Mike Campbell's Memorial Service

For those of you who may not know me, I am Mike Campbell's daughter-in-law, Tiffany Campbell. I married his second son, Heath. Although he is my father-in-law, ever since we were married, I have called him Dad. He is like a second father to me and I am ever grateful for the welcoming arms of acceptance that he held out to me. I am sure that many of you felt that same positive attitude of acceptance and understanding from him as well.

Near the end of his life, Dad was at peace and fully accepted the Lord's will that it was his time to die. He calmly reassured each of us that all would be well and that he had important work to do for the Lord on the other side. He ministered to his family, giving Father's blessings and spiritual counsel to each of us until the very end. One of the things he repeated frequently to us was the counsel to be sure that our children knew we loved them each and every day. As the end drew ever nearer, all his earthly cares melted away and his concerns were for the relationships that mattered. One of the last clearly audible things he spoke out loud was “I love my family so much.”

President George Albert Smith said, “The treasures that we will find when we go to the other side will be those that we have laid up there by ministering to our Father’s other sons and daughters with whom we have associated here. ... during our stay here we will be happier serving our fellow[man] than we could possibly be in any other way.” I've had so many people come up to me and say what a good friend Mike was, and what a good man. Truly, he was happiest when he was in the service of others and he has laid up many treasures in heaven.

Many of you may know he is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but perhaps you are not familiar with what exactly he believes. I'd like to share with you some of the core beliefs of our faith. I think it will bring Dad great joy to know that many of those whom he loves and has special relationships with, both in and out of the family, will hear these things on this day when we honor and celebrate his life.

Some people go through this life wondering if there is a God. They wonder why they are here and where they came from. They wonder where they are going after they die, or if there is anything at all after this life.

I am here to testify to you tonight, as boldly as I believe my father-in-law would have me to testify, that there is a God, and that God would have us call him “Father.” He loves each and every one of His children and is mindful of every triumph and trial. Indeed, we lived with our Heavenly Father as literal spirit sons and daughters before we came to live on this earth. We came from a heavenly home and it is to that heavenly home that our Father wishes us to return to live with Him one day. Our existence is eternal. This mortal life, though very crucial, is but one small part of the eternal life span that is truly ours.

We came to this earth with a purpose. We knew that living a mortal life would give us experiences to help us grow and become more like Him. We knew there were risks in coming here, that all would have their freedom to choose between good and evil and we knew that some would choose evil, and we might suffer as a result of the choices others made. We knew that we might have to say good-bye to loved ones early. Nevertheless, we shouted for joy when the time came for us to be born, for we knew that coming here would lead to our progression toward eternal happiness. We knew this life would test our faith, but we came ready and willing to face that test. We came, excited at the prospect of being the son or daughter of earthly parents, and then growing up to establish our own family. Our Heavenly Father has said, “This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” and I testify to you that He wants you to receive eternal life with Him.
Part of accomplishing that work required that he send a Savior to die for us. Jesus suffered so that we could be cleansed of our sins if we repent. Not only that, but because of his Atoning Sacrifice, we can be healed of any pain that has ever been caused in our lives, even those caused by the sins of others. Because of Jesus Christ, we can feel joy again even after we have suffered greatly.

I am going to try to follow some of Dad's advice today when he told me to seek after simple wisdom. One of the simplest ways of teaching what we believe about eternity is through a children's song called “I lived in Heaven.”

I lived in heaven a long time ago, It is true.
Lived there and loved there with people I know, So did you.
Then Heavenly Father presented a beautiful plan,
All about earth and eternal salvation for man.

Father said he needed someone who had enough love
To give his life so we all could return there above.
There was another who sought for the honor divine.
Jesus said, “Father, send me, and the glory be thine.”

Jesus was chosen, and as the Messiah he came,
Conquering evil and death through his glorious name,
Giving us hope of a wonderful life yet to be—
Home in that heaven where Father is waiting for me.

It is because he knew these simple yet profound truths about the eternal nature of our existence and our relationships that Dad was able to feel such peace and joy at the end of his mortal life. He knew that this ending was yet another beginning, and that one day, we will each be resurrected and receive a body that is perfect and glorified. Like Dad, I did not grow up as a member of this church. Shortly after I met my husband, a dear friend of mine died suddenly in a car accident. I was devastated and utterly distressed. I daresay I was approaching a state of anger toward God. How could he allow this to happen?

