Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has written, “We are made up of the stuff of Eternity.  Endings are not our destiny” (end quote).  That’s what our “normal” consists of. And my guess is that we may not fully understand or appreciate that term. God knows what is normal for us, and I’m confident that he is very understanding when our definition may be significantly different than His. In fact, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, referring to God, wrote, “We must constantly remember that He is God and we are not.”  

Since we tend to define ourselves by the way we feel, most of us probably prefer an absence of pain and discomfort. But since we’ve been taught that God created this world specifically for us, it can’t be an accident that pain is a necessary component to this phase of our development. Fortunately, we’re infinitely more than our pain and sadness, we’re more than our weaknesses, and we’re not alone in this life-enhancing journey of development and discovery. Frankly, our journey throughout Mortality is clearly beyond our limited abilities. But with God, all things are possible. Elder Uchtdorf wrote, “We cannot and we must not lose focus on the things that matter most…The important thing is that we don’t give up” (end quote).  

Elder Holland wrote, “God is there. Our prayers are heard.  And when we weep, the angels of Heaven weep with us.  

However, when we’re having a bad day, this battle can seem to be overwhelming. I firmly believe that there are times to reduce our expectations, and there are times to stretch ourselves and grow beyond them. We’re not perfect, and much of the time it would appear that we tend to be slow-learners. On those occasions, it helps to remember Elder Holland’s encouragement: “Keep trying, keep trusting, keep believing, keep growing. Heaven will be cheering you on; today, tomorrow, and forever.”

We’re changing, and the world is changing; not by our opinions, but by our choices. For when we have a choice, we have a chance – a chance to redefine ourselves, a chance to make a difference, and a chance to move beyond where we’ve been.

All this information about our life and fears can sound a little intimidating when we consider that we often feel weak and overwhelmed by our journey. What is the answer? Fight the fears! Fears only have the power we give them. We all want success with no pain, and no confusion in our lives, but failures are frequent, and development can seem very complicated. With this in mind, Emerson wrote: Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories (end quote). When we look at our challenges with Emerson’s quote in mind, weaknesses take on a new definition; a very optimistic definition that stretches our perception of who we are and where we’re going.

Sometimes things seem overwhelming, but they’re not. There are issues to be resolved, but these efforts lead to insights that enable us to move to higher levels of understanding. All of this is just a matter of subtleties. It’s living, not just being alive. It’s choosing, not just having choices. It’s acting, not just reacting.  

As we take charge of this process, it’s important to remember that we redefine ourselves, not by our worst days but by our best; not by the mistakes of the past, but by the insights that have developed.  No, life may not be the party we hoped for, but through our choices, we can determine the music. And since we have a choice, we might as well dance.

Life can surprise us. But when we remember that our feelings are just chemicals, we can make the conscious decision to grow beyond our old programming. And even more surprising, we can grow beyond our old patterns.

Sometimes, with all the problems and challenges in life, it may seem that there is more darkness than light in our world. And we may think that without purpose, there will be no growth, but don’t believe it. We can’t afford to define ourselves by our weaknesses. There is much to who we are. We are still becoming.