"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." - Romans 10:17
In the bible dictionary it reads, "Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith." I read this at church the other day while in Sacrament Meeting and it really hit my heart! It is SO true - I truly believe my faith has grown because of others who have told me their stories! I have also heard from others that my story has helped others as well, gain more faith in times of need. I wanted to do a special blog post for anyone and all who read my blog. I absolutely LOVE when others share their stories with me. I love hearing about your trials and how you were able to overcome them, somehow, someway...especially when you didn't think you could.
I ask, that if you are reading this right now, that you will think about a time in your life that you have struggled. It could have been a health trial or friend trial, maybe a financial trial or death trial. Whatever it may be, I encourage you to leave a comment below and share your story. I truly believe as we share stories, that all of our faith will be strengthened.
Sharing my story on here has helped me so much! Not only has it been fun to document my life, so I will remember this crazy time forever, but it has helped me be positive and have a better look on my situation. I love that so many people have reached out and shared with me their stories of overcoming trials - and I hope that they and all of you will be willing to share stories on this post... So we can all be a little happier, a little bit more positive and have our faith grow.
5 comments:
This has been one of the hardest years of my life. Having 4 kids and having two of them being babies and 2 of them in elementary school has made me feel torn in 2 different directions. Trying to keep up with all of them made me feel like a complete failure because it is impossible to do everything 100 percent when there is so much to do. My house was always a mess, a child was always crying, I was too tired to do anything for my husband, I couldn't take care of my friends who were in need, dinner was never made, our food storage became an empty pantry, we were always out of clean clothes, my to do list was never ending, and I felt so alone even though I was surrounded by people all day long. I cried everyday wishing I could be more. My desire to be everything to everyone was there and I just couldn't do it. I often wondered how my life could turn so quickily! Having 3 kids was a piece of cake and then Tenzlee made life impossible even though she is the best baby in the world. I was struggling so bad and I felt like my life was over and that I would never be able to be who I wanted to be ever again. I prayed and prayed and prayed. I always felt comfort when I prayed but life didn't get easier for a long time. I kept praying because it was the only time I felt that my life was ok and it gave me so much comfort. As time went by, I felt like life would be easier one day but I had to accept that life was going to be hard for a time. Heavenly Father sent me angels to help me and slowly but surely, I have been coming out of it. Life is getting easier and I am feeling better. I know it is because I continued to pray and read my scriptures. I didn't give up on Heavenly Father and he didn't give up on me. Going through the trial was so stinkin hard but now that I look back, I see how it has only made me stronger and I am a better wife and mother because of it.
Danielle, I want to be like you when I grow up. Just so you know. ;)
I'm a "cup is half-full" kinda girl; I always have been. But I've had my fair share of trials too - some "little" trials that most people didn't really notice, and some big ones that changed my life and who I am. The first "big" challenge I had hit me out of nowhere when I was 14. My parents had always had a rocky marriage; they would fight and argue and yell and my dad would eventually storm off and be gone for days at a time. But we were one of "those families"... you know, the ones who seem perfect at church and like nothing was ever wrong? Anyways, when I was 14 things started to change. My mom lost her mind one day. Literally... I came home from school one day and she had trashed the house (which was always immaculate). She went around screaming and crying... she would drive off for hours at a time and then come home and lock herself in her room. My brothers and I were left to fend for ourselves for about a week since she was a mess and my dad was, as usual, gone. And then one day he came back. And then my mom started to become human again. And I thought that life was piecing itself back together... until one Sunday afternoon. My parents sat us down, and through tears and sobs my dad told us that he was addicted to pornography (had been for 30 years) and that he had been having an affair with a woman for the last 7 years. I just stared at him. And then I cried. My older brother got up and left the house, and my younger brother curled up on the floor and cried and cried and cried. I felt a million things at once: pain, anger, hurt, sorrow, contempt, confusion... I felt sucked into a black hole. And then I heard a little voice in my head telling me that I needed to forgive him. I fought back - how in the world could I forgive him? What he did to my mother, what he did to our family... it didn't seem possible to forgive and I felt even more pain at the thought. But the prompting came again, so before I even knew what I was doing, I got up from the couch, walked over to my dad, put my arms around him and whispered, "I forgive you, dad."
And that was it.
