A Lesson in God’s Love
Heavenly Father allows us to experience challenges so that we can become stronger. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us.
Photographs by Niel Kabiling
Academics are very important to me. I feel a lot of pressure to earn good grades, so I try my best to do well. But sometimes I fail.
Once, I skipped a few days of class because I got into an art contest at my school. I missed a lot of lessons. When I came back, I struggled to understand our class discussions. My grades started falling.
Not understanding the lessons frustrated me, and I began questioning my self-worth. I felt like I wasn’t good enough because of my low scores, and I cried a lot. I didn’t know what to do.
Finally, I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help me accept and overcome my trials.
God Knows My Struggles
Right after I prayed, I got a text from my friend Shiella. “Hey, are you doing OK?” she asked. “How are you?”
I told Shiella I was struggling. She’s at a different school, but we’re in the same grade, so we take the same classes. She helped me understand the lessons I missed.
I knew Heavenly Father saw that I was hurting, and He sent Shiella to comfort me. It made me realize that Heavenly Father uses other people to show that He really cares about us.
This also taught me that I don’t need to be successful at all things. When we have challenges, Heavenly Father can help make us stronger. That doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us. I’ve learned that it’s better to try something and fail than to do nothing, because I can learn from failure. Now, I’m happy with my scores because Heavenly Father helped me overcome that trial.
An Instrument in His Hands
Like me, many youth in my ward struggle with academics. Some are inactive because they have group projects or school activities scheduled on Sundays, or they stay up late doing homework and skip church so they can rest.
I’m a leader in my Young Women class in my ward, so every first and fourth Sunday, I go out with the missionaries or the other youth to minister to less-active youth. I bear my testimony to them that drawing closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ makes us stronger and helps us overcome our trials. Giving up on Them isn’t the solution.
One time, we ministered to a young man. We invited him to offer the closing prayer at the end of the visit. When he prayed, he thanked Heavenly Father for our visit. He was so happy and thankful that we took the time to check in on him.
I felt grateful too, and increased my feelings of self-worth. I realized that other people are happy in my presence, and I can help them. I can be an instrument in God’s hands to show others that they’re not alone.
He Healed Them All, by Michael Malm
Failure Doesn’t Define Me
You might feel discouraged because you failed at something, but failure doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can help you grow stronger physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
Whenever we feel lonely, Jesus Christ is there. We can’t always see Him, and sometimes we don’t feel that He’s there, but He is. Even when you feel far from Him, Jesus Christ is ready to welcome you with open arms. Whenever you come to Him, He’ll be there, and He’ll accept you for who you are and lift you up.
In prayer, you can tell Heavenly Father how you feel and ask for help. I know He answers those prayers. When I pray, I feel comforted, like someone is giving me a hug. It makes me feel like I can do anything. I can do everything with Him.
The author lives in Cebu, Philippines.