THE LESSON

Topic: Gaining an Eternal Perspective, blessings, adversity.

Written By Nimrod

To gain an eternal perspective on the Gospel of Jesus Christ we need to take a long look around us. The Lord has provided us with so many blessings in our lives, family, friends, our callings, our employment, the great land we live in and even our trials. To fully look at the trials we face on a daily basis we need to appreciate them as blessings in our lives. This week gave me an opportunity to ponder the blessings in my own life as I comforted a Ward member who lost a grandbaby, and visited with a Ward member in helping him to make funeral arrangements for his loving wife and mother to his children and as I had an opportunity to walk through a very small portion of the Lords great outdoors with my family, thinking about our Eternal Family.

To become an Eternal Family we go through many different challenges and trials in our lives here it this earthly state. Trials and adversity are blessings in our lives and as we understand their significance we can better appreciate what the Lord is trying to do for us.

“With all the differences in our lives, we have at least one challenge in common. We all must deal with adversity. . . . It is in the nature of our being human that comfort gives way to distress, periods of good health come to an end, and misfortunes arrive. . . . The arrival of suffering or the loss of material security can bring fear and sometimes even anger. . . .

“The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of [Heavenly Father and the Savior’s] infinite love. God gave us the gift of living in mortality so that we could be prepared to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God, which is eternal life.”

Henry B. Eyring, “Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 23