We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth to gain a physical body. We knew through the experiences of life that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments. We also knew that we would be subject to the perils of an earthly life and even though we knew these trials would be difficult, we accepted all these eventualities (both the favorable and the unfavorable) with an open heart.
We were willing to accept life as it unfolds and confident that we could have the power to overcome whatever prevails. Now that we are here and the memory of a preexistent life has been sealed, it's more challenging than we presumed. We knew that we would be tried and tested to the depth of our moral character and integrity, but we also knew that we possessed the strength to overcome any and all opposition placed before us. I believe we were not concerned if we should die of disease, of accident or of old age, for we knew that God's plan provided an opportunity for eternal life with a perfect physical state.
This is a life of destiny. We are destined to become the full measure of our potential within our own creation. The obstacles placed before us pay tribute to our wisdom, strengths, and abilities to overcome. There are many who would like to blame God for the trials that take place in this life. If God were to shield us from all the events, there would be no purpose for an earthly experience and definitely no opportunities for personal growth.
When bad things happen to good people.
Plane crashes into the mountainside and kills 97 people; there were no survivors. The voices cry out, "How could the Lord do such a thing?" Yet the Lord didn't direct the plane into the mountainside; it was later determined that the accident was caused by mechanical failure and human error.
Family of six, killed in an automobile accident. The crowd murmured, "Why would God let such a terrible thing happen?" Heavenly Father didn't cause the accident that sent this family into the eternities, it was the negligence of a young driver who failed to yield at a stop sign.
We are not puppets suspended by the strings that dangle from heaven. We are in this life by our own free will and we are subject to a myriad of experiences and events as they unfold. God will not force us to be careful or to be righteous; that would nullify the fundamental laws of God and interfere with our agency to choose for ourselves.
In this life, we are subject to the events that surround us, whether good or bad, these experiences show our spiritual capabilities, self mastery and provide direction for personal growth. Our individual choices bring about many of the events in our lives and they allow us the opportunity to learn and to progress.
A wise parent knows not to shield a child from the disappointments, temptations, sorrows, and suffering. A wise parent understands that a child must be held accountable for their choices and their actions, for where there is no accountability there is no conscience. A wise parent allows a child to experience trials in order to develop the personal wisdom and strength to rise above them. Opposition provides a way for us to attain noble characteristics: responsibility to achieve success, hard work to develop good values, sorrow to teach compassion and temptations to test our level of integrity. Without the gift of opposition, I am afraid we wouldn't amount to much of anything!
Yes, sometimes bad things happen to good people! These experiences allow us to prove our personal fortitude, depth of compassion, level of intelligence, amount of courage, sense of character, moral integrity, sincerity, honesty, loyalty, trust and so on. Opposition is the only way to measure the worth of a soul and it defines the level of immortal greatness within each mortal being. By Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.
