Royal Pain

The question is often asked, "Why does God let good people suffer?" or "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

How blessed we are as members of the Church to know that God does have a plan for us, and that His plan includes the things that are necessary for us to progress spiritually and return to Him--but not before we become like Him.

I was quite touched by Elder Richard G. Scott's conference talk in the Saturday afternoon session (April '09) when he talked about some trials he was given in his life. He said, "Fourteen years ago the Lord took my wife beyond the veil. I love her with all my heart, but I have never complained because I know it was His will. I have never asked why but rather what is it that He wants me to learn from this experience. I believe that is a good way to face the unpleasant things in our lives, not complaining but thanking the Lord for the trust He places in us when He gives us the opportunity to overcome difficulties." He also went on to explain how they had lost 2 young children in death within a very short time of each other. I was touched by the tenderness and faithfulness of Elder Scott's spirit.

To ask the Lord to take away our pain and trials would be to ask the Lord to take away our spiritual progression. We agreed to come to mortality to indeed experience a perfect plan, that a loving Heavenly Father has laid out for us. We need to, like Elder Scott, not ask why, but trust our Heavenly Father and know these things are His will.

Even still, it is not easy to go through such things. It takes a lot of faith to go through them, and quite often the experiences can be very long lasting, requiring much faith and patience from us and teaching us the meaning of long-suffering.

It helps me when I am overwhelmed by a trial--it is usually a trial that is added upon a mound of other trials, when I tend to think, it is just too much all at once--to stop and think about the trials of Joseph Smith, and then of Job, and then of the Savior, in that order. When Joseph Smith languished in Liberty Jail at a time of severe trial for the Saints, he pleaded for understanding from the Lord and was given the revelation that is now Doctrine and Covenants 121. The Lord tells him to have peace, that his afflictions are for but a small moment, and that his friends do still stand by him---he is not yet as Job, who's friends contended that Job had done something to bring his curses upon him. Job was deserted by everyone who ever loved him.

Joseph Smith was a righteous man, and so was Job. Yet the pain and trials in their life will most assuredly surmount any difficulties we may ever encounter. Elder D. Todd Christofferson said in his April GC address: "If you feel that personal righteousness should preclude all loss and suffering, you might want to have a chat with Job."

Job did everything right. Yet God saw fit to test and try him. God tested and tried Job to the very limits and past what any normal human-being could endure. Job continued to affirm his righteousness and his trust in God and his faith in the Savior, even as things got worse and worse for him. Finally, God teaches Job of His greatness and majesty. (Job 36-41) It is only then that Job realizes his nothingness before the Lord. He repents in dust and ashes. He claims that he had always heard the Lord, but now his understanding was greater as his eyes were opened to see. The Lord accepts Job and blesses his latter end more than his beginnings.

In Doctrine & Covenant 122:7&8 The Lord tells Joseph Smith, "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" That is the most humbling thought of all. Concluding with the life of the Savior. The only perfect being to ever walk this earth, yet He descended below all things so He could rise above all things. He suffered all, so that we would not have to suffer as He suffered. He endured our very pains and sorrows, so that He could comfort us in perfect understanding.
(Elder Jefferey R. Holland's April '09 conference talk, "None Were With Him" is so excellent in helping us to more fully understand what the Savior did for us. Another must to read and re-read.)

Yet some suffering is necessary. How could we feel worthy to be among those in the next life who have suffered such great things, had we never suffered? We learn from Mother Eve, that passing through sorrow helps us to know the good from the evil. This is the knowledge that our Heavenly Father has. How could we expect to gain this Knowledge without experiencing an opposition in all things? How could we know the sweet without experiencing the bitter? Our worst trials are often the best places for that knowledge to be bestowed.

Suffering teaches us to be more compassionate. God will comfort us in our sufferings so we can then comfort others in their sufferings and bear witness that God does visit us in our afflictions. (Mosiah 24:14)

Suffering should bring us to search the scriptures. In them we find hope. (John 5:39)
*1 Corinthians 13:7 The Lord wants us to be able to "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
*1 Peter 4:12-13 "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy."
*2 Kings 20:5 "I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee."
*Alma 17:11 "...be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."

