel brings a bit more craziness into my life. She somehow seems to know when I need a good laugh. There have been times where we can just look at each other and know what each other is thinking and start cracking up together. I think that is one of my favorite part of having a little sis. I love having late night talks about anything and everything with my Bubba. I love singing at the top of our lungs with her when nobody else is home. It is really nice to have someone who you can relax and be yourself around and for me that person just so happens to be Raquel.
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My name is Ellie. I am a sophomore at BYU Idaho. I am excited to live life and to share a small piece of it with you!
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