Look How Far We've Come

I can't believe we are already in March of 2014!!! Or that it is 2014 in general. At least I can remember to write "2014" while marking the date on my papers. I always had a hard time catching on to "2013". If you were to look back, you would find a ton of my school papers dated in 2012, all the way into October of 2013. Don't judge.

Anyway, March is always a pretty cool month. Well, actually no, not literally, because this is when it starts warming up in Arizona, but at least I can always look forward to Spring Break!

I have been on Spring Break for almost a week now, and oh, how it has felt so good! It has been quite relaxing as I have had the opportunity to spend time with family, and take a break from school. (I haven't touched my Pathophysiology book in a week! Although, it would probably be a smart idea to get ahead on some of the readings...)

Yesterday, My mom and I were reflecting on what this time was like a year ago, back in March of 2013.

March of 2013 is definitely a time that is noteworthy in my life. It's a time that reminds me of a famous line from William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar: "Beware the ides of March". If you are familiar with the play, you know that the "Ides of March" were not the jolliest of times.

Last Spring Break was a trying time in the Montez household. I thought I was doing completely fine, but then I was faced with a hardship. Meanwhile, both my brothers were enduring different challenges of their own. Yes, all three of us were brought a little low at this time. But when you are brought to a lower level, you have more room to reach up and look to God. Last General Conference, President Monson gave a talk entitled We Never Walk Alone.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/we-never-walk-alone?lang=engIn it he says "I promise you that you will one day stand aside and look at your difficult times, and you will realize that He was always there beside you." His promise could not be more true.

Even though each of us were struggling with one thing or another, I think we were all able to increase our trust in Heavenly Father and The Savior. We were also able to understand each other's difficulties better, and show love and support. We prayed for each other with all sincerity, made our conversation uplifting, and took the time to help one another. So even though this was a rough patch in my life, I am grateful for it because I learned some things I did not completely understand before; things I needed to know. My testimony of Christ was strengthened, and I truly know that my Redeemer lives. I understood how he was my source of light, my friend, how he lifts me, and how he walks with me. I have been able to continue to build on the things I learned since last March, and my testimony has expanded to new heights.

Fast-forwarding up to this March, and this week, I can say that I am doing a lot better than how I was a year ago. I am not saying that I am perfect. It took quite some time to build up that stronger testimony with new understandings. I've also had other trials over the last year that have tested my faith. Even now, I am not free of difficulties.

So as I was talking with my mom, she said something like "Look how far you've come."

It is wonderful to look back and look at all the things you have learned, and see the progress. But I know that my challenges didn't end there, and they don't end here. There is still plenty of room for progression, to truly become what Heavenly Father designed me to be. It's a lot like Elder Edward Dube's talk from last General Conference, where he talked about looking ahead at what we still have to do. In his talk, he quotes Elder Holland saying: "The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future.

I am grateful for the times in our lives when we can look back at the hard times, and not dwell on sadness, pain, or even nausea, but instead can feel God's overwhelming love. No matter how big or small each trial is, we can take something out of it that has potential to produce life changing results. There is always something to learn in every trial, and we have a chance to grow. Opportunities like this give us perspective and hope for the future.