Faith and Trust...

Sometimes, Heavenly Father has a way of pounding home a message to us, and today was one of those days!  I went to lunch with a beautiful friend today who has so many struggles right now.  I was thinking about her last night when I was down at the store, and I saw a little frame with a message in it that I thought was so poignant, it said:  "God doesn't give us what we can handle, He helps us handle what we are given".  We talked a little about struggles and trials, and how sometimes all we can do is endure and trust in the Lord that things are going to get better. I came away from that lunch grateful for a good friend who is an example of faith and trust, even when it's HARD!  It's so wonderful when God puts people in your path who are just what you need!  I am so grateful for that.

Then, tonight for family night, we read the talk HERE, by President Henry B. Eyring given in last October's General Conference.  I had read part of it earlier in the day, and it was particularly touching to me given our current situation.  We have been very frustrated as of late, trying to decide what to do, and where to go from here.  Our lawsuit is moving along at a snail's pace--it seems the wheels of justice don't turn very quickly--and are quite costly.  Our other business is closing, but still not making much money--even with a large percentage off everything.  Our home is for sale--at quite possibly the worst time to sell a house in the history of selling houses, and frankly we haven't had many lookers.  We traded in both our cars and bought clunkers for both of us--but we have two cars that we own free and clear, and right now that is a great blessing.  Now, we are wondering what we should do next, and we have come to an impasse where we really are having to take a step into the dark and trust in the Lord to take care of our family, and help us find a way through this mess.

President Eyring taught that we need to trust the Lord that He knows what is best for us, and then when we know His will, we need to go and DO what He wants us to do.  This was a great lesson to teach the kids that sometimes all we can do is TRUST.  The Lord knows what we need better than we do.  We need to trust Him, and be willing to do what He asks.  We also had a great talk tonight with Todd's parents, who came over to the house to check on us, and give us some counsel from the scriptures.  It is so wonderful to have family who love and care about us enough to pray for us and help us when we need it!  Our discussion solidified, once again,  the fact that Todd and I need to excercise faith--and trust in the Lord to help us through our trials. 

Lastly, this reminded me of another blog post I wrote quite awhile ago on my Old Jerusalem blog--called "Faith".  It was neat to look back on it again tonight with renewed perspective, and realize Heavenly Father was preparing me for this trial--even before it happened by the experiences I had.  The thoughts I shared then were exactly related to the struggles we are having now.  Funny how sometimes the answer was there all along, you just have to be reminded of it!  Here is that post:
Faith...

"I found this plaque a few weeks ago, and I loved what it said about faith.  "Faith is not believing that God can, it is knowing that God will."  Faith and trust go hand in hand.  If we have faith, then we need to have trust in the Lord knowing that He will do what He says He's going to do, and that no matter what happens to us, He will help us through it.  Many times, it is easy for me to say that I have faith, but then when a trial comes, I find myself doubting, wondering whether the Lord can or will really help me.  I feel like the father in the scriptures, when he says, "Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief."  Sometimes when it gets hard, my faith is weak, and I struggle to trust in the Lord.  Saying that we have faith is easy...showing it, is sometimes more difficult.  I think another good example of faith and trust is Peter.  When Peter asked to walk out on the water to the Savior, Peter didn't hesitate.  Peter had faith in Christ.  But as the water got rough, and Peter got closer to the Savior, he took his focus off Him, and as he began to sink, the fear crept in.  Peter's faith was strong, but he struggled with trust.  He wasn't sure that he could do what Christ told him he could do. Thankfully, the Lord rescued Peter, as He will rescue us if we will just ask.  All we need is a little faith, and a lot of trust!" 

I am grateful for a loving and kind Heavenly Father--who loves me enough to put people in my path to pound a message through my thick head, and help me to know He is mindful of my struggles.  I know that with His help, and me excercising even a tiny particle of faith and trust in Him, that things will work out, and our family will make it through this trial, and be stronger because of it.