DAY 78 --- Another Ammonihah Challenge

I was reading in Alma this morning when I read about Alma and Amulek as they were preaching to the people of Ammonihih.  As I read, a statement jumped off the page to me.  It was when Alma said that if they did not repent, the Lord would destroy the city.  Then he said that the people of that city did not believe that God could do such a "wonderful" thing.  They were incredulous of the fact that Deity can do whatever they want, even destroying a large city like Ammonihah in one day.  As we know, it did happen just as Alma said it would.  The city was destroyed in one day.

As I pondered upon that truth, I was told again that Father can do whatever He wants to do, even destroy a city, even award us $50,000 for our mission, even correct little, or large infirmities, even heal every aspect of old age that is causing concerns for us, etc.  He can do whatever He wants to do.

He can relieve us from any and all challenges we have, if He desires.  Instead of permitting us to struggle with all of them, He has chosen to let us struggle to overcome small and large challenges.  Therefore, I choose to label these foibles of age, or of weakness, or any foibles or weaknesses, or trials, our Ammonihah Challenges.  I will refer to them as the AC's of life.

Father uses the AC's of life to teach us lessons, to help us work on perfecting our patience, to help us develop our faith, etc.  Every single Ammonihah Challenge of our individual, personalized path in this mortality is used by Father to teach important, Eternal lessons that are required to pass our test in our final of  mortality to receive a Celestial Grade. 

So as I ponder about this concept, this revelation to me, I must accept that all the AC's that I have, are either tools used by Father to teach me lessons, (and there so many lessons I must learn through them) or as Paul's calls them, a thorn in my side to give me the chance to prove myself in spite of this thorn, or that thorn, or whatever I am called upon to live with throughout my life on earth, with no answer, no relief, or no resolution of this or that particular thorn throughout my life.

I must practice being grateful for each Ammonihah Challenge, knowing that Father knows of them and will either remove them in His time, or use them to teach me.  Thanks Father, let me keep this concept in my mind!