For your good

 

We will face many a heartbreak during our mortal lives. Even so, we know that God is just and merciful. It may be difficult to reconcile this in our minds when so much that happens in our lives seems unfair and tragic. But if we will trust God, we will one day find that He never allowed us to experience anything that wouldn't eventually be for our good. That isn't to minimize the pain that we feel the moment heartbreak occurs. Rather, it gives us hope that one day our broken hearts will be healed. It also gives us perspective to think that every experience, even the bad ones, can help us draw nearer to God. In order to do so, we must strive to climb out from the burden of bitterness and self-pity, and look and reach upwards.

Hardened or Softened

One section of the Book of Mormon tells of a lengthy conflict between two nations. It lasted many years. As this verse says, it affected different people in different ways, even those belonging to the same nation and who were suffering the same hardships.

The pandemic we are currently experiencing is comparable to a war, or any other long-term event that causes widespread suffering, and we see the same pattern repeat itself: some are of those affected are becoming hardened, cynical, hopeless, or selfish, while others are becoming more softened, caring, sensitive, and generous. We should all strive for the latter. To be clear, allowing ourselves to be "softened" doesn't mean we won't suffer, nor does it mean we don't take care of or protect ourselves and our families. Rather, it means that when we do suffer, we don't allow ourselves to become bitter and we remember to take care of others around us, to the extent possible. This has the added benefit of reinforcing a sense of control over our situation, which in turn empowers us to grow from our trials. If we ever feel ourselves becoming hardened by our trials, one of the best remedies is to serve others who are also suffering. By so doing, we'll be helping them and ourselves.

Stay hopeful. This current trial won't last for ever. Neither will any others that will come in the future. We have the ability to come out the other side better than we were before it started.

Present Chastening

For a friend. Happy Birthday! :-)
"No pain, no gain," they say. I don't know if that's always true. But it's certainly true that the trials we face during mortality, while difficult and even painful in the moment, will always yield good fruit if endured well. Whatever trial you may be suffering, it may seem grievous at the present moment. But if endured, it will cause you to become stronger through increased in resilience to temptation.

Strong and of good courage

Dedicated to a friend. :-) God believes in you. He will not abandon you if you will reach out to Him. You may not feel strong on your own, but with God, you can overcome any obstacle. The trials you are facing may be frightening, but with God, you can face them. Be strong and of good courage!

Thorn in the Flesh

I don't think we're told exactly what Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was. He describes it as being a "messenger of Satan" to torment him. And so he asked the Lord to remove it from him; to cure him of his infirmity. Whatever it was, while it may have come from Satan, the Lord allowed it to stay, the reason being that His Grace may come upon Paul. Perhaps this was to more fully teach Paul to depend on the Lord for strength, and to fortify his faith that the Lord would do so when called upon in faith. Paul concludes by saying, in effect, that he would rather suffer and have the Lord's help, than not suffer and be left on his own.
We all suffer various infirmities. While God may not directly cause them, it's clear He often does allow them. I think this passage helps us understand a bit better why that could be. In our infirmities we learn to depend on the Lord. And perhaps there are other things we can learn too: patience through challenges, empathy for those going through similar trials, and we may learn more about ourselves too, and our own strengths and weaknesses.

Sure Foundation

It's been a while since the last Ponderize. I don't have much to add for this one, other than to say that the way we build the "foundation" mentioned in Helaman 5:12 is through the things we talk about in church all the time: earnest prayer, diligent scripture study, regular church and temple attendance, sincere service to others, etc. These things do not earn us our salvation. But they do strengthen our conviction and increase our resilience to sin and trials.
When the devil's whirlwind is raging, it is the rock of our Savior--not any earthly power--that will stand. And if we are firmly anchored to Him, then so shall we.

Beauty For Ashes

Last Sunday the Provo City Center Temple was dedicated to the Lord! What a wonderful experience it was! Not only is this new temple a symbol of the Lord and His Atonement, but also of rebirth, renewal, and God's ability to take disaster and mourning and turn it into wonderful blessings.

After Much Tribulation

Tried With Fire

I learned a little bit about the ore refining process the other day and all the steps of heating and pounding it needs to go through to burn off all the impurities.  A lump of ore is valuable, and our first instinct may even be to "protect" it by keeping it the way it is.  But it's only by allowing it to pass through the fire that it can be purified and turned into something strong and useful.  When we see the impurities burning away, we might even be tempted to assume that the whole thing is useless, and throw the whole thing out rather than continue the painful refining process.  But if we will patiently keep at it, we will find something pure, strong, and valuable, "much more precious than of gold."