The second Beattitude is: "Blessed are all they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." (3 Nephi 12:3, compare Matthew 5:3)
Growing in our conversion to Christ brings trials unique to this effort. It causes us to see spiritual devastation in what the world views as normal. It causes us to see consequence where the world sees happenstance. It means giving up things for Christ that have long been a part of our lives, things that still would be, were it not for our Faith. But it also means discovering unimaginable joys the world has no idea even exist. It means finding out that Christ really does have and use in our behalf power to do things we once thought were impossible. It means finding the much good which our faith in God supplies with the bad that may come our way in life.
I've often seen the Savior quoted as saying something I've never been able to corroborate in scripture: "I never said it would be easy; I only said it would be worth it." What He did say, however, was "Blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted". Blessed are all they that are willing to bear the trials and burdens that come with faith in God, for it will be worth it many times over!
Mourning the Sacrifices
Whenever we seek to make more room for Christ in our lives than we currently allow, it always involves sacrifice and hard work - an effort to push out things that have heretofore been considered "normal", "okay", beneficial, and even necessary or integral to who we are.
But those of us who have done so in any degree know by experience that beyond the work and the sacrifice and even the pain lay the promise of great joy, of hope, of faith, of truly changing through the power of the Atonement, of feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing things that once were impossible unto us! (Mark 10:27)
Yes, making the changes inherent to growing in grace is hard work. But the joy is worth everything we are called to suffer - a thousand times over! Remember the joy of the eunuch who was baptized of Phillip! Remember the joy of the people of king Benjamin when they received a remission of their sins!
...
Mourning the Spiritual Devastation
As my own faith in Christ has grown, one of the things that has troubled me is that I find the world seems uglier that before. My faith in Christ gives me a spiritual perspective. Because I have studied the scriptures, and I know the Lord's commandments and expectations, the blessings and consequences of living or not living the gospel, my worldview has changed in a way that often gives me cause to "mourn".
I see wholesale disobedience to all of God's commandments - it's rampant in our society. Having studied the ten commandments extensively, I know the consequences are gradual loss of all spirituality, all sense of there being a God in the world, all civility, order, freedom, and prosperity. I see it happening in little steps all around me.
But I also grow in the assurance that I have the cure in my possession: it is the fullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!
I see in the wickedness of the world a detailed and extensive fulfillment of ancient prophecy concerning these latter days. (e.g. 2 Timothy 3:1-5) For me, this holds both good and bad. Yes, it means we will continue to see great wickedness, political turmoil, hatred, persecution, and so on.
But just as surely as these things have come to pass, we can know with equal surety that the good things that have been prophesied concerning our time must also shortly come to pass!
We must not forget or doubt that a gathering at Adam-ondi-ahman is still yet future! (Daniel 7:9-14, 21-22, Doctrine & Covenants 116:1) We must not forget that deliverance will soon come from atop the Mount of Olives, as the Jews come to know their Messiah and see for themselves "how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of [Him] that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" (Zechariah 12:8-10, 13:6, Isaiah 52:7) Lastly, we cannot forget that, although we have been witnesses to the gradual establishment of Satan's kingdom in the latter days, we have also been witnesses to the establishment of the kingdom of God in the latter days! (3 Nephi 27:11, Daniel 2:28-45, Doctrine & Covenants 138:44, 115:1-6) We may have to watch and even suffer while Satan and those who choose his ways rule the world for a time. But all these signs of the times only serve to reassure us that the Savior is coming to rid the world of sin. Just as the Nephites did, we may come to suffer and even be threatened with death because of our faith. We may come to have our faith tested even to the point that we begin to wonder if we should continue to hold out the hope of His coming. But just as the Nephites did, we too will very soon hear a soft voice out of heaven that causes our "hearts to burn within us" - a voice that we'll have to strain to understand, a voice that introduces us personally to His Only Begotten Son! (3 Nephi 1:4-17, 11:2-11)
Truly how blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted!
