Remembering that the atonement covers all trials can help us feel God’s love during hard times.
In his October 2008 General Conference talk, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time,” Elder Quentin L. Cook shares the following story: After he and some of his children experienced a harrowing car accident, one of Elder Cook’s young sons related the event to Sister Cook, finishing his tale by saying, “Hope ya know, we had a hard time.” The Cooks’ son was looking for comfort and reassurance, a search many of us recognize. Sometimes during trials we want help from God, but other times we just want to know that God knows our suffering.
Photo by Noelle Otto
To buoy our hearts during hard times, Elder Cook recommends that we first remember that “some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development,” and second remember that “regardless of our trials, with the abundance we have today, we would be ungrateful if we did not appreciate our blessings.” Elder Cook says, “Our foremost gratitude should be for the Savior… I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all of the trials and hardships that any of us will encounter in this life. At times when we may feel to say, ‘Hope you know, I had a hard time,’ we can be assured that He is there, and we are safe in His loving arms.”
A change in our perspective—remembering that God has suited many trials to our personal development and that we also have many blessings to be grateful for—can be the key to feeling God’s love during tough times.
Read Elder Quentin L. Cook’s full talk here.
Source: ChurchofJesusChrist.org
—Mackenzie Sinclair Brady, Mormon Insights
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