Opposition
will absolutely happen in this life. It is one thing we can definitely count
on. We can fight against that reality or we can relax into it. We can choose to
not be surprised by opposition and try to learn from it. Orson F. Whitney
explained, “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 … and it is through sorrow and
suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here
to acquire” (in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972],
98). I’m
grateful for the comfort that quote has given me over the years.
There is an often-quoted verse in The
Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Christ about opposition. “For it must needs
be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so… righteousness could
not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery,
neither good nor bad…” (2 Nephi 2:11). So life as a human is a 50/50
experience. Roughly half will be good and the other half will be uncomfortable
in some way. When the opposition comes, we can remind ourselves that it’s part of life
and nothing has actually gone permanently wrong. We layer additional suffering when we
spend our time wondering why this had to happen or how unfair it is that it
happened to us. One of the ways this opposition occurs is in our family
relationships. Parents
and children often provide built-in opposition for each other. Our homes and
families are like laboratories for learning and sometimes there are explosions
in laboratories. When the “explosions” happen, it alerts us that an adjustment is
needed. We can learn to notice our thoughts and feelings in those moments. We can
choose to focus on the ones that serve us best in creating an improved
situation. Since the purpose is learning, it is okay to try again (and again)
to improve. This opposition can act as a catalyst to turn our hearts to the
Savior.
James E. Faust gives us some
additional perspective. “A
rebirth out of spiritual adversity causes us to become new creatures.... Out of the refiner's fire can
come a glorious deliverance.... The price to become acquainted with God will
have been paid. There can come a sacred peace. There will be a
reawakening of dormant, inner resources. A comfortable cloak of righteousness
will be drawn around us to protect us and to keep us warm spiritually.
Self-pity will vanish as our blessings are counted. The blessings of
eternity will surely come to those who endure refining.” (“Refined in OurTrials,” Ensign, Feb. 2006, pp. 2-7).
We often emerge from a difficult experience with greater
empathy. This helps us understand and have more capacity to help when other
people experience their own trials. Opposition also provides contrast and may
help us enjoy the times of peace and respite in between each trial more than we
would otherwise. We can prepare for future trials by filling our souls drop by
drop with Living Water and peace, so that we won’t be found parched and empty
when the next trial hits us. And it will.
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