Everything Happens for a Reason!

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." D&C 121: 7-9

The last 24 hours have been an amazing look at life. Where am I going and what do I want to be? I think that these questions are something that everyone deals with on a daily basis. I came to a great conclusion that I wanted to help people and give them strength, hope, and a safe harbor. We all need to be our brother's keeper, even when it isn't convenient or comfortable. The Lord asks us to lose ourselves in service, and that is what I intend to do.

This road is never easy, but no one ever said it would be. The greatest rewards come from the harder roads. It may sound cliche, but Heavenly Father will never give us anything that we can't handle or overcome. Everything happens for a reason, good or bad, and it's important to always have a great attitude about doing it...even when it seems that there is no end.

I see many people compare their trials with others. What may seem easy for one person is not always easy for another. We should never question God's intent for our trials, because they will always be for our good. He only wants to strengthen us and bring us back to Him. A father never wants to see his kids suffer just for fun, it is always to make them a better person. Just hold on and endure it well, because handling your problems with resilience is a way to show Heavenly Father you truly understand His plan.

We have all been given different trials, talents, and tests. If everyone was going through the same thing, the way back to our Father in Heaven would be easy. I'm not saying that He wants it to be hard, but He needs to test our faith. The most important part is understanding that it is out of love that He does this.

I remember being in sixth grade and wanting to play little league football. I begged my parents, saying I wanted this more than anything in the world. As I started playing it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I was determined to quit. It was too hard, too time consuming, and too much for me to handle. I would rather take the easy route and just play with my friends than practice.

My dad told me that I had to finish out the season. If I quit, I would regret it and that he would think twice before letting me do something again. I remember crying because I knew how hard it was going to be. I stuck it out though and I remember feeling great about myself. It was very tough, but I had finished something that I started. I was that much stronger with doing the things I didn't want to do.

I feel that life is that way a lot of the time. We are only involved in our trials for a very short period in the big picture. Heavenly Father only wants us to be happy and by finishing this life doing the best we can, He won't think twice. He will know that we can handle things on a much larger scale, and He will trust us to go forward with His work.

I recently got a letter from a friend I haven't spoken to in years. They aren't going through the same trial as I am, but they did say that watching me change had given him strength to change. I couldn't have asked for a better response to what I'm going through. I hope that I can touch the lives of many. Not just others struggling with sexual addiction, but every type of problem. I think the best way to do that is to talk about it, and not be bitter about it.