The One who Understands

There is something I learned as a youth that I’ve always liked. Ready for this profound truth?! Here it is-

“You can be an egg, or a carrot.”

Yep. That’s it. And I love it!

What it means is simply that when trials beset us, we can become hardened or softened. Like an egg or a carrot in boiling water, we won’t remain the same after trials come. Yet whether or not our hearts are hardened or softened depends on us.

I was sitting in church today thinking that it is so easy to feel angry, alone, and overwhelmed when I focus on trials I am facing. I don’t see people around me struggling with their own trials. I am so zoomed in on my own problems that I lose sight of the path I want to be on and the people around me who need help. Everything I’ve ever done right in my life seems like wasted efforts, and all I see are my faults and weaknesses.

I see a mountain ahead of me, and all I’m holding is a small garden shovel.

Then I remember the story of a young man whom the Lord instructs to push against a large rock. He pushes and pushes for years, but the rock never budges.

Finally, dejectedly he says, “Lord, I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even been able to budge that rock. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

The Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so?”

“Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

Some trials the Lord doesn’t give us because we need to overcome them, but because through them, our hearts can become softened and our testimonies strengthened.

Though at times we will feel so powerless and frustrated when we face seemingly insurmountable challenges, we need to remember that we don’t face them alone. There is One who understands.

Our Savior has conquered every mountain that we have to climb.

He has weathered every storm that will beset us.

He understands us.

Never feel alone. Never feel like your efforts are wasted. Keep climbing the mountain. You will reach the top one day. Don’t lose hope during the storm. It will end. Remember that it is not always about conquering your trials, but about who you are becoming because of them.