My topic is we can grow through our afflictions and the Lord will comfort us through our trials.
This topic is very dear to my heart. I have a firm testimony that we do grow through our affliction and that the Lord will comfort us through our trials. I have a lot of experiences with this as i am sure most of you do too. I decided to break this topic up. The first thing i am going to talk about is We can grow through our afflictions.
Why do we have affliction and trials?
At a devotional at BYUI, Brother Larry Richman said,
Much suffering comes as a direct result of sin. When we use our agency to disregard the commandments of God, we follow Satan’s plan of misery rather than God’s plan of happiness.
Other trials come as a result of unwise choices. For example, many people are burdened with financial debt because they choose to make purchases on credit rather than delay purchases until they can afford to pay in cash.
Yet other challenges come as a natural result of mortality and the world we live in. We are mortals with bodies that will age and may become ill or injured.
Apostle Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire.” 3
We often grow closer to God through a trial. I want you to think back to a time your testimony was immemsly strenghtened. What happened? Were you in the middle of a test or trial? Whether it be a physical test, a mental test, and emotional test, or your whole world is just falling into chaos? I know that the times my testimomy was strenghtened the most was when i was going through a trial.
A few weeks ago, i had the priveledge to go on trek for the second time. I was really excited because i absolutely loved it my first time. As we went through the week though, i had some incredible spiritual experiences. The event that impacted me the most was definitely the womans pull. It had poured rain all night and everyone was sort of cranky and miserable. I cannot think of a time when i have been in more physical pain than pulling the weight of that wagon with my 4 other trek sisters. It was excrusiating. My arms and legs felt like they were going to just stop working, my back felt like it was never going to recover. I was so tired and so weak. But through that challenging time on trek, i prayed harder than i ever have for the strength to make it through the womans pull and help my sisters stay strong and give them comfort. The spirit was so strong during this that you could almost physically feel it. As soon as we couldnt move, someone would come and help us out for a little bit until we recovered enough to pull on our own agian. My testimony of Heavenly Fathers children for us grew so much that it brought me to tears. I could feel the love He has for me. How much He cares for me and how badly he wants me to follow Christ. How badly he wants me to do the right and just how much he would do for me. That knowldege then shifted to How much he loves my trek sisters. How each one of those girls brought something to that womans pull, that each one had special talents. My love for them grew incredibly. And finally that love shifted to everyone in the world. Everyone is a child of God. He loves each individual person for who they are. He loves us even when we think we have failed beyond recovery. He loves us so much, that He died for us, knowing we would make mistakes, knowing that some of us would not follow the commandments or the teaching of the church. But i know that He loves us and he will ALWAYS be there for us. He will always help us even when we think we don't deserve it. The womans pull increased my knowledge on such a simple topic, even though the affliction i was going through was almost unbearable. I once read a quote that said, "You can't have the testimony without first going through the test." I thought about how true that was. That we cannot have knowledge of a subject or topic unless we have experienced it for ourselves. We can't have a testimony of prayer if we haven't ever prayed. We can't have a testimony of Heavenly Fathers help, if we have never had a challenge to use it.
As hard as it seems in the moment, we should be thankful for our trials. Heavenly Father knows what He is doing. He knows what we can handle and what will bring us closer to Him. God will never give us a trial we cannot handle. With God's help, we can accomplish anything we set our minds too. My favorite scripture goes along with this perfectly. In Matthew 19:26. I know that we can overcome our hardships in life. I know that as we try to look at a trial as an opportuinity to draw nearer to God or get to know him more perfectly, that it will make our trials seem a lot less significant. A quote from President Uchdorf that sums this up is from this last general conference, it says, "How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God that there is rain?" I know that it is hard to see the positive side in any trying time, but there is always something to learn or always something great that comes. NO trial is for nothing. Just like rain is good for the earth to give us water and to help things grow all around us. Our trials or the rain is this life, help us by allowing us to grow. This is something i have learned as i have prepared to serve a mission. Nothing goes as you plan. I planned for the whole process to go smoothly for me. But it didn't. Heavenly Father knows the paths we need to take to be the most susccesfful in life. We have to trust HIm. Because my plan didn't go how i wanted, i was able to prepare myself better because i had to turn to the Lord and that is when i learned the most. Our trials are for our benefit, even though it may be hard to see now, i know that when we go through a trial, our testimonies grow in ways they couldn't any other way.
