Strap in folks, I have a lot of thoughts swirling in my head. I think this post might turn into a mess of multiple metaphors (and alliteration apparently!) I don’t know if I have mentioned this before, but this time in my life is really hard. I can’t even tell you how many times I have started prayers with, “Heavenly Father, this is so hard…” I know He knows what I am going through and cares. I heard a song again that I love. For some reason songs are really resonating with me lately. I first heard this song when I thought my trials were really hard. And they were. I just didn’t realize they would get worse. So, if you will indulge me in another song, I would like to share this one.
In this song she talks about a mountain being in the way of the path she planned in life. And though the climb is hard, she went through it all to see the view at the top and it was worth it. She is obviously comparing that to the hard things we go through in life – that in the end the hard things we go through will be worth it for what we learn and gain in the process and the blessings Heavenly Father has for us. Man, can I relate and I hope that at the top on my huge mountain is an amazing view – a happy life that I will be so grateful for.
I have noticed recently a lot of songs about hard trials in life and getting through them. I started wondering why that is. And this is what I came up with – suffering and hardship are universal. We all have our trials in life. Mine right now is a divorce coupled with pain, betrayal and sorrow. For some it is the loss of a child. For others it could be health challenges. No matter what it is, we all experience them. And so we can all relate. People who haven’t gone through what I have don’t know what it feels like. Just like I can’t understand what it feels like to lose a child. Or battle cancer. Or anything else I haven’t experienced. But I do know what pain feels like. I do know what it feels like to try to push through every day when you don’t feel like you can. And I would guess that those are things others understand as well, even if it isn’t because of divorce.
I am trying to hold on to my faith that everything is going to work out in my life. That there is a great plan for me. And I’m trying to be patient, but I am horrible at that! But there may still be lessons I need to learn that will make the future even sweeter. And though hardship is universal, joy can be as well. In the scriptures we read, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25) We are meant to have joy, even in the difficulties in life. That is really hard, but not impossible. We each have a choice when facing these times – turn towards God or away. If we turn towards Him, He will help us. He can help us find purpose in the experiences in our life – both the good and bad. He has a plan for each of us.
So, we’ve talked about climbing a mountain. Now let’s switch metaphors. For my birthday earlier this month, my ex-husband took the kids to get a present for me. They got me two puzzles and we have been working on one slowly since then. It is surprisingly hard! There are pieces that seem like they don’t belong to any part of the puzzle. Then some parts of the puzzle start coming together put don’t connect to the rest of the picture. But then all of the sudden parts start coming together. A piece that I could never place I suddenly know exactly where it fits because the pictures in the puzzle are developing. And then two parts connect to make sense. And then another part of the picture is added and it is even clearer. Soon the whole puzzle will be done and I will see the whole picture and where every piece fit.
This metaphor is pretty obvious, huh? Somehow everything I am going through will makes sense. It will all fit together into a beautiful picture. Some things just don’t seem to fit. I got married and planned on being with him forever. But maybe my divorce fits into a beautiful picture of a happy life. I can’t wait to see what that picture looks like! Right now it just looks like an ugly piece that can’t possibly be part of something beautiful. But I am sure it fits somehow.
Let’s see. I feel like I should be able to fit more metaphors into this. Sunlight always comes after dark. The rain eventually stops and the sun comes back out. Hmm… I guess I’ll stop! I guess what I am trying to say in this wandering post is that although hard times are inevitable, we can still find happiness. There is a plan for our lives and everything we go through fits into that plan. But we have to choose to learn from them, to turn to God, to want to be happy. I have had moments when I felt like I would never get through this. I have had moments of overwhelming peace and joy. And most of the time I am hanging out somewhere in between. But I am trying to move forward with faith in a beautiful future. Does that mean I won’t have any more hard times? Nope. But I will be able to get through them, just like I will get through this. And they will make my picture even more meaningful and beautiful because I got through them with my Heavenly Father.
Sunshine and Rainstorms 