Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

This simple nursery rhyme reminds us that not all illnesses can be cured, not all problems can be resolved. Relationships go sour, jobs are lost, illness strikes, lives are lost and it is all part of the human condition. Adversity is part of our mortal probation, experienced by everyone.

Brent Top tells the story of a student in one of his religion classes. The class was discussing the topic of adversity and why bad things happen to good people. Brother Top was impressed by their knowledge of the scriptures and explanations of the plan of salvation. Towards the end of the class an older student who had remained quiet throughout spoke up:

‘The things you have been saying are right,’ he said choking back his tears. ‘I have been taught those things from my youth. I have searched the scriptures; served a mission, and been active in the Church all my life. I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, and I have an understanding of the role of adversity in the plan of salvation but….’ At this point the tears flowed both from his eyes and ours. ‘Haltingly he continued, But it didn’t make it easier to gather my three children around me and tell them that their mommy had just died. Even though I know many of the answer’s to life’s difficult questions, I am still lonely, and I ask over and over again, Why? Why did she have to die? Why am I left alone?….You have the answers,’ he told his fellow students, ‘But have you ever had to ask the questions?’

One of life’s great questions is why do bad things happen to good people?  The prophet Spencer W Kimball, who incidentally was well acquainted with adversity himself wrote:

‘The daily newspaper screamed the headlines: “Plane Crash Kills 43. No Survivors of Mountain Tragedy,” and thousands of voices joined in a chorus: “Why did the Lord let this terrible thing happen?”

Two automobiles crashed when one went through a red light, and six people were killed. Why would God not prevent this?

Why should the young mother die of cancer and leave her eight children motherless? Why did not the Lord heal her?

A little child was drowned; another was run over. Why?

A man died one day suddenly of a coronary occlusion as he climbed a stairway. His body was found slumped on the floor. His wife cried out in agony, “Why? Why would the Lord do this to me? Could he not have considered my three little children who still need a father?”

A young man died in the mission field and people critically questioned: “Why did not the Lord protect this youth while he was doing proselyting work?”

I wish I could answer these questions with authority, but I cannot. I am sure that sometime we’ll understand and be reconciled. But for the present we must seek understanding as best we can in the gospel principles.

Was it the Lord who directed the plane into the mountain to snuff out the lives of its occupants, or were there mechanical faults or human errors?

Did our Father in heaven cause the collision of the cars that took six people into eternity, or was it the error of the driver who ignored safety rules?

Did God take the life of the young mother or prompt the child to toddle into the canal or guide the other child into the path of the oncoming car?

Did the Lord cause the man to suffer a heart attack? Was the death of the missionary untimely? Answer, if you can. I cannot, for though I know God has a major role in our lives, I do not know how much he causes to happen and how much he merely permits. Whatever the answer to this question, there is another I feel sure about.

Could the Lord have prevented these tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, drive all planes and cars, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not.

We should be able to understand this, because we can realize how unwise it would be for us to shield our children from all effort, from disappointments, temptations, sorrows, and suffering.

The basic gospel law is free agency and eternal development. To force us to be careful or righteous would be to nullify that fundamental law and make growth impossible.’

The gospel provides us with many answers and much comfort but there are still things that we don’t understand. I feel that I have not yet experienced any great adversities in this life. This prompts me to wonder why was I born in the circumstances I was? Why was I not born in abject poverty in India or Africa? Why was I not born with a severe physical or mental challenge? Why was I not born at a time when I would be required to fight in the trenches of the Great war?

However, we do know that the Lord is in control. Elder Evan Schmutz said ‘We can take strength in knowing that all the hard experiences in this life are temporary; even the darkest nights turn into dawn for the faithful. (General Conference, October 2016) In the Book of Revelation we are promised:

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

‘In this mortal experience, we cannot control all that happens to us, but we have absolute control over how we respond to the changes in our lives. This does not imply that the challenges and trials we face are of no consequence and easily handled or dealt with. It does not imply that we will be free from pain or heartache. But it does mean that there is cause for hope and that due to the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can move forward and find better days—even days full of joy, light, and happiness.’ (Elder W Christopher Waddell, General Conference, October 2017)

How can we deal with it? How should we respond? Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone faces adversity. It’s what we do about that adversity that defines who we are and where our life is going.

