002. Hardships and afflictions prepare us to enter the kingdom of heaven.
003. The Lord helps us bear tribulations.
005. Suffering can refine, purify, and perfect our nature.
006. We are to be patient in afflictions.
007. Those who live godly lives can expect criticism for their well doing.
008. Physical handicaps or disease are not necessarily the result of sin.
010. God does not suffer us to be tried or tested beyond that which we are able to bear.
001. Life on earth is a probationary state in which every individual who attains the age of accountability is tested.
In the pre-existence we dwelt in the presence of God our Father. When the time arrived for us to be advanced in the scale of our existence and pass through this mundane probation, councils were held and the spirit children were instructed in matters pertaining to conditions in mortal life, and the reason for such an existence. In the former life we were spirits. In order that we should advance and eventually gain the goal of perfection, it was made known that we would receive tabernacles of flesh and bones and have to pass through mortality where we would be tried and proved to see if we, by trial, would prepare ourselves for exaltation. We were made to realize, in the presence of our glorious Father, who had a tangible body of flesh and bones which shone like the sun, that we were, as spirits, far inferior in our station to him. (Article in Church News, June 12, 1949) DGSM:14
So these are real blessings. We come to the earth with all these conditions arranged as they are so that we have to struggle constantly against evil, struggle to preserve our lives, struggle for everything of true value—that is the thing for us to understand—this is the course of life that is most desirable, and for our good. We have no need to find fault with these conditions. The Lord has ordained them all for our welfare and happiness. CR1958Apr:39-40
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
All intelligent beings who are crowned with crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives must pass through every ordeal appointed for intelligent beings to pass through, to gain their glory and exaltation. Every calamity that can come upon mortal beings will be suffered to come upon the few, to prepare them to enjoy the presence of the Lord. If we obtain the glory that Abraham obtained, we must do so by the same means that he did. If we are ever prepared to enjoy the society of Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or of their faithful children, and of the faithful Prophets and Apostles, we must pass through the same experience, and gain the knowledge, intelligence, and endowments that will prepare us to enter into the celestial kingdom of our Father and God. (Sermon in Provo, Utah, Aug. 26, 1860, JD8:150) DBY:345
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Revelation to Moses for the children of Israel) Deuteronomy 8:2
[T]his life never was intended to be easy. It is a probationary estate in which we are tested physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually. We are subject to disease and decay. We are attacked by cancer, leprosy, and contagious diseases. We suffer pain and sorrow and afflictions. Disasters strike; floods sweep away our homes; famines destroy our food; plagues and wars fill our graves with dead bodies and our broken homes with sorrow.
We are called upon to choose between the revealed word of God and the soul-destroying postulates of the theoretical sciences. Temptations, the lusts of the flesh, evils of every sort—all these are part of the plan, and must be faced by every person privileged to undergo the experiences of mortality.
The testing processes of mortality are for all men, saints and sinners alike. Sometimes the tests and trials of those who have received the gospel far exceed any imposed upon worldly people. Abraham was called upon to sacrifice his only son. Lehi and his family left their lands and wealth to live in a wilderness. Saints in all ages have been commanded to lay all that they have upon the altar, sometimes even their very lives. CR1976Oct:157-58
We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems.
We are indoctrinated that somehow we should always be instantly emotionally comfortable. When that is not so, some become anxious—and all too frequently seek relief from counseling, from analysis, and even from medication.
It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.
Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.
There is great purpose in our struggle in life. (That All May Be Edified, p. 94) TLDP:8-9
We knew before we were born that we were coming to earth for bodies and experience and that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments, and we knew also that after a period of life we would die. We accepted all these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable and the unfavorable. We eagerly accepted the chance to come earthward even though it might be for only a day or a year. Perhaps we were not so much concerned whether we would die of disease, of accident, or of senility. We were willing to take life as it came and as we might organize and control it, and this without murmur, complaint, or unreasonable demands. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 106) DGSM:28
The main purpose of earth life is to allow our spirits, which existed before the world was, to be united with our bodies for a time of great opportunity in mortality. The association of the two together has given us the privilege of growing, developing, and maturing as only we can with spirit and body united. With our bodies, we pass through a certain amount of trial in what is termed a probationary state of our existence. This is a time of learning and testing to prove ourselves worthy of eternal opportunities. It is all part of a divine plan our Father has for His children. CR1989Apr; Proclaim My Gospel from Land to Land, Ensign, May 1989, p.13
Related Witnesses:
receiving the Word of the Lord
[K]now thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. (Revelation received in Liberty Jail, March 1839) D&C 122:7
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Report on the ministry of Paul and Barnabas) Acts 14:22
Author's Note: In this doctrinal statement, "Life on earth is a probationary state in which every individual is tested," the phrase, ". . . every individual is tested" must make room for the fact that there are infants and mentally deficient individuals who may not be tested in the same way as the rest of mankind.