October General Conference 2008, Priesthood Session, Elder James J. Hamula, Seventy: Winning the War Against Evil
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/43.21?lang=eng#20
Growing in our conversion to Christ brings trials unique to this effort. It causes us to see spiritual devastation in what the world views as normal. It causes us to see consequence where the world sees happenstance. It means giving up things for Christ that have long been a part of our lives, things that still would be, were it not for our Faith. But it also means discovering unimaginable joys the world has no idea even exist. It means finding out that Christ really does have and use in our behalf power to do things we once thought were impossible. It means finding the much good which our faith in God supplies with the bad that may come our way in life.
I've often seen the Savior quoted as saying something I've never been able to corroborate in scripture: "I never said it would be easy; I only said it would be worth it." What He did say, however, was "Blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted". Blessed are all they that are willing to bear the trials and burdens that come with faith in God, for it will be worth it many times over!
Mourning the Sacrifices
Whenever we seek to make more room for Christ in our lives than we currently allow, it always involves sacrifice and hard work - an effort to push out things that have heretofore been considered "normal", "okay", beneficial, and even necessary or integral to who we are.
But those of us who have done so in any degree know by experience that beyond the work and the sacrifice and even the pain lay the promise of great joy, of hope, of faith, of truly changing through the power of the Atonement, of feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes with doing things that once were impossible unto us! (Mark 10:27)
Yes, making the changes inherent to growing in grace is hard work. But the joy is worth everything we are called to suffer - a thousand times over! Remember the joy of the eunuch who was baptized of Phillip! Remember the joy of the people of king Benjamin when they received a remission of their sins!
...
Mourning the Spiritual Devastation
As my own faith in Christ has grown, one of the things that has troubled me is that I find the world seems uglier that before. My faith in Christ gives me a spiritual perspective. Because I have studied the scriptures, and I know the Lord's commandments and expectations, the blessings and consequences of living or not living the gospel, my worldview has changed in a way that often gives me cause to "mourn".
I see wholesale disobedience to all of God's commandments - it's rampant in our society. Having studied the ten commandments extensively, I know the consequences are gradual loss of all spirituality, all sense of there being a God in the world, all civility, order, freedom, and prosperity. I see it happening in little steps all around me.
But I also grow in the assurance that I have the cure in my possession: it is the fullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!
I see in the wickedness of the world a detailed and extensive fulfillment of ancient prophecy concerning these latter days. (e.g. 2 Timothy 3:1-5) For me, this holds both good and bad. Yes, it means we will continue to see great wickedness, political turmoil, hatred, persecution, and so on.
But just as surely as these things have come to pass, we can know with equal surety that the good things that have been prophesied concerning our time must also shortly come to pass!
We must not forget or doubt that a gathering at Adam-ondi-ahman is still yet future! (Daniel 7:9-14, 21-22, Doctrine & Covenants 116:1) We must not forget that deliverance will soon come from atop the Mount of Olives, as the Jews come to know their Messiah and see for themselves "how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of [Him] that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" (Zechariah 12:8-10, 13:6, Isaiah 52:7) Lastly, we cannot forget that, although we have been witnesses to the gradual establishment of Satan's kingdom in the latter days, we have also been witnesses to the establishment of the kingdom of God in the latter days! (3 Nephi 27:11, Daniel 2:28-45, Doctrine & Covenants 138:44, 115:1-6) We may have to watch and even suffer while Satan and those who choose his ways rule the world for a time. But all these signs of the times only serve to reassure us that the Savior is coming to rid the world of sin. Just as the Nephites did, we may come to suffer and even be threatened with death because of our faith. We may come to have our faith tested even to the point that we begin to wonder if we should continue to hold out the hope of His coming. But just as the Nephites did, we too will very soon hear a soft voice out of heaven that causes our "hearts to burn within us" - a voice that we'll have to strain to understand, a voice that introduces us personally to His Only Begotten Son! (3 Nephi 1:4-17, 11:2-11)
Truly how blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted!
October General Conference 2008, Priesthood Session, Elder James J. Hamula, Seventy: Winning the War Against Evil
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/43.21?lang=eng#20
