Mosiah 7:23 -- On Afflictions and Support

"And now, is not this grievous to be borne? And is not this, our affliction, great? Now behold, how great reason we have to mourn."
Mosiah 7:23


So, I didn't use this scripture to reinforce complaining, although perhaps it seems like it at first. :)  Instead, I liked this verse because it seems like it is something that we can all relate to.  We all go through hard things.  Grievous things happen to us, and our afflictions are often great.  We do have reason to mourn.  I don't think that God wants us to pretend that everything is perfect when it isn't.  He wants us to learn about the ups and downs of life, and how to persevere and make it through anyway... because the bad times are going to keep coming, and teaching us how to deal with them is the best thing that he can do to help us to be happier.

There are other things that are good to remember about times like this as well.  One is that the good times also keep coming.  Bad times and times of mourning are awful, but not permanent.  

Another is the last verse in the chapter where God doesn't promise the people insta-happiness, but he reminds us all that "if [we] will turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and put [our] trust in him, and serve him with all diligence of mind . . . he will, according to his own will and pleasure, deliver [us] out of bondage."  That "will and pleasure" part reminds us that we need to be patient in affliction and that we need to learn to deal with trials and with emotions.  The Lord isn't going to wrap us in bubble wrap and save us from experiences.  Instead, he is going to help us to be prepared for the experiences to come, and if we stick with him, he'll keep helping us move on and have new ones... according to HIS timing and wisdom, which is way better than ours. :)

And maybe the best reminder here is that God placed us here on earth together for a reason.  The fact that this verse exists means that someone was reaching out in their suffering for someone to relate to and empathize with them... even if it was only someone reading the words and not there in person to provide emotional support.  We can be there for each other in a similar way, even when we can't be there in person.  We can reach out for support, and reach out to help.  Today, let's be willing to go through hard things and trust the Lord's timing, and let's also reach out to others to help them in their afflictions.