Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Prince of Peace

Today my friend was struggling with a lot of hard things. After accompanying a friend on the piano she told me, "Liz, that was my miracle. I feel so much better." As I walked home I thought, "If I were to ask for a miracle right now, what would it even be, with all of the different challenges I feel weighing down on me?" In the end, the only miracle I felt to ask for was the strength to go on.

That's one of the miracles I've seen time and time again in my life. No matter how overwhelming life feels at times, I know that if I keep moving forward peace will come, peace that only the Prince of Peace can give.

When I stop now and think about what my friend said, I realize that her miracle did not suddenly take away all of her trials and struggles, but it brought her peace.

My life is still crazier now than possibly ever before, but that sense of peace has returned. God cannot take away our trials without taking away the right we have to grow and learn from this earthly experience. What He can do, if we ask Him and allow Him to, is let the peace that only His Son can offer come into our lives; the peace that comes through the miracle of the Atonement, that knowledge and reassurance that all wrongs will be made right.

When I feel so weighed down and alone, that peace is what gives me strength to lift my eyes and stand up straight again. Peace seems to be such a gentle thing, but for me, it goes hand-in-hand with strength. With the peace my Savior gives to me, I know I can find the strength to do all things required of me.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Angels like you


Sometimes God sends angels that are on this side of the veil
To support and encourage me when I feel I will fail;
When everything before me is more than I can bear on my own,
Almost always you appear and I’m grateful I’m not alone.

A hug or a smile, a kind word or gentle touch,
Are so easy to give, and yet they mean so much.
The sacrifices you make give me strength to continue,
For despite your struggles I can see a light within you.

Life is a test given to help us to grow,
And through all of the struggles there is one thing I know:
Sometimes trials are to be faced alone, it is true,
But for now God has surrounded me by angels like you.