In Times of “War”
There is a scripture that my husband and I refer to quite frequently. It’s embedded in the “war chapters” and is one of those if-you-blink-you-might-miss-it kinds of scriptures. Its message is simple and profound.
But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war….many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility. (Alma 62:41)
Life has its trials, and sometimes those trials can feel like a personal war. John Taylor quoted Joseph Smith as saying, “You will have all kinds of trials to pass through… and… God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God” (Journal of Discourses, 24:197).
This scripture in Alma presents two options from which we can choose when we face our heart-wrenching “wars.” We can either harden our hearts (e.g., shake a fist at heaven, doubt God’s love, and, in self-pity, ask “Why me?”) Or, we can soften our hearts and humble ourselves (e.g., turn to God for strength, guidance, direction (and maybe even correction), and, in faith, ask “What am I to learn and do?”)
In an April 2004 General Conference Address Elder Henry B. Eyring said this:
[Trials] give us the opportunity to prove ourselves faithful to God. So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us. That’s what the words in the scripture ‘Ye must … endure to the end’ seemed to mean to me when I first read them. It sounded grim, like sitting still and holding on to the arms of the chair while someone pulled out my tooth….
But the test a loving God has set before us is not to see if we can endure difficulty. It is to see if we can endure it well. We pass the test by showing that we remembered Him and the commandments He gave us. And to endure well is to keep those commandments whatever the opposition, whatever the temptation, and whatever the tumult around us (emphasis added).
Elder Eyring goes on to teach how we can pass the test – and that we can’t possibly do it alone. We need God’s help. We can receive that help as we continue in faith to pray, read our scriptures, go to Church, and serve others. We do these things because they unleash the Spirit in our lives, which unleashes the power of the Atonement and keep us connected to our Savior. These things give us spiritual strength beyond our own to endure well the trials we face.
Clearly, the people who endured well during the long war described in Alma opened their hearts to the Spirit. If we do the same, and endure (well) to the end through our own personal battles, we can fulfill our purpose on the earth to prepare to meet God and live with Him forever.
January 28th, 2008 16:35
I appreciate your thoughts. I have heard it said that we can allow something to make us bitter or it can make us better.
February 1st, 2008 22:10
This was timely and very well said. The world exists to react to, not to replace television.