"And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them;
But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."
Alma 34:40-41
This is part of the story of the Zoramites, some of whom were very poor and excluded from their places of worship because they didn't dress better. I'm not going to tell that whole story, but feel free to jump in and read more if you are interested. :)
What struck me in these verses was the idea of being patient and dealing with our afflictions. This is not a popular idea. It is often anathema to us because the idea of letting someone else get away with treating us (or anyone) badly seems horrible, right? It offends our internal sense of justice, and some part of us cries out for vengeance. And yet God asks us to have patience and hope, and bear them.
All that crying out for justice stuff is true, and the demands of justice will be met. But the whole point of Christ's atonement was to introduce the concept of mercy into the equation. To provide a space *between* action and justice, to give all of us a chance to change and to repent. We cry for justice against people who wrong us, but we desperately need mercy when we are the ones doing the wronging. So God asks us to allow him to make the final judgements. Justice will be done, but mercy will also be granted, to allow people the chance to change and become better--so that as we gain wisdom and change into better people, we don't have to suffer for the sins of our younger, unwise selves. (Of course the oldsters get to repent as well; that was just an example.) He pays the price that justice sets, and in turn, he offers us mercy and a chance to have the time we need to qualify for heaven even after failing many times.
So, today, let's get out of whatever situation it is that is harming us if we can. There isn't a commandment that says "thou shalt suffer." But if we have to deal with exclusion or other harm that we can't escape, then let's work on bearing our afflictions with patience and not lash out--not because people have the right to abuse us, or because we deserve the pain of our situations at all, but because God asks us to turn justice over to him and allow it to be delayed so that he can grant mercy to us all. He will make everything right in the end, and he can help us find the joy wherever we are. Let's have the faith to turn to him and the patience trust him rather than becoming unkind and cruel. God has a happy ending in store for us. We just have to keep our hope alive, and make it a few more chapters. :)
But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."
Alma 34:40-41
This is part of the story of the Zoramites, some of whom were very poor and excluded from their places of worship because they didn't dress better. I'm not going to tell that whole story, but feel free to jump in and read more if you are interested. :)
What struck me in these verses was the idea of being patient and dealing with our afflictions. This is not a popular idea. It is often anathema to us because the idea of letting someone else get away with treating us (or anyone) badly seems horrible, right? It offends our internal sense of justice, and some part of us cries out for vengeance. And yet God asks us to have patience and hope, and bear them.
All that crying out for justice stuff is true, and the demands of justice will be met. But the whole point of Christ's atonement was to introduce the concept of mercy into the equation. To provide a space *between* action and justice, to give all of us a chance to change and to repent. We cry for justice against people who wrong us, but we desperately need mercy when we are the ones doing the wronging. So God asks us to allow him to make the final judgements. Justice will be done, but mercy will also be granted, to allow people the chance to change and become better--so that as we gain wisdom and change into better people, we don't have to suffer for the sins of our younger, unwise selves. (Of course the oldsters get to repent as well; that was just an example.) He pays the price that justice sets, and in turn, he offers us mercy and a chance to have the time we need to qualify for heaven even after failing many times.
So, today, let's get out of whatever situation it is that is harming us if we can. There isn't a commandment that says "thou shalt suffer." But if we have to deal with exclusion or other harm that we can't escape, then let's work on bearing our afflictions with patience and not lash out--not because people have the right to abuse us, or because we deserve the pain of our situations at all, but because God asks us to turn justice over to him and allow it to be delayed so that he can grant mercy to us all. He will make everything right in the end, and he can help us find the joy wherever we are. Let's have the faith to turn to him and the patience trust him rather than becoming unkind and cruel. God has a happy ending in store for us. We just have to keep our hope alive, and make it a few more chapters. :)
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