Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints
In the October General Conference address, Elder Anthony D. Perkins assured all who suffer, “Regardless of where you live, physical or emotional suffering from a variety of trials and mortal weaknesses will someday be part of your life.”
Perkins, who has battled cancer, testified that “hope is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ” and shared four principles of hope.
First, suffering does not mean God is displeased with a person’s life. When Jesus’ disciples saw a blind man at the temple, they asked, “Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Teaching that hardship and suffering are not always the result of sin, Christ explained, “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
The Lord reminds believers that through suffering, “I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” God permits suffering that our souls may be refined, and refined souls bear others’ burdens with empathy and compassion. Refined souls are prepared to live joyfully in God’s presence forever, where “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Second, God is aware of suffering. In response to his suffering in Liberty Jail, the Lord reassured Joseph Smith: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.”
Third, Jesus Christ provides the enabling power of his atonement to relieve suffering. Personal fortitude will never compare to the savior’s power to fortify souls. The scriptures testify that Christ will “take upon Him” believers’ pains and sicknesses.
Fourth, find joy in each day. For those who suffer, the nights are long, and daylight seems distant. When a person is suffering in the dark, they can draw on their faith in Christ and awake to a bright morning of rejoicing.
President Russell M. Nelson testified, “When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, and Jesus Christ and his gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening— in our lives.”
