Tragedy is an unavoidable part of life for any individual who lives more than a few years. Pain is an indelible part of our existence. The issue is not whether we can avoid suffering, but how we should suffer when the inevitable falls upon us.
How should we comport ourselves as we suffer? What is the proper attitude? Whatever the answer, it must consist of humility, meekness, faith, prayerfulness, and compassion. We can transform the pains of life into good by learning from them, by extending our faith, and by learning to lean on God.
Latter-day Saints have a particular perspective on suffering. We see it as a natural part of this physical life that is important for our learning and our progress. Please do not misunderstand. No one is recommending that we should seek suffering. No one is recommending that we should go out of our way to find it. However, when the causes of suffering find us (as they will), then something positive can be learned.
Elder Henry B. Eyring expressed these ideas in the following quote, and I recommend reading his entire sermon (which is linked):
Henry B. Eyring, “Adversity,” Ensign, May 2009, 23–27
We all must deal with adversity. There may be periods, sometimes long ones, when our lives seem to flow with little difficulty. But it is in the nature of our being human that comfort gives way to distress, periods of good health come to an end, and misfortunes arrive. …
The good health and the serene sense of being secure can become to seem deserved and natural. When they vanish, a feeling of injustice can come. …
That aching for an answer to “How could this happen?” becomes even more painful when those struggling include those we love. …
My purpose today is to assure you that our Heavenly Father and the Savior live and that They love all humanity. The very opportunity for us to face adversity and affliction is part of the evidence of Their infinite love.
Sometimes suffering is a consequence of sin. Hopefully, such consequences will lead to repentance. But, we have no reason to judge those that suffer. Even righteous individuals will have times of great distress. Like rain, suffering falls upon all.
We should always remember the words of Jesus found in the Gospel of John:
John 9:1-3
1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
The works of God, to which Jesus referred, was the healing process. Jesus anointed the blind man's eyes (v. 6) and they were healed.
Our job when suffering is NOT just to endure it. Our job is to transform it. We must seek healing. We should bless and comfort others who are seeking to bless and comfort us. We should magnify our faith. After the learning process, we should teach others.
Such ideals are easier said than done. I vividly remember a hospital stay of several days about 16 months ago. An ideal patient I was NOT. My frustration at being sick and stuck in the hospital resulted in my yelling at a nurse right in front of my Home Teacher, who was also the Stake Patriarch. I have been repenting ever since.
The scriptures are a balm. The scriptures should be used, if possible, in the healing process. The Apostle John expressed this idea as follows:
John 5:39
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
We must learn how to seek Jesus to obtain rest:
Matthew 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.
We must learn how to cast our burdens upon God:
Psalms 55:22
22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
We must learn the benefits of praying continually:
D&C 75:10-11
10 Calling on the name of the Lord for the Comforter, which shall teach them all things that are expedient for them--
11 Praying always that they faint not; and inasmuch as they do this, I will be with them even unto the end.
We must learn how to keep an eternal perspective:
2 Corinthians 4:17
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory;
As we suffer we can come to understand (maybe better than at any other time) the essence of the atonement.
Alma 7:11-13
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
Our suffering will be lightened as we come to recognize the healing and enabling powers of the atonement. Christ suffered on our behalf, but our burdens cannot be lifted unless we hand them over.
Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.
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5 comments:
Did you ever say sorry to the Nurse? Hehehe.......
It is interesting how our bodies can change us into people that were not. Shortly after Pres. Monson's Anger talk in Gen. Conf. I came down with a cold, and after blowing my nose about 7 times in a row, and still not being able to breath, I took the roll of toilet paper I was using and threw it at the wall in frustruation. I realized I let my anger get ahold of me, and felt rather stupid after remembering Pres. Monson's talk.
Son #1:
I do have an excuse that I could make for my outburst. My excuse could be that I was all drugged up. I was, but in reality I think I was just fed up with being in the hospital 4 days. I told the nurse that I was leaving AMA (against medical advice) and that she should start the paperwork for my exit. Unfortunately, I was not nice about it. I never claimed to be perfect, and since you have lived with me, you know that I am not. The good news, however, is that I am a tiny bit better than I was 20 years ago. Come to think of it, though, your Mom might not verify that claim.
Thanks for posting this. Suffering, when it is lengthy, is comprised of moments of pain that happen over and over. It seems that part of enduring suffering through Christ is seek His help through those difficult moments. It takes divine power to maintain hope and faith through many difficult moments that come so often. Time can be an intensifier.
Have you ever read Man's Search For Meaning?
Elizabeth-W:
You must be referring to Viktor Frankl's book. Yes, I have read it many years ago as an undergraduate college student. It is a remarkable book on the human capacity for enduring suffering.
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