Trust & Faith

I've been writing and re-writing for the last 20 minutes. I've been thinking about Casey. Thinking about his loss and what that means for me and for my family. I am experiencing several parts of grief and the same time. Through the times in my life that I have experienced grief, I have found one consistent thing that has helped me to heal, accept and adjust to this new reality. That is trusting in the Lord. Trusting that as I search for His tender mercies, I will see them. As I try to move out of isolation and guilt that He will guide me. As I work to be happy and find joy in my life, He will bless me and help me to see those blessings.

Although this has been a very trying time in my life, it has also been a time of great blessing, great understanding and great strength. I have not been left alone to lift this burden. I have not been left alone to suffer and grieve.

I found a few talks this week that have been very comforting and encouraging. One was given by Richard G. Scott during the October 1995 General Conference. It's entitled Trust in the Lord and it is about trials and adversity and how to endure them. There are a few parts that were especially meaningful.

"No one wants adversity. Trials, disappointments, sadness, and heartache come to use from two basically different sources. Those who transgress the laws of God will always have those challenges. The other reason for adversity is to accomplish the Lord's own purposes in our life that we may receive the refinement that comes from testing. It is vitally important for each of us to identify from which of these two sources come our trials and challenges, for the corrective action is very different... Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple does applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understand, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain."

"Your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience... Your willingness to accept the will of the Father will not change what what in His wisdom He has chosen to do. However, it will certainly change the effect of those decisions on you personally. That evidence of the proper exercise of agency allows His decisions to produce far greater blessings in your life. I have found that because of our Father's desire for us to grow, He may give us gentle, almost imperceptible promptings that, if we are willing to accept without complaint, He will enlarge to become a very clear indication of His will. This enlightenment comes because of our faith and our willingness to do what He asks even though we would desire something else."

There is so much in the talk that I found uplifting. It's about 4 pages long and if you have the time or inclination, I suggest you read it. I have found in my past experiences with grief that trusting in the Lord with whatever energy I have has brought about faster healing then any efforts on my own. I am grateful for the strength that I have been blessed with up until now and those blessings help me to have more faith and trust that I will receive what I need when I need it. I know that the same blessing can and will be given to all, if you choose to receive it.