Jet Mariano

Tag: Faith in Trials

  • MIT-8 “It Was Not You That Sent Me Hither, But God”

    15 seconds to run into position.
    No retake. No guarantee.
    Just trust… and move.
    Standing here at Daybreak, I realized something—
    the moment may feel rushed, uncertain, even forced…
    but the placement is never random.
    Like Joseph, what once didn’t make sense
    now feels guided.
    It was not timing.
    It was not chance.
    It was God placing me exactly where I needed to be.

    Excerpt
    Sometimes what feels like a setback is actually God positioning us exactly where we need to be.

    Intro
    There was a time I looked back at a loss in my career and felt the weight of it. It didn’t make sense. It felt like something was taken away.

    But looking at Joseph’s story, I see it differently now.

    Notes from the Scriptures
    He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant.
    Psalm 105:17

    When Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he acknowledged the devastating decision they had made decades earlier: “I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.” But he immediately explained how that decision had helped God fulfill his purposes for their family: “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:4-5). He concluded, “So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God” (Genesis 45:8).

    Perspective
    Joseph stood in front of the very people who caused his suffering—and saw purpose instead of pain.

    I’ve had moments where I questioned why something had to happen in my career. At the time, it felt like a loss I didn’t deserve.

    But if that door hadn’t closed… I wouldn’t be here.

    A full-time opportunity in Utah.
    A place to rebuild.
    A place to grow stronger—spiritually, physically, and mentally.

    Daily discipline.
    Clean living.
    Boxing training that keeps me sharp and grounded.
    Time to think, to reflect, to reconnect with God.

    And the quiet blessings that don’t make noise—but change everything.

    Looking back now, I can say with peace:

    It was not them.
    It was God.

    Practice (Today, Not Someday)
    Today, I will trust that not everything that feels like loss is truly loss.

    I will move forward with faith, knowing that God may be preparing something I cannot yet see.

    Final Reflection
    Joseph didn’t just survive what happened to him—he understood it.

    And when I look at my own path, I see that some of the hardest moments were actually turning points.

    God didn’t just fix things later.

    He was already there… guiding it from the beginning.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    What I thought was a setback… was actually a setup.

    What I Hear Now
    “So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God” (Genesis 45:8)

    Link to the Talk / Scripture
    Genesis 45
    Psalm 105:17

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  • MIT-8 “Unimaginable”

    While attending Microsoft Active Directory training in Redmond in 2016, I noticed the sunlight breaking through the forest. What feels like delay may actually be preparation for something unimaginable.

    Excerpt
    God may be doing something unimaginable while we are still standing in the middle of the trial.

    Intro
    Sometimes life feels like a long stretch between promise and fulfillment. In those moments it is easy to wonder if heaven has gone quiet or if God has forgotten us. But the scriptures show something different. The journey from Point A to Point B is often where faith is tested and refined. Once we arrive at Point B, faith is no longer required in the same way.

    Notes from the Speaker or Scripture

    “He called down famine on the land
    and destroyed all their supplies of food;
    and he sent a man before them—
    Joseph, sold as a slave.
    They bruised his feet with shackles,
    his neck was put in irons,
    till what he foretold came to pass,
    till the word of the Lord proved him true.
    The king sent and released him,
    the ruler of peoples set him free.
    He made him master of his household,
    ruler over all he possessed,
    to instruct his princes as he pleased
    and teach his elders wisdom.”

    Psalm 105:16–22 (NIV)

    Joseph’s life moved through deep hardship before reaching its purpose. He spent years as a slave and prisoner, yet those years quietly prepared him for leadership that would later save nations.

    Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf explained:

    “Joseph must have wondered if God had forgotten him. God had something unimaginable in mind for Joseph. He used this period of trial to strengthen Joseph’s character and put him in a position to save his family.”

    “God Will Do Something Unimaginable,” October 2020 general conference

    Even during Joseph’s trials, scripture repeatedly reminds us that the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:2–3, 21, 23). Others recognized that divine help even when Joseph himself was still enduring difficulty.

    Perspective
    Many of us assume that comfort equals God’s approval and hardship means something is wrong. But the scriptures challenge that assumption. Nephi opened his record by acknowledging “many afflictions” while still declaring that he had been “highly favored of the Lord in all [his] days” (1 Nephi 1:1).

    Lehi later taught Jacob that God can “consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:2).

    In my own experience, especially in difficult IT problems or long troubleshooting sessions, answers rarely appear immediately. The solution often emerges only after patience, teamwork, and persistence. Many times the breakthrough arrives when I least expect it. Looking back, I realize that what felt like delay was actually preparation. God was shaping the path while I was still learning to trust Him.

    Practice (today, not someday)
    Today I will remember that God sees the entire path even when I see only a small part of it. When challenges appear, I will trust that He is still present and still working through the process.

    Final Reflection
    Faith often grows strongest when we cannot yet see the outcome. What feels like delay may simply be the space where God is preparing something greater than we imagined.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    God may be preparing something unimaginable.

    What I Hear Now
    “God had something unimaginable in mind for Joseph.” — Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

    © 2012–2026 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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