Life's Themes

It seems that life is always trying to tell me something or another... After my last blog post came an article in the Church News entitled 'Crucible of Adversity'. The article cited so many instances from the prophets' lives, that although I was familiar with the incidents, I hadn't thought about them for quite some time. The article also contained some of my favorite quotes from my own personal readings this last year. Here are just a few excerpts:

President Kimball: "The Lord has not promised us freedom from adversity or affliction. Instead, He has given us the avenue of communication known as prayer, whereby we might humble ourselves and seek His help and divine guidance... They who reach down into the depth of life where, in the stillness, the voice of God has been heard, have the stabilizing power which carries them through the hurricane of difficulties."

(love the hurricane reference!- just see my last post...)

Orson F. Whitney: "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our [Heavenly] Father..."

('Patiently'- that's what I keep thinking I've learned- but not yet!)

And again, President Kimball: "Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery."

(There's that word patience again... hmmm.)

Proud mom alert- here's proof that I may have helped do something right: