Faith being tried with fire

To be completely honest... I've been struggling lately.

You know how you have your highs and your lows....

Well generally speaking I am not really at a high or a low.  I am kind of just coasting in the middle trying to get through each day.  I often wonder why I am so stressed and anxious but then I take a step back and look at all the of the things I am doing.  I often forget that trying to balance school, work, husband, family, healthy eating, working out, friends, sleep, and religion can be very difficult.  I often think that because I don't have kids my life shouldn't be or isn't crazy.  BUT when I am trying to do all those things at 100% it gets really overwhelming.  Those aspects in my life are all equally important to me and it's a struggle for me to try and give them all 100% when I only have 12 hours in a day to accomplish them.  It would be so much easier if our bodies didn't require sleep.  I would be able to get so much more done.

I put religion last for a reason, although it shouldn't be.  If I were to take a look at where my priorities really are, unfortunately that's probably where religion would fall.

So most aspects of my life right now are closer to the high peak than the low peak.  Yes, I may be stressed but I am still happy with my life and doing well with all that I am trying to accomplish.  BUT religion, because I have put it on the back burner while I try to accomplish all the other things in my life, is at a low.

The thing that is absolutely crazy to me is that, I KNOW THE SOLUTION.

Man if only I knew the solution to all my work in school.  I would totally jump on that and take advantage of it.  So why, when it comes to my religion do I not do the same?

I know exactly how to bring the spirit in my life.
I know how to bring my testimony up.
I know how to have more faith.
I know how to have a relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

I know these things because I have experienced a time where I was at an all time high when it came to my own personal spiritual level. I will forever be thankful for that time in my life because I can look back on it at times like these and know what I need to do to bring it back.

Now doing it is another thing......

Anyway to get to the main point of this post.... At work sometimes I will open up the Gospel Library app and read either a conference talk or scripture.  I hardly ever make it through the whole thing but I am trying at least. A couple days ago I opened up the New Testament to Peter and loved what I read.  For the first time in a long time it really hit me and was exactly what I needed to hear.

1 Peter chapter one

3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
4: To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefined, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.
So I really liked the sound of that last verse and wanted to look up what exactly it meant by inheritance.  It took me to Matthew 6:19-21 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth......But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven......For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  It also took me to Corinthians 9:24 "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?  So run, that ye may obtain."
I liked the versus in Matthew because it talks about treasures that we are in charge of.  Although there is an inheritance reserved in Heaven for us, we still have to do our part here on earth. I liked Corinthians because you can sense the urgency in it.  We should be running and striving for that inheritance by doing all that we can to make sure we are worthy to receive all that is in store for us.
5: Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6: Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, year are in heaviness through manifest temptations (trials,afflictions):
7: That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
That verse was the one that really struck me.  Because I've been at such a low point, spiritually, I feel in a sense that my faith is being tried.  I don't doubt what I know but how can you maintain strong faith when you are not nourishing it at all.  But as I continued to read.....I realized times like these are so important.  Like the verse says they are more precious than gold that perisheth.  I guess I already knew that but I LOVE how this verse stated it.  It reminded me that it's ok to have low times because when you can finally pick yourself up and get out of the slump, you grow.  These times when our faith is being tried "with fire" they will be "found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.  I don't know about the rest of you but just living in the world we live in I feel like my faith is constantly being tried "with fire!"    
8:  Whom having not see, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

I will end there but the rest of the chapter is just as good and got me excited for conference next weekend.  Hopefully I can listen with an open mind and heart to help get me out of this spiritual slump!