Enduring Life's
Challenges
Lloyd
D. Newell
One
way life invites us to grow
in wisdom and capacity is through the
challenges and hardships we encounter. How we endure our
adversities and learn to overcome life’s obstacles determines our
happiness.
It’s easy to maneuver through daily routines when the sun is shining
and
life’s waters are calm. The real test of our ability to endure
comes as we grapple with life’s downturns and tragedies. In Thomas S.
Monson’s words: “A fundamental question remains to be answered by each
who runs
the race of life. Shall I falter, or shall I finish?” To
finish life’s race means enduring through daily tasks and trials to the
very
end of life itself.
Bravely enduring life’s challenges requires patience and courage.
Over time we begin to realize that life’s hardships help us grow in
ways
that we couldn’t without being forced to stretch and struggle.
Instead of merely surviving life’s difficult times, we can use our
adversities
and hardships to become better people.
An elderly jeweler proudly showed his grandson how to polish gemstones
by placing them in a tumbler where repeated exposure to abrasive
materials revealed each stone’s true beauty. Like these stones,
we can be made better by the things we endure — if we glean lessons
from
life’s difficulties.
Helen Keller achieved greatness both in spite of her difficulties and
because of them. She stated, “I thank God for my handicaps, for
through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.”
We are strengthened by our trials and suffering, when we endure with
patience and faith. While our path in life may result in
significant heartache, our efforts will bring us closer to Him who
endured all
things.
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Copyright
© 2006, Jace Carlton. All International Rights Reserved.
