Adversity - The Refiner's Fire

Dearest Sister,

Last week while tending to our new baby, I heard a thud followed by a chorus of giggles.  After listening to several rounds of this, I realized our 3 and 5 year old girls were taking turns jumping from the staircase onto a bean bag below.  One minute later, once I had the baby settled, I walked over to reiterate that this was the NOT safest way to entertain themselves.  As I stood at the top of the stairs I saw our Anna leap from the 6th stair and miss the bean bag below….. Instant tears.  Her pain was obvious as she crawled and limped around.  We were grateful that X-rays were normal.  But I, ever the safety queen, blamed myself for not stopping the rough housing sooner.   Sensing my guilt, Lyman assured me that kids have to learn the consequences of their actions and it’s impossible and in fact counterproductive to prevent them from feeling pain or discomfort. 

Pain, discomfort, and adversity are inevitable.  Sometimes it is difficult to remember that adversity is the refiner’s fire that bends iron but tempers steel. 

Whether the trials we face are financial, involve health, job, family-related, or caused by our own unwise decision, know that help is always available.  The Lord’s hand is always stretched out to us.  The church and its programs provide a safety net to give us the spiritual and temporal help to lift us up in times of need. A loving home and visiting teacher, a wise gospel doctrine instructor, a concerned Relief Society or Priesthood leader or simply a good friend can help to carry us through difficult times. 

President James E. Faust suggests ways we can prepare for and in fact prosper times of adversity:

1. Wean ourselves away from dependence for our happiness upon mere material and physical things. This could mean a bicycle instead of a car. It may mean skim milk instead of cream.

2. Learn to do without many things and have some reserve to fall back on.

3. Develop an appreciation for the great gifts of God as found in nature, in the beauty of the seasons; the eloquent testimony of God in the sunrise and the sunsets, the leaves, the flowers, the birds and the animals.

4. Engage in more physical activity that does not employ the use of hydrocarbons, including walking, jogging, swimming, and bicycling.

5. Have a hobby that involves your mind and your heart and can be done at home.

6. Pay your tithes and offerings.

“In life we all have our Gethsemanes. A Gethsemane is a necessary experience, a growth experience. A Gethsemane is a time to draw near to God, a time of deep anguish and suffering. The Gethsemane of the Savior was without question the greatest suffering that has ever come to mankind, yet out of it came the greatest good in the promise of eternal life.” (James E. Faust, BYU Devotional. 1978)

We love you sisters,

 Julia Kirkland