Yet when I presented my concerns to the young man who would become my husband, I was at first surprised and then calmly soothed by his peaceful attitude toward death. He said to me that surely there must have been a purpose in the Lord's taking him so early from this earthly life. Perhaps he had a specific mission to fulfill on the other side of the Veil, or perhaps he was needed by someone there who had missed him dearly.

Now, fifteen years after that experience, I am again impressed with the way the Campbell family handles death. Especially with the way Dad handled it. Our hearts drew a measure of peace from the tranquility we saw in his own eyes each day.

The overriding message of my talk today is of the peace and joy that the gospel brings. I cannot speak of this without speaking of the family. Many people take notice of how much our church focuses on the family. Living prophets on the earth today have declared that “Family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of his children. …In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.”

That means that our eternal destiny is meant to include our family. We may say that we have “lost” a loved one, but the reality is that they are not lost from us at all. We often say that someone who has died “looks down upon us from heaven,” but the reality is that they do much more than simply watch us. I believe that very often, thoughts of what we should do, and feelings of encouragement and strength, come to us as a result of the efforts and whisperings, even the very close presence of those we love, or who love us, who have gone on before us in death. They serve as instruments in the hands of the Lord from the other side of the Veil just as much as we can here on this side, if not more. Perhaps helping us here is part of the very work for which Dad was needed on the other side.

Spencer W. Kimball said, “If we live in such a way that the considerations of eternity press upon us, we will make better decisions.” The fact that Dad died so much earlier than any of us would have ever expected has most definitely turned our hearts toward him and toward the relationships of family. This is what matters in eternity. I know that Mike Campbell would have us all remember that what matters most is the way we treat others and that this life is meant to be filled with the joy that comes from accepting and serving others, the joy that comes from knowing and loving and just enjoying those simple, special moments with our family. He would have us remember that life can be calmed by the matchless peace that comes through the power that Jesus Christ has to change our hearts. It is because of His Atoning Sacrifice that we can live now with true joy and peace, even in the midst of what may seem like a tragedy. The Lord sees all. He knows all. We can trust His vision for our lives. 2 Nephi 2:25, a scripture from the Book of Mormon says, “Adam fell that man might be and men are that they might have joy.” Dad and Mom believe that, and even as he suffered through his cancer, they took note of the many tender mercies of the Lord as He watched over them and offered them comfort along the way.

When speaking at the funeral of a dear friend, President George Albert Smith said,
“To know that life is eternal is a wonderful blessing,—to know that throughout eternity the blessings that this good man has lived for will be his. ...He has laid the foundation deep and secure upon which he has built and will continue to build throughout eternity. The joy that he has experienced here upon earth will be added upon. …
When an occasion like this occurs it seems that [our loved ones] are [so] distant, but as a matter of fact they are not, … Instead of extending the condolence that sometimes might go to those who are bereaved, I feel more like rejoicing this day that I know that this is not the end.”

This is not the end of Dad's eternal life. It does not have to be the end of our relationship with him. Families can be together forever. Because of this understanding, Dad was and is at peace. Our Savior, Jesus Christ said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland recently testified “of the renewing power of God’s love and the miracle of His grace. His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there...So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time. Please listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit telling you right now, this very moment, that you should accept the atoning gift of the Lord Jesus Christ and enjoy the fellowship of His labor.”

On behalf of my father-in-law, I invite each of you to “Come unto [Christ], all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and [He] will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”

Blessings and Trials

These past few weeks have been challenging to say the least. A few times, I've been so exhausted that I felt as though I might reach my breaking point. I've been going and going and giving and giving. Just doing it. Because it is the right thing to do. This past Sunday, I bore testimony at church about how I am receiving some of my greatest blessings while going through some of the toughest trials I've ever been through. Because so much of my time is devoted to doing what I must to help take care of someone who needs me, what I want has dropped nearly out of the picture. Out of necessity, my daily tasks and desires for accomplishment have been stripped to a bare minimum. I've been forced to prioritize. I've had to go easy on what I expect to accomplish.

