"[to] see the stars not the darkness...[to] taste the sweet within the sour, and hear the masterpiece, not the missed notes.
I think the ability to do that - to feel joy behind the pain - is a spiritual gift..."
I read this the other day in the Mormon Times. It was little article by Jerry Earl Johnston, a regular in that section of the newspaper every Thursday.
I really took to heart what he was saying. I have been having my own life storms lately and wasn't sure how to handle them. Nothing big, just the normal trials that come with motherhood, wifehood, and lifehood.!
Sometimes I focus too much on what is not going as planned and forget to focus on what is ever so right!!! I have a loving husband, 5 great, obedient (mostly) children. I have been blessed with great friends and have the best ward ever! I was raised by awesome parents who are wonderful examples to me. They gave me 10 brothers and sisters that I love so much. I could keep going...
I realize that life will always seem unbearable if I choose to concentrate on all things I am dissatisfied with. I believe that in this life Our Heavenly Father wishes for us to experience joy. Joy comes when we choose to see our blessings rather than our misery. To quote Bro.. Johnston:
"Joy is not the same as happiness. We can be unhappy about many things, but joy can still be there because it comes from a knowledge of God's love for us..."
It is up to me whether or not I will fill my life with joy in the midst of sorrow. That is the beauty of this life. We are free to choose, but not free to choose the consequences that follow our choice.
Today I choose to find joy. The consequence of this choice? I will find it! I will find that joy I have been promised.
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