I think we all occasionally struggle with the question of why God allows difficult things to happen to us if he really loves us.  Especially, as we fast and pray, we feel ignored.  I have had many opportunities to ponder this, and would like to record my thoughts.

First, I'd like to offer perspective.  In possibly the most awesome cartoon segment ever, Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are trying to find a meeting place.  Donald is walking up a hill, and via telephone tells Mickey to meet him at the triangle shaped tree.  Mickey, flying overhead in an airplane, cannot find a triangle shaped tree.  He can only find a round tree.  Frustration and chaos ensue.  Finally, they come to a resolution when they realize they are looking at the same tree from different perspectives.  Both are simultaneously correct and incorrect when they find the tree is actually conical.

Without trials, we are all Donald Duck, continually arguing with Mickey Mouse about the shape of the tree.  Our difficulties force us to walk around the tree, climb it, and look down from below.  We are able to see more completely and fully.  I grew up in Midland, MI, a town that came into existence when Herbert Henry Dow discovered Bromine there in 1897.  Midland is full of affluent chemists, attorneys, and executives.  I grew up with the perspective that hard work combined with a good education automatically lead to prosperity.  Thankfully, I've learned some perspective on this one. One day when prosperity finds me, my new perspective will give me gratitude, and any previous feeling of entitlement will be obsolete.

I also feel this perspective with health.  They say youth is wasted on the young.  After five pregnancies, I hope I'm not wasting my youth.  Every night I can sleep without getting up to use the bathroom is a miracle.  Walking through Costco without resting on the display furniture is a joy.  I purposely park at the back of parking lots, full of gratitude that I can easily walk to the store.

Our testimonies can easily be a matter of perspective.  How did I ever believe the gospel to be true (round tree) when it is so obviously bull (triangle!)  I love President Uchdorf's quote to "doubt your doubts."  Doubt that the tree is either round or triangle, and study it until you can see it's beautiful conical splendor!

A second answer to the question of why we have trials can be found in the purpose of life.  We chose to come to an earth where we have agency.  In fact, agency is our great blessing!  We get to choose! We choose wickedness or righteousness, kindness or evil, obedience or rebellion.  So here's the flip side: if deadly car accidents, claiming the life of our children, only happened to parents who were negligent, we would have NO CHOICE but to be the most devoted.  If poor health only happened to those who were wicked, we would have NO CHOICE but to be righteous.  If infertility only happened to unfit parents, we would have NO CHOICE but to be the best we can.  Our agency would be diminished by the consequence of our actions.  God gives uneven action/consequence sequences to allow us to choose because we desire it, not out of fear of consequence.  Paring bad with bad and good with good undermines the very freedom we so cherish.

Thirdly, we are sitting in a refiners fire.  This life is the time to prepare to meet God.  Life is meant to stretch us, to test us, to make sure that we're ready to receive the blessings ahead (hence, the forfeiting of our entitlement feelings).  This is our chance to prove that we will stand up and bear testimony while enduring our own Gethsemane.