Finding Joy Amid Trials

I once heard a quote that said, "Don't wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy now. Otherwise you'll run out of time."

The truth shared within this statement. Life is so short, find the joy amid the struggles.

How do we find joy when our hearts are so broken that there isn't much to be joyful about?

I truly believe the way to find joy is to look for the small moments in life that make you happy, bring you joy and that uplift. Find the time and the energy to spend searching for the goodness even amid your personal struggles. This is where your happiness lies, this is how you find joy.

I also believe that we all would benefit from the willingness to give our listening ear and empathetic heart to others while we are struggling with our own pain. As we serve others our load is lightened, even if for a small second. Our pain won't be completely taken away but we will find that it's easier to live through as we give of our personal time to others.

7 years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with a heart defect. She was born strong, healthy and looked like a normal baby girl on the outside, but inside her heart was quite literally broken. She had a smattering of tests done and ultimately ended up having open heart surgery at just five days old. She medically endure more in her short life than I was ever asked to endure. A fellow Heart Mom gave me the best advice following something so traumatic as watching your child go through heart surgery....she told me to look for the miracles and tender mercies. In the throws of the most terrible experience I've ever been called to live through I was able to look for the good, and I found it.

A few of the miracles I witnessed were seeing friends, neighbors and family far and wide pray for her and leave comments on our Facebook page and blog that encouraged us and uplifted us. I had neighbors bring meals and family give of their time to care for my other kids. I had the best group of girlfriends take me out to dinner and throw me a small baby shower shortly after she was diagnosed while I was still pregnant. It is still, to this day, the sweetest gesture I've ever been graced with. It raised my spirits and gave a me a moment of clarification that even though these women had no clue how heavy my heart was they were there to buoy me up and carry me through my heartache. Another tender mercy. We saw answers come to medical questions when we least expected them and through the craziest avenue. There were so many more, I could write paragraphs on the experience I have had, but what these examples all come down to is the fact that even in the middle of the hardest thing I've ever been called to endure, I was able to find so much joy and happiness.

Sometimes in our lives we live difficulty but I truly believe we weren't sent here to just endure and survive the pain. We were sent her to find happiness, live with joy and smile through the heartache amid our pain and trials. 

What is one way this week you're going to find joy amid the everyday or life changing challenges you're called to endure?

-L

Enduring

Life is a journey full of unexpected experiences. Joys, sorrows, loss, love, health, sickness, wealth and poverty, so many things that can change our direction and mold us into who we are to become. One thing is for sure...we're often asked to endure our trials with no answers as to why we have to, but only the story to tell.

There have been quite a few times in my life that I've been asked to endure, not only in the past but in the present as well. I often come to a crossroads and question why I choose to endure and not give up. Sometimes I want to give up. Sometimes it is the easier way out. But this I KNOW, giving up is not what we were sent here to do. Life is not always going to be simple or happy, but enduring teaches us patience, it teaches us hope, it teaches us that God loves us.

How does God show us his love by asking us to endure struggles, heartbreak, trials, and pain?
I read this quote today and it summed it explained it perfectly!

"Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not the consequence of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." - Elder Richard G. Scott

I feel like this answers our question about why he asks us to endure trials. It is all about growth. We need to learn and understand and live with compassion through the experiences our trials bring into our lives.

At the time it seems too hard to bear, too much to handle, but I KNOW that God understands, that he sent his Son to experience all we are asked to experience and that he knows our hearts. He will never leave us lonely and all of our struggles, trials and heartache will be for our good. Though at the time it doesn't seem so.

Remember how amazing you are, how loved you are and that you are never ever alone. Please reach out if you're needing a listening ear. I am here, and we are all in this together! So much love to all of you living, learning, struggling and enduring!

-L

Agency - The Good and The Bad

We often experience things that make us reflect and redirect our lives to better way. Losing a dear neighbor and friend, and seeing others experience frustrating losses this past weekend has caused me to stop and think about a concept quite often talked about, but not always internalized. Today's post is all about agency.