I love the example of the Apostle Paul, where he beseeches the Lord three times to remove a "thorn in his flesh," to which the Lord replies: "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." When Paul understands the importance of trials and suffering he then responds with, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." How wonderful it is to understand that the power and glory of Christ rests upon us in our infirmities! That is how Elder Scott had the strength he had to endure the loss of 3 loved ones to death and not complain to the Lord or ask why. He understood what the Apostle Paul came to understand.

God has said, "For [I] will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith. And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal. Therefore, be not afraid...for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy." (D&C 98: 12-14)

Chastisement is such a blessing to humble us and open our eyes to see things in a way we never could otherwise.

In "Teachings of Joseph Smith" Chapter 19 "Stand Fast Through The Storms of Life" Joseph Smith said, "“All difficulties which might and would cross our way must be surmounted. Though the soul be tried, the heart faint, and the hands hang down, we must not retrace our steps; there must be decision of character....Having confidence in the power, wisdom, and love of God, the Saints have been enabled to go forward through the most adverse circumstances, and frequently, when to all human appearances, nothing but death presented itself, and destruction [seemed] inevitable, has the power of God been manifest, His glory revealed, and deliverance effected; and the Saints, like the children of Israel, who came out of the land of Egypt, and through the Red Sea, have sung an anthem of praise to his holy name....I know that the cloud will burst, and Satan’s kingdom be laid in ruins, with all his black designs; and that the Saints will come forth like gold seven times tried in the fire, being made perfect through sufferings and temptations, and that the blessings of heaven and earth will be multiplied upon their heads; which may God grant for Christ’s sake....Stand fast, ye Saints of God, hold on a little while longer, and the storm of life will be past, and you will be rewarded by that God whose servants you are, and who will duly appreciate all your toils and afflictions for Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s. Your names will be handed down to posterity as Saints of God.”
This is such a good chapter if you want to be uplifted in your trials...seriously, bookmark it and read it often!

Another GQ (great quote!) comes from Orson F. Whitney:
"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 came here to acquire and which will make us more like our Heavenly Father and Mother in heaven."

Enduring our trials takes the development of Faith and Patience. A great man, who understood this well, is the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Just go to lds.org and search the Ensign "Faith and Patience" and see how many of Elder Maxwell's talks come up. Read them. You will gain so much insight and understanding. Many of his talks helped me through some difficult and dark periods of my life, when, through the Lord's tutoring, He was teaching me about faith and patience in answer to my prayers.

And now, one of my favorite quotes of all times (I have used this quote many a time)...

"Life is like the ocean. Sometimes we get caught in squalls and storms and things don't go the way we think they should. Even when we have done right. Sometimes the Lord calms the storm, and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child. God can find us in the eye of a storm and give us courage to swim in rough water. We learn lessons from storms that we cannot learn from calm seas."
When Elder Groberg was tossed out of his small boat and into the churning ocean in the middle of a storm, on his way back to the main island after a teaching appointment on another island, he said his initial reaction was "why is this happening? I'm a missionary! Missionaries aren't supposed to swim!" But swim he did. He knew the Lord helped him to do the impossible. As he neared the shore, some many hours of swimming later, he could see his companions that were also tossed out of the boat, which gave him some encouragement. At one point he was able to stand upon a rock with only his head above the water. He said, "We were still far from shore, but that brief moment of standing, like a kind word of encouragement, had the effect of assuring me that things would be all right. I thought, 'we all need assurances from time to time, such as a word of encouragement, an expression of love and confidence, or a rock to stand on in the midst of a sea of trouble. All of these things, if heard or felt even for a moment, give us courage to go on, to move forward.'"
After I read this I thought about how the Savior is often that rock upon which we stand. But God does often use others to comfort us, or us to comfort them.
Of the experience, later, Elder Groberg recalled, "When we find ourselves in these squalls or storms, we should remember we don't have enough energy to complain and still keep our head above water. Our duty is to swim, not wonder or complain. We need to get to shore and must leave the reasons for the storm with the Lord. If all the effort we put into asking 'why' were used in swimming, a lot more of us, with His help, would reach shore." ("In the Eye of the Storm" Chapter 1)

I highly recommend reading Elder Groberg's books!
-"In the Eye of the Storm" (way way better than the movie "The Other Side of Heaven")
-"The Fire of Faith"
-"Anytime, Anywhere"

And in the meantime....

...just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...