Things Money Can’t Buy

I keep thinking about things we value that no amount of money can buy (and that, in fact, having a lot of money may make it difficult to acquire).

Here's what I've got so far:

• Peace of Mind
• Love
• Confidence
• Self-Control
• Discipline
• Loyalty
• Patience
• Grace
• Humility
  

What else would you add?

Pain

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Plato

"In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see."
- Lord, I Would Follow Thee, Hymn 220

Recently I have found myself wrapped up in own pain, struggles and uncertainty. Last night I dumped some of my thoughts and feelings on a good friend of mine - thank you again for listening!

This morning I experienced one of those tender mercies of the Lord where prayers are answered and a new level of understanding comes. Now, before you jump to conclusions - my problems and pain have not changed or gone away, not at all. But, I learned some things and feel an increased capacity.

First two stories:

1. On the train this morning I overheard a woman talking to someone in an Army uniform about how her husband had served in the Army years and years ago. At some point he decided he was done and just walked away - from his job and his family. Talk about hard.

2. Last night I was walking in a nearby neighborhood and overheard a woman talking about how she had a heart monitor and the doctor gave her a spare battery in case something went wrong with the one in her heart monitor. Her concern: that if something went wrong she wouldn't be able to switch the the spare battery.

I felt that what Plato said was very, very applicable - everyone is fighting a hard battle.

Now comes my small miracle, or tender mercy. I sometimes read from the Ensign (a magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) on my commute to work. This morning I opened to the page where I left off - right to an article about couples dealing with infertility (read it if you like).

So, in case you are wondering, I am not dealing with infertility. But, as I read about the pain of some people that were, I realized that while the exact trial or thing causing us pain may be different than someone else, the feelings or difficulty in dealing with that pain is very similar.

Here are some quotes from the article that really hit me:

• "I just needed people to buoy me up as I struggled and to acknowledge that what I was going through was difficult."
• "I don't know that I felt angry at Heavenly Father, but I felt forsaken by Him. I felt so left out. Why were all these other women getting to experience pregnancy? I had tried to live my life worthily and do things I knew to be correct. So why wasn't it happening for me?"
• "For a while, I thought if I had enough faith, I would be cured. But sometimes having faith means trusting in and listening to the Lord even when we are not cured. What we want won't always match what He has planned for us."
• "There is nothing in the scriptures or anywhere in the gospel that teaches us to suffer in silence." (BTW I REALLY like this one!)
• "Sometimes we get caught up in the one-size-fits-all mentality, and we feel that our lives should look like other people's lives. But that's really not true."
• "I have learned to trust in Hm, to follow the Spirit, and to feel at peace because God's plan is the one that will benefit me the most. There's more to life than we can imagine."

Here is part of what I learned/felt:

1. Each of us has "custom made" trials
2. They are HARD
3. My trials are not more/less difficult or trivial than someone elses'
4. We ARE strong enough to weather our trials (with God)

One last quote about pain:

"I have pondered about the purpose of pain. None of us is immune from experiencing pain. I have seen people cope with it very differently. Some turn away from God in anger, and others allow their suffering to bring them closer to God. Pain is a gauge of the healing process. It often teaches us patience."

- Elder Kent F. Richards The Atonement Covers All Pain

At this moment, I am grateful that my pain has made me more aware that there are many others around me who likewise have "sorrow that the eye can't see" and I can ignore their pain, pretending it doesn't exist, I can add to their pain (intentionally or not) or I can try to buoy others up.

I do know that Christ's Atonement can heal us. It can and will bring us peace and make us far more that we could ever be on our own.