Knowing that I could never make it through this without the Lord's help, I have knelt in prayer more frequently than usual. I have tried to make sure I read the scriptures daily, searching them more deeply at times. I know that if I allow this trial to steal away my time with the Lord, then Satan will take advantage of his chance to steal away my peace and undermine my self-control.

Also knowing that I could never make it through this without feeling my family's support and love, I've tried my best to subvert all other tasks to simply spending time with my husband and children in the small moments that I can find it. I'm even making more eye contact with them, seeing them as treasures each time I look. I could not allow this trial to give Satan the opportunity to sabotage my closest relationships toward failure.

All this said, I am not perfect. I could have done better most days. Nor am I anywhere near capable of handling what I've handled in the past few weeks all on my own. Yesterday, I prayed while sitting under a tree in my front yard waiting for my daughter to get off the bus. All afternoon and evening, I was at peace. It was one of those days where I occasionally thought, 'okay, this is getting more stressful, you are not going to be able to handle all of this, you are going to snap.' But even while having these thoughts, I was still at peace. In reality, I came nowhere near breaking down.

It was like I was watching myself in slow motion and wondering, “Wow, how am I doing this?” and “This is incredible.”

Late last evening, it dawned on me that I am not the only one praying for me. I told my husband, “This must be what it feels like to feel the prayers of others.” The tremendous peace I've felt and the sustaining strength that the Lord has given me is in answer to the prayers of many. Thank you to all those who have prayed and will pray for me.

I can't say that a few years ago I would have handled all this as well. In the past, I have allowed Satan to take advantage of stressful times, expecting myself to keep caught up on things, losing sleep, worrying my way through every task and every relationship, snapping at my family because of the stress I'd put myself under, forgetting to pray and sing hymns and study the scriptures and wondering why the Lord wasn't helping me more.

This time, instead of feeling resentful because of how much I've sacrificed, wishing vainly that others would acknowledge my suffering, my eyes have been opened to just how much I am loved. Our family has more unity and feelings of love than it did before. My prayers are more filled with gratitude for the incredible answers to prayers we've received. Gratitude that things are not much, much worse.

How is it that I can receive such blessings in the midst of such trials? I don't think there is any other way that I could receive them. Now I know what James meant when he said, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into many afflictions” (James 1:2).

Born Again

I've been experiencing a total spiritual renewal over the past week or so, though it has been coming in stages for several months. I can testify that if we allow our trials to help us grow, we will be strengthened by them. When life is hard, I often ask myself, “Why?” in the sense of “What is God trying to teach me, here?” This past year of my life has been filled with trials and emotional turmoil. I wrote a post back in November entitled, “Chains Breaking, Shackles Falling,” and now I am truly feeling the next set of chains breaking away from me. By chains, I mean the ones Satan had wrapped around me so subtly that I did not even know they were there at first.

My last two posts have talked about having faith and praying for charity. Well, I've been doing this. I've been praying that the Lord would transform my heart with His love. With the help of new tools with which to perceive life (ie Sheri Dew's books and James J. Jones' CDs and book), I am more understanding of the emotional baggage I've chosen to pick up and can choose to set down, as well as codependency and healthy boundaries. That, along with my trials, was sort of like the foundation for this change in me. What is bringing it to fruition is sincere daily prayer, morning and night (and lots of times mid-day), pleading with the Lord to change me, as well as daily scripture study and messages I hear at church. Doing all of these things has brought the Holy Ghost into my presence. Now that I know the peace He can give, I realize how much my heart has been at war all this time...without me even realizing it sometimes.

What's amazing is that things around me are not changing. My circumstances have not changed much. My responsibilities have not lessened. My long to-do list hasn't gotten much shorter. People are still the same, mostly. But because I chose to Believe that Christ truly can heal my heart and bring me peace, it is here. This is hard to explain, because I have believed in Christ all my life. I've even had several other times of great spiritual renewal. I've known times of peace. But the habits I wanted to change always came back. The negative attitudes, the perfectionism, eating poorly, not sleeping or exercising enough, judging others, etc, etc. Though I would make efforts at changing and would for a while, somehow, they have always returned, and my heart stayed at war, and I could not fully overcome my “natural man” tendencies as Paul speaks of in the New Testament.

