Mountains and God’s Word

I read these words in the study guide for my reading this morning. No surprise really that I felt that were speaking to me personally, considering this has been the theme for my life for a long time now.

“Elder Orson F. Whitney (1855–1931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that everything we experience teaches us valuable lessons: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven” (cited in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the  Miracle [1972], 98).”

As I read Mormon’s summary of what would happen to the people of Alma and his explanation, I could see clearly what the Lord had in store for them. But it is so much harder for me to accept those same lessons in my life.

Mormon says in Mosiah 23:21-24

• 21 Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
• 22 Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people.
• 23 For behold, I will show unto you that they were brought into bondage, and none could deliver them but the Lord their God, yea, even the God of Abraham and Isaac and of Jacob.
• 24 And it came to pass that he did deliver them, and he did show forth his mighty power unto them, and great were their rejoicings.

The people of Alma were placed in bondage in fulfillment to Abinadi’s words. But just as Mormon states, they would trust the Lord, and in turn the Lord would use this time to make them more faithful, better disciples. From this I learn that the Lord keeps His promises. There were consequences to the behavior that prompted Abinadi’s words. So even though they were repentant, those words still had to be fulfilled. But that isn’t the end of the story. The Lord promises that if we trust Him, we will be lifted up at the last day. Because the Lord keeps His promises, we can believe Him when He says that repentance is possible. We can believe Him when He says He has a plan for us. We can believe Him when He says He sent His Son to redeem us.

Elder Eyring, in his April 2012 conference talk, reminded us that we can believe Him when He says there are angles on our left and on our right to bear us up. We can believe Him when he says that because of Their perfect love, adversity is allowed because They want us fitted to be with Them to live in families forever.

I am not like Elder Eyring, desiring mountains to climb. They just seem to be present in my life—maybe I would desire them if they weren’t! I have often reflected and used climbing mountains as a metaphor in my own life, so I could relate to his choice of words. I believe that the only way I am able to climb mountains is to believe getting to the other side is worth the effort. For me, that is believing in God’s plan. That there is life after this mortal one and more importantly, believing Christ, that the atonement is real. Elder Eyring said “You and I have faith that the way to rise through and above trials is to believe that there is a balm in Gilead and that the Lord has promised I will not forsake thee.” Next, to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep going, doing what the Lord says. Elder Eyring said it is “choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us”. And “serving God and others persistently with full heart and soul”. Sometimes that is easier than others, just like when we climb and sometimes the inclines are easier than at other times. Sometimes it gets dark and cloudy, when I let myself think about being tired, or I doubt that I can make it. In those times I think about giving up, but instead I just slow my pace and catch my breath. I know if I keep trying, I am given new strength. I get glimpses into heaven, whisperings from the spirit and strength from the scriptures. Just like stopping on a ridge and taking in the beauty around you and maybe even a look at where you’ll end up.

I count my increasing testimony that God keeps His promises as one of the blessings of studying the scriptures. I can truly see much clearer God’s dealings with His children—and therefore me.