Poisoned Apples and Impossible Tasks

"Sometimes we need a reminder that life was never all sunshine and roses for fairy-tale princesses. Before the true love's kisses and happily ever afters, there came once upon a times of poisoned apples, spindle pricks, and impossible tasks. " - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

As I sit and ponder my life's experiences while I've been away at college, I can say that I have had my own taste of poisoned apples, spindle pricks, and impossible tasks. I have came to the verge of sitting down and giving up on this journey through life. I know that Satan is real and that he knows how to roll each of our poisoned apples in caramel to disguise the rotting beneath it. He knows how to trick and how to persuade. However, knowing this, I also know that Christ lives and that He loves us. I know without a doubt that He would never lead me on a path of destruction.

On my journey to finding "Happily Ever After" I have come to realize that I have trials. Trials are given to each one of us so that we may grow, learn, and become the people that we are supposed to become. Our "Happily Ever Afters" only come through understanding who we are and what we must become in order to become worthy of such a gift.

In every fairytale, the Princess must first overcome adversity to gain their happily ever after. For example, Cinderella must suffer long hours of servitude and ridicule. We all must experience sadness and trial. Relating this to running; I couldn't ever feel the satisfaction of running for a marathong if I didn't have the sweat to prove that I had worked hard to making sure that I could endure to the end.

I have learned that with adversity comes life lessons that I may have not learned otherwise. "Our loving Heavenly Father has set us in a world filled with challenges and trials, so that we, through opposition, can learn wisdom, become stronger, and experience joy. I know that through this life I will suffer, be tempted, and make mistakes. Through overcoming challenges comes growth and strenth.

"It is your reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself that will determine how our life's will develop."

God has created a map for me to get to my Happily Ever After, all I have to do is trust in my Heavenly Father, and trust him enough to follow His plan.

-it is how we proceed adversity that makes us who we are and what unravels our life's map.