In the Book of Mosiah, Alma heard the words of
Abinadi, and was converted to the Gospel. He escaped from King Noah and his
priests, and began teaching people in the wilderness. Amulon, the leader of
King Noah’s wicked priests, began to persecute Alma and his people. He forbade
them from praying, and told them that if they tried to pray, that they would be
put to death. In spite of persecution, Alma and his people had faith, and
continued to pray in their hearts. The Lord, after seeing their faith, reached
out and comforted them. He said, in Mosiah 24:14: “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.” The Lord did not promise to
take away all of their trials, but He did promise that they would be able to
overcome them. In verse 15, it says that Alma and his people were able to “bear
up their burdens with ease.”
I have witnessed in my own life that the Lord truly
does work this way. At times in my life, I have felt overwhelmed and bogged
down in the midst of trials and sadness. The Lord has never taken away all of
my grief instantly; however, He has always given me enough strength to keep
moving forward. Sometimes, I have desired and expected certain blessings from
the Lord, but I have seen that He has always blessed me with what I truly
needed. Several years ago, my older brother fell into a life full of sin. He
had always been my role model, and it was very hard for me to watch his
struggles. As a result, I felt a lot of tension within my own family, and our
family unity, little by little, disappeared. On top of that, I was dealing with
problems at school, and medical problems. I missed several weeks of school due
to surgery. I felt totally alone—I didn’t have any friends, I wasn’t doing well
in school, and I was worried about my health. I felt that I had lost my older
brother, who was my best friend. I prayed constantly to the Lord, begging for
help. I didn’t understand why all of that was happening to me. I felt bitter.
Soon, I lost patience and began to feel that the Lord had abandoned me. Now,
years later, I realize how blessed I was in that time of my life. The Lord
helped my brother to get back on the right path, I overcame my medical
problems, and recovered from surgery. Now, through these trials, my family is
closer than ever. At the time, I wanted the Lord to solve my problems and take
my pain away. When He didn’t, I instinctively felt abandoned. Now, I understand
that He was there every step of the way. He blessed me with enough patience and
strength to overcome those trials. Looking back on it, those trials seem small
to me. He has led me to much greater things.
I know that the Lord
always gives us enough strength to press forward. Just as Paul says in his
letter to the Corinthians, the Lord will never give us a trial that we can’t
overcome. Trials will come, but with the Lord’s help, we will be able to
overcome them and be even stronger as a result.
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