To Thine Own Self Be True – Part 1: Trials and Talents

As part of my own process, I am trying to know myself better. I will spend the next few posts talking about getting to know ourselves as women and as daughters of Heavenly Father. My goal is to help and strengthen you, the wives. Your husbands need you at your healthiest and YOU need you at your healthiest. The daily grind will wear us down if we don’t build ourselves up.

We each chose to come to Earth and we knew we would have trials and difficulties. In addition, before we came, we were blessed with gifts and talents.

Both of those were tailor made for us. Trials and talents. Hand in hand they go….

We know of the big picture Plan of Salvation for all of mankind, but do you know that we each have our own personal Plan of Salvation? The creator of the universe, the most perfect being who is all-knowing, all-seeing and all-loving; the center of all wisdom and knowledge - He is the Father of our Spirits, and he has a plan for you.

He has laid out for us a treasure map. And if we try really hard, we can see the mountaintop which is our goal, far in the distance.  He has given us a map and he has given us clues in the scriptures and other revelation. He has given us books and talks and also friends to teach and guide us.  They will share the clues they have found on their journey with us and we will share ours with them.

He has laid before us a road that bends constantly so that we cannot see where it leads. There are rivers and swamps, chasms with no bridges, forests so overgrown they are darkened from all light to guide our way, rocks to twist ankles, scary animal noises around us, bleeding and broken bodies afflicted with all manner of disease and injury, twists and turns of all kinds…

But there are also valleys of lush green grass with gentle rivers, there are beautiful flowers and stunning vistas. There are friendly animals who will be our companions or guides sometimes. We will cross paths with others constantly. Among them we will find comrades and protectors on our journey – some will walk with us a great distance, some only for a time.  Some of them will trip us – though we must be aware that most of them will not mean to. Some of them will taunt or mock us, but usually out of insecurity or a need to build themselves up by tearing others down. Many will love us and say encouraging words and will be within earshot or in our view most of our journey. When we stop and rest, some will stop and wait with us.  

We will also stumble across those who have fallen and been abandoned by their group and sit by the path weeping and trembling and needing help. We will stop and rest and nourish our bodies and minds with stories and songs. We will laugh and rejoice. When we are rested, we will look up to see our goal and resume our journey home.

Heavenly Father has given us talents and abilities to put in our backpacks for our journey. They will be exactly what we need, tailor made for us, although we may not know quite how to use all of them at first. There will be a machete to hack through the jungle, or a dictionary to translate signposts we come across. We will find extra socks or bandages or a bottle of water that never seems to empty…. There will be binoculars to see the mountaintop more clearly or a telescope to get our bearings. One of us will be blessed with tracking abilities and another with a strong sense of direction. And if we work together and pool our supplies, we will get much further!

Next time....Part 2: In the beginning…