General Conference last week moved me in a wonderful way. All the sermons held gems, but the last two especially spoke to my heart as answers to prayer. In his sermon Hold on Thy Way, Koichi Aoyagi speaks of trials.
"even though the kind of healing I sought was not granted, I strove to be faithful in keeping God’s commandments. I continued to pray that I would be able to resolve the questions I had about my trials...purpose for being on this earth to experience trial...accept all the trials of this life for what they are and then leave the rest up to the Lord... [some] problems will be resolved when we are resurrected...God who created the heavens and the earth knows the grand design of this earth, that He has dominion over all things in the heavens and the earth, and that in order to bring to pass the plan of salvation, He provides us with many different experiences—including some trials—while we are on this earth...The test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us...my sufferings were for my learning and for my growth. Heavenly Father schooled me to temper my impatience, to develop empathy, and to comfort those who are suffering. When I realized this, my heart was filled with feelings of thankfulness toward my Heavenly Father for this trial."
God has given me very specific instructions through personal revelation how to best endure and overcome [to a point] my health issues. While the issues are tremendously improved, they will not be eliminated during this lifetime. However, they will be arrested enough for me to fulfill the callings God gives me. Other issues with dear ones hold a similar test of patience and sorrow. He has promised that if I heed His counsel to me and endure joyfully to the end, I will be blessed with peace. While I don't know how well I fulfill my end of the bargain, Heavenly Father continues to bless me with peace. Any time agitation or anxiety enters my mind over these trials, I remind myself of the promise and feel His peace wash over me. Additionally, my trials have helped me temper impatience, develop empathy, and love the sinner with less judgement. I still have a long way to go, though.
