If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard

If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard is the second book I've read by Sheri Dew. As the title may suggest, the book talks about life's challenges and explains that life can't be easy because it needs to be hard. Why does life need to be hard? In Sheri Dew's own words, she says, "Our mortal experience is designed to test what we really care about, what we really believe, what we really want to become, and how we really feel about our Father and His Son" (pg. 7). If life did not test us and try us in all things, it could never fulfill its purpose.

To validate her point, Sheri Dew draws upon words of the prophets to discuss the purpose of life and its trials. Joseph Smith taught that God will try each of us as He did Abraham. Joseph F. Smith taught a man must be "tried in his feelings to the uttermost to see if he loves truth more than himself or the world."

That being said, the author goes on to talk about ways that we make life harder than it needs to be. We all have burdens to carry, but sometimes we try to add extra baggage to our burden. This extra baggage is often associated with sin. It can be unrepented sins of the past, or grudges and ill-will we carry with us even now. The Savior doesn't want us to carry this extra baggage that weighs us down. Indeed, He commanded us to take His yoke upon ourselves, for his burden is light.

By choosing to keep the commandments, we avoid making life more difficult than it needs to be. Not only will we be free of excess baggage, but we will also be worthy to draw upon the powers of heaven to assist us through our trials. Sheri Dew talks about the importance and power of purity and chastity. One of the things I enjoyed about this book are the examples from the author's personal life. One such example is when she needed to address a large international group on the subject of families. Sheri Dew chose to make her speech all about the Law of Chastity. It was neat to read about the effect that the pure doctrine of this commandment had upon that group.

In short, life can't be easy because it needs to be hard to fulfill its purpose. But by living worthily, we can avoid the danger of wearing us down and wearing ourselves out because we will have the strength of heaven to see us through life's trials and tests.