Buoyed by the strength

If you have a chance, watch this video of Stephanie Nielson. She is a young mother who, with her husband, survived a plane crash that burned 80% of her body. She was in a coma for three months before she woke. But she is alive today, to be a mother to her four children (and one on the way).

As I watched her inspiring story, I realized that she wakes every morning with a lot of pain. She endures each day with a lot of pain. And there is no end date for her. She will continue to endure this pain for the rest of her life on earth.

And I realized that my pain, although a heavy challenge for me now, does have an end date. The worst of it will only last another two months, hopefully. And even if I don't improve, this baby will arrive in 7 months and it will all be over. I know that after I deliver this new little one, all the pain I'm experiencing will disappear in an instant.

At the end of Stephanie's video, there is this quote from Elder Russell M. Ballard:

When suffering, we may in fact be nearer to God than we’ve ever been in our entire lives. That knowledge can turn every such situation into a would-be temple. Regarding our earthly journey, the Lord has promised, “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88). That is an everlasting declaration of God’s love and care for us, including—and perhaps especially—in times of trouble.

There is a different way of looking at life. We have a choice in how we face our times of trouble. While I may not be able to look at these days just yet in such a positive, or at least spiritual, way, I feel like I have been challenged to do so. There will still be moments where I feel defeated, days when I break down in tears, but I am growing a life inside of me, and that is beautiful.