Life isn’t always easy and I’m thankful I know this first-hand. But knowing doesn’t make it easier, it just makes it easier to accept. We all have times of trouble. Everyone gets a ride. That’s what makes it hard — knowing that even when things are good for you, someone else is suffering.
I was sorting through my memorabilia, reading a list of “what I am thankful for,” written by my children 12 years ago. One of them wrote,
“I’m thankful for a broken collar bone (to be understood when I’m older) and a good friend like Rick and dry beds and painted walls and flushable toilets.”
Humor and truth.
It’s hard to be thankful for troubles, but it’s easier after they’ve passed. I appreciate the words of Jeffrey Holland. His sincerity and honesty and obvious experience help me feel better about my own troubles and those of others, friends, and unknowns.
We must often stretch further than we thought — “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” God helps us, but sometimes we must wait and reach out longer than we thought we could. In his book, In Times of Trouble: Spiritual Solace from the Psalms, Elder Holland opens with this quote:

When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

He has a reason for choosing this psalm —
“I believe all confidence, all comfort, all strength, all safety starts here—“This I know; . . . God is for me.”
That truth has to be seared into our hearts, written in bold letters across the tissue of our brains, and never forgotten.
“God is for me.” (a little different than God is with me) I wrote those words on an orange paper leaf and taped it to my laptop. I had everyone in the family do the same and put it where they can see it daily. That’s not quite searing it into our hearts, but I’m putting it into bold letters where I can see it daily. If I can just get that through my head, I will feel more at peace.