Trust in our Heavenly Father

Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. It is so uniquely and individually ours that there is no way that it could be the plan for somebody else. While knowing this, it is sometimes hard to let or understand why certain things happen. Elder Richard G. Scott counseled in his talk "Trust in the Lord" that "to exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all." Heavenly Father knows what he is doing, we just have to trust him and be patient while trying to understand what is going on. We cannot be stubborn and believe that we know what is best, above the Lord.
As we go through certain events in life we pray for things to work out one way, then they end up working out the way you didn't want them to and you may get frustrated, you may not understand why they are working out the way you didn't want them to... YET.  Although we don't understand why right away, the Lord will make all things known to us in due time. Elder Robert D. Hales stated "we may not know when or how the Lord's answers will be given, but in his time, and in his way, I testify, his answers will come". The truth to this quote just gives me the chills. This goes back to the thought of Heavenly Father knowing what he is doing. We may not know why it is taking so long or why we don't get the answer we want, but if we can be patient and trust in him, we will be able to see why and how these trials are/will be helping us.
While thinking of these things I read Elder Scott's talk. In this talk he says many amazing things that can help us understand. One awesome thing he says is "just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11–12)". Realizing this can be a game changer in how you trust in the Lord. When you are going through that trial and you don't get an answer right away, or it is not the answer you want, just know and understand that the Lord believes you are strong enough to handle it and it will only help you grow and strengthen your testimony, IF YOU LET IT. 
I want to ponder this thought for a second. If you let it. Heavenly Father can do all sorts of amazing things and allow us to go through all sorts of nasty trials. This is all for growth, but you will only grow if you allow yourself to have patience and "endure to the end" of the trial. You must hold fast and strong to your testimony to enable yourself to understand that there is a reason this certain thing is taking place in you life. Elder Scott enlightens us when he says, "when you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do". You see, the choice is up to us. We can let the trail strengthen or destroy us.There really is no in between. Although, with that being said, it does not mean that you can't struggle in the face of your trials.
A way to learn to trust and have faith in the lord is told in Elder Scott's talk. He explains that if we close our deepest and most sincere prayed with these three words, it will allow us to more easily accept our personal decisions as we go through these trials. These three words are "Thy will be done". If we can learn to accept the Lord's will, we can truly find peace as we go through our trials.

He has a profound paragraph to which reads "don’t let the workings of adversity totally absorb your life. Try to understand what you can. Act where you are able; then let the matter rest with the Lord for a period while you give to others in worthy ways before you take on appropriate concern again". This paragraph hit home with me. It all goes back to having trust in our Heavenly Father and having the faith and knowledge that he knows what he is doing. 

There is another important aspect of trusting the Lord throughout our trials and that is knowing that sometimes we can't get through them alone. This is where even more faith is required of us. Gordon B. Hinckley said "never assume you can make it alone. You need the help of the Lord".  This statement is a testament to me that no matter how strong I think I am and no matter how stubborn I am, thinking I can handle everything by myself, I will always need the Lord's help and if I would just turn to him I would be able to get through my trials easier with a bit less stress. 

I am forever grateful for the trials of life and the trials of faith that keep me on my toes and keep me trying to guess what comes next. I am so thankful for this gospel and all that it has done for me. I would be forever lost without it. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow in patience as I learn to wait for the Lord to answer my prayers and then learn how to hold fast to my faith when I don't get the 'right' (to me) answer. I am thankful for that the Lord trusts me enough to be a part of this gospel and share it with those around me. 

Love, 

MaShayla