It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, {that our education is completed}.
Orson F. Whitney?
- Stronger faith comes by putting Jesus Christ first.
- Brighter hope comes by envisioning our eternal destiny.
- Greater power comes by focusing on joy.
In the New Testament we learn of blind Bartimaeus, who cried out to Jesus desiring a miracle. “Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight.”
On another occasion a man in Bethsaida longed for healing. In contrast, this miracle did not come instantly. Rather, Jesus blessed him twice before he “was restored.”
In a third example, the Apostle Paul “besought the Lord thrice” in his affliction, and yet, to our knowledge, his earnest supplication was not granted.
Three different people. Three unique experiences.
Thus, a question: Why do some receive their yearned-for miracles quickly, while others patiently endure, waiting upon the Lord? We may not know the why, yet gratefully, we know He who “loveth [us]” and “[doeth] all things for [our] welfare and happiness.”
The most important faith we can develop is faith in God’s purpose and capacity. If we lack that faith we will have a hard time enduring unexplained instances if not receiving good things we righteously desire.
No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education. … All … that we [patiently] endure … builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. … It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our [heavenly parents].
Orson F. Whitney
I believe that the challenge of overcoming and growing from adversity appealed to us when God presented His plan of redemption in the premortal world. We should approach that challenge now knowing that our Heavenly Father will sustain us. But it is crucial that we turn to Him. Without God, the dark experiences of suffering and adversity tend to despondency, despair, and even bitterness.
D. Todd Christofferson
This phrase “swallowed up” deeply moves me. My interest was heightened when I learned that in Spanish, “swallowed up” is translated as “consumed”; in German, as “devoured”; and in Chinese, as “engulfed.” Thus, when life’s challenges are most painful and overwhelming, I remember the Lord’s promise—that we “should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it [be] swallowed up [consumed, devoured, and engulfed] in the joy of Christ.”
I think we have to cultivate the joy of Christ in our hearts until it is sufficiently developed to swallow up all manner of afflictions. I need to study and learn how to cultivate the joy of Christ in my life.
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