Faith through our trials

1 “To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love. ”

(“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17). Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

2 “Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”

(“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17). Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

3 “In our lives we will have temptations; we will have trials and challenges. As we go to the temple, as we remember the covenants we make there, we will be better able to overcome those temptations and to bear our trials. In the temple we can find peace.”

“Blessing of the Temple.” President Monson, April 2015 General Conference.

4 “Although His time is not always our time, we can be sure that the Lord keeps His promises. For any of you who now feel that He is hard to reach, I testify that the day will come that we all will see Him face to face. Just as there is nothing now to obscure His view of us, there will be nothing to obscure our view of Him. We will all stand before Him, in person.”

“Where Is the Pavilion?”, By President Henry B. Eyring, October 2012 General Conference

5 “If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word.”

“Mountains to Climb”, By President Henry B. Eyring, April 2012 General Conference

6 “I have seen faith and courage come from a testimony that it is true that we are being prepared for eternal life. The Lord will rescue His faithful disciples. And the disciple who accepts a trial as an invitation to grow and therefore qualify for eternal life can find peace in the midst of the struggle.”

APRIL 2009, “Adversity” President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency General Conference

7 “It is clear that for us to have that gift and to be given that trust, we must be transformed through making righteous choices where that is hard to do. We are prepared for so great a trust by passing through trying and testing experiences in mortality. That education can come only as we are subject to trials while serving God and others for Him. In this education we experience misery and happiness, sickness and health, the sadness from sin and the joy of forgiveness. That forgiveness can come only through the infinite Atonement of the Savior, which He worked out through pain we could not bear and which we can only faintly comprehend.

It will comfort us when we must wait in distress for the Savior’s promised relief that He knows, from experience, how to heal and help us. The Book of Mormon gives us the certain assurance of His power to comfort. And faith in that power will give us patience as we pray and work and wait for help.”

APRIL 2009, “Adversity” President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency General Conference

8 “The burdens His faithful servants must carry in life are made lighter by His Atonement. The burden of sin can be taken away, but the trials of mortal life for good people can still be heavy burdens.”

April 2015, “The Comforter”, By President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency

9 “It was the witness of the Spirit of the coming Atonement which saw Job through the tests life is intended to include for all of us. That is part of the great plan of happiness the Father gave us. He allowed His Son to provide, by His atoning sacrifice, the hope that comforts us no matter how hard the way home to Him may be.”

April 2015, “The Comforter”, By President Henry B. Eyring, First Counselor in the First Presidency

10 “Elder Boyd K. Packer explained: “It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life” (“That All May Be Edified” [1982], 94).”

APRIL 2000 “Living Happily Ever After”, Coleen K. Menlove, Primary General President

11 “That’s where the faith comes in. … Our commitment is supposed to be a test, it’s supposed to be hard, it’s supposed to be impractical in the terms of this world.”

APRIL 2015, “The Parable of the Sower”,  Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Personal Statement

I choose to learn about faith through our trials because my faith was shaken to the core after multiple trials came I felt that I had been abandoned. What I’ve learned through my study of this topic is that everyone has trials in this life. I am no exception. I am not loved any less or forgotten. Just like everyone else I am going through a testing phase to see if I’ll stand strong in the midst of my trials. I’ve learned that I need to cling to the knowledge I have of my Heavenly Father. I need to read my scriptures, pray, look for the good and express gratitude for the blessings I have in my life, which can help me to keep my faith strong.

My favorite quote I found is my Richard G Scott. “Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”

I like this quote so much because it reminds me that when trials come my way that it’s because the Lord sees that I’m ready to grow, and just like the growing pains I experienced as a child, I’m being stretched and lengthened and it’s not comfortable, but it’s worth it.