002. Hardships and afflictions prepare us to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Is there not wisdom in his [God's] giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 97) DGSM:28
receiving the Word of the Lord
My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8. And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes. (Revelation received while in Liberty Jail, March 20, 1839) D&C 121:7-8
receiving the Word of the Lord
And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory.
36. Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. (Revelation Dec. 16, 1833) D&C 101:35-36
receiving the Word of the Lord
For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.
3. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.
4. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand. (Revelation to the elders of the Church, Aug. 1, 1831) D&C 58:2-4
quoted by President John Taylor
You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) 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. (In Bowery, June 18, 1883, JD24:197) TLDP:5
So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:
5. Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (Letter to the Church at Thessalonica, comprising Jews and many pagan converts, A.D. 50) 2Thess. 1:4-5
Why does the Lord permit us to suffer while in the body? Does that have any part in the divine plan? We never know joy until we have tasted sorrow. Things are only understood by their opposites. To appreciate good we must know what evil is. To have a siege of sickness makes one appreciate health. To live in a mortal body full of pain, of sorrow, decrepitude, and ultimately death, is all a preparation to make one understand what it means when the day shall come that death is swallowed up, that the grave will be no longer a part of man's experiences, but that he is in an immortal body that knows no death, no disease and no decay, a body that is also perfect, without the handicaps that we have experienced in mortality.
I have been convinced that every man or woman who has tasted the bitter sting of sickness and death, when loved ones have been snatched away, knows what hell means. I think there is no sorrow or torture that will ever come to those who are consigned to that punishment that will be any more intense than the pain and sorrow that tears human hearts when death takes loved ones away. So we all may know something of that sorrow and torture, and perhaps it is good that we should know it, when its opposite, freedom from pain and sickness and death, comes to us. (Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, p. 181) TLDP:6-7
also quoting Joseph Smith
Our mission, as a church, is to bring people to a knowledge of Christ and thus avoid all unnecessary suffering. We are aware, however, that should all men accept and live his teachings, adversity and affliction would still abound because, in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, "Men have to suffer that they may come upon Mount Zion and be exalted above the heavens." (HC5:556)
This does not mean that we crave suffering. We avoid all we can. However, we now know, and we all knew when we elected to come into mortality, that we would here be proved in the crucible of adversity and affliction. CR1969Oct:57
My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom. (Revelation received Jan. 14, 1847) D&C 136:31
While I do not believe in stepping out of the path of duty to pick up a cross I don't need, a man is a coward who refuses to pick up a cross that clearly lies within his path. No cross, no crown. No gall, no glory. No thorns, no throne. ACR(Taipei)1975:3
quoted by Nephi
But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever. (Jacob teaches the people of Nephi, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 9:18
It is necessary that we suffer in all things, that we may be qualified and worthy to rule, and govern all things, even as our Father in Heaven and His eldest son, Jesus. (Millennial Star 13:363, 1851) DGSM:28
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (Letter to his brethren in the Church) James 1:12
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Report of the ministry of Paul and Barnabas) Acts 14:22
recorded in Mark
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Jesus to his disciples) Mark 13:13
quoted by Mormon
And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11. And blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake;
12. For ye shall have great joy and be exceedingly glad, for great shall be your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets who were before you. (The resurrected Jesus Christ to the Nephite people, A.D. 34) 3 Nephi 12:10-12
If we are patient in our afflictions, endure them well, and wait upon the Lord to learn the lessons of mortality, the Lord will be with us to strengthen us unto the end of our days: “He that shall [faithfully] endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13) and return with honor to our Heavenly Father. CR1998Apr; Ensign, May 1998, 75–77
Related Witnesses:
Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. The sufferings of our Savior were part of his education. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 98) DGSM:28
receiving the Word of the Lord
If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea; 6. If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can't you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;
7. 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.
8. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?
9. Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever. (Revelation received while in Liberty Jail, March 1839) D&C 122:5-9
receiving the Word of the Lord
[A]nd all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord. (Revelation for the Saints in Missouri, Aug. 6, 1833) D&C 98:3
There is no development of character without resistance; there is no growth of spirituality without overcoming. CR1945Oct:133
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4. And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
5. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Letter to the Church in Rome, about A.D. 55) Romans 5:3-5
We can meet every reversal that can possibly come with the help of the Lord. Every reversal can be turned to our benefit and blessing and can make us stronger, more courageous, more godlike. ACR(Manilla)1975:11
I used to think, if I were the Lord, I would not suffer people to be tried as they are. But I have changed my mind on that subject. Now I think I would, if I were the Lord, because it purges out the meanness and corruption that stick around the Saints, like flies around molasses. (Speech Aug. 9, 1857, JD5:115 ) DGSM:29
quoted by his son Nephi
Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. (Lehi to his son, Jacob, between 588-570 B.C.) 2 Nephi 2:2
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13. 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.
14. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. (To the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 4:12-14
003. The Lord helps us bear tribulations.
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. Psalms 55:22
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
I know it is hard to receive chastisement, for no chastisement is joyous, but grievous at the time it is given; but if a person will receive chastisement and pray for the Holy Spirit to rest upon him, that he may have the Spirit of truth in his heart, and cleave to that which is pleasing to the Lord, the Lord will give him grace to bear the chastisement, and he will submit to and receive it, knowing that it is for his good. (Sermon Oct. 6, 1855, JD3:47) DBY:227
recorded in Matthew
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. (Addressing the multitude) Matthew 11:28-30
quoted by Mormon
And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma instructs his son, Helaman, about 73 B.C.) Alma 36:3
quoted by Mormon
And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma instructs his righteous son, Shiblon, about 73 B.C.) Alma 38:5
We all have our difficulties, our problems, our reversals. "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." (Hebrews 12:6) It is in the depths that men and women learn the lessons that help to build strong men and women, not at the pinnacle of success. In the hour of a man's success is his greatest danger. It sometimes takes a reversal to make us appreciate our blessings and to develop us into strong, courageous characters. We can meet every reversal that can possibly come with the help of the Lord. Every reversal can be turned to our benefit and blessing and can make us stronger, more courageous, more godlike. ACR(Manilla)1975:11
Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;
2. Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
3. Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord. (Revelation for the Saints in Missouri, Aug. 6, 1833) D&C 98:1-3
receiving the Word of the Lord
Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. (Revelation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, July 1830) D&C 24:8
But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. (Jacob 's address to the Nephites, those who are pure in heart, 544-421 B.C.) Jacob 3:1
I rejoice in afflictions, for they are necessary to humble and prove us, that we may comprehend ourselves, become acquainted with our weakness and infirmities; and I rejoice when I triumph over them, because God answers my prayers, therefore I feel to rejoice all the day long. (Report of mission to Europe Aug. 22, 1852, JD1:17) TLDP:5
The prophets of our day have promised you, my friends, that as you keep the standards given in For the Strength of Youth and "live by the truths in the scriptures, you will be able to do your life's work with greater wisdom and skill and bear trials with greater courage. You will have the help of the Holy Ghost. . . . You will be worthy to go to the temple to receive holy ordinances. These blessings and many more can be yours" (For the Strength of Youth, 2-3). CR2006Apr; See the End from the Beginning.
Related Witnesses:
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. (Letter to the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 4:19
receiving the Word of the Lord
My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8. And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
9. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.
10. Thou art not yet as Job ; thy friends do not contend against thee, neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job . (The Lord to Joseph while he is in Liberty Jail, March 20, 1839) D&C 121:7-10
quoted by John
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (Speaking to his apostles) John 16:33
And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.
14. And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.
15. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. (Amulon puts taskmasters over Alma, the converted priest of King Noah, and his people; the Lord eventually delivers them from bondage, 145-121 B.C.) Mosiah 24:13-15
004. We are given the particular tests and challenges we personally need for our eternal salvation—our exaltation.
[T]his life never was intended to be easy. . . .
The testing processes of mortality are for all men, saints and sinners alike. Sometimes the tests and trials of those who have received the gospel far exceed any imposed upon worldly people. Abraham was called upon to sacrifice his only son. Lehi and his family left their lands and wealth to live in a wilderness. Saints in all ages have been commanded to lay all that they have upon the altar, sometimes even their very lives.