Suddenly I felt peace. Suddenly I felt hope and love. I was still hurting, but I felt like I could heal. And I did. It has been a long, long road that took me through many more trials. As a result of my broken family and my father's actions I struggled with eating disorders, depression, abandonment issues and much more. But through my trials I have always remembered that voice and that prompting, telling me to do as Christ would do, and so I have clung to my faith. Where my brothers wouldn't forgive and became bitter and hurtful, (one of them even became an alcoholic and a womanizer himself) I have found peace, hope and love in the gospel and the healing power of the Atonement. I am by no means perfect... I still struggle at times with past feelings and emotions and habits that have stemmed from my childhood, but I have learned that there is no pain too deep, no sorrow so great, no transgression so vile that we cannot be healed through our Savior Jesus Christ. I have more faith in Him than ever before, and each day it grows. Hearing your story and the stories of others helps to build my faith as well, so thank you for having the courage to share your life and story with others. By doing so you are blessing not only your life but the lives of countless others. Thank you. :)
My husband, Salvador, and I had been married a year & had just welcomed our baby Kenneth last April. We were thrilled, but I was in the midst of mild post-partum depression when the most difficult period of my life began. 3 short weeks after Kenneth's birth, Salvador had severe muscle pain and fatigue which we attributed to his new job, his school schedule, & the new baby. Finally the pain was so unbearable that he went to the ER while I stayed home with Kenneth. Neither of us had ANY idea that he wouldn't come home for a month. He was admitted that night & 4 agonizing days later we received the news: Salvador had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. I was completely devastated. He underwent a battle for his life in the next 4 weeks. It was so hard to watch him suffer; I felt like I was in a horrible hazy nightmare/dream for the next few weeks as I went back & forth between our newborn and visits to the hospital, trying to absorb everything that was happening. It was a very dark time.
10 months later, I look back on 6 rounds of chemotherapy & a bone marrow transplant (Salvador was lucky - no, blessed - enough to find a cord blood match only months after he was diagnosed). We've been separated for more than 75% of the last year by his hospital stays; he's only been out of the hospital for 3 weeks at a time since he was diagnosed. I have struggled with stress & anxiety as I learn to be a mom, work as a teacher, & travel constantly to visit my husband. Salvador's also been treated at UCLA since mid-October for transplant & recovery. He's still there now dealing with complications & has been for almost 2 months. At this moment, he is battling with graft-vs-host disease, a condition that occurs when your body rejects a transplant & causes continuous diarrhea & liver problems. He's currently in the ICU because he is so sick & suffers from confusion. It is heartbreaking to watch. He has had many blessings of healing & each of them has promised his recovery and return home, so I am clinging to that, however, I know that whatever happens is God's will & I accepted that when I went to the temple a couple weeks after his diagnosis.
I am so grateful for the blessings Heavenly Father pours on us in times of trials. I truly believe that people are angels & His answer to prayers -- countless family members, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, & people we didn't know offered us meals, visits, shoulders to cry on, hours & hours of baby-sitting, prayers, & fasting. It may sound strange, but as heartwrenching as this past year has been, I am grateful for it. I've gained a greater testimony of the temple, for eternal marriage & sealing power. My relationship with my husband has grown stronger as we've learned to rely completely on each other for everything. Though I never wanted to be a working mom, I'm grateful that I have a job as a teacher so I can provide the health insurance my husband needs.
Danielle wrote in her blog about the man who was dying & let himself have a short pity party every morning before being positive and optimistic the rest of the day. I've thought of that many times. I read a story about a woman who was affected by infertility & asked, "Why me?" Later, she turned the question into "Why NOT me?" We can handle so much more than we realize when we give our trials to Heavenly Father. I have learned that we must look at the bigger picture and the Plan of Salvation... this life is a short time and no matter what happens I'll be with Salvador again, he will be whole and well, & even though he has missed most of Kenneth's first year of life, we will all three have eternity to spend together. That always makes me feel better even when I feel like I'm buried beneath tons of overwhelming sadness.
Ahh, patience.... a great weakness of mine. Something the Lord always enjoys watching me practice :)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell linked patience and faith together when he taught, "Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best-better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his."
I feel like a spiritual infant at times, throwing a fit, and asking for my trials to be lifted from me as soon as possible, or for some easier route to take its place. I blindly tell myself that I know best and ask God, "Why must I suffer so?"
It kind of frustrates me that I never learn and quickly forget to completely rely on the Lord. Over and over and OVER again, I find myself down on my knees, praying, and saying, "Well, Heavenly Father, you were right! You proved me wrong again. I DID need that trial and I have grown from it and have become a better person, and I wouldn't want it any other way."
I'm so grateful for you, Dani! You have ALWAYS been the perfect example to me of someone with courageous faith and patience to overcome and achieve all of your difficult trials. I love you! And your example has helped my testimony to grow and has helped me to become stronger and trust in the Lord. You will make such an amazing mother!
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