So I know this post is a late one – last week and this week are by far my most busy weeks, so forgive me!
Last Wednesday, we had another amazing class. We mostly studied 2 Nephi 2, which is basically Lehi talking to Jacob and blessing him (I think it’s Lehi? Don’t quote me on that). The chapter starts out, saying, “in thy childhood[, Jacob,] thou hast suffered afflictions, and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy bretheren [Laman and Lemuel]. Nevertheless Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:1-2).
It always bothered me when people said that our afflictions were a blessing from God. It’s hard for me to believe in a God who would say, “hey, I love you, so let me make your life worse.” Most of my most scarring afflictions were not from God at all, but from man through agency, in some cases, even my own. If we have the power to choose, it doesn’t make sense that God was behind it the whole time. But that’s not what is being said here. His afflictions are not blessings, necessarily, or even from God, but simply stated as for his gain.
We all struggle with something. Even one of the most beloved examples in the Book of Mormon, Nephi, struggled (I’ll be writing about 2 Nephi 4 where we learn about Nephi’s struggles later this week). Brother Griffin told an amazing story that touched my heart. It was about a man who struggled. He was amazing, and worked very hard. But his thoughts wandered a lot when he saw scantily-dressed women. He always tried to control it, begging God to take his weakness from him, and tried to pull his thoughts back without harm. He always figured that he would just get married and grow out of it, but to no avail. It got to the point where he was retired, and wouldn’t go out shopping with his wife because he knew that seeing the ads would make his mind wander. However, one day, he did, and just stayed in the car while she went inside and shopped. A young woman walked by, and the old man turned awa
y, his thoughts wandering. He cried aloud “Oh God, wilt thou take mine affliction away and make me strong against this silly temptation? Haven’t I suffered long enough?” He then heard a voice in his mind, which said “I will not take it away, for through thine weakness, thou comest unto me.”
y, his thoughts wandering. He cried aloud “Oh God, wilt thou take mine affliction away and make me strong against this silly temptation? Haven’t I suffered long enough?” He then heard a voice in his mind, which said “I will not take it away, for through thine weakness, thou comest unto me.”
And then I thought. There are things I struggle with. I think we all have personal temptations that we hesitate to talk about, hoping to contain our demons. How often have I cried, “Oh God, wilt thou take this away from me?” But no, He will not, because without it, we would have no reason to come unto Christ and use His Atonement.
This relates to Ether 12:27, a pretty popular favorite for most. “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”
Your weaknesses come from your natural man, but they are not necessarily bad. Though they are not God-given, they bring us unto the Savior and make us kneel down at his feet.
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