The Key to "Suffering" Well
If you know me very well, you know that I would never deny that God lives, that He exists and loves His children. I have just had too many experiences to prove to me that this is the case. However, if I struggle with anything in relation to God, it's when trials happen that don't make any sense to me (do they ever?), or that seem counter productive (how could this possibly help ANYONE??). I get frustrated when He doesn't do things MY way. Suffice it to say, meekness has never been one of my strong points. I really need to work on it so maybe that's why the topic seemed to jump out at me from my studies the last several weeks
In January of 1999, Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave a speech to BYU students wherein he shared some of the insights he has gained over his life. I recommend the entire speech but the part that jumped out to me recently was some of his thoughts on suffering.
"I wish I could say to you that suffering teaches automatically, but it doesn't. To paraphrase Anne Morrow Lindbergh: If suffering inevitably taught us, the human family would be a very wise family indeed (see Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead [New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973], p. 214). It takes meekness to learn from suffering." (emphasis mine)
He continues by sharing a favorite verse on discipleship given to Joseph Smith, "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7) Then, "That premise is that experience is valuable, and that the only way to have it is to have it. And whether it involves adversity or whatever, then we are blessed. Notice these lines from Paul: "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope" (Romans 5:3-4)
"You may ask, 'There is no other way?'
"And I answer, 'No, there is not. There is no other way.' And thus, in this discipleship about which I am speaking, it is so essential that out of these experiences we form character...It doesn't happen in a day, and you and I see these collisions between members [of the Church] and challenges. Those who are meek handle them, and they become smooth and polished."
Reading in the Come Follow Me program recently, I noticed some of "these collisions" in the narrative, perfectly juxtaposed to illustrate this principle.
Two groups of people both found themselves in bondage suffering greatly at the hands of their captors. Their responses to the injustices heaped upon them seemed to make all the difference in the timing of the eventual outcome.
The first group under bondage introduced in the narrative is the people in the land of Nephi under King Limhi's leadership, King Noah's son. This group bordered the Lamanites and periodically, without provocation, the Lamanites would decide to attack the Nephites. Historically, while there were casualties, the Nephites were always able to successfully drive the Lamanites out of their land when they were merely defending themselves. Under Zeniff's rule, King Noah's father, the people often went "in the strength of the Lord" in those circumstances after "cry[ing] mightily to the Lord that he would deliver [them] out of the hands" of the enemy and sufficiently trounced the invaders that the Lamanites would be afraid to return, once leaving them in peace for 22 years (see Mosiah 9:17-19, 10:3) After that period of peace, the Lamanites again invaded and Zeniff again inspired his people to "trust in the Lord" for deliverance. That battle ended with the Nephites defeating the Lamanites so soundly that they did not number the dead of the Lamanites; there were just too many of them (see Mosaiah 10:20).
Perhaps it was this history of victory that led the Nephites to "afflict the king sorely with their complaints" to go against their enemies to battle "because of their afflictions" imposed on them by the Lamanites (Mosiah 21:6). Unlike his father, King Noah did not serve the Lord nor did he encourage his people to do so. Thus, they became weak and were "out of the habit" so to speak, of relying on the Lord. The Lamanites invaded approximately 15 years after their last battle while King Noah reigned and were successful this time in bringing the Nephites into bondage. Though Noah soon left the scene, Limhi inherited the mess his father made and it was to him the people importuned for relief from their Lamanite captors, proposing to initiate war against them. Exhausted by their pleas, he relented. His people were defeated not once but three times as they continued to take matters into their own hands to rectify the wrongs under which they endured. Finally, "they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions" (Mosiah 21:14, emphasis mine).
The result? "..the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens...and...they began to prosper by degrees in the land....that they did not suffer with hunger... (Mosiah 21:15-16).
Eventually, (possibly after the better part of 23 years) Ammon appears on the scene from the land of Zarahemla and they soon concoct a plan to escape. With the Lord's intervention, they do so and finally arrive in the land of their brethren with great joy.
The second group to fall into bondage was led by Alma, a former priest of King Noah's, who was converted hearing Abinadi preach. With Noah trying to kill him after Alma defended Abinadi, Alma fled to the wilderness. There he made 450 converts and taught them the gospel. His people were discovered by Noah's henchmen and "having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them....they fled eight days' journey into the wilderness" (Mosiah 23:1,3)
Here they prospered, establishing a city and enjoying peace in righteousness for many years. Without receiving warning this time, an army of the Lamanites came upon Alma and his people. The army had become lost in the wilderness while pursuing Limhi's people after they miraculously escaped. In their lost state, the Lamanite army first came upon the wicked priests of Noah who, years before, had fled and been in hiding from both the Nephites and the Lamanites. After Amulon, the leader of the priests, pled for their lives, the army spared them and remained with the priests for several days, possibly months. Eventually, the priests joined with the Lamanite army in an effort to find their way back to the land of Nephi where they had come from. It was under these circumstances that the Lamanites, with priests in tow, stumbled upon Alma and his people.
