Life Is Not F....

Time and time again (my pre-teen comes to mind) I hear the sentence of old "life is not fair". Unfortunately for that child (and those of us who sometimes fall to the same trap), this type of thinking not only is not helpful, but is actually detrimental to our eternal progression. Heavenly Father knows, (and we learned this before we came to Earth), that earthly life would not be easy and that all of us would have to go through trials that would eventually help us to grow. So for those who struggle with feelings of hopelessness because of trials, I offer the following advice through the apostle Peter.

To preface Peter, I would like to bear witness that what he wrote is true because he practiced what he preached by suffering death for the gospel's sake, for which he won his inheritance (Revelation 3:21).

We do not have trials in life because the Lord enjoys our suffering or because the Lord is punishing us. We do have trials in life because the Lord in His infinite wisdom, knows what trials we need to help us grow the most and prepare us for the incorruptible inheritance that the Savior prepared for us (1 Peter 1:4).

Some of us, however, seem to have trials that for us seem to be impossible to bear, and while we should not compare our trials with the trials that another person has, the end, all trials are for our benefit if we turn to the Lord for help and guidance instead of victimizing ourselves. The Savior has suffered for all of us, and he knows how it feels to have pains of every kind. He also knows how it feels to have afflictions, for He suffered not only for our sins but also for our pains and afflictions. I love the way the prophet Isaiah explained it:

"...he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

The prophet Alma, many years later, no doubt took inspiration from the Isaiah when he wrote:

"...And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."

I love the thought that my Savior suffered not only for my sins (which are too many to be counted), but He also suffered the same pains I suffer when I am dissapointed, when I am sad, when I feel anything that drags me down. There is literally nothing that I feel that He didn't feel, and that is why we must turn to Him in our times of trial and difficulties. He has been there, literally and in every sense of the word.

He did it because He loves us.

Yes, at times it seems that life is not fair, but thankfully all that is wrong and unfair is made right through our Lord and Savior.