Heaven Is Near

I have a really amazing family, they are always there for me whenever I need them, and there is a mutual love of Jesus Christ and one another that seems to fill our home. But our life wasn't peachy-keen perfect either. When I was about 8 years old, my Dad lost his Job. Being so young, I didn't realize the impact it was going to have on the family. All I knew was Dad didn't have to go to work, and that meant he got to play with me...ALL DAY. To a kid that was like winning the lottery. 

It's interesting to me, because I remember not having a lot of money, we lived off our food storage and our garden, and yet, I can't remember a summer I loved more than that one! As a child this was the greatest blessing in the world, but as a family, this was by far one of the most stressful times. 

Wouldn't it be nice if we all saw trials like little children saw them? Like an opportunity for something
greater? I look back on my attitude as a child and think, wow, what faith I used to have. Even now I wish I looked at everything they way I used to, and then I thought about this truth beautifully stated by Elder Henry B. Eyring, "If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing."


As I look back on my short nineteen years of life, I see that the times I thought were the hardest were really the times I grew the most. The reality is, that through the hard times, we learn of the power of God, we learn of the saving power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and we learn of our divine nature as children of God. It's amazing to me, that the times I often cried "why?!" were usually the times that my heavenly father took the opportunity to wrap his loving arms around me. 

Here's my point, we all need to have something my dad calls a para
digm shift. Simply that means we need to change the way we look at things. 

In the Book of Mormon in the 12th chapter of Ether it states, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." This verse gives me so much comfort as a fight my own weakness. I know that God has given me those challenges as opportunities to draw closer to him. 

So the next time you feel down trodden or you feel your self yelling towards heaven, remember there is one who knows you even better then you know yourself. Before you yell "why me?" you might just ask, "what is it I am to learn from this?" God loves you. You are his child. Blessings come, because Heaven is Near. Of these things I can testify.