A Dumpster Fire of a Year

2017 was not a great year for a lot of people.  It seemed to last forever, and I am glad to see it go. 

As I thought about this past year with its struggles and pain, I compared it to what I would consider to be the worst year of my life, 2000.  If 2017 was a dumpster fire, 2000 was the equivalent of a multi-thousand-acre forest fire, burning everything in its path, taking a long time to be contained.

But like a forest fire, burning everything away definitely led to new growth. I made some huge advances in my personal spirituality, faith and strength that really needed to be made.  Perhaps they couldn't have been made without having my life as I knew it torn to pieces.  Heavenly Father put me in a place where I wasn't excited about being, but He knew that I would make wonderful friendships and have great opportunities that would be formative and nurturing.

Things didn't turn around right away.  It took years for some blessings to be realized, but like burned forest land, my life came back stronger, richer and more beautiful.

This last year hasn't been nearly as devastating, and the cause of the stress has been very different, but I am trying to look at things as a way of having some things torn down in order to be built stronger and more usefully.  It's painful, and sometimes I wonder what is going to happen and when things will come back together.  But I know that they will...eventually.

Back in 2000, my friend, Nettie, reminded me of a scripture which has gotten me through so many difficult times since then.  It's from the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 11:17--"...I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things."  Knowing that the Lord loves his children gives me strength to keep going when I don't know the outcome.