I am not saying that I have fully overcome them now. But I am further down that path than I ever have been before. I am going through each day with peace. Things happen and conversations take place that threaten to take it away again, and the temptation is still there at times to fall into depressed ways of thinking and doing, or rushed, annoyed ones. But in those moments, I am stopping more often than not to “check” whether or not I feel His peace through the Spirit. And if I don't, then I “back up” a bit and usually pray or sing a hymn and then my feelings smooth over and peace returns. It is miraculous to me.

I have prayed for years to overcome some of these things and suddenly I am finding that they simply aren't there anymore! I would get stressed and want to eat something, usually sweet. Too many of my daily cares centered around pleasing other people in an unhealthy, perfectionist way. I was constantly in a hurry to “get to the next thing” on my list and as a result would often overlook the needs of others. Now, suddenly, because of many answered prayers for the pure love of Christ to transform and purify me, I am free! I am free to be who I truly am and want to be.

I am finding that I can speak calmly to my children when they are doing the same things that I used to raise my voice to. I am patient with things and people like never before. Even with very emotional issues that would have had me anxious for days and worrisome for weeks, I am able to find peace in doing what I can do and then giving the rest of the burden to the Lord, patiently waiting for His timing. I am not in a hurry all the time anymore, and if I have to be, it's not the end of my peace! I am living more “in the now” than ever, seizing the moments that can bring joy – tickling my kids and bouncing on the yoga ball with them and laughing when they sneak up on Daddy, chasing my toddler through the house when he gets that look in his eye and laughing like crazy with him when I catch him.

I know much of this is vague and probably not very easy to understand, but I am just so thankful for these changes the Lord has wrought in me. I finally really understand what a “mighty change of heart” is. And the amazing thing is that I thought I already understood it. I thought I knew what it was before now. But now that I am here, I see that I didn't. I hope that in the coming weeks, I will be able to better articulate what I have learned so that I can help others learn it, too.

One of my greatest sorrows now is seeing others in pain who do not understand how to partake of the Savior's healing power. The other is not knowing how to share it with them.

For now, I can at least recommend Sheri Dew's book, “If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard,” along with prayer and scripture study. The Recommended Reading List on my blog is also worth a look, and of course, the scriptures! They have gems of knowledge in them well worth searching for.

I suppose my main message to my readers today is one of Hope. Christ can change you! You can feel peace and joy every day of your lives! You can live! It is actually possible, even in the midst of great trial, if you turn to Him. He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” (Matthew 11:28-30). Stop trying to carry your burdens by yourself! Seek the healing power of Christ's Atonement now. Can you really afford to wait any longer before making the time to do this?

I wish I had sought Him more diligently long ago. But then again, I have been seeking Him for more than fifteen years, and He has taught me line upon line, a little here and little there, more so when I sought him sincerely, and not so much when I allowed myself to be distracted from Him. I believe He will continue to teach me for the rest of my life. I'm not perfect by any means. That's the whole point! I couldn't do it by myself, but the Lord is changing the things I've tried to change for years. I had to be tried; I had to be chastened and corrected, humbled and taught. I had to let Him change me. Let Him change you, too!

Through Another's Eyes

Several things came together in my mind tonight as I continued my reading of “The Anatomy of Peace” by the Arbinger Institute. I have been struggling with feeling connected to my almost-five-year-old daughter for some time now. My having a baby hasn't exactly fostered closeness between us. I thought this summer would allow us to reconnect since she would be home from school. But I became more concerned with my own to do list than with her and I've been anxious as time is flying by faster than it ever has before and there is very little time for me to dedicate to my personal goals. (Yes, sometimes I am really selfish!) Needless to say, I have not had much peace in my heart. So when a friend mentioned she was reading this book, I quickly requested it from the library.

