Thank You, Nephi

I don't know how many times I've read the first verse of The Book of Mormon, but I read it again today, and something struck me which I had not thought of before. The part that stood out was this:

". . . and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days. . ."

I realized that these two things are not mutually exclusive. Just because we are experiencing affliction, that does not mean we aren't also being blessed. Nephi had A LOT of hardship in his life, but he stayed positive and seemingly never failed to point out how blessed he was.

For some reason it feels a lot easier, at least for me, to see and dwell on what is not the way I would like it to be. When I take the time to step back and really look at all I have, I am very much blessed. If I were to tally up my blessings and my trials, the former would have won ten times over. So why should I let the few unideal parts of my life get me down?

I'm so grateful for the lessons I learn in the scriptures, and for the faith of the people who wrote them. I hope that by studying them, my faith will grow to be as strong as theirs. I know that The Book of Mormon truly is the word of the Lord and that by living according to the principals taught in it, we can grow closer to our Father in Heaven and find more joy and fulfillment in life than would otherwise be possible.