I put myself in Time Out..

Last weekend Buffy and I went to Boise to Time Out For Women. I have gone a couple of other times in Denver with Talitha and knew how awesome they are so I was very excited that we were able to get away and spend a couple of days being completely 'fed' by great speakers and great music. It is one of those things that give you absolutely everything you need to feel like you can take on whatever the world can throw at you. We have the ost wonderful husbands who not only encourage us to go, but tell us that we deserve to go and to enjoy every second of it!

The theme of TOFW this year is Infinate Hope. Who doesn't need hope? I walked away hopeful... and grateful for all that I have, all that I know to be true. There were so many different speakers who have had so many different experiences and we can learn so much by listening, hearing what others say, and what others have gone through.

One of the things that really stood out to me and is something that I have always felt was that it is unrealistic of us to think that God will not give us more than we will handle. Because He WILL! Of course He will. Why wouldn't He? That is how we grow, and that is how we learn to lean on Him. Trials are not given to us to discourage us, they are given to refine us. Would we really want to get to the end of our life without being refined? I wouldn't. How would I feel worthy to stand before the Lord knowing that I had resisted being refined? One thought that hit me was that things will be okay eventually, but the Savior can save me here and now. The atonement doesn't just cover sin, it covers every pain, every fear, every joy, every need we will have in this life. I have always believed that we will more often than not be stretched beyond what we think we can handle. How else would we grow? We weren't sent here to have a life of ease, of no trials, no pain, no disappointment. Quite the opposite. We were sent here for opportunities that will stretch us beyond what we could imagine for ourselves. Too often we look at trials as a bad thing. I can honestly say that I have never looked at trials as being bad. They may not be fun while we are going through them, but they aren't bad. And I can stand back and look at the greatest moments of growth in my life, and see that they are directly tied to the times of greatest trial. When I told the Lord, "Thy will be done." And meant it... even before I knew how it would turn out. The Lord knows me, and has an expected end in store for me. Why would I think I know better than God? God cannot lie... if He could He would not be God. Just because life doesn't turn out the way we want it to, doesn't mean it isn't the way it is supposed to be. No experience we go through is wasted... we can be better, stronger, more willing to mourn with those who mourn and to be able to help carry the burdens of others. We cannot expect to inherit the kingdom of God if we are not willing to walk through the fires and lean on Him!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be there... to often hear my own thoughts and feelings put into words. To hear new concepts that settle deeply into my heart as truth. To hold onto hope even if a situation seems hopeless and to most importantly feel the love of our Savior come through the words of those who shared their experiences and taught how they learned to hope as they struggled through some really tough challenges. It's all about our perspective. And I hope that I can constantly keep my perspective turned to the Light that wants to bless our lives.