Out of Much Affliction

A major theme in Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians is the role of suffering in the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Here are a few examples:

• “Blessed be…the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
• “Out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears” (2 Corinthians 2:4).
• “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
• “In afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;… as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing all things” (2 Corinthians 6:4-10).
• “I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4).

Lehi acknowledged that his son Jacob, who was born in the wilderness, had “suffered afflictions and much sorrow.” But he added, “Thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:1-2). No wonder that Jacob repeatedly mentioned the greatness of God when he later taught his people about the atonement of Jesus Christ. (See 2 Nephi 9:17, 19, 40, 53.) He later promised the pure in heart, “God…will console you in your afflictions” (Jacob 3:1). And his brother Nephi wrote that even though he had “seen many afflictions in the course of [his] days,” he had also been “highly favored of the Lord in all [his] days” (1 Nephi 1:1).

Here are some principles I’ve learned from these passages:

1. God loves us and will comfort us when we suffer.
2. Suffering can result in growth and progression with God’s help.
3. We can find joy even when we suffer, particularly when we maintain an eternal perspective.

Today, I will be grateful for Paul’s perspectives on suffering and affliction, which are echoed by Lehi and his sons in the Book of Mormon. I will turn to God for comfort, trust Him to make my afflictions constructive, and view my difficult experiences with an eternal perspective.