I am only a little ways into it, but it talks about how there are two ways to do any behavior. You can do it with your heart at peace or at war. You can do things while seeing others as people with real hopes, needs, cares and fears or you can do things while seeing others as objects, obstacles, vehicles or irrelevancies. The book explains that many times we choose a course of action that ultimately will harm our own position, such as “stoking the fires of resentment in a spouse or anger in a child.” I read that and thought, 'Yes, I think my daughter has some anger towards me on some level.' Several interactions flashed through my mind. Obstacle: “I can't do that right now, I have to clean the kitchen.” “Let me do it.” Vehicle: “Do you know where brother's paci is?” “Go look at the microwave and tell me what time it is.” Irrelevancy: “What did you do that for?” “We don't have time for that.” “We can't do it that way.”

My daughter feels like an object to me. At least she does sometimes. My heart is not at peace toward her.

As this thought crystallized, I recalled some of my dad's advice that has stayed with me from a very young age. “One of the most important things you will ever learn in your entire life,” he said, “is how to see things through another person's eyes.”

This has come back to me frequently in the past couple of months. Now I see that God was trying to tell me something. I guess I have to read a whole book to figure it out sometimes. I thought about my daughter and the conflicts we regularly have. I get frustrated with her moving her 18 pound baby brother around because it makes him fussy and uncomfortable to be manhandled – or, rather, little-girl handled – like that. She doesn't really hurt him (usually), but I'm afraid she will. So I fuss at her for it. But really, she's just trying to sit him back up when he falls over. She's just trying to comfort him when he's a little fussy. And who should have taught her how to do it properly?

Me.

Another point the book makes is that if we spend the majority of our time helping things go right, we will be successful when we have to deal with things that are going wrong. Sigh. Me again. Did I have to turn 30 to start learning the lessons my parents tried to teach me? Will my daughter have to turn 30 before she starts learning what I'm trying to teach her? I really hope not!

If Mommy's Happy...

What a fiasco this afternoon was! But thanks to a good night's sleep, a morning of prayer and scripture study, plus writing, a workout on the elliptical, and some cartwheels with my daughter, (I didn't know I could still do them! It was fun!), I made it through a crying, screaming, smiling baby with a rash and runny nose, making sugar cookies (the roll and cut out kind) for my daughter's preschool class, making lasagna for dinner (one fuss-food-lactose-free pan for me and one regular version for my husband), holding a very ambitious Family Home Evening lesson during which we scrubbed the (nasty, disgusting) bath tub and shower and related it to the principle of repentance and change, how we feel dirty when we make wrong choices and clean and spotless when we repent and do what is right.

It was about to fall apart when the baby was screaming during the tub scrub and I made the executive decision to stop scrubbing and discuss the scripture that went with our lesson, (while I nursed a quieter baby), have our treats and get on with bed time. As we tried to finish the lesson, my daughter was her usual self, anxiously awaiting the treat while Mommy droned on about something she didn't understand. Daddy saved the night with a suggestion to vary my voice. So the rest of the discussion was given by all in various Sesame Street voices, to which my daughter listened intently and we all laughed a lot, but learned something. The house shows the path of the tornado that hit it this afternoon. But in my heart there is peace.

Our lesson was about changing our family from an old family who speaks unkindly at times and is too frequently disrespectful and untidy into a new family who tries to speak in more of a Christ-like manner and tone, being careful not to hurt one another, but to help and teach. We talked about how we should be like the people in the scriptures who “could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence.” (I could not look upon our bathtub save it was with abhorrence). We talked about making wrong choices, repenting, and making right choices.

In the end, it was Mommy who stayed up late finishing the cookie decorating and scrubbing of the tub (and tile and grout...). My poor husband put in some elbow grease during the group effort, but collapsed again after it was over and thanked me for my efforts and work. (He's been sick for a few days now.) Anyway, as I worked, I sang hymns and hummed songs, including the new Primary song, “My Eternal Family,” which we sang during family night. It occurred to me that my doing a large portion of the work to make the tub “pure and spotless” was very appropriate in relation to the lesson I had given.