As to the individual trials [or] problems that befall any of us, all we need say is that in the wisdom of Him who knows all things, and who does all things well, all of us are given the particular and specific tests that we need in our personal situations. CR1976Oct:157-58
Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value.
The crucial test of life, I repeat, does not center in the choice between fame and obscurity, nor between wealth and poverty. The greatest decision of life is between good and evil.
We may foolishly bring unhappiness and trouble, even suffering, upon ourselves. These are not always to be regarded as penalties imposed by a displeased Creator. They are part of the lessons of life, part of the test.
Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of age.
Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity. Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury.
All are part of the test, and there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect.
It is possible to be both rich and famous and at the same time succeed spiritually. But the Lord warned of the difficulty of it when He talked of camels and needles (see Matthew 19:24). CR1980Oct:29
There is not a single condition of life that is entirely unnecessary; there is not one hour's experience but what is beneficial to all those who make it their study, and aim to improve upon the experience they gain. What becomes a trial to one person is not noticed by another. (Remarks in Tabernacle, May 25, 1862, JD9:292) TLDP:5
quoted by President John Taylor
You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) 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. (In Bowery, June 18, 1883, JD24:197) TLDP:5
We all have our difficulties, our problems, our reversals. "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." (Hebrews 12:6) It is in the depths that men and women learn the lessons that help to build strong men and women, not at the pinnacle of success. In the hour of a man's success is his greatest danger. It sometimes takes a reversal to make us appreciate our blessings and to develop us into strong, courageous characters. We can meet every reversal that can possibly come with the help of the Lord. Every reversal can be turned to our benefit and blessing and can make us stronger, more courageous, more godlike. ACR(Manilla)1975:11
We sometimes meet people who say they would like to have witnessed the trials of the early Saints and taken a part in them, but I have no wish to nominate myself for a martyr. I tell you what I do desire: it is to be tested and tried only so far as is necessary to qualify me for the duties which have been imposed upon me, and to gain an exaltation in the presence of my Heavenly Father. CR1898Apr:15
Related Witnesses:
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
When we look at the Latter-day Saints, we ask, is there any necessity of their being persecuted? Yes, if they are disobedient. Is there any necessity of chastening a son or a daughter? Yes, if they are disobedient. But suppose they are perfectly obedient to every requirement of their parents, is there any necessity of chastening them then? If there is, I do not understand the principle of it. I have not yet been able to see the necessity of chastening an obedient child, neither have I been able to see the necessity of chastisement from the Lord upon a people who are perfectly obedient. (In old Tabernacle, Nov. 29, 1868, JD12:308) DBY:350
Suppose we were created in the celestial world without a knowledge of that which we term pain, could we learn to sense it by seeing others suffer? No, no more than a person born in a dungeon and kept there until he reached the years of manhood, without the least gleam of light, could, while in that condition, be instructed about the principle of light. Why could he not be instructed? Because it is something he never has experienced. You tell him that light produces beautiful colors, such as red, blue, green, etc., what would he know about these colors? Nothing at all; his experience has not been called to grasp them; such a thing as a ray of light never penetrated his dungeon. But when he is permitted to experience the nature of light, when he sees the various colors, he then learns something which he never could reason out. So with regard to ourselves. We, in our first state of existence, never having seen misery among any of the immortal beings, and never experiencing it in our spiritual personages, how could we know anything about it? I do not think we could possibly comprehend the nature of it. We could not reason out the difference between happiness and misery. Why? For the want of experience. . . . We learn quite an experience here: we learn what it is to be miserable, we learn what it is to be unhappy, and we can now contrast misery with happiness; and we can say in our hearts, if I could only get rid of sickness, and pain, and sorrow, the effects of this death, how I could appreciate it We often give expression to such feelings, when we are deeply afflicted. The Lord intends to free us, if we keep his commandments, after having suffered sufficiently long through this state of sickness and feebleness, this state of suffering and sorrow, which we have endured for so many years. . . . Yes, suppose the Lord were to appoint to you a kingdom; suppose he were to say to you, "Son, yonder are materials which you may organize by my power into a world; and you may place upon it your own offspring, as I did my offspring upon the world upon which you dwelt." What kind of person would you be if you had no experience? What? Go and create a world, and then people that world with your own offspring, and not know the difference between good and evil, between sickness and health, between pain and happiness, having no knowledge of these by experience. I think that such a one would not be fit to be entrusted with a world that was to undergo and pass through the same ordeals that our creation is now experiencing. (In 14th Ward, 1878, JD19:288-89) TLDP:5-6
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. (Revelation to Moses for the children of Israel) Deuteronomy 8:2
005. Suffering can refine, purify, and perfect our nature.
From the refiner's fire of economic difficulty may come eternal blessings which can help save families and exalt their members by their being united and strengthened. CR1982Oct:131
Some of the blessings available in overcoming economic adversity are:
First, and perhaps most important, our faith and testimony can be strengthened. . . .
