ROCKS

"The Lord came to a man and asked him to push against a big rock. Being obedient, he put on his clothes went out and started pushing. He pushed and pushed, but the rock was not moving. After many days, Satan came and suggested he stop. He had been working and sweating long enough, and the rock was not moving. The man agreed and sat down; that rock was simply too big to move. The Lord came by and asked him why he was sitting. The man explained that he tried as hard as he could, but the rock just would not move to which the Lord said, “I did not ask you to move the rock, I asked you to push against the rock. Look, you have lost some of that extra weight, your muscles are getting stronger, and you are out here in the fresh air and are healthier. Push against the rock, and when it is time to move the rock, I will come and help you.” He will help us with our big heavy rocks in His time, but you know what happens once that rock is moved? We have learned, we have progressed, and we get to push against an even bigger rock." -Lloyd Baird BYU Hawaii devotional Feb 2014

I may have already shared this with you --but this quote makes me think of the period of my life right before my mission and in the MTC. As I was preparing for a mission, I started really making an effort to change things in my life and grow spiritually. I was overcoming bad habits and replacing them with better ones and I thought I was in a pretty good place when I entered the MTC.  I remember vividly sitting listening to general conference in the MTC and hearing the spirit speak to my heart that there were still things I needed to improve on. For some reason it just felt too overwhelming. Somehow I had envisioned that I would get to a certain place and then I could rest. Of course in my head I knew life was about progression and that as I improved and grew spiritually--the lord would open up new avenues for me to grow in. But I was not sure I was up for more work.

Healing, like life , is a process. There are times of growth and then there are times of rest. But there are always new opportunities to push against even bigger rocks when we are ready. But you will be strong enough --because you have pushed against the smaller ones. Now I don't share this to say at all that God is the cause of our trials or that he wants us to suffer. But that as the trials of life do come -he helps us gain the strength we need to overcome them. Sometimes that seems "trite". We hear often that the Lord doesn't ever give us something we cannot handle and yet I can attest that there are definitely times that I did not feel up to the tasks put before me. I don't have all the answers-but I do know that we are not alone. No matter how alone we may feel. I know that the Lord is aware of us and I know that he loves us!!