Faith and Failure
The other day a dear friend of mine said something that made me think. Over the past year, this friend has experienced significant loss in her life. She has been forced to accept some long-term limitations, come to terms with some deep disappointment, and adjust her expectations in several areas. It's been a difficult year for her and has left some lasting scars. We were talking about this recently and she said, "This is the first time in my life I've really suffered. It's the first time I've had to deal with heavy loss and accept things I cannot change." Although I know that is only partly true (because all of us have suffered at one point or another to varying degrees. I could tell you about some other hard times in her life.), it was what she said next that caught my ear: "And when facing my first real trial(s), I FAILED. I failed my Heavenly Father." She looked down and tears welled up in her eyes as she felt the grief of...