Second, we may learn the need for humility. Our dependence upon the Lord becomes a means of developing teachableness, an important aspect of humility.
Third, family members learn cooperation and love for each other by being forced to draw closer together to survive.
Fourth, personal dignity and self-respect may be achieved. . . .
Fifth, we can become stronger and more resilient. . . .
Sixth, we learn patience. . . .
Seventh, we rise to heights previously unobtainable by the use of talents and skills which might not have been developed otherwise. Economic necessity opens the way for profitable learning experiences.
Eighth, we can learn to trust the Lord and thus overcome fear. CR1982Oct:129,131
What makes us imagine that we may be immune from the same experiences that refined the lives of former-day Saints? We must remember that the same forces of resistance which prevent our progress afford us also opportunities to overcome. God will have a tried people CR1980Apr:36-37
Being human we would expel from our lives sorrow, distress, physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we closed the doors upon such, we might be evicting our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make Saints of people as they learn patience, long suffering and self-mastery. The sufferings of our Savior were part of his education. (Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, Dec. 6, 1955, p. 5) TLDP:7
It is not on the pinnacle of success and ease where men and women grow most. It is often down in the valley of heartache and disappointment and reverses where men and women grow into strong characters. ACR(Stockholm)1974:70
We all have our difficulties, our problems, our reversals. "Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." (Hebrews 12:6) It is in the depths that men and women learn the lessons that help to build strong men and women, not at the pinnacle of success. In the hour of a man's success is his greatest danger. It sometimes takes a reversal to make us appreciate our blessings and to develop us into strong, courageous characters. We can meet every reversal that can possibly come with the help of the Lord. Every reversal can be turned to our benefit and blessing and can make us stronger, more courageous, more godlike. ACR(Manilla)1975:11
I used to think, if I were the Lord, I would not suffer people to be tried as they are; but I have changed my mind on that subject. Now I think I would, if I were the Lord, because it purges out the meanness and corruption that stick around the Saints, like flies around molasses. (Speech Aug. 9, 1857, JD5:115) DGSM:29
The Lord our God is working with us; He is trying us, probably with trials of a new sort that he may approve of us in every respect. If we have set out to obtain Celestial glory, the precious and inestimable gift of eternal lives, there is no trial necessary for our purification and perfection as Saints of God that we will not have to meet, contend with and overcome. Such trials will come in various shapes, on the right hand and on the left, whether they be in having everything move on prosperously, or in adversity, hardship and the laying down of our lives for the truth, until the design is fully accomplished and the dross of our natures is purified and these earthly tabernacles are redeemed from everything that is groveling and low and brought into entire subjection to the mind and will of God. (In Tabernacle, Oct. 23, 1864, JD10:347) TLDP:8
We learn to endure to the end by learning to finish our current responsibilities, and we simply continue doing it all of our lives. We cannot expect to learn endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when things get difficult now. CR1998Apr; Ensign, May 1998, 75–77
006. We are to be patient in afflictions.
receiving the Word of the Lord
Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. (Revelation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, July 1830) D&C 24:8
receiving the Word of the Lord
Be patient in afflictions, revile not against those that revile. Govern your house in meekness, and be steadfast. (Revelation for Thomas B. Marsh, Sept. 30, 1830) D&C 31:9
Is there not wisdom in his [God's] giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrows to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 97) DGSM:28
Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. The sufferings of our Savior were part of his education. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 98) DGSM:28
quoted by Mormon
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (King Benjamin addresses his people, about 124 B.C.) Mosiah 3:19
Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks; 2. Waiting patiently on the Lord, for your prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded with this seal and testament—the Lord hath sworn and decreed that they shall be granted.
