Thursday, October 31, 2013

The Stronger the Wind, the Stronger the Tree

 
I Will Not Fail Thee, nor Forsake Thee”
by the Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson
 
WHAT?
When the pathway of life takes a cruel turn, there is the temptation to ask the question “Why me?” At times there appears to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no sunrise to end the night’s darkness. We feel encompassed by the disappointment of shattered dreams and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” We feel abandoned, heartbroken, alone. We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We become impatient for a solution to our problems, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required.
 
The difficulties which come to us present us with the real test of our ability to endure. A fundamental question remains to be answered by each of us: Shall I falter, or shall I finish?
 
Good timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger wind, the stronger trees.
The further sky, the greater length.
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.1
 
1. Douglas Malloch, “Good Timber,” in Sterling W. Sill, Making the Most of Yourself (1971), 23.
 
SO WHAT?
The winds are blowing in my life again.  I am grateful that I am not a stranger to strong winds.
 
NOW WHAT?
I continue to rely on the rock of my Redeemer to stand firm and tall, even when the wind blows.
 
Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education
 

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