Life is beautiful

The stronger my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior becomes, the more I come to understand how beautiful life is. It is often too easy to focus on the challenging, mundane, and negative aspects of our lives. However, I have found that complaining, criticizing, and condemning our circumstances only degrades our spirit and makes it difficult for us to find that joy that we are meant to experience in life. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: 

If we constantly focus on the stones in our mortal path, we will almost surely miss the beautiful flower or cool stream provided by a loving Father who outlined our journey. 

Every life has stones in its path. But without the stones, we wouldn't appreciate when our path is smooth and easy. Besides, the stones are what makes the path beautiful. We must always remember that we have truly been blessed with an abundant life! And I know that Christ is always there to light our path. My favorite quote is by C.S. Lewis. He said: 

Just as the sun is always shining in the sky, Christ is always there for us lighting our way. Despite the clouds that sometimes obscure our view of the sun, we know that the sun is there. Trials may cloud our view of our Savior, but do we doubt that He is there? In the darkest, coldest night, do we have to be perfect to earn a sunrise? No. Christ will always be there for us. He will always light the blackest of nights and we can have unwavering confidence that He will be there for us ushering in a new, clean morning. 

Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!