The Refiner's Fire

New mormon message! My favorite kind of messages. This one came out a little over a week ago and it was a great reminder of what a great blessing challenges and trials can be in our lives. Personally, after hearing the life of the sister in the video, I tried to apply it in my own life and thought... man... would I have been able to go on with my life after tragedy hit over and over again.

Clearly, this sister overcame it and the best part was that she was able to completely change her perspective and turn this huge trial into a blessing for her as well as other people. She said she was able to understand and have more compassion for others who were suffering, especially for those who were going through what she overcame.

As I watched this, I thought about the several months I struggled in deciding if I wanted to serve a mission or not. Clearly, not nearly as overwhelming as the trial this sister faced... but it was hard for me to decide for various reasons. Even something as little as this trial, just recently, I've been able to (at least I think a little bit) help someone who was going through something very similar.

I also thought about how easy it would be to think that Heavenly Father has forgotten about me and isn't answering my prayers, etc. However, this is what I realized...

In moments that we start to think that we're being forgotten, those are the times Heavenly Father is paying attention to us even more—enough to place an obstacle in our lives to humble us, to help us learn, to help us grow, and to help us grow closer to Him.

Never will I wish to experience the trials this sister experienced, but I think I can honestly say that I've come to embrace whatever challenges come my way. Like I always say, I don't think I've experienced as hard a trial as others, but I think we have our fair share. And if there was someone strong enough to overcome one like her's, why can't we?