29 January 2012

Not another "Trials" Lesson

I missed most of Sunday School today because I was hanging out in the nursery with Molly, but I did sit through all of relief society. The lesson: TRIALS. I don't like this lesson. It's always a downer.

Some of the discussion questions included:
Can you tell me of an experience when you overcame a trial?
Why does God give us trials?
What do you do while you are in the middle of a trial to continue having faith?

It might be that I just don't like the word, "trial." Instead, I have issues, occasionally problems, stressful situations, days, or months. Sometimes life is sucky and sometimes it is good. You just deal with it! Now, I am far from perfect and can complain with the best of you (unfortunately it is usually to my poor mother, since she's the only one who will listen to me most of the time). I've had my fair share of not dealing with things well. But, I don't think I have ever thought, "Oh this is a trial." I don't mean to discredit tragedies or terrible events that happen to people, but even the big things can be dealt with.

This is just life! We make choices and things happen. Sometimes things happen beyond any choice we've made. Sometimes we're lucky and blessed with wonderful things and sometimes were blessed with pain-in-the-butt things. It all evens out in the end and we just need to keep on pluggin'.

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Words of Wisdom I thought of during the lesson today that I've probably heard from my mom or my grandma:

  • Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you just get rained out.
  • If you're not happy, fake it, and eventually you will be.
  • Whenever you start thinking about your life being bad, there is always someone who is worse off than you.
  • It's not your problems that define you, but how you deal with them.

  • Hymn "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today . . . If Not I Have Failed Indeed."
  • President Hinckley quote when feeling sorry for yourself, "Forget yourself and go to work."