Afflictions as Blessings
Thanks to Irene, one of our guest writers, for this piece.
I have been looking at 1 Nephi 1:1- “[H]aving seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days….”
I was astonished to see that the footnotes for “afflictions” send me to the Topical Guide under the heading of “Blessings” and “Gifts of God.” The whole phrase, as quoted, has to be taken together. I started making a list of my afflictions and suffering and how I have been highly favored of the Lord in the process of them or as a result of them. I felt truly humbled. I was able to go on for pages writing them down and I came to the conclusion that I could have gone on and on. What a wonderful new perspective for me!
Many times lately,as I struggle with self-pity, or feeling worn out, or wondering why life has to be so hard, the testimony of Nephi comes into my mind: “…I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17). What a gift of grace that thought is! I don’t understand all of the whys or wherefores, but I do know that He loves me!
This was reinforced as I read a BYU Devotional talk given by Elder Gene R Cook, on February 1, 2005. I want to share a few excerpts:
“Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you” (Doctrine and Covenants 95:1, emphasis added).
Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord’s motive in allowing suffering truly is love, and He will even prepare a way for our deliverance? Truly He has loved us during these serious trials, in spite of what some may think.
It is evident, brothers and sisters, that the Lord will use tragedy and sorrow to help humble His people and thereby cause them to repent and be saved. Listen carefully to this: He loves you more than your being perfectly happy day by day, and thus He will do what is required to purify you so you can return to Him….
Add to all of this the times the Lord has used daily experiences to mold your personality, to refine your attributes, to help you be more Christlike. How complex it appears to man. How difficult it would be to influence all within one man’s life in one day, let alone throughout his whole life. Think of the orchestration that is going on among your whole family, the whole community, and the whole world. Could any man ever comprehend the love and works of the Lord? I think not.
What a perspective this brings, to help me see my afflictions as blessings from God to help me grow and progress!
Irene has lived on the East Coast of the United States all of her life, except for the year she and her husband lived in San Antonio, Texas, where they were introduced to the gospel and joined the Church. She has six wonderful grownup children and delights in being a grandmother. She says this about herself: “I love to ‘talk of Christ, … rejoice in Christ, … preach of Christ, … prophesy of Christ, and … write according to [this], that [my] children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins’ (2 Nephi 25:26).” She is delighted to have the opportunity to share some of her testimony of the Savior here at A Prayer of Faith.
February 19th, 2007 18:00
Irene, this is a wonderful post! I so admire the way you study the scriptures and get so much out of them. Trials and afflictions are, of course, common to us all, and so getting a better perspective can be a great help to us as we go along in life. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
February 20th, 2007 04:10
Thank you Mary. In this busy life it I find it is so easy to get distracted. I frequently look at this quote from Elder F. Enzio Busche and it helps me to get focused :
“First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don’t permit anything to detract you from this awareness.” “Unleashing the Dormant Spirit”, devotional address BYU 14 May 1996.
I am so grateful to the Lord for providing me with an “all you can eat” feast whenever I want it.
February 20th, 2007 11:24
In a scripture study class this morning with other sisters in our ward, we were reading 2 Corinthians and Galatians; and Paul has a lot to say about the uses of afflictions, and also the law of the harvest (re Elder Busche’s quote above).
The necessary purifying effect of the refiner’s fire was mentioned in my patriarchal blessing, and that analogy has helped me since age 16 to try my best to see how those inevitable afflictions could really become blessings to me.
Irene, thanks for pulling together these scriptures which remind me that God is willing to sustain me through whatever experiences He lovingly may either permit, or purposely send into my life.
February 20th, 2007 15:46
This topic is one of my favorites. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and testimony, Irene. Understanding the bigger picture and purpose of trials has helped me through many a hard day.
February 21st, 2007 05:00
RoAnn and Michelle, It is amazing to me still, even after having so many evidences, that the Lord’s hand is in our lives for good. He is lovingly, patiently and gently standing there with His arms extended to me, ever ready to fulfill all of His promises to me. It is awesome that so many times He uses each of us as instruments to accomplish this. As I turn to Him amd become more like a child (His child)I truly do find rest to my soul.
February 24th, 2007 22:38
Love this! I can’t imagine where I would be if it wasn’t for the hard times I’ve had in my life. I know I would have learned nothing worth knowing…Thank you so much for this reminder…Especially right now; my life is a little more than stressful at the moment, but I know it will only bring me closer to God. And it has! I love those phrases often heard such as “this too shall pass” and “what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger”, etc. because they apply so readily to my life.
I especially loved that you referred to the 1 Nephi scripture on not knowing the meaning of all things. I love the way the Lord teaches us to rely on Him. I really do! It brings me to tears and overwhelms me with gratitude whenever I realize how blessed I am; even with all the trials, you know?
Thanks again for this post! I really needed it…
February 25th, 2007 17:29
Thank you, Irene. I have often read the scripiture in Jacob where he says that the Lord consecrates your afflictions for your gain and wondered how my particular afflictions could ever be good for me. At times I have told the Lord and truly felt that my burdens were too heavy for me to bear.
Despite these feelings of discouragement, when I am suffering I inevitably feel an outpouring of love from my Heavenly Father. I become acutely aware of my relationship with Him and his intimate knowledge of me.
I am immensely grateful for a testimony that helps me learn from my trials and for my Savior who helps me bear what I can not bear alone.
February 26th, 2007 06:17
Cheryl, I too, am so grateful that we have a Savior, who is indeed mighty to save. When I am not in the middle of it, I have to laugh at myself and how puny my efforts at fixing things are. But rely on HIM we must and I am grateful too for his patience in leading me along, because my “natural man” doesn’t give up easily.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts because it strengthens me when someone else bears testimony to these truths.
February 26th, 2007 06:30
Kirsti, I know that if I had no adversity I would merrily go on my way, oblivious of many great truths that I am learning in the process of my trials. And not only learning truths but
“every time [I] make a choice [I] am turning the central part of [me], the part of [me] that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before”
from C.S.Lewis, “Mere Christianity”.
So, it is so important to have the choice we make be Jesus Christ. Coming to him and relying on him and being changed to be more like him.
What would we do without our testimonies and the testimonies of those around us to sustain us ?
February 28th, 2007 13:19
At a NT scripture study group the other day, two of the sisters indicated that they were worried that they wouldn’t qualify for exaltation, because they didn’t feel they had really had serious trials or “afflictions.” After a bit of probing, they admitted they had gone through some difficult experiences. But with the passage of many years, they were no longer seeing them as afflictions, because the blessings resulting from those trials were now uppermost in their minds.
Because they had trusted in the Lord, and been sustained during the actual trials, the perspective of time had in a sense transformed them, and most of the pain had been forgotten.
What a hopeful thought for us, when we are in the midst of one of those trials!
March 2nd, 2007 07:55
RoAnn, Yes! thank you so much for sharing this. It is a perfect example!