Today I read Doctrine and Covenants section 122. This is another section that was given to Joseph Smith while he was in Liberty Jail. I have always liked this section, I'm not exactly sure why. We have talked a lot in the past about trials and how they are for our benefit and we should be grateful for trials, even if they are a challenge. They are what stretch us.
I am personally of the opinion trials refine who we are no matter what. Paul teaches us in his epistle to the Corinthians that God will not give us anything that we cannot handle. I often wonder about the character of Joseph Smith, that we was able to handle all the trials that were given him. I'm not sure I could have handled all that he went through in his life.
The phrase that I have always loved in this section was about Christ though. It says, "The Son of Man hath descended below them all, art though greater than He?" It is sometimes easy to forget in the middle of trials that we do not have it worse than anyone has ever had it before. That no matter what someone suffers in this life, the Savior has felt it also. He is perfectly able understand what we are feeling and what we need to feel better. I think maybe that is why I love this section so much, it is a very powerful reminder that the Savior is there for us and He will not leave us alone in our time of trials.
Today in Priesthood meeting we were talking about the lures and counterfeits Satan uses to tempt us and trick us. We talked about the various things Satan does to try and trick us. I made a comment about Satan confusing us about trials and convincing us that trials were a negative thing and something to be avoided. Now, of course trials are not fun to go through, hence their name, but if we are being given trials, we should be grateful. That lets us know that the Lord thinks we are able to handle more than we currently are and that we are ready to grow.
It can be a challenge to rely on the Lord in times of trial. It's much easier to turn to those we can see and touch. But if you ever find yourself alone, the Lord is always there and is always able to comfort us. Perhaps even more importantly than that, He WANTS to comfort you. He always has time to listen and always wants to help in any way He can. And just as we all want to comfort our earthly children and protect them, we also recognize that they need to grow on their own and if we step in every time it will not help them grow and understand. It's strange that so many people understand that to grow physically we have to have resistance, but when it comes to growing emotionally we think resistance leads to scarring and a lifetime of woes.
As we face our trials, we should thank the Lord that He thinks we are ready to grow more and that we are ready to be a better person. And remember, if you ever think it's not fair or why do you have to suffer like this, the Savior has suffered a lot worse that you. Are you better than He is? Until tomorrow.
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