Count your many blessings...

So, Rochelle last blogged on Thursday when she was feeling quite grandiose. Then Friday hit, and she didn't want to get out of bed. In fact her whole weekend has been full of ups and downs. Feeling better and then feeling worse. I'm not sure that there is a pattern other than we had prayed that she would be able to get through her clinical rotation on Thursday. We were fairly specific in our prayers, and Heavenly Father was just as specific in His blessings. But we still feel blessed. I count myself lucky to have someone to take care of, and the health and ability to do so. I feel like we have been very blessed as a couple. I think back to when I met Rochelle, and how I was making $7 an hour fixing machines at BYU. Shortly thereafter I get a call out of nowhere asking me to come in for an interview. I wasn't even looking for a job at the time. I put out my application in August, and here is was February and I had an interview. Well, considering how much I loved fixing those smelly machines, I interviewed, and got a job. Little did I know, but that was the first blessing I had received so I could better take care of my dear soon to be wife. I have no need of going into detail on every blessing we've received for the last two years we have been married, but I feel like they have been many. And I have noticed something in common with many of them. With every blessing I receive, I have been better able to serve Rochelle or some other person who is in need. It has been an eye opening experience for me. It has made me consider things in a new light. What are blessings for? I have been taught ever since I was old enough to pass the sacrament that the priesthood was given to man for the serving of others. I have never supposed though, that in reality, every blessing given to us is an opportunity to serve others. And in fact, many of the challenges we face, and the trials we meet are in fact an opportunity for others to serve. For example, read the following verse: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Most of my life, when I read this verse, I get out of it one point, and one point only. That the ultimate demonstration of love is to give up your life for another. But it never occurred to me what trials the friends were going through. It seems to me that "his friends" were in serious trouble. It does not say whether they were in trouble because they put themselves there or by no fault of their own. But were it not for the sacrifice of another, they would soon perish. But because of their "trial" and the sacrifice of the one, blessings were poured out on all. The one who laid down his life would be blessed in heaven for his great act of service and love. The others would be blessed by feeling so loved, and cared for by another. They would appreciate their lives more, and be more willing to serve others in the future. They would have learned a great lesson. And so it is with us. We have trials so that the Savior can save us. He has already laid down His life for our own. He has already made the ultimate sacrifice of love. We have our trials so we can learn to seek Him out and trust in Him. Our trials also offer others a chance to emulate Him. Your trials may give me a chance to serve you. So when it comes down to it, everything -- both blessings and trials -- give us a chance to serve and be served, to love and be loved, and our testimonies of the Savior and His sacrifice grow regardless of which side of the service we are on. Anyways, these are the thoughts that came to me today. I hope you all had a good Sabbath.
Love you all.
BJ