I read a quote yesterday that comforted me.

I found it in Gerald N. Lund's book called Fire of the Covenant

which is about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies

and the trials and afflictions they faced.

It's by Elder Neil A. Maxwell who said,

"How could we expect to be joyous

and to receive ALL

that 'the Father hath'

if we do not strive to become like Him?

And, in fact, can we,

on our scale,

be like Him

WITHOUT sharing in the 

'fellowship of his sufferings'?

He shares with us His work;

does that not suggest

the need for

our sharing, too,

some of the 

suffering?

If in all of this there is some

understandable trembling,

the adrenaline of affliction

can help to ensure

that our pace

will be brisk

rather than casual.

His grace 

will cover us like a cloak--

enough to provide for

survival

but too thin

to keep out ALL

the cold.

The seeming cold 

is there to keep us

from drowsiness,

and gospel gladness 

warms us enough 

to keep going."

A little while ago I have a few good weeks in a row

and then seemingly all of sudden

I was depressed.

I was really, really, disappointed.

I had had the feeling that I was finally overcoming

the depression.

But as C.S. Lewis wrote, 
"Our Father [in Heaven] refreshes us on the
journey [through life]
with some pleasant inns,
but [He] will not encourage us
to mistake them for home”
(C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, New York: Macmillan, 1967, p. 103.)

The brief respites and His grace enables us to keep going.