One Day at a Time

This is one of my dad's favorite sayings and accounts for half of the conversations I have with him when I'm away at college. Being in a long distance relationship has made me develop a new level of patience that I hadn't ever really experienced. The only comparison that comes to mind is the separation that came with being away from my family during the time I was on my mission. I'm incredibly grateful that I never had a girlfriend on my mission and give props to all those who do and are able to stay focused on the work and give 100% to the Lord. Living my normal life and being separated from someone I hold closer to my heart probably anyone else right now has been difficult enough.
What gives me a great deal of comfort however is knowing that the Lord is at the helm of my life and in this separation has come some of the greatest blessings. After all, as we are taught in Corinthians, "[W]e see through a glass darkly..." at this point in time in terms of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. And yet, He gives us so much to be grateful for and happy about. This life, though it comes with its share of trials and tribulations, has the potential of being the supreme learning experience, filled with inexplicable joys and happiness. I know that having the opportunity to end my separation with my fiancee for a brief period brought a greater sense of gratitude and joy in my life that I had never experienced before. There are few times in my life where I can remember being so happy. The Lord continually teaches me amazing lessons through those trials I face. I can only imagine what it will be like when we are no longer separated from our Father in Heaven and we get to see Him face to face. The happiness will truly feel incomprehensible to me.
Hopefully my next post will be a little more original rather than an extension of my last one, but for now I just wanted to say how lucky I am, and we all are, to have so many blessings in our lives as they are. Watching the video below reminded me of that and I hope you'll take a few minutes out of your crazy days to watch it as well. I didn't get up and bear my testimony in church today despite having the opportunity, so I hope this counts for something. I know that our Heavenly Father has a never-ending love for us and that whatever trials we face in our lives will only give us the chance to become more like Him and receive more happiness than we have now. I encourage you to take the time to ask Him what you can be learning from the difficult experiences you may be facing, and I promise you, while you may not come to an immediate recognition of them, you'll be amazed at what the Lord has in store for you. Happy Sabbath!