"For Thy Good..."

So..uh...apparently my semi-annual posts just aren't cutting the mustard for some. I've been told that no one knows what is going on in my life because I haven't updated my blog since this past February. (Just a thought: Phone calls still work great. And I'm certainly not opposed to chatting in person either.) But, I will acquiesce and post yet another landmark message about my life. (But let's be honest here, nothing's really changed since February...I didn't even get a tan this summer. That would have been blog-worthy!)

I would, however, like to take a moment to just say that life is grand. A good friend of mine and I had a good chat last night about the struggles that people go through in their lives. Some seem more obvious and apparent than others, but the conclusion we so profoundly came to was the fact that everyone has them: Cancer, food allergies, West Nile Virus, lack of relationships, broken relationships, dead end jobs, stressed-out-of-my-head jobs, money problems, inability to bear children, car problems, speeding tickets, ambivalence, social awkwardness...and those were just the ones we covered last night. Yet another profound connection that we re-forged was the fact that "all of these things give us experience and work together for our good."

I think back to some of the most trying moments of my life: Moving to a new school in 6th grade, pot-smoking friends in 8th, Micro and Macro Economics at the U, ruptured appendix in the CZ and socialized medicine, turning 25 with no prospects, et cet-era. To some, these might seem relatively painless experiences. But for me, I would never want to relive those days, nor would I ever wish them on anyone. However, I am extremely grateful for what I have learned because of them. I wouldn't say that God necessarily "bestowed" all of those experiences on me--some of them came because of my choices, some because of others' choices, and some came just because of life itself. However, I am grateful to Him for those experiences solely because my understanding of His love for me was so incredibly deepened. It was the way in which He, and the Atonement of His Son, helped me through those days, weeks and even years, that has given me greater hope and understanding than I could have achieved otherwise.

It is a never-ending process of life that keeps on giving...if we let it. It is those who lie down in defeat, or become embittered towards God, in those seemingly dark times, who never taste of how sweet the sunrise is. And I am grateful today to remember that the sun will always rise.

P.S. For those who really want an update...I've posted a quick recapitulation of Summer '08.