November 24, 2013
Sister
Herod called me Friday and asked if I would speak for a couple of minutes about
how faith has help me overcome trials. I
know that she was inspired to ask me. I
was on the tail end of a two week pity party and my Heavenly Father knew I
needed this. Today we are celebrating our 13 year wedding anniversary and our 1
year living in Ohio anniversary
Probably
like most people, my life has not turned out exactly how I thought it would. When
I got married, I thought that I would be a stay-at-home mom, my hard working,
smart husband would make enough money to work one job, my kids would go to
public school every day, and we would live in the west by family. Pretty basic
stuff.
President
Monson said that “no person has ever lived entirely free of suffering and sorrow,
nor has there ever been a period in human history that did not have its full
share of turmoil and misery”. I know
that a lot of people have much more difficult trials than I have had. I know that a lot of people appear to not
have had as many trials as I have had.
Some trials I’ve brought upon myself.
Others I have not.
I
made a list of some of the more memorable trials~
Jaylee’s
seizures
Conrad
hospitalized with RSV at 6 weeks old.
Asthma treatments for a couple years after.
Harrison
was born not breathing. He had to be
revived. Very scary.
Harrison
had torticollis. Year of physical
therapy, had to wear a collar, and a Botox injection.
Jaylee
was diagnosed with a reading disorder or auditory processing disorder.
Four
not fun C-Sections. Little issues with
each one.
I
had panic attacks that landed me in several ERs.
Matt
totaled 2 cars. 1 car started on fire
with him still in it.
Matt
fell off our 30-ft roof and broke the right side of his body. He was wheelchair, used a walker, then crutches. He was unemployed for 8 months while he
recovered.
Matt
has been out of work 3 different times.
Matt
has worked 2 jobs for 12 out of the 13 years of our marriage.
I’m
not complaining. I know that my trials
are small in comparison to what they could be.
In dealing with our trials, Heavenly Father has lead us down wonderful paths
that I did not expect~
Moving
to Ohio for employment.
Homeschooling
our children.
Graduate
school for Matt and I.
Paper
routes, graveyard jobs, teaching piano and babysitting.
A
scripture in the Book of Mormon has been my mantra~ Ether 12:6…Dispute not
because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your
faith. We’ve put this scripture to the
test many times and we’ve always come out with an abundance of blessings and
stronger testimonies.
Today
at the dinner table we all went around naming the blessing that we’ve received
since moving to Ohio. Here are some of
them~
We’ve
grown closer as a family.
Matt
has only 1 job. He is able to do his
calling and spend more time with the family.
Matt
works for an amazing company. He loves his job and the people who work there.
We
have a swimming pool that we enjoy all summer.
We’ve
met amazing people who inspire us.
We’ve
made new friends who love us and support us.
Ohio
is gorgeous. We love the
metroparks.
And
most of all, we love the missionary work that is happening around us. It is changing our hearts and minds. We love having the missionaries over and our
testimonies are strengthened when we see new people join the church.
NOW,
my new mantra needs to be, “Never dwell on what I am lacking, rather, always be
deeply grateful for my many blessings.
I’m
so grateful for my life. Heavenly Father
has made my burdens light, even as He did for Alma and his brethren long
ago. Mosiah 24:15, “And now it came to
pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made
light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens
with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of
the Lord.”