3. Therefore, he giveth this promise unto you, with an immutable covenant that they shall be fulfilled; and all things wherewith you have been afflicted shall work together for your good, and to my name's glory, saith the Lord. (Revelation received Aug. 6, 1833 in consequence of the persecution of the Saints in Missouri) D&C 98:1-3
Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy. (To his brethren in the Church) James 5:10-11
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
21. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
23. Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:(Peter writes to the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 2:20-23
quoted by Elder Spencer W. Kimball
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 and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, p. 98) DGSM:28-29
007. Those who live godly lives can expect criticism for their well doing.
For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. (Letter to the churches in (modern) Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 2:20
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15. But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
16. Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
17. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. (Peter to the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 3:14-17
Always remember that if this were not the Lord's work, the adversary would not pay any attention to us. If the Church were merely a church of men and women, teaching only the doctrines of men, we would encounter little or no criticism or resistance—but because this is the Church of Him whose name it bears, we must not be surprised when criticisms or difficulties arise. With faith and good works, the truth will prevail. This is His Work. There is none other like it. Let us, therefore, press forward, lengthening our stride and rejoicing in our blessings and opportunities. CR1981Apr:105-06
What makes us imagine that we may be immune from the same experiences that refined the lives of former-day Saints? We must remember that the same forces of resistance which prevent our progress afford us also opportunities to overcome. God will have a tried people CR1980Apr:36-37
Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (Letter to his assistant Timothy, about A.D. 64) 2 Timothy 3:11-13
Related Witnesses:
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. (Letter to the churches in Asia) 1 John 3:13
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
The people of the Most High God must be tried. It is written that they will be tried in all things, even as Abraham was tried. (In Bowery, June 28, 1857) DBY:345
From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions. Judas was rebuked and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of His enemies, because Satan entered into him. There is a superior intelligence bestowed upon such as obeyed the Gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if sinned against, the apostate is left naked and destitute of the Spirit of God, and he is, in truth, nigh unto cursing, and his end is to be burned. When once that light which was in them is taken from them they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against the truth, and they, Judas like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors. What nearer friend on earth, or in heaven, had Judas than the Savior? (Written message to the elders of the Church in Kirtland and elsewhere, Jan. 1834) HC2:23
008. Physical handicaps or disease are not necessarily the result of sin.
Yet many of the righteous shall fall a prey to disease to pestilence and by reason of the weakness of the flesh and yet be saved in the Kingdom of God so that it is an unhallowed principle to say that such and such have transgressed because they have been preyed upon by disease or death for all flesh is subject to death and the Saviour has said—"Judge not lest ye be judged." (The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 15) TLDP:4
Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of age. CR1980Oct:29
Why does the Lord permit us to suffer while in the body? Does that have any part in the divine plan? We never know joy until we have tasted sorrow. Things are only understood by their opposites. To appreciate good we must know what evil is. To have a siege of sickness makes one appreciate health. To live in a mortal body full of pain, of sorrow, decrepitude, and ultimately death, is all a preparation to make one understand what it means when the day shall come that death is swallowed up, that the grave will be no longer a part of man's experiences, but that he is in an immortal body that knows no death, no disease and no decay, a body that is also perfect, without the handicaps that we have experienced in mortality.
I have been convinced that every man or woman who has tasted the bitter sting of sickness and death, when loved ones have been snatched away, knows what hell means. I think there is no sorrow or torture that will ever come to those who are consigned to that punishment that will be any more intense than the pain and sorrow that tears human hearts when death takes loved ones away. So we all may know something of that sorrow and torture, and perhaps it is good that we should know it, when its opposite, freedom from pain and sickness and death, comes to us. (Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, p. 181) TLDP:6-7
The Savior’s teaching that handicaps are not punishment for sin, either in the parents or the handicapped, can also be understood and applied in today’s circumstances. How can it possibly be said that an innocent child born with a special problem is being punished? Why should parents who have kept themselves free from social disease, addicting chemicals, and other debilitating substances which might affect their offspring imagine that the birth of a disabled child is some form of divine disapproval? Usually, both the parents and the children are blameless. The Savior of the world reminds us that God “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt. 5:45.) CR1984Oct; The Works of God, Ensign, November 1984, p.54
009. Some afflictions come upon us because of our own transgressions, that we might learn obedience by the things we suffer.
