"Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."
2 Nephi 2:2
I don't really like afflictions, and I doubt anyone else really relishes them, but I do like the idea here that they can be consecrated for our gain... that those things that we suffer can actually do us some good. I think we already see that in some ways. We can look back and see how a hard time in our lives brought us closer to the Lord, or how going through a certain trial helped us learn compassion for others going through something similar. And it is good to recognize those things and see how mortality is teaching us, and know that God's plan is working.
With God, I think even the painful events that we don't understand, that we don't think we learned from but rather broke against... even those, by his grace, can be consecrated to our good, and can mean something positive in our lives. God can turn ill intent back on itself, and heal ALL wounds. Our afflictions need not be permanent scars or holes in our lives, because he can turn them into strength, resilience, compassion... whatever we most need.
Today, let's work with God, and let him work with us, to change and shape us, and to heal us and make us whole.
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