By ASHLEY EYRIN
Trials, frustrations and heartaches play a major role in the process of coming unto Christ, said Elder H. Burke Peterson at Tuesday’s Devotional.
Elder Peterson, general authority emeritus for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, counseled faculty and students that coming unto Christ is the most important thing they must do in this lifetime.
“Each one of us was called and elected before the foundations of the earth were laid, to come here as a preparation for becoming joint heirs with Christ,” Elder Peterson said.
“The most significant quest in this life is to gain a personal assurance that we will become what we have been called to become,” he said.
On the ladder of faith, each of us is on a different rung, he said. “I have come to believe that the rung of the ladder you’re on is not nearly as important as the direction you are moving, be it up or down.”
We must remember that the number of gifts and challenges each person has does not categorize him or her as worse or better than another.
“How we handle the package is what makes the difference,” he said. Trials are a part of life here on earth; everyone must experience them.
“I believe that trials come from many sources for many reasons,” he said.
Trials that are properly approached and handled will draw us closer to God, whether they be directly from our Father in Heaven, through our own mistakes or even through someone else, such as innocent victims of war or violence.
Elder Peterson said no challenge will be beyond our abilities to handle, and the Lord will provide a way for us to get through the trials we face.
Understanding the purpose and source of a trial increases faith in Christ and helps us handle the trial.
“We may not feel to express gratitude for our trials until years later,” Elder Peterson said. It is important to be thankful for all things, even trials and sorrows, because all things bring us closer to God, he said.
“We must remember that all rewards for doing good do not come in this life, and all penalties for doing wrong are not weeded out in this life, either,” Elder Peterson said.
