Deep thoughts.....

A couple of weeks ago, the son of a dear friend lost his young life to a senseless hit and run accident after having a rewarding evening meal with his loving parents. Just the week before, I had been prompted to share with her and another friend some words of deep wisdom about how the Lord deals with trials in our lives. He has given us our freedom to choose to either follow His example or to follow the selfish ways of the world. We sometimes ask, "Why doesn't the Lord stop such actions from happening when the victim was a righteous person? He has the power to do so, why does he choose to look the other way?" I counseled them that we were sent here to be tested. The Lord is watching to learn what we will do with that freedom to choose. As in our country's legal system the disobedient can not be punished until a crime has been committed, in which many times the innocent suffer. That seems so unfair when we strive to do what is right only to have trials instead of rewards. But when we look beyond the moment, we find great rewards for endurance, like depth of character from forgiveness which can not be gained without trials. Heavenly Father doesn't leave us comfortless. He sends the Holy Ghost to guide us through the trials of life. Jesus suffered more than we can ever suffer and he prayed to the Father to forgive those who were only following orders and knew not what they were doing. He sees more than we can see when others make wrong choices, which makes Him a better judge than us. He also knew that not forgiving eats us up both temporally as well as spiritually, and can ruin our lives. Trials also help us become and remain humble, by realizing that we can not get through our trials alone. We need His loving arms around us through our friends and family who care about us. Trials give us opportunities to be of serve to each other. Then this past Saturday, General Women's Conference was broadcast around the world to all who were available to listen. POWERFUL!!! Reminding us that the Savior suffered, died and rose from the dead that we may have Eternal Life if we but come to Him, learn of His ways, and follow His example. By doing so, we can endure the trials of life with greater endurance and be of service to others who suffer. I am grateful to have had this knowledge, so that I was prepared when the Spirit prompted me to share the message of hope and forgiveness in a timely manner. Thus when my friend's trial came, she knew that she was not alone and that she was able to forgive the driver who killed her precious son. May Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love surround us every day of our lives as we remember His Gospel and live it!