Tuesday, January 24, 2012

A Gem from Personal Study

On the mission, we would have an hour of personal study of the scriptures, followed by an hour of study with our companion at the time. Part of this companionship study was sharing something we had learned during our personal study. Well, because I no longer have companionship study, and wasn't sure of the appropriate audience for my personal study gem, I chose my blog.
Today I was reading in Jacob 5 of the Book of Mormon and a few lines between verses 64-65 stuck out to me: "...then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow. And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit..."

Reading this just made me think about how a big part of this life is experiencing growth, and how a good part of growth comes from struggle and trial. The verse talks about a way being prepared for us to grow. While I don't think all trials "happen for a reason" or "were meant to be" in any sense, I definitely believe that every experience can be learned from and allow us to stretch, perhaps emotionally, spiritually, mentally, etc. and that God can help us glean something of value, be it small, from most situations. Which brings me to the next line- as we grow, the bitter branches are cleared. Ahh refinement. Trials and difficult experiences can allow us to get rid of those bitter parts of us. It doesn't make life easier, but there's comfort in knowing the end goal is a good one.

That's all. :)

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