More Hardship, but More Help

There's something that I feel is important to know about the Gospel, and President Uchtdorf said it rather well in his Saturday Morning talk: "following the Savior will not remove all of your trials. However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you."

As we walk the path of discipleship, we find that it is more difficult than following the crowd. We restrain ourselves against easier courses of action and we do so against the opposition of the general public. However, we are blessed for doing so, and the blessings we gain can help us face the hardships we take on as disciples of Christ. Taking the worldly path seems easier until we realize that we have to face the trials of life without God's help, and taking on the additional difficulties that come with being a disciple seems terribly foolish until we discover that God's help more than makes up for the increased difficulty.

Sometimes, I wish life was easier, and I sometimes think that life would be easier for me if I gave up on trying to be righteous, but that's a fool's trap. Following the world seems easier, but it's actually easier to walk with God. God helps those who struggle to follow Him. The world isn't quite as kind. As we choose to follow God rather than the world, we can expect to face additional difficulties others don't have to face, but at least we won't have to face them alone. Following the disciple's path means facing additional hardship, but thankfully, it also means gaining access to additional help.