When times are tough...

There are some people in my family who are going through some hard times right now, so I thought I would do a quick blog post of what I've been thinking about today. I've been thinking about how Christ is able to heal even very difficult situations. He can bring good out of things that seem incredibly hard. He is over all, and as President Hinckley used to say: "Things have a way of working out." We never know when Heavenly Father might be ready to work a miracle in our behalf.

I've been thinking about how important it is to trust in in Heavenly Father, who is always there for us, and to remember that Christ suffered all things, and including my pain and sorrow, and the pain and sorrow of every person on the earth. He knows through personal experience what we are suffering.

I've also been thinking about how many loved ones we have on the other side of the veil that care about us and are still watching us, and who are doing all they can to help us. I was in the temple yesterday, and wishing that I could feel the presence of those who have passed on and still love me. But just knowing they are there gives me strength to keep going.

Here are a few quotes that I found today that go along with what I have been thinking about:

"In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help, and you have it from both sides of the veil. You must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike, and they will, you must never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye could see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection (see 2nd Kings 6:16-17). They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham's seed." (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "For Times of Trouble," BYU Devotional, March 18, 1980)

"...we knew our Elder Brother and our Father in heaven well. We rejoiced at the upcoming opportunity for earthly life that could make it possible for us to have a fullness of joy as they had. We could hardly wait to demonstrate to our Father and our Brother, the Lord, how much we loved them and how we would be obedient to them in spite of the earthly opposition of the evil one. And now we're here--our memories are veiled--and we're showing God and ourselves what we can do. Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.

God loves us, he's watching us, he wants us to succeed, and we'll know someday that he has not left one thing undone for the eternal welfare of each of us. If we only knew that there are heavenly hosts pulling for us--friends in heaven, whom we can't remember now, who yearn for our victory. This is our day to show what we can do--what life and sacrifice we can daily, hourly, instantly bring to God. If we give our all, we will get his all from the greatest of all." (Jesus Christ--Gifts and Expectations, Ezra Taft Benson, BYU Devotional, 1974: The whole talk is amazing, and can be found here: http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=6019)

I'm grateful for the comfort of the gospel, and the knowledge I have that we are never alone in our struggles. God truly will help us if we will turn to him!