Friday, June 17, 2016

Heartbreak

 A mother and father kneel in the grass next to their son and help him while he tries to walk.

Last week I wrote about marriage and having children.  As I thought about these thoughts throughout the week following, I wanted to make sure I addressed one more aspect.  Life is full of opposition and trial.  There are many people who wish with all their heart to be married, but the opportunity slips by and as time progresses hope that it will become a reality dims.  This applies to having children as well.  There are many couples that have married and anticipated having children, and as time goes by with no results, their hearts become heavy with sadness.

We live in a fallen world where there are many trials and disappointments.  We strive to do our best and serve God, following the Savior. This is why marriage and child bearing can be a hard topic.

An image of a man’s hand holding a woman’s hand, combined with a quote by Elder Neil L. Andersen: “No trial is so large we can’t overcome it together.”

Elder Anderson taught, "The bearing of children can also be a heartbreaking subject for righteous couples who marry and find that they are unable to have the children they so anxiously anticipated or for a husband and wife who plan on having a large family but are blessed with a smaller family.
We cannot always explain the difficulties of our mortality. Sometimes life seems very unfair—especially when our greatest desire is to do exactly what the Lord has commanded. As the Lord’s servant, I assure you that this promise is certain: “Faithful members whose circumstances do not allow them to receive the blessings of eternal marriage and parenthood in this life will receive all promised blessings in the eternities, [as] they keep the covenants they have made with God.”"

I feel it would be hard to think that an anticipated blessing will not happen until after this life is over, but we all experience trials that try our patience and these trials teach us.  As we turn to the Lord in our trials our eyes can be opened to see the blessings and opportunities that come our way.

Seek the Lord in your trials and "I [the Lord, will] make weak things become strong unto them."

 A plain gray background with the words from Ether 12:27 printed over the top.

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