I would have...

Today in Ward Council, a spiritual thought was shared. It was something written by Kimberly Henderson, entitled "I Would Have Pulled Him Out...."

"I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And I would have cheated nations out of the one God would use to deliver them from famine.

I would have pulled David out. Out of Saul's spear-throwing presence. Out of the caves he hid away in. Out of the pain of rejection. And I would have cheated Israel out of a God-hearted king.

I would have pulled Esther out. Out of being snatched from her only family. Out of being placed in a position she never asked for. Out of the path of a vicious, power hungry foe. And I would have cheated a people out of the woman God would use to save their very lives.

    

And I would have pulled Jesus off. Off of the cross. Off of the road that led to suffering and pain. Off of the path that would mean nakedness and beatings, nails and thorns. And I would have cheated the entire world out of a Savior. Out of salvation. Out of an eternity filled with no more suffering and no more pain.

And oh friend, I want to pull you out. I want to change your path. I want to stop your pain But right now I know I would be wrong. I would be out of line. I would be cheating you and cheating the world out of so much good. Because God knows. He knows the good this pain will produce. He knows the beauty this hard will grow. He's watching over you and keeping you even in the midst of this. And He's promising you that you can trust Him. Even when it feels like more than you can bear.

So instead of trying to pull you out, I'm lifting you up. I'm kneeling before the Father and I'm asking Him to give you strength. To give you hope. I'm asking Him to protect you and to move you when the time is right. I'm asking Him to help you stay prayerful and discerning. And I'm believing He's going to use your life in powerful and beautiful ways. Ways that will leave your heart grateful and humbly thankful for this road you've been on."

In a recent conversation, Kevin and I were noticing how many of our family, friends, and loved ones are struggling right now. Our "Please help them, God" prayer list is getting longer every day.

 

It has been said that God will not give you a trial or challenge that is more than you can handle or bear. Often we don't realize that His idea of what we can bear and what WE think we can bear are two very different things. In my life, I've come to the realization that Heavenly Father WILL give us more than what we can bear. He does that when He takes us right to the limits of our endurance, and then allows us to step over that line. That's because He knows on the other side of that line, the Savior waits with His yoke.... with the help of the Savior, we can bear quite a bit more than we could on our own. Philippians 4:13 reads: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Matthew 11:29-30 also reads: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light..."

I think that this life is a place for us to prove ourselves to God - to prove to Him that we will do all things which He sees we need to endure. If we are to live with Him and our Savior someday; we need to learn all that these "hard things" can teach us and become what these refining experiences can polish us into becoming. After all, "The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He?" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:8)

So instead of pulling each of us out of our hard places; I will bring my petitions and lay them at the feet of our Advocate with our Heavenly Father. In my prayers, I will shine Heaven's light upon each of your names and beg for His ministering angels to rally around you. May His grace, mercy, and love buoy you up and lead you through.