Sailing on clouds and sliding on rainbows.  It sounds like a fairy tale which in fact, it is.  Life was NEVER intended to be a breeze.  Remember that God told Adam that He had cursed the ground FOR HIS SAKE.  The cursing of toil and hardship was lovingly placed FOR HIS SAKE.  In light of this, we should not be shocked when the storm clouds move in and it begins to drizzle.  We shouldn’t be shocked when lightning strikes-short blasts of energy that can really rock our world and leave tremendous devastation.  We shouldn’t be shocked when gale force winds blow in and everything we know is up for grabs-including our beliefs and our bearings.  The point of life is to SUFFER and to learn from it.  With that being said, I know that God ultimately created us to have joy!  That is the purpose of our being.    But we won’t understand or recognize joy without it’s opposite-suffering.  We won’t feel deep gratitude or abiding love without the experience of opposites.  This is clearly taught throughout the scriptures.

If we are feeling steeped in trials and wondering why there is SO much suffering…Think of our Savior…really think of Him.  Why did He come to earth?  Yes, he taught true doctrine, He set the example, He marked the path, He performed healings, and many other things.  BUT, WHY did he really come?? What was His life mission?  It was to suffer.  If he hadn’t suffered, His mission would have failed.  In microcosm, suffering is essential of each of us also-not to save a dying world but to save ourselves from our own pride, arrogance and ignorance.  But, suffering and dying was not the FULLNESS of the Savior’s mission.  It was only one vital part.  He also HAD to rise above the suffering and the crucifixion through Resurrection. There is a sacred lesson here for all of us:  while suffering is essential- so is rising above it.

We must find pathways above the suffering.  But that’s a topic for another day.