We may foolishly bring unhappiness and trouble, even suffering, upon ourselves. These are not always to be regarded as penalties imposed by a displeased Creator. They are part of the lessons of life, part of the test. CR1980Oct:29
receiving the Word of the Lord
And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer. (Revelation for Zion's Camp, June 22, 1834) D&C 105:6
receiving the Word of the Lord
Verily I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted, and persecuted, and cast out from the land of their inheritance—
2. I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions;
3. Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels.
4. Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.
5. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.
6. Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances.
7. They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.
8. In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.
9. Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards them. I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy. (Revelation received Dec. 16, 1833) D&C 101:1-9
There are many causes for human suffering—including war, disease, and poverty—and the suffering that proceeds from each of these is very real, but I would not be true to my trust if I did not say that the most persistent cause of human suffering, that suffering which causes the deepest pain, is sin—the violation of the commandments given to us by God. (To Weber State College, Ogden, Utah, Nov. 4, 1977) TLDP:4
My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12. For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. Proverbs 3:11-12
Sometimes we are prone to charge God with causing our afflictions and our troubles; but if we could see as God sees, if we could understand as he understands, if we could trace the effects back to the cause, and that truly, by the spirit of correct understanding, we would unquestionably discover that our trouble, or suffering, or affliction is the result of our own indiscretion or lack of knowledge, or of wisdom. It was not the hand of God that put affliction and trouble upon us. . . .
You will suffer the consequences of your own mistakes, of your own errors, though they bring sorrow, or sickness, or death So I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in this free agency that he has given to the children of men; but I acknowledge the hand of man in the consequences of his own acts, following his disobedience to the law of God. I do not charge the weaknesses, the mistakes or errors, the crimes and wickedness of men, and the evils that exist in the world, to God the Father, for he is not a God of evil, of wickedness, of strife, of anger, of sorrow, of sickness, and of imperfection. ("A Message to the Soldier Boys of 'Mormondom'," IE1917Jul:822-23) TLDP:4
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
When we look at the Latter-day Saints, we ask, is there any necessity of their being persecuted? Yes, if they are disobedient. Is there any necessity of chastening a son or a daughter? Yes, if they are disobedient. But suppose they are perfectly obedient to every requirement of their parents, is there any necessity of chastening them then? If there is, I do not understand the principle of it. I have not yet been able to see the necessity of chastening an obedient child, neither have I been able to see the necessity of chastisement from the Lord upon a people who are perfectly obedient. Have this people been chastened? Yes they have. (In old Tabernacle, Nov. 29, 1868, JD12:308) DBY:350
Related Witnesses:
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: (James writes to his brethren in the Church) James 1:13
receiving the Word of the Lord
Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. (Revelation to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, April 1829) D&C 6:34
010. God does not suffer us to be tried or tested beyond that which we are able to bear.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (To the Church at Corinth, Greece, about A.D. 55) 1 Corinthians 10:13
The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. (See D&C 50:40; 78:18.) Just as no temptation will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain. (See 1 Corinthians 10:13.) CR1982Oct:97
quoted by Mormon
But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; (Alma preaches repentance to his brethren in the gospel, about 82 B.C.) Alma 13:28
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
I know it is hard to receive chastisement, for no chastisement is joyous, but grievous at the time it is given; but if a person will receive chastisement and pray for the Holy Spirit to rest upon him, that he may have the Spirit of truth in his heart, and cleave to that which is pleasing to the Lord, the Lord will give him grace to bear the chastisement, and he will submit to and receive it, knowing that it is for his good. (In Bowery, Oct. 6, 1855) DBY:227
Related Witnesses:
receiving the Word of the Lord
Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. (Revelation for the elders of the Church, May 1831) D&C 50:40
receiving the Word of the Lord
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. (Revelation, March 1832) D&C 78:18
Does the Journey Seem Long?
HYMNS:127
Does the journey seem long,
The path rugged and steep?
Are there briars and thorns on the way?
Do sharp stones cut your feet
As you struggle to rise
To the heights thru the heat of the day?
Is your heart faint and sad,
Your soul weary within,
As you toil 'neath your burden of care?
Does the load heavy seem
You are forced now to lift?
Is there no one your burden to share?
Let your heart be not faint
Now the journey's begun;
There is One who still beckons to you.
So look upward in joy
And take hold of his hand;
He will lead you to heights that are new—
A land holy and pure,
Where all trouble doth end,
And your life shall be free from all sin,
Where no tears shall be shed,
For no sorrows remain.
Take his hand and with him enter in.
