"If Life were easy, it wouldn't be hard."

My dear sweet Mother-in-law sent me a book for mother's day. I just have to share a small part of this book that has impacted me already while just reading the beginning. The book is written by Sheri Dew and the name of the book is "If Life were easy, it wouldn't be hard."


on page 4 it reads:
It's true that if life were easy, it wouldn't be hard. Meaning this: What if every prayer were instantly answered in the way we wanted it to be? What if a little bit of spiritual due diligence now and again kept us in constant and clear contact with our Heavenly Father? If nothing ever tested our faith or our resolve or our convictions-- because we really don't know what we believe or believe in, for that matter, until we're tested-- then what are the chances we would progress far enough spiritually in this lone and dreary world? Weather we like it or not, our trials and struggles can tend to accelerate our push toward godliness. In fact, it's possible we wouldn't go as far as we're capable of going without them. "For all those who will not endure chastening ... cannot be sanctified" (D&C 101:5)
Brigham Young said that "God never bestows upon His people, or upon and individual, superior blessings without a severe trial prove them". Sounds a bit foreboding on the one hand. But on the other, surely we couldn't expect to inherit the gift of eternal life or to receive ongoing bestowals of charity or to be taught the mysteries of godliness or to learn to communicate clearly with the heavens without making a diligent, consistent effort-- in other words, without it requiring a lot of spiritual work.
A friend of mine has sometimes wondered out loud what the headline in the Rocky Ridge Gazette might have been if those who pushed, pulled and prayed their handcarts over that forbidding Wyoming terrain hadn't kept going: "Turned Back Because of Rain." Or, "Turned Back for Fatigue" Or, "Turned Back Because It Was Too Hard."
They didn't turn back. And neither can we.
This life was designed to be a test-- a test to determine if we want to be part of the kingdom of God more than we want anything else. Mortality offers a wide range of experiences and opportunities, everything from countless ways to serve our fellowman to an endless array of distractions, deceptions, and modes of self gratification. When all is said and done, perhaps the most fundamental question we each answer is, Do we want to be part of the kingdom of God--both here on earth and eternally-- more than we want anything else? And do we demonstrate by our choices and priorities, by how we live our lives--everything from the way we spend our time and energy to the way we spend our influence and resources-- what we really care about?


I don't know about you but I have been tested and pushed to my limits on several hundreds of occasions. I have also been truly blessed over and over again. I may not have a ton of money or a big fancy house but I do have a great job. I have a lot of really good friends. I have an awesome husband who loves me more then I had ever imagined that a husband could love his wife. I have children who are really good kids and who know that I love them and I know they love me as well. My kids are such good examples for me. My husband has finally gotten the job he has wanted for a very long time. (boy the wait for this one was a huge test!!) I think for as many things as I have been through in my past, my life is pretty dang good.
I guess what I am getting from this part of this book is like the saying goes. " I never said it would be easy, I only said that it would be worth it". This saying has helped me though some tough times.