Trials

I've been pondering a lot about trials lately. Why is it that Heavenly Father doesn't ever let us get comfortable or give us a break? Why do things have to be learned the hard way and not through a text book?

Here's a few other quotes that I've come to love:

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels that 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. . . . The Lord's plan is to exalt you to live with him and be greatly blessed. The rate at which you qualify is generally set by your capacity to mature, to grow, to love, and to give of yourself. He is preparing you to be a god. You cannot understand fully what that means, yet, He knows. As you trust Him, seek and follow His will, you will receive blessings that your finite mind cannot understand here on earth. Your Father in Heaven and His Holy Son know better than you what brings happiness" (Richard G Scott, Trust in the Lord, Ensign, November 1995).

"He knows perfectly well that your own efforts are never going to bring you anywhere near perfection" (CS Lewis).

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right to stop the leaks in the roof and so on. You knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself" (CS Lewis).

"We must be willing to give up the life we have planned for the life we have waiting for us" (Quoted by Elaine Dalton).

My final thought is of lifting weights. We don't start out lifting hundreds of pounds. We start out light and gradually increase the weight. I guess that's how life is. Heavenly Father is our trainer and He keeps adding more weight - pushing us to meet our potential - who knew we could become so strong. I guess exaltation is not for the week.