As a young boy I often asked myself, “Why does life have to be so hard”? As an undergraduate student at Brigham Young University, I cannot claim credit for knowing every extenuating circumstance but I do know this: there is a reason for it. In the Book of Mormon, in 1 Nephi 20, there is a scripture that I turn to a lot since I started college, because it is so applicable in every-day life. It reads: “For, behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” This essentially means that when we work through hard times, our character is perfected.
The Book of Mormon teaches how we can learn from our trials and become better.
Here are two analogies that helped me understand this scripture. In the refining of silver, the silver is heated until it reaches about 1472° F. This burns away impurities in the silver. The same principle happens in our lives. The trials we face help burn away shortcomings in our character, which we all have. The second analogy is in diamond making. To make a diamond, coal is heated to 2000° F and is subjected to pressure that is 50 times what we feel on the earth’s surface. The extreme pressure and heat are like obstacles in our lives. They help us develop as a person by changing our nature, meaning our most fundamental beliefs and desires.
In 1 Nephi 18, Nephi is instructed by the Lord to build a ship so that they can cross an ocean. It is important to realize that Nephi knew almost nothing about ships or shipbuilding. “Now I, Nephi, did not work the timbers after the manner which was learned by men, neither did I build the ship after the manner of men; but I did build it after the manner which the Lord had shown unto me; wherefore, it was not after the manner of men.” Nephi did not know how to proceed in making a ship, so the Lord showed him how, but it was not constructed in the way that contemporary boat builders would have recommended. In our lives, we are often uncertain about how to proceed with difficult and important decisions, just like Nephi was unfamiliar with the method of boat construction. But if we let God help us in those decisions, just as Nephi asked the Lord how to build a boat, He will make our lives more fulfilling and satisfying than we ever could.
At the start of this post, I stated that there is a reason for our trials. The simple answer is that these trials make us a better person. The key is that we must see our trials as stepping-stones to perfecting our character. I know that if you work through hard times in your life and let God refine you through those trials, you will feel a deep-rooted happiness that will permeate all aspects of your life. Trials will not change our behavior for us. A final thing to remember is that more often than not, the Lord strengthens us so that we can overcome obstacles rather than adjusting them so that they are more comfortable.
This article was written by Christian W., a BYU student studying neuroscience. He enjoys playing any sport with a ball, disc, puck, etc. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Additional Resources:
Basic Mormon Beliefs and Real Mormons
The Lord Jesus Christ in Mormonism
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