Testimony Tuesday - What I Have Learned From Adversity

God loves me.  He knows me.  

This is something that I never knew until recently.  

Since a small child, I have always felt a yearning for our Heavenly Father, but I rarely felt a personal connection. Although, I did receive answers to my prayers and inspiration when needed.  

I had a reached a point where I could do nothing but rely on our Heavenly Father to endure and survive.  Then through His presence in my life and the way my prayers were answered did I learn that He loves me personally.  He knows me and can help me with exactly what I need.

These experiences have also helped me learn that He knows and loves my daughter. And that He always has.  He reminded me of spiritual experiences before and after my daughters birth.

Throughout the last few years, He has guided me through the Holy Ghost to learn this truth, until I had the ability and knowledge to recognize it.

I am grateful I learned that God loves me and knows me, because now I can teach my daughter that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know and love her.

Adversity and the Plan of Salvation

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” 

1 Peter 1:7

“The gift of faith is a priceless spiritual endowment.” Elder Neil L. Anderson

Peter describes “trials of faith” as “more precious than…gold.”

Why is adversity so valuable to us?

How does it related to the Plan of Salvation?

We understand that under the Plan of Salvation our goal, which we are capable of achieving, is exaltation – to live with and become like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Adversity (or as Peter describes it, trials of faith), is one of the means that Heavenly Father and the Savior uses to help us achieve life with Him again.

Elder Henry B. Erying stated, “The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love.”  ("Adversity", April 2009 General Conference)

We need adversity and affliction to achieve our goal of becoming like them.  This is how we learn “to want what God wants, to think as He thinks.” (Adversity)

Elder Eyring also stated, “In this education we experience misery and happiness, sickness and health, the sadness from sin and the joy of forgiveness.” (Adversity)

The Lord will help us through all these experiences, as stated in Alma 7:11-13,  

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

How has adversity helped you to become like the Savior?