I just read this for the first time today, and it kind of hit home to me so I thought I would share. 


GOOD TIMBER by Douglas Malloch 

The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out in the open plain
And always got its share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold counsel with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife.
This is the common law of life.

I'm having one of those days when I want to ask "why?" Why does stuff like this happen EVER? And why is it happening to me?
   It started out when Thayne graduated in April. We knew trials were coming, and we did the best we could to brace ourselves for them, but we had no clue what we were getting into. We were reassured from friends family and church leaders, that our faithfulness through the difficult times we faced while Thayne was in school, was going to reward us. But everything happened so fast for us; a short sale on our house, moving, living without a job for 3 months, the stress of looking for a job and applying to dental schools... it's been a difficult three months. But I just kept telling myself that the end is in sight, and whatever happens, we can and will get through it with the lord's help.
   Well, we are still alive, so obviously I was right, but just barely.
   Although the sale of our home is final, now our lender wants us to pay back the remaining balance of $20,000.
   And even though Thayne graduated and has his bachelors degree, it doesn't make it easier to find a job.
   But he DID find a job... unfortunately though he will be working in North Dakota driving truck in the oil fields.
   ... Which means we have to move again.
Our last two house payments were sent to collections (because we closed in April, and apparently should have kept making payments through June)...
And our student loans are now due.
   So with all this happening, you can imagine how stressed I am. As all of this was crashing down on us - especially this last week - I started wondering why we, of all people, were going through this, and feeling more alone than ever. I began reflecting on Joseph Smith.
   I was thinking of the time when he was held prisoner in Liberty Jail, in terrible circumstances. After months of being away from his family who was suffering from persecutions from the mobs, receiving no mercy, or liberation from those who held him, and feeling forgotten from the world, and the lord, he begged the lord for help. 
   Even when he hit rock bottom, and felt completely abandoned from the lord he still turned to Him; instead of giving up on the lord, he trusted Him more than ever. And Joseph's answer was peace.
   His liberation wasn't immediate, and his conditions didn't improve over night. Joseph didn't receive everything he wanted as a reward for his faith, but instead he received comfort, peace, and strength through his trials that seemed never ending.
   "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine aflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands." (D&C 121:7-9) 
   Although my problems and trials aren't as difficult as Joseph Smith's, remembering the strength that he showed through his trials has helped me to not lose hope. If it was just a matter of having faith enough to know that Heavenly Father will help us through these trials, I don't think this time in our life would be much of a challenge for us. But instead, I am learning to trust in the lord and His timing. Not only trusting that he will help us through this, but trusting that what we gain from these experiences will refine us into something stronger and better than we would ever be without the trials. 
  I had a religion teacher explain to me the process of refining silver, and it has always stuck with me; Silver is not silver when it is pulled from the ground. It has no shine, no beauty, and no value. The process that this metal has to go through is what makes it what it is. The process of refining silver is only accomplished by heating it multiple times, in multiple pots, and removing the impurities from the silver each time. And slowly, it becomes a shining and valuable metal. 
   Maybe this is part of my refining fire. Maybe after I am finished with these trials I will be that much closer to being the refined product that God has intended me to be. I'm sure this isn't the last trial I will have to go through, and probably not the hardest, but I AM sure that if God has brought me here, he WILL bring me through it.