7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.
(3 Nephi 22:7-8)
I love the perspective this scripture provides about the difficulties we face in life. If we could see through God’s eyes, we would realize that the hardships and challenges we face are really so fleeting in duration. He does love us. He does know what we are going through. He does want to bless and comfort us. But there are times when he temporarily hides His face and allows us to experience the learning and growth which require some level of pain and suffering. As we look back on those experiences, we recognize how short they really are, but while we are in the middle of them, they seem to last forever. Perhaps this scripture can help us when we are in one of those trials: picture a loving Heavenly Father hiding His face so as not to interfere, but anxiously waiting to bless us as soon as the test is over and the mission is accomplished.