The next part of my topic is The Lord can comfort us through our trials.
Just like the Lord knows what path is best for us, He also knows what we need to feel comfort from him. He will bless us with what we need, if we follow him and keep his commandments.
For me, i know i feel the most comfort when i can be with someone who has experienced the same things or is currently experiencing them. It makes me feel better because i know that i am not alone and it gives me someone i can talk to about it.
My friends are a great source of comfort to me. They are great examples. Most of them are on missions and they are one of the reasons i decided to serve as well. I see how happy they are to serve others and teach them of Christ and it inspired me to continue pursuing a mission.
I also felt comfort because when i was and still do feel stress my best friend Ashlie is always there for me. She is always helping me out and trying to calm me down. Just doing something fun with her or talking to her about my problems gives me instant comfort and i know that everything is going to turn out perfectly and how it is for the best.
Another comfort i have is the incredible family i have been blessed with. We don't always get along and we have our arguments, but i know that my family would drop anything and everything for me if i needed something.
I know that Heavenly Father put these people in my life because He knew that they would be a great source of comfort to me here on this earth. He knew that i would need people to help me and he knew the exact people that could do the job.But, we cant always rely on our friends and family for comfort. The most comfort we will ever receieve comes from our Father in Heaven. He is there for us to give us comfort and bless us with the things He knows comforts us the most.
We can find comfort from the Savior through reading the scriptures. My favorite scripture is such a comfort to me, i read it on many different occasion. But it expecially sticks out to me when i am going through a trial that i feel i will never be able to overcome or conquer. A time i have felt comfort through the scriptures is a time i was reading about Alma the Younger, and how he was wicked and was not following the commandments or the teachings of Christ. I also was making some mistakes in life and felt like i could never change and become a better person or that i would never be forgiven. Almas father was praying for him that he would change and an angel came to visit Alma. He saw Christ and all the things he taught and felt guilty and instantly changed. He repented of everything he did, asked to be forgiven and then he became one of the greatest missionaries and he wanted to teach others about the gospel. When i read this, this story gave me great comfort because i was not making mistakes as serious as Almas so i knew that if i repented i could be forgiven and start new again.
I also believe the power of prayer to be a great comfort. It is amazing to me that anytime, anywhere, or anything we need. The only thing in between us and God is a prayer.
RUSSELL M. NELSON SAID
We should pray in accord with the will of our Heavenly Father. 32 He wants to test us, to strengthen us, and to help us achieve our full potential. When the Prophet Joseph Smith was held in Liberty Jail, he pled for relief. His prayers were answered with an explanation: “All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.”
I have felt great comfort from praying. Even if i haven't even had a question or if i didn't receive an answer. I have recieved the peaceful gift of the spirit to be with me. The answer of a prayer for comfort could be a friend, someone complimenting you or saying something to you, seeing something, or many other ways. Prayers can be answered in the simplest of ways. It doesnt always come as a huge thing. But i know that prayers of comfort will always be answered.
I am going to close with one of my favorite quotes that comes into my head time and time agian as i go through trials and afflictions and as i struggle. It is a long uote, but it touches my heart and i think it wraps my whole topic together.
This is from a talk that was given to missionaries at the Provo MTC, but i think it can relate to anyone going through a hard ship and how we can feel comfort through that time. Elder Jeffrey R HOlland said,
Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience.Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacrilegious. But I believe that missionaries and investigators, to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.
For that reason I don’t believe missionary work has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, nor that retention is, nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul.
If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” 16 then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way.
The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life
I know this is the true church here on the earth today. I know that Thomas S Monson is the living prophet and that he guides us and teaches us what we need. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he restored the gospel to the earth. I also know that he translated the Book Of Mormon. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and it is another testament of Jesus Christ. I know that through the Book of Mormon we can learn things about Christ, receive answers to prayers or questions we are having, feel the spirit, and learn more about the Commandments. I know that the power of prayer is real. We can turn to Heavenly Father anytime and he will be there to listen to us and to help us. I know that everything in this life is for a reason. We can learn something through any trial we have.