Upon seeing the army entering the land, Alma's people ran to the city center terrified. Alma encouraged them to "remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them" (Mosiah 23:27). The people responded faithfully and began to pray that the Lord would soften the hearts of the army that they would spare their lives. The Lord did so and the army spared them. Alma and his brethren "delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of" their city (Mosiah 23:29). After breaking an oath that they would let Alma and his people have their lives and their liberty if they would just show the Lamanite army the way back to the land of Nephi, the Lamanites took control of the city and appointed Amulon, Alma's former colleague, as the king over that part of the land. This did not bode well for Alma and his people as Amulon had a huge ax to grind with Alma and set out to punish Alma and his people for it. He made life very difficult for all of them; so much so that the people "began to cry mightily to God" (Mosiah 24:10) for deliverance. Amulon threatened to kill anyone found praying (great "priest" eh?) so the people began praying in their hearts. Soon the Lord responded that He would not only deliver them in due time but He would ease their burdens "that even you cannot feel them upon your backs" (Mosiah 24:13-14). The narrative says that this promise was fulfilled and that the people "could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:15) "....so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage" (Mosiah 24:16). The next day, true to His word, the people escaped successfully and made it to the land of Zarahemla to join Mosiah and the people of Limhi.
What strikes me about these two groups of people is that their collective responses seem to determine not only how soon they learned from their suffering but also how it directly related to their deliverance from that suffering.
A quick search of the definition of meek yields words like submissiveness, patience, long-suffering, forbearance, obedience and humility. When speaking in a religious context, meekness always applies in relation to God the Father and Jesus Christ, being "willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him"(Mosiah 3:19) knowing that the Lord tries the "patience and....faith" (Mosiah 23:21) of His people. Faith allows you to understand that He does this to knock off the rough edges of our character so that we can become "smooth and polished" as Elder Maxwell stated.
"I wish I could say to you that suffering teaches automatically, but it doesn't. To paraphrase Anne Morrow Lindbergh: If suffering inevitably taught us, the human family would be a very wise family indeed (see Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead [New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973], p. 214). It takes meekness to learn from suffering." (emphasis mine)
He continues by sharing a favorite verse on discipleship given to Joseph Smith, "All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7) Then, "That premise is that experience is valuable, and that the only way to have it is to have it. And whether it involves adversity or whatever, then we are blessed. Notice these lines from Paul: "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope" (Romans 5:3-4)
"You may ask, 'There is no other way?'
"And I answer, 'No, there is not. There is no other way.' And thus, in this discipleship about which I am speaking, it is so essential that out of these experiences we form character...It doesn't happen in a day, and you and I see these collisions between members [of the Church] and challenges. Those who are meek handle them, and they become smooth and polished."
Reading in the Come Follow Me program recently, I noticed some of "these collisions" in the narrative, perfectly juxtaposed to illustrate this principle.
Two groups of people both found themselves in bondage suffering greatly at the hands of their captors. Their responses to the injustices heaped upon them seemed to make all the difference in the timing of the eventual outcome.
The first group under bondage introduced in the narrative is the people in the land of Nephi under King Limhi's leadership, King Noah's son. This group bordered the Lamanites and periodically, without provocation, the Lamanites would decide to attack the Nephites. Historically, while there were casualties, the Nephites were always able to successfully drive the Lamanites out of their land when they were merely defending themselves. Under Zeniff's rule, King Noah's father, the people often went "in the strength of the Lord" in those circumstances after "cry[ing] mightily to the Lord that he would deliver [them] out of the hands" of the enemy and sufficiently trounced the invaders that the Lamanites would be afraid to return, once leaving them in peace for 22 years (see Mosiah 9:17-19, 10:3) After that period of peace, the Lamanites again invaded and Zeniff again inspired his people to "trust in the Lord" for deliverance. That battle ended with the Nephites defeating the Lamanites so soundly that they did not number the dead of the Lamanites; there were just too many of them (see Mosaiah 10:20).
Perhaps it was this history of victory that led the Nephites to "afflict the king sorely with their complaints" to go against their enemies to battle "because of their afflictions" imposed on them by the Lamanites (Mosiah 21:6). Unlike his father, King Noah did not serve the Lord nor did he encourage his people to do so. Thus, they became weak and were "out of the habit" so to speak, of relying on the Lord. The Lamanites invaded approximately 15 years after their last battle while King Noah reigned and were successful this time in bringing the Nephites into bondage. Though Noah soon left the scene, Limhi inherited the mess his father made and it was to him the people importuned for relief from their Lamanite captors, proposing to initiate war against them. Exhausted by their pleas, he relented. His people were defeated not once but three times as they continued to take matters into their own hands to rectify the wrongs under which they endured. Finally, "they did humble themselves even in the depths of humility; and they did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions" (Mosiah 21:14, emphasis mine).
