Richard G. Scott on compensatory blessings

Elder Richard G. Scott ((November 7, 1928 – September 22, 2015) served as a Seventy from 1977-1988, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.

"The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you....

"Find the compensatory blessings in your life when, in the wisdom of the Lord, He deprives you of something you very much want. To the sightless or hearing impaired, He sharpens the other senses. To the ill, He gives patience, understanding, and increased appreciation for others' kindness. With the loss of a dear one, He deepens the bonds of love, enriches memories, and kindles hope in a future reunion. You will discover compensatory blessings when you willingly accept the will of the Lord and exercise faith in Him."

- Richard G. Scott, "Finding Joy in Life," Ensign, May 1996, pp. 24-26
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For me, this is one of Elder Scott's most memorable messages. He spoke from his heart and personal experience; among his challenges were the loss of his beloved wife more than 20 years before his own passing. He taught that what we perceive as a challenge can bring happiness and blessings if our hearts are right. I love the contrast he presents; too often we symbolically "dig in [our] heels at every unpleasant challenge" as we struggle and complain. Instead, he encourages us to

• trust more in God
• be centered in God's will
• ask to be led by God's spirit

Then, we can be assured that we will find the greatest possible happiness throughout this mortal journey. This statement is a foundation of Elder Scott's philosophy:

The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not.

If we truly believe that, it changes everything. And then this promise is clear and reassuring: