What You Suffer For

I recently listened to a podcast with an interview of one of my favorite musicians, Peter Breinholt, about how to measure success in life. He quoted a psychologist who had counseled many people over the years and had come to this conclusion: “Most people try to avoid pain and suffering.... The truth is, you can’t avoid pain or suffering in life.  So the trick in life is to find the things that have so much meaning for you that you are willing to suffer for those things, or that you put those at the center of your life.”  Peter Breinholt commented that this caused him some introspection as he considered what things he was willing to suffer for, what pursuits in his life were important enough to him that he was willing to incur pain for them.  Music, for example, was something that he would sacrifice for and stay up all night to finish a song to be recorded the next day because he cared so much about it; he wouldn’t make that sacrifice, on the other hand, in order to take care of his yard.  If we can focus our lives on that which matters most to us, then our trials and challenges will be channeled towards those purposes the brings us the most fulfillment.     

In the gospel, that most important purpose is to follow Jesus Christ, to return to our Father in Heaven through His power. In the scriptures there are plenty of examples who were able to put the Lord at the center of their lives and thereby successfully endured their challenges.  For example, Peter and John suffered much for their witness of the Savior, but they still went forth “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name” (Acts 5:41).  Their faith in Jesus Christ didn’t remove suffering but it gave it a ennobling and redeeming purpose.  Paul found strength in the Lord despite the “tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” that came upon him: “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:35, 37).  He centered his life on the Savior and not on comfort or the avoidance of suffering, and he thus found great meaning and strength in the love of God.  When Nephi became too focused on his own trials, he recentered his purpose on the Savior: “Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support…. He hath filled me with his love” (2 Nephi 4:20-21).  Helaman, as he led the stripling warrior and struggled to protect their lands in the war, was similarly able to turn his focus from his terrible challenges to the Lord.  “Our armies are small to maintain so great a number of cities and so great possessions…. Now we do not know the cause that the government does not grant us more strength…. But, behold, it mattereth not—we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies” (Alma 58:32-37).  He was willing to suffer because he knew it was for his faith in God, that which was the most important thing for him.          

               We are not promised that suffering or trial will end when we keep the commandments and follow the Savior; rather, as we live as the Savior would have us live we find meaning in our struggles and joy in the dealings of the Lord with His children.  These prophets and others help us see how focusing our lives on God’s plan instead of on our struggles allows us to “do all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us]” (Philippians 4:13).