From day one we learn that trials are part of our life here on earth. We will all have situations in life that bring us to the point of giving up and losing faith. I've been there, and honestly, lately it has been a daily struggle. Although trials come both big and small, they can change your life. They can be life consuming, devastating, and heartbreaking. But I know without a doubt in my mind that these struggles and these challenges help us grow. They teach you to trust in the Lord, because He is never going to put you through something in this life that you cannot handle.
I know that my Heavenly Father is very aware of my trials. He sees me every single day fighting the battles of this life. He knows me better than I know myself. I have tried to make it through some of these things on my own. I would ask myself how would praying really even make a difference? My family is still struggling, money is still an issue, and I haven't felt more alone. I couldn't even fathom how a simple habit of prayer would change any of that.
One night, everything just wasn't going right. I came home from work, went to my room and knelt by my bed, sobbing. I felt so helpless. I had always known that Heavenly Father was always there. He always wants to talk. We just have to put in the effort, and he'll respond. But as I grew older it just seemed less and less necessary. But on this night, I prayed. I talked to Heavenly Father about everything. Everything I was feeling, what I was going through, the timing of it all. I mostly just talked to Him. More like a conversation. I can't even tell you how much better I felt just after praying. My problems didn't go away. But I felt comfort, and He knew that that is exactly what I needed at that time.
Days passed. I still woke up to the same struggles, just with a better attitude. Now, I'm not saying it was a perfect attitude, but I knew that I always had Heavenly Father, and He really was there. It helped me get by, with more hope than disappointment. I continued to pray throughout these days. I felt better and I felt strengthened, but I told Heavenly Father that I still felt alone at times. I needed someone I could talk to that could relate and just help me get my mind off of myself and focus on others.
Which brings me to today. Where my prayer was answered in a way I never would have expected. One of my really good friends, had announced on Facebook a few days before that he was home for a couple months because he has to get ankle surgery. I so badly wanted to see him, but had no way to get ahold of him, considering he never got of Facebook after he posted that. This kid was one of my really good friends, and I was sad that I probably wasn't going to be able to see him before he left. But, I just left it at that.
Tonight I came home from a really long day at work. Then I went to visit one of my friends in the hospital with Mitchell. The visit went well, but things have just been really off with Mitchell lately. So we got in an argument when I dropped him off, then I came home and sat on my bed just thinking. I got on Facebook just to pass the time. All the sudden I see my missionary friend post something and I couldn't believe it. It was about midnight and he was on Facebook. I hurried and messaged him asking him how he was doing and told him that he should really talk to me because I missed him. He messaged me back and we decided to meet up.
I have not laughed that much in so long. He is so filled with the spirit, and had so many amazing stories. But at the same time, he was the exact friend I needed for this king of situation. He had gone through exactly what I'm going through right now. He knew how I was feeling, and he made me feel like I wasn't alone. I knew in that moment that Heavenly Father was very mindful of my situation. He had blessed me with an opportunity to learn and grow from someone who knows me and knows my situation. It wasn't the answer to my prayer that I was expecting; it was SO much better. I am thankful for His mindfulness and for blessing me with this amazing missionary friend in my life.
I am so blessed to have been raised with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is mindful of every single one of our needs, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't believe that. Prayer is so important, and if we just ask our Heavenly Father for strength, He can and will help us through the roughest times. In my case, he helped me through someone else. I am forever thankful for the merciful blessings that are presented in my life each day, and I hope I can keep that mindset throughout my life.
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