Count Your Many Trials

It seems that when I am in need of learning a particular lesson, that lesson is taught every where.

I first recognized this lesson as I was reading in 1 Nephi 18:11-16

 11 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel did take me and bind me with cords, and they did treat me with much harshness; nevertheless, the Lord did suffer it that he might show forth his power, unto the fulfilling of his word which he had spoken concerning the wicked.

 12 And it came to pass that after they had bound me insomuch that I could not move, the compass, which had been prepared of the Lord, did cease to work.

 13 Wherefore, they knew not whither they should steer the ship, insomuch that there arose a great storm, yea, a great and terrible tempest, and we were driven back upon the waters for the space of three days; and they began to be frightened exceedingly lest they should be drowned in the sea; nevertheless they did not loose me.

 14 And on the fourth day, which we had been driven back, the tempest began to be exceedingly sore.

 15 And it came to pass that we were about to be swallowed up in the depths of the sea. And after we had been driven back upon the waters for the space of four days, my brethren began to see that the judgments of God were upon them, and that they must perish save that they should repent of their iniquities; wherefore, they came unto me, and loosed the bands which were upon my wrists, and behold they had swollen exceedingly; and also mine ankles were much swollen, and great was the soreness thereof.

I pondered on these verses a bit and considered what that must have been like for them.  A large boat carrying your entire family and because of the choices of a few, all could have lost their lives.  Nephi must have felt so powerless at that time, and may have wondered why his righteousness seemed to count for nothing when the lives of his parents, wife, and children were at stake.  My thoughts were then drawn to another group of people and their trip to the promised land.

The Brother of Jared and his party seemed to have it so much easier than Nephi.  None of the Jaredites were perfect, but they were not utterly rebellious as Nephi's brother's were.  They had a couple problems, getting enough air and lighting the inside of their barges, but once done the Lord simply blew them across the ocean to the Promised Land.

However, circumstances changed when I imagined in my head the following conversation between Nephi and the Brother of Jared in paradise as they  compared their experiences getting to the promised land. (Please excuse my modernization...it made the conversation more fun in my head. :-) )

Nephi: Dude, you had it so easy!  All those people were willing to help you build your barges, and they were tight! You didn't even need to build any system to steer them with since you just got blown across the sea.  After you and Heavenly Father figured out the lighting issues, you were home free!  It took a chapter's worth of lecturing to get Laman and Lemuel to help me build a boat.  Thank heaven I had a little help from God in figuring out a steering mechanism!  But then we get on the water and what do they do?  They tie me up!  Four days like that before they finally released me and we could move onward.  You were so blessed that you didn't have brothers like mine.

Brother of Jared: Easy?  You think I had it easy?  It took 8 years and a severe lecture from Heavenly Father before we even started building the barges.  And do you realize it took us 344 days to get there.  Have you ever tried being cooped up in a barge with people, animals, and honey bees for 344 days?  Then there was the tossing and the burying in the waters.  I swear, we wouldn't have made it if it weren't for the fact that we kept praying and praising the Lord.

Nephi: Wow, I guess that is true...you really didn't have it much easier, did you?  You know what else we have in common though?  We both were able to get through our trials because we prayed and praised the Lord.  Man, Heavenly Father is great, isn't He?

Brother of Jared: Dude, He's God!

Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.--1 Nephi 18:16

As I read this verse in 1 Nephi 18, my perspective really changed.  It wasn't for the punishment of the wicked that Heavenly Father sent these two prophets through the trials he did, is was for the testing and blessing of the righteous.  Heavenly Father knew that Laman and Lemuel weren't going to change.  While they were tossed on the water Heavenly Father could have easily stopped Laman and Lemuel as he had before.  He could have sent an angel, spoken to them, given Nephi the strength to break his bands, shocked them, or even just thrown them overboard.  I'm sure Nephi prayed for anything to save his family.  After four days I'm sure my patience would have been running low.  Yet as soon as he was released he didn't waste time lecturing his brothers or murmuring that it took the Lord long enough; He immediately looked to God and praised him.  

Wait, he praised him?  For allowing him to be tied up for four days during a horrible storm?  For allowing his father, the prophet, and his mother to get so sick they almost died?  For making him watch his wife and children beg and plead for his release?  After all that, Nephi still praised the Lord?

What I have missed all along is that this wasn't a test for Laman and Lemuel to see how long it would take them to break down.  This was a test for Nephi to see if after all he would recognize the blessings of the Lord.

And it came to pass after they had loosed me, behold, I took the compass, and it did work whither I desired it. And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm.

Looking at others, the journey may seem easy, but for many of the righteous, the blessings can be just as uncomfortable as Nephi's.  Do we look at others' trials and wonder why we were so stricken with our own?  Sometimes its losing a child or parent, watching a friend or family member struggle through alcohol or drug use or with mental illness.  For some it is the trial of never being married, for others it is finding the person they married isn't the person they thought they were and getting divorced.  For others it is watching parents part ways.  Some have financial difficulty, other just bad luck.  Being righteous doesn't give one a free pass through trials--we aren't allowed to avoid them simply because we are doing our best to be good. The righteous face trials everyday.

The bigger question is: how do we treat our trials?  Can we look back when we are released from particularly hard trials and be grateful for them as were Nephi and the Brother of Jared?  

The same week I read these verses I was in an institute class where the teacher was describing the difficulties he and his wife had been through with a drug addict son and then his wife's struggles with chronic illness.  He pointed out how so many of the older generation will use the phrase, "We're grateful for the blessings we enjoy."  But what about "the blessings we don't enjoy?", he asked.

How often do we recognize our trials simply as blessings we don't particularly enjoy?  Can we not be grateful for them too?  This is the great quality that Nephi and the Brother of Jared had; the ability to enjoy their trials and be grateful for the things they were taught.  It is also a quality I have found in many church leaders and their families.  For instance, I have taken a great liking to Sister Kristen Oaks, wife of Elder Dallin H. Oaks.  She has become my role model of late for a variety of reasons.  She didn't let her lack of husband or family prevent her from living a very happy life.  Often, when talking of the propensity of those who are single, divorced, widowed, or even married to be bitter or lonely she points out the necessity of counting the blessings available to them and to constantly thank our God for them. 

If you were to spend your whole life looking for someone who had life the easiest, chances are your search would be in vain.  No one has just the life they would like, and we may find that the righteous and the innocent bear the worst of life's trials.  However, you may find that the humble righteous are quicker to respond that they are happy in spite of their trials, just as Nephi was.  He was faithful, grateful, and always obedient, and for that he was blessed with a happy, if not easier life.  Ours will be that way too if we follow his example.