Struggling is a part of life, especially in education. It is through our struggles, however, that we truly learn to grow.
PHOTO BY KAROL GRABOWSKA
Making my way through community college and university hasn’t been all easy. Most classes I passed without too much struggle, but I can recall some classes that stressed me out to no end because I didn’t feel suited for them. One class I seriously struggled with was calculus. The entire class confused me, and there were times when I felt like giving up. Fortunately, I had a friend in that class who supported me the whole time. With his help, I passed the class. I may have struggled constantly, but I still learned and grew in more ways than one. I learned how to face my weaknesses and understand more about a topic that was challenging.
Sister Peggy S. Worthen highlights a similar experience in her devotional “Facing the Algebras of Life.” Her struggle was with algebra. She knew it wasn’t one of her strengths. Just like me, she had a friend who supported her. Although she continued to struggle, Sister Worthen eventually overcame her trials and learned from the experience. She says, “There will be times when you may become discouraged while striving to obtain your education. When those times come, please remember that what you are doing is praiseworthy.” Overcoming a trial is certainly worthy of praise. It shows perseverance even when the thought of giving up lingers.
We can’t avoid trials or struggles; they are a part of life. The point of these trials is to help us grow, even if the trials seem unbearable. Instead of trying to run away from the struggle, we can see the potential it has to help us enrich our lives and trust in the Lord.
To read Peggy S. Worthen’s full experience, look at the rest of the devotional “Facing the Algebras of Life.”
Source: BYU Speeches
—Taylor Lash, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY GELGAS AIRLANGGA
Find more insights
Read Megan Crook’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “Mountains Out of Molehills” to find out where we can turn for help in the midst of our trials.
Take a look at Reagan Weston’s Latter-day Saint Insights article “The Transformative Power of Incremental Change” to learn how we can change ourselves to help with trials.