"Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to turn back, behold, the Lord comforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with patience thine afflictions, and I will give unto you success."
Alma 26:27
Much as we might not like it, patience and afflictions are part of life by design. :) They are things that are designed to refine us and teach us to be better than we are. I think we have probably all had times in our lives when we could relate to Ammon's words here about being depressed and wanting to give up. Maybe it is significant that God doesn't just smooth it over with instant success or peace, but encourages them to persevere, to endure the afflictions with patience, and doesn't promise them immediate relief, but if they endure it well, then he promises success.
By these measures, there are probably a lot of things that we give up too soon on. We encounter an obstacle and we throw up our hands and quit, saying, "well, I tried." ... But we didn't try like these men did, or like Nephi and his brothers did. ... I'm not saying that we can't give up on things in our lives. That's just another choice, and sometimes we find out what we wanted isn't worth it, or even valuable. Our needs and desires evolve. I'm just saying that if there is something important to us, and God approves, then God's will help us as we exercise patience and faith.
Today let's not depression, fear, or lack of success stop us from working towards our righteous goals. With God on our side, a willingness to endure challenges, and a healthy dose of patience, we can still move forward and find our way to eventual success.
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