Difficult Blessings

The greatest bit of wisdom I have received lately was from a talk by an amazing young woman in church a couple of Sundays ago. Ashlee is getting ready to serve a mission in Florida and I just know she will be amazing! But in her talk she said something that really stuck with me about trials.

"Trials are just difficult blessings." I wanted to shout, "AMEN!" from my seat.

We all experience hardship in this life. God didn't send us down here to breeze through and learn nothing. What would be the point of that? If we couldn't make choices, we'd never learn from consequences. If we never experienced defeat, we'd never know victory. If we never endured pain, we'd never feel joy. If we never had trials, how would we notice our blessings?

And, really, we are SO blessed! I not only have one pair of shoes (which is more than some people have), I have enough pairs to go a month before I'd wear the same pair twice. I have a home and a big comfy bed. Any meals that I have missed in my life have been of my own choosing. The list goes on and on!

Even as we have struggled through infertility and loss, we have been able to see SO many blessings. Right now, we don't have children, but we have been incredibly blessed with 2 perfect nephews, cousins, and friends' kids. We have grown so much closer as a couple and recognize this time we have to spend together, before children, as a blessing. Our testimonies are bigger than ever, and our love for the Savior is indescribable.

Some blessings just come easily. Some blessings we are born with, or we are given without much effort. But some blessings we work and toil for. The blessings that come after the journey we weren't sure we could survive; those difficult blessings are the ones that often mean the most to us.

Count your many blessings, and be grateful for the most difficult ones.
XO