1. I'm grateful for amazing friends that teach me, through their awesome examples and love and service towards me.
2. I love musicals! I love singing along. I love the humor! I love the lessons that can be applied to my own life as I watch. I really appreciate the hard work that goes in to actors and actresses preparing, memorizing and performing their lines and parts! I love sitting in the theater and just being a part of it all! And I'm grateful for my situation in life that allows me to get great seats :)
3. There are reasons for all of the trials that we go through in this life. We may think things are unfair and really hard but one day we will look back and realize how those really difficult experiences were necessary to get us to where we are! We learn things in such a way that we couldn't learn them as we should, without going through the experiences that we do.
4. Life doesn't always make sense and things may happen to us that are unfair and unplanned and very painful. But just as Joseph was thrown into prison for the actions of Potiphars wife, we also may experience situations that are unfair and that are very painful and long and don't make sense and cause us to think how could this be happening to me? When will this trial end? When will the pain go away? Or when can I get back to having a life? Or when am I going to get out of this prison? (Spiritually, mentally or emotionally speaking)
5. The Lord's timing is always best. The Lord allows us to go through certain experiences according to his timeline because he Sees the end from the beginning. He knows exactly how our lives mesh together with other people's lives and how we can learn and grow and receive those blessings that are appropriate for us to receive. Just like it was necessary for Joseph to be stuck in prison for the amount of time that he was, so that he could lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. If he would have gotten out after only five years of being in prison he might not have been able to be the instrument in the Lords hands as he was.
6. The tender mercies and miracles are all around us! It was a TM that the Butler and Baker asked Joseph to interpret their dreams. It was a TM that there was a famine and the brothers had to come to the pharaoh. It was a tender mercy that it all happened in The Lord's timing even though Joseph might have thought all was forgotten and his life was over. It was a tender mercy that the pharaoh trusted him and listen to what his dream meant. It was a TM that Joseph was able to test his brothers to see if they had changed and of their hearts were softened. It is important to look for the tender mercies in our lives so that we can feel that peace and love of our Heavenly Father all around us! He is always there, we just get so distracted that we can't see or hear him here.
7. This experience reminds me of this quote, Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.”
8. I LOVE THE SCRIPTURES!!! I love reading the stories and learning about the lives of the Prophets and other influential men and women. I love how everything in the scriptures can be related to our lives and how my we can learn if we take the time to do that. I love how The Lord can help you turn to a specific chapter on morning and have it be the exact chapter that you need to read to help you be an instrument in His hands. It is such a miracle that out of hundreds of pages of scriptures He can help you see the exact page that you need for the exact answer or the exact story you need to read to help you in your life! The gospel is amazing! This world is amazing!! Our lives are amazing, and when it is hard to remember that, try to think of your favorite scripture story and how the people handled their situation and how you can apply their experience to your life. (speaking to myself also here:) )
For a final thought, I read this talk tonight from April 2011 General Conference by Kent F. Richards, it is awesome! Here is the link. The Atonement Covers All Pain
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