Getting Past The Hurt.....

How does one survive the loss of a serious relationship? Three factors can help us overcome any painful loss or misfortune:

The first is a personal commitment to finding meaningful purpose in life…. As we commit ourselves to faith in the plans and purposes of God, we learn to endure the pain of life’s disappointments, and we are buoyed up by the eternal perspective of the covenants He has made with us.

The second factor is a belief in one’s ability to influence one’s surroundings and the outcome of events. The gospel teaches that our efforts, when coupled with faith in God, can help us overcome trials and afflictions and can bring about much good. “For the power is in them,” says the Lord, “wherein they are agents unto themselves” (D&C 58:28).

The third factor is a belief that one can learn and grow from both positive and negative life experiences.  For example, in a profound statement to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord lists the calamities that had befallen or could befall the Prophet and then emphasizes that even these hardships can benefit him: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:7–8).

Here the Lord teaches that our mortal suffering, in some degree like the suffering of the Savior himself, can have significant purpose, meaning, and value that can enhance our growth and our development toward godhood.

Getting Past the Hurt, BY ROBERT F. WILLIAMS, ENSIGN, JULY, 2006