I can do hard things

This morning I went walking up in the mountains with our dog Coda. It was so therapeutic to walk in the sun in a natural setting. There is something magical about walking on dirt that was created by God rather than on pavement created by man. I relished the sites, sounds, and pine fragrances that remind me of my Heavenly Father’s gifts. If this is the lone and dreary world, then I can only imagine what heaven is like.

When Coda so bravely jumped into the stream and looked back at me with eyes that seem to say, “look, I can do hard things,” I was reminded of how he use to be so afraid of water that he wouldn’t get near a stream. You see, when he was a puppy we put him in a pool to swim, and it scared him so much he avoided water.

It wasn’t until a few years ago when he and I were walking in a park in Cedar City, and there was a very shallow stream with a cement bottom that he tentatively ventured into that he started to overcome this fear. These little baby steps gave him the courage to discover that he could do hard things and now he loves to jump in bigger streams every chance he gets.

I remember my Saturday walks with a childhood friend of mine a few years ago. She often talked about how she would teach her children that they could do hard things. That is a good lesson for all of us. We can do hard things. But just like it isn’t the actually lifting of heavy weights that makes the muscle stronger because that in fact breaks down the muscle. Really it is the natural repair process of our bodies after the damage of lifting something heavy that makes the muscle stronger.

So it is in life. It isn’t the painfully hard experiences that make me stronger, but the healing power from my Savior that can repair and give me added strength. And yes, after I start feeling the repair work being done, I am grateful for my trials because they have given me strength and a new appreciation for Jesus Christ.