Patience

While Joseph Smith, the first prophet of the church in this dispensation was in Liberty Jail while he cried out: "...How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea they pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of they people and of they servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?"  

Joseph along with many members wondered why our loving Father could sit back and watch as the saints were being so persecuted.  Sometimes I feel the same way in my own life.  If you love me so much then why are you not rushing to my every whimper and cry for help. 

Lately I have been reading a lot of parenting books and it reminded me of something that I recently read.  The book encouraged parents to stop and listen to the cries of their baby before rushing into their every need.  The book taught that often the child will cry and soothe themselves back to sleep.  If we rush in every time that our child has a need they will grow weak and dependent upon us.  Of course we are here for them but we want them to grow strong.  

Heavenly Father wants us to grow strong.  He gives us these periods of quiet struggles where we grow stronger.  Heavenly Father is always always there for us but he does not immediately take away all of our pains when we whimper.  He teaches us to over come the natural man and always gives us just enough to keep going, but usually not more than we need.