Change in the family is, of course, so very important for each member to participate in. But I am the Mother. If I want my family to change in the way they speak to one another, if I want them to be more kind, then I must, in a way, do more work to change myself and the way I speak and act. If the Mother changes her tone and speaks more Christlike, if the Mother is more kind and tenderhearted, understanding and long-suffering, if the Mother looks for moments to teach the children about the Savior, then the whole family cannot help but follow along. So goes the old saying, “If Mom's not happy, no one is.” On the flip side, “If Mom is happy, (or kind, considerate, loving, etc), there's a pretty good chance everyone else is, too.”

The Quiet of a Storm

Today, we were supposed to bake tons of chocolate chip cookies to give away at church. We were supposed to thoroughly clean the house and make ham rolls and chocolate cake for the family Christmas Party that was to be in our home. We were supposed to bake more sugar cookies and decorate them to give away to my daughters' friends at church. We were supposed to get everything else ready for tomorrow. We were supposed to have a busy, busy day.

But it snowed more than a foot.

We are buried in beautiful blissful escape.

Instead, I kept my Pajamas on all day. I took video and pictures of my family playing in the snow. I huffed and puffed my pregnant self through the knee deep snow and played in it. I laughed when I fell backwards and my husband had to pull me up out of it. I enjoyed some hot chocolate with marshmallows (Warm chocolate soymilk is not so bad!). I still made cookies, but they were the healthy oatmeal walnut chocolate chip lactose free kind, not the mix I had been planning on using for convenience. I still ate too many chocolate chips. My daughter and I colored lots of pictures with a brand new box of crayons. I watched my husband play with my daughter outside and fell more in love with him. He let her try to play his trumpet after filling the house with Christmas and spiritual music for a while.

After dinner, she snuggled with daddy in the recliner while he read the scriptures and we said family prayer. Then we turned out all the lights and looked at the lighted manger scene and tree. We sang Christmas carols together. It was peaceful and filled with joy. It was what Christmas is all about. I love the Savior. I love my family. I love that I can be with them most of the days of my life. I love Christmas. I love snow.

I love it when Heavenly Father sends a blizzard to quiet the storm of our lives.

Faith, Pride, and Trials: Part II

Last time I talked about not assuming superiority over the truth. As in, we need to admit the truth to ourselves when things are going wrong instead of pridefully continuing in our feelings of resentment, anger, etc. I referenced James 3:14.

We should not assume superiority over God's will, either. I know people who have acted on the guidance they received in answer to prayer. Then as they continued to do what they were sure was God's will for them, things went in the wrong direction and turned out to be a big challenge. When this happens, people sometimes lose faith in their ability to know what God's will is for them. If whatever happened had been God's will, then it would not have gone awry.

Well, I believe that we cannot presume to know the mind of the Lord as we follow His will. I do know that He will guide and direct us through the power of the Holy Ghost as we humbly seek answers to our prayers. He gives us direction concerning the things we are responsible for (as in ourselves and family, not the President of the United States). If we have faith, we can receive guidance and answers to know what to do in our lives specifically. The Lord knows each of us better than we know ourselves. He knows what lessons we need to learn. He knows what we can and can't handle. We must have faith that He knows what He is doing. He is God.

How could we react differently to challenges like this? When we thought we were doing something right, but it just didn't work out. In the midst of all trials, no matter what happens, we can keep our faith in Jesus Christ. Abraham kept his faith even when he was asked to sacrifice his son! We can keep our faith that the Lord knows what he is doing, even if we don't understand it. I studied the Book of Revelation in depth once and realized, with the help of a religion instructor, that the main message of the entire Revelation to John is that God is in control. He knows what He is doing.

Even when it feels like our lives are out of control, He is watching over us and will guide our steps if we let Him. Just look at what the Lord allowed to happen to Job. But Job never lost faith, even when all he owned and all his children and even his health were taken from him! All at once almost! The Lord never would have allowed it if He had known Job could not handle it. But He did. And Job kept his faith strong. He did not assume superiority over God's judgment in allowing these terrible things to happen to him. And the Lord blessed him beyond what he had before after the trials were over.

Projects we began because we were following God's will may not always go the way we thought they would. But the Lord can use even failed projects to meet other objectives and to bring blessings into people's lives in ways we may not be able to see until after we die. Even in the midst of our trials, we can find peace in moments of quiet prayer and study of His word. We can find peace as we humble ourselves and keep our faith in the Lord and his timing.