Blessings

I am so amazed by the blessings that Heavenly Father provides for us, especially when they come in packages not seen as blessings.

Every trial that has occurred in my life, I can give reasons to why they occurred or at least why I think they occurred. I have always been able to look at the bright side of life. The last few years, the intense trials that occurred were so tough for me. Though I have come a long way, I still struggle.

One trial that I am going through that still effects me to this day (though not everyday). I've never seen the good or the possibility of the good that may come from that trial. I was struggling more than I could imagine this afternoon and normally I would text people to help distract me from my thoughts. I tried that and was not getting the results I wanted so I started reading scriptures. From my few hours of reading, I am realizing that even though the good may not be occurring in this moment (and maybe it is and I don't see it) there are possibilities of blessings that I choose not to see before.

In D. Todd Christofferson's talk during last conference titled, “As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten” he talked about many things, but one item in particular was about a current bush. This bush had grown quite tall, over 6 ft. to be more exact. The gardener, who was new, had trimmed this current bush to nothing but stubs. Out of the stubs came what looked like tears and the current bush had asked why had the gardener done this to him. The gardener replied with this powerful quote, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.” 

The days I feel that pain, I tend to change... I get stronger. It's taken me months to realize this, but I am a better person because of this trial. My life is constantly changing for the better. No matter how this trial ends, I will be exactly what Heavenly Father would like me to be. As long as I show Heavenly Father my gratitude, I know I will be blessed.