"The Problem Is Not The Problem"

"The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem." - Captain Jack Sparrow

I haven't seen whichever movie this quote was taken from, but this concept is pretty profound. In fact, it almost sounds like something you might hear said at General Conference.

In life, there are plenty of problems. In fact, there are so many problems in our lives that we will probably never solve them all. By the time we've solved one problem, we've probably already gotten a new one to replace it. Some people struggle with many problems at a time, but everyone has at least one problem to deal with at any given time, and that's all part of the plan.

I don't think we're ever meant to solve all of our problems. We could solve any of our problems, and God certainly wants us to work on them, but the idea isn't to solve all our problems so we don't have any problems anymore. The idea is to learn how to deal with problems. Sometimes, we learn how to solve particular problems, and sometimes we have to learn how to cheerfully endure certain problems while we have them. It's a learning experience.

Life's many problems are not the problem. The problem is our attitude toward life's problems. Sometimes, we want to solve the problems in our lives, and we get frustrated when it doesn't work, but sometimes, we can't get rid of our problems because we haven't yet learned the lessons God's using our problems to teach us. It's not about solving problems. It's about building us.

So the next time you have a problem that's giving you trouble, try to have a positive attitude about it. I know that's much easier said than done, but try. Try to find out what lesson(s) God's trying to use your problems to teach you and try to incorporate those lessons into your life. If you can do that, you may find that your problems do more good for you than harm, and if that's the case, then it could be said that your problems aren't really problems at all.