Sewage or Fertilizer

This entry was written with my husband Mont and distributed last Sunday as a message to members of our church congregation:

Recently, my husband and I were in the car, and we broke down…right in front of the sewage treatment plant.  We called for help, and started to wait.  We immediately recognized that this was not going to be a pleasant place to wait in the summer heat.   A few jokes about the aroma helped lighten the mood.  However, as help arrived, we realized that we were not just out of gas, and that this was going to be a more difficult problem to fix.  That’s when the silent prayers for help and strength from above began.  With one more car in need of repair on top of our other current challenges, it was clear that our new situation was a little like our break- down.  We were stuck in an unpleasant place, not wanting to be there, and not knowing why or how long before we would be delivered from our many stresses.  It was easy to feel overwhelmed and discouraged.

We all face trials now and then, yet sometimes we feel like Job, being assaulted with problems on every side.  One of my favorite quotes is this: "If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart.  So it has been with the best people who ever lived” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland).  Perhaps a few reminders we learned from this experience can help us get through difficult times:

1. Choose your attitude.   When bad things happen, how we respond can determine our happiness, and the attitude in our home and family.  Perhaps a little humor about the “stinky situation” can help keep things in perspective.  Definitely, turning to the Lord for strength to deal with our present tests is the best way to keep a good attitude.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said, “When some people face adversity, they complain and become bitter. They ask questions like ‘Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this now? What have I done to deserve this?’ But these questions have the power to dominate their thoughts. Such questions can overtake their vision, absorb their energy, and deprive them of the experiences the Lord wants them to receive. Rather than responding in this way, people should consider asking questions such as, ‘What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial?’”

2.  Ask for and accept help.  We were so grateful to our good friend coming to our aid when we called, and he willingly stood with me under the hood of the car in the hot sun with the sewage odor in the air.  We were doubly blessed with another friend who offered to loan us her car until ours was repaired.  We love to see the care and service that we give our neighbor, but we have also sometimes seen friends struggle needlessly, because they feel they are not that bad off and don’t want to bother someone else by asking for help.  However, when we ask the Lord for help, who does He send?  President Spencer W. Kimball said, “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.”  What a joy it is to feel the love of the Lord through others when we accept the service offered to us. 

3. Trust in the Lord. Elder Richard G. Scott reminds us that, “Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more.  He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.”  The lessons of life are not always fun, sometimes life just stinks!  But we can trust in the Lord that this “fertilizer” in life is for our good - it will help us grow stronger, forge our roots deep in Him, and bear beautiful fruit in our lives.