Life Lesson: Learned

Friday was nuts.

Really just Friday morning.  I have this car that I love and sometimes hate.  I love it because it's always been reliable, has great character (besides just the dent in the front wheel well), and gets me great gas mileage (30-34 depending on the tank).  I hate it because that first reason I gave is no longer true. 

Before I left on my mission, my car had failed me once.  For whatever reason, a screw on the distributor cap came loose, and I broke down 2 minutes from my house.  My young men's leader came to rescue me and it all worked out.  While I was gone, my little sister drove my car and it broke down for her several times.  Now that I'm back, it has broken down twice.  Then Friday happened and I have lost all confidence I once had in this car.

Just as background information, the problem is with the timing belt.  It shakes the whole motor, which loosens the distributor cap screw and causes it to come loose every so often.  I then take it to the mechanic, who fixes it for free, and I come off a little stressed and without a car for a day.  The timing belt repair costs more than the car, so I have to live with it until it dies completely or I sell it.  You might say I'm living the dream.

Anyway, Friday morning I'm coming from BYU going to work and, you guessed it, my car breaks down.  Thankfully, it started up again and I headed on my merry way.  Then it broke down again... and again... and again.  Literally 6 times it stopped working and miraculously started up again.  Oh and let's not forget that in the brief moments where it was working, the acceleration stopped working on 3 separate occasions.  That doesn't bode well when you're driving on a 50 mph street.

It was only later that I realized that it was a learning experience for me.  After the first time that it broke down, I prayed that I could just get to work safe and that my car would start again.  It did, and I figured I'd be just fine.  It kept breaking down the whole way, so I kept praying, and it kept starting up again.  While I reflected on that, I learned several lessons, only one of which will receive focus here.

Why does God give us trials?  Simply put: so we can learn and grow and ultimately become more like Him.  In the midst of this trial of mine, I could think nothing but, "please, just work.  Just let me make it where I need to go and I'll worry about the rest later".  The car would subsequently break down.  Much could be said here about the need for constancy in prayer and in recognizing God's hand in every part of our lives.  Anyway, I came to understand later that God doesn't give us trials for nothing.  If there is something to be learned, that's usually the way He goes about it: He lets us struggle and learn and overcome (usually with His help) until we're better off for having gone through that trial.

Let's consider some examples:

As a missionary, I had a strong desire to develop charity and love for others.  I prayed so much and so hard that I could be charitable and loving.  I was blessed with a trial of having very difficult companions that gave me the opportunity to develop charity.  I didn't always take advantage of that, so the Lord gave me more opportunities in the form of more difficult companions until the very end of my mission (with a couple of exceptions along the way). 

I've always wanted to be a very knowledgeable person.  I sought out and was blessed with many opportunities to learn from some excellent teachers as well as to discover things for myself.  I was blessed with a willing mind and given the opportunities to learn.  It wasn't just given to me.

I struggled for a long time to have real faith.  As I developed the desire to have real faith and prayed for it, I was placed in many situations that tested the little faith I had to its core.  As I studied about faith and trusted enough to apply what I learned, I began to develop faith.  It didn't come just with the asking, but the opportunities to develop it did.

I hope those examples conveyed what I'm trying to get across without making me seem like I'm better than I am.  Those are still things that I work on every day, and I'm by no means a prime example of any of those qualities.

From my car troubles, I learned that the Lord answers prayers in His own way and in His own time, but always for our greatest benefit.

From the whole experience, I learned that we are never allowed to pass through anything that isn't necessary to mold us into the type of person that can qualify for exaltation.

This was succinctly summed up by a quote from Brigham Young that I heard in church on Sunday.  I don't remember the exact quote, but this is what I got from it: Every trial we pass through is necessary for our salvation and exaltation.  If we don't learn what we're supposed to from any trial and make the necessary and intended progress, we have suffered in vain. 

I resolved to actively look for what God wants me to learn from my trials instead of just getting through them.  I don't have them inconsequentially.  I was meant to pass through those trials for a reason, so I figure I ought to know it and make the most of it. 

I guess I can check that off the list of the many life lessons I'm supposed to learn.  The real test, however, is the application.