After I heard of my neighbor's passing I deeply reflected on the impact of my own life on others. How would what I've done throughout my life be seen if I were to pass away? What will others say about me when I am gone? What would be the shining characteristics of my being? Would they say I was dedicated to my family, that I fought a good fight, that I gave of my time to others, and that I loved others more than myself?

I know it is sometimes morbid for some to think about their death and what it would mean to those left behind, but I have never feared death. It is a reality of living, and as long as we know where we will go, and as long as we have lived a life worthy of remembrance, there is nothing to fear. Living with faith in the plan set for our lives gives us the strength to know that death is not the end and that God has always had our journey and the steps we take to complete it, in his mind. He directed our path and set forth our journey long before we came to be.

With that path provided for us, we were also given agency, or in other words, the opportunity to choose for ourselves how we will live. If we all made a conscious effort with the thought of how we will use our agency and the consequences our choices will bring, good and bad, we might be a little more careful with our life decisions. Sometimes our decisions are hard to make and frustrating and downright unfair, but sometimes our decisions will determine how we handle the hard ones in the future.

I am deeply grateful for the understanding I have of agency and how it affects us daily. Only YOU can choose how you react to life's trials, only YOU can choose to find the goodness or dwell on the struggles, only YOU can determine how your personal agency will affect your life.

How will you use the freedom of agency for good today?

-L

Light and Dark

These past few weeks I have had a lot on my mind. I have been pondering what the purpose of my trials are and how I can learn and grow through them. I have wondered what I could teach and how I could share everything I was feeling! I have had quite a few "ah-ha" moments, if you will, and feel gratitude for the ways I have been able to notice the Lord's hand in my life, as well as His guidance as I branch out into blogging again.

Before I share my thoughts, I will preface by saying that each of us has a journey to navigate. Our lives are anything but comfortable, but I know through that uncomfortable moments we can learn far more than we ever imagined, had we not been given that chance through our individual trials. Isn't life amazing? Isn't the chance to learn and grow such a gift? At the time it may not seem so, but I promise as we endure and do so with faith, looking for the good, we will see it as a gift.

A few days ago I watched the movie Wonder Woman. This isn't a movie review but if I can give my two cents, it was AMAZING! A must see. Anyway, in this movie I couldn't help but realize the message I gained from the script. Here is what I learned: there is so much darkness in our world, but there is so much light and ultimately love will triumph over any and all evil, as long as we let it direct our lives. Incredible no?! I bawled like a baby towards the end of the movie as I was hit with this realization. You guys, our lives, if kept in the light, will always be greater than we could have hoped, and the darkness we encounter will be dispelled as we constantly search for that light. Seriously though, I bawled, like ugly cried and then felt so grateful for that bit of inspiration.

Fast forward to today, I posted a quote by Brene Brown (Find it HERE) in my Instagram stories and was floored when I realized the magnitude of it. We cannot find light until we first wade through darkness. Until we are brave enough to use that light we will never understand the magnitude of the gift of being able to find light during dark times. I believe we are sent here to Earth with a magnificent purpose and calling, each of us. Over time the light we are sent with fades unless we fuel it with goodness, uplifting studies, and often religious attendance. That light will never leave us as long as we work to help it shine. That light can be our saving grace during times of struggle, heartache and trial. That light can lift another's burdens and bring us joy as we lend it to others. That light can inspire and create a world of goodness.

So now I pose the question to you. What do you do to find light in your life? How do create a habit of searching for the good amidst the bad and using your light for the good of others?

-L

Welcome!

Hi! I'm Lara, the wife of a firefighter, a Mother of four, a sister, a daughter, a niece, a neighbor and a friend. I love a good book, rainy days, chocolate bars and on occasion, a can of Diet Coke. :) Welcome to my blog!!

Here you will find everyday thoughts to everyday struggles and joys mixed in with a bit of advice and insights from my personal experiences and small pieces of what I've learned in just a few short years of life. :) I'm so glad you're here!

Grab a drink, throw on your favorite comfy pants and join me for some thought provoking posts and insights! What will you learn today? Thanks for checking out my humble little space here on the world wide web! 

- L