88: Enduring It Well: Why God Allows Long-Suffering

If you’re in the midst of a trial that feels like it’s lasting forever and you cannot understand why, or if you’ve ever asked yourself “when will this suffering end?” then today’s podcast is for you.  Neil and I are going to talk about long-suffering and trials that seem to last forever. We felt this would be a good topic because a lot of people are going through so many hard things right now. We’re talking about the reasons we go through trials that last a long time, what we’re supposed to do about them, and some comforting words of hope that we turn to, especially during challenging times. Most hard things don't last forever. And someday, we're going to get to heaven where our Heavenly Father is going to make everything right, and perfect justice and mercy will take over. And so, we want to encourage everyone to hang in there, have faith, and just keep going.  In this episode, you will hear: Your trials and life struggles are going to CHANGE you. We need to go through certain things to become like Jesus Christ. Healing doesn't come as quickly as you would hope. Is the highest good to avoid all suffering? "Christianity is comforting, but often not comfortable."  When you suffer, God wants to polish you a little more. It’s okay to mourn and be sad like when Jesus wept over Lazarus’ death Jesus experienced all things everyone went through and overcame them. Why can’t God just take my challenges away from me? Becoming Christlike is a lifelong pursuit and often involves slow, imperceptible change. God doesn’t work like a vending machine. The willingness to be submissive to what God knows is best for us The concept of having an eternal perspective: Seeing eternity and what’s to come vs. having a myopic view of your life The Lord is aware of your concerns and anguish. He loves you deeply and forever. Scriptures about Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail (D&C 122-123) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/121?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/122?lang=eng https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/123?lang=eng   Supporting Resources: Talk by D. Todd Christofferson https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/d-todd-christofferson/give-us-this-day-our-daily-bread/ Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to our podcast? We’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com