The result? "..the Lord did hear their cries, and began to soften the hearts of the Lamanites that they began to ease their burdens...and...they began to prosper by degrees in the land....that they did not suffer with hunger... (Mosiah 21:15-16).
Eventually, (possibly after the better part of 23 years) Ammon appears on the scene from the land of Zarahemla and they soon concoct a plan to escape. With the Lord's intervention, they do so and finally arrive in the land of their brethren with great joy.
The second group to fall into bondage was led by Alma, a former priest of King Noah's, who was converted hearing Abinadi preach. With Noah trying to kill him after Alma defended Abinadi, Alma fled to the wilderness. There he made 450 converts and taught them the gospel. His people were discovered by Noah's henchmen and "having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them....they fled eight days' journey into the wilderness" (Mosiah 23:1,3)
Here they prospered, establishing a city and enjoying peace in righteousness for many years. Without receiving warning this time, an army of the Lamanites came upon Alma and his people. The army had become lost in the wilderness while pursuing Limhi's people after they miraculously escaped. In their lost state, the Lamanite army first came upon the wicked priests of Noah who, years before, had fled and been in hiding from both the Nephites and the Lamanites. After Amulon, the leader of the priests, pled for their lives, the army spared them and remained with the priests for several days, possibly months. Eventually, the priests joined with the Lamanite army in an effort to find their way back to the land of Nephi where they had come from. It was under these circumstances that the Lamanites, with priests in tow, stumbled upon Alma and his people.
Upon seeing the army entering the land, Alma's people ran to the city center terrified. Alma encouraged them to "remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them" (Mosiah 23:27). The people responded faithfully and began to pray that the Lord would soften the hearts of the army that they would spare their lives. The Lord did so and the army spared them. Alma and his brethren "delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of" their city (Mosiah 23:29). After breaking an oath that they would let Alma and his people have their lives and their liberty if they would just show the Lamanite army the way back to the land of Nephi, the Lamanites took control of the city and appointed Amulon, Alma's former colleague, as the king over that part of the land. This did not bode well for Alma and his people as Amulon had a huge ax to grind with Alma and set out to punish Alma and his people for it. He made life very difficult for all of them; so much so that the people "began to cry mightily to God" (Mosiah 24:10) for deliverance. Amulon threatened to kill anyone found praying (great "priest" eh?) so the people began praying in their hearts. Soon the Lord responded that He would not only deliver them in due time but He would ease their burdens "that even you cannot feel them upon your backs" (Mosiah 24:13-14). The narrative says that this promise was fulfilled and that the people "could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:15) "....so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage" (Mosiah 24:16). The next day, true to His word, the people escaped successfully and made it to the land of Zarahemla to join Mosiah and the people of Limhi.
What strikes me about these two groups of people is that their collective responses seem to determine not only how soon they learned from their suffering but also how it directly related to their deliverance from that suffering.
A quick search of the definition of meek yields words like submissiveness, patience, long-suffering, forbearance, obedience and humility. When speaking in a religious context, meekness always applies in relation to God the Father and Jesus Christ, being "willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him"(Mosiah 3:19) knowing that the Lord tries the "patience and....faith" (Mosiah 23:21) of His people. Faith allows you to understand that He does this to knock off the rough edges of our character so that we can become "smooth and polished" as Elder Maxwell stated.
We don't know the exact amount of time either group suffered under their taskmasters but we can see from the comparison of the two groups that Alma's people suffered less physically because of the blessings of the Lord upon them. As far as we know from the narrative, Alma's group suffered no loss of life. This happened because their immediate reaction was to trust in the Lord and not in the "arm of flesh" as Limhi's group did. Limhi's group were eventually blessed because they were compelled to 'cry mightly to God' whereas Alma's people chose dependence on God from the outset.
Eventually by remembering their combined history, the Nephites and particularly Moroni, had learned this lesson by the time of the next set of wars with the Lamanites. "Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea and they were also taught never to give an offense, yea and never to raise the sword, except it were to preserve their lives. And this was their faith, that by so doing, God would prosper them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger; And also, that God would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni..." (Alma 48:14-16)
This sounds an awful lot like Moroni had learned hope through experience; as Elder Maxwell quoted Paul, "Knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). In addition, who can argue that Moroni was not ,smooth and polished'? Mormon states, "Yea verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men" (Alma 48:17).
Clearly, Moroni was no wimp. He had learned from the experiences of the past that God could be trusted, even when trials came that didn't make sense or were hard to bear. While I have no desire to be physically "buff" like I imagine Moroni to be, I could learn a thing or two from his spiritual muscles.
People make the mistake of thinking meekness equals weakness. Tell that to Moroni. (I dare you!) 😁
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