I work for the most amazing woman in the world! She was diagnosed with amyotrophis lateral sclerosis (ALS), over 8 years ago, many that are given this death sentence rarely survive past five years. She is a fighter. She has hardly any movement beyond being able to move her head, and she can stand like a small baby- only with assistance. She sits in an electric wheel chair in her house all day, everyday. She goes to church on Sunday and bible study on Friday. Every once in a while, when it's warm outside, she will go to the store.
When I look at her situation, I say, "I could never do it!" But she does. And she does it with a smile. I don't remember a day at work that I haven't heard her laugh at least once, even when she's having a terrible day. She has never complained to me about what she is dealing with, although sometimes she has told me to try and ignore my itching nose, just to have a brief glimpse at what she goes through. This woman is a rock, and even though she doesn't attend the same church I do, she shares the same belief in the Savior, Jesus Christ, and this is how she gets through her day.
On one of her walls in her bathroom, there is a plaque that says, "God never permits any trouble to come upon you, unless he has a specific plan by which great blessings will come out of the difficulty." As I read that each day at work, I know that Kim knows that this is true. We all have struggles. Some of us go through more mental or spiritual struggles than physical, but none of us are immune to the power of weakness. But our struggles and times of trial are not without purpose.
One of my favorite scriptures is Ether 12:27. The entire chapter is an amazing discourse on the power of faith, but the Lord also makes us a promise in this specific verse - "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." Just as Kim has found strength in Jesus Christ in her moments of weakness, we can as well.
I'm not here to merely survive. I am here to be happy, and I want to be better than when I came. I want to grow, and learn, and I want an amazing testimony of my Savior. This has not and will not come easily. He has brought me through so much, and I know he will be there through so much more. "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."
I didn't always really believe very strongly in my church. I went mostly because it was what my parents wanted, and that's where my friends were. I thought then that I had a testimony, but it wasn't until hard times struck that I really understood the meaning of testimony and faith, and more importantly, the healing power of Jesus Christ's atonement. I have always been a little grateful for those hard times, even though it's been one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with. That being said, the knowledge I have, and because of the power of the priesthood, that hard thing isn't as bad as it could be, if I didn't have my beliefs. I can't imagine what it would be like to deal with it without that knowledge.
