Trials sometimes cause us to cry, “Why me?” But instead of asking the Lord to remove our trials, we can learn to recognize them as opportunities to become more Christlike.
“Whatever the form the test takes, we must be willing to pass it,” said Elder Neal A. Maxwell in a 1974 Brigham Young University devotional while serving as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve. “We must reach breaking points without breaking.”
The Lord “will set before us in life what we need, not always what we like,” he says.
Elder Maxwell warns against eight traps as we face life’s trials:
- The Jonah response. Instead of trying to escape the Lord’s promptings, we must surrender ourselves to the Lord.
- Naïveté. We need to recognize that the adversary attacks us where we are most vulnerable.
- Pride. Adversity helps us develop humility.
- Tendency to “just survive.” We must endure well and exhibit grace under pressure.
- Self-pity. We can learn from people in the scriptures who overcame challenges.
- Inattention to special happenings. We need to pay special attention to moments of silent understanding and absolute certainty.
- Scarcity of multiple sources of satisfaction. To ensure multiple wells of satisfaction, we should explore all of the gospel principles and participate in Church programs.
- Lack of eternal perspective. “Time is of this world,” says Elder Maxwell; “it is not of eternity.”
Read Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s full article, “But for a Small Moment.”
Source: BYU Speeches
—Breanna Simmons, Mormon Insights
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