I want to suggest some things that we can do to help us to deal with adversity:

1. Have faith in Jesus Christ and know that he can strengthen and comfort us in our afflictions and trials.

The purpose and mission of Jesus Christ included that He would “take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people,” “take upon him their infirmities,” and “succor his people according to their infirmities.”(Alma 7:11–12). Sister Jean B Bingham said: ‘Whether they are personal struggles, family troubles, or community crises, peace will come as we trust that God’s Only Begotten Son has power to soothe our aching souls.’

‘He knows, in a way that no one else can understand, what it is that we need, individually, in order to move forward in the midst of change. Unlike friends and loved ones, the Savior not only sympathizes with us, but He can empathize perfectly because He has been where we are. In addition to paying the price and suffering for our sins, Jesus Christ also walked every path, dealt with every challenge, faced every hurt—physical, emotional, or spiritual—that we will ever encounter in mortality.’ (W Christopher Waddell)

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has taught: “There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the ‘light that is endless, that can never be darkened’ [Mosiah 16:9].

Alma the Younger taught this sacred truth when he said, “I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.” (Alma 36:3)

After recovering from serious health challenges, Elder Robert D. Hales shared the following in general conference:

“On a few occasions, I told the Lord that I had surely learned the lessons to be taught and that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to endure any more suffering. Such entreaties seemed to be of no avail, for it was made clear to me that this purifying process of testing was to be endured in the Lord’s time and in the Lord’s own way. … I … learned that I would not be left alone to meet these trials and tribulations but that guardian angels would attend me. There were some that were near angels in the form of doctors, nurses, and most of all my sweet companion, Mary. And on occasion, when the Lord so desired, I was to be comforted with visitations of heavenly hosts that brought comfort and eternal reassurances in my time of need.”^{[Robert D. Hales, “The Covenant of Baptism: To Be in the Kingdom and of the Kingdom,” Liahona, Jan. 2001, 6; Ensign, Nov. 2000, 6.]}

Emily Freeman said: Trials provide an opportunity for us to seek the Saviour..We come to know Him in a way we might not have before. Brigham Young,said about the terrible persecutions and drivings of the early Saints:

‘You that have not passed through the trials, and persecutions . . . , but have only read of them . . . may think how awful they were to endure, and wonder that the Saints survived them at all. The thought of it makes your hearts sink within you . . . , and you are ready to exclaim, “I could not have endured it.” I have been in the heat of it, and I never felt better in all my life; I never felt the peace and power of the Almighty more copiously poured upon me than in the keenest part of our trials. They appeared nothing to me’. [JD 1:313]

2. Be patient in afflictions

‘Let us not presume that because the way is at times difficult and challenging, our Heavenly Father is not mindful of us. He is rubbing off our rough edges and sensitizing us for our great responsibilities ahead. May His blessings be upon us spiritually, that we may have a sweet companionship with the Holy Ghost, and that our footsteps might be guided along paths of truth and righteousness. And may each of us follow the Lord’s comforting counsel: “Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.”‘ (James E Faust, “The Blessings of Adversity,” Ensign, Feb. 1998, 7)

The word patience or patient appears more than 80 times in the scriptures. It is a Christ-like virtue. If we want to become like Christ we need to develop patience and adversity is one of the ways in which we learn patience.

Patience in affliction and adversity means to persist firmly and never forsake what we know to be true, standing firm with the hope that in the Lord’s due time we will understand what we don’t understand now. In the words of Joseph Smith,

“Stand fast, ye Saints of God, hold on a little while longer, and the storm of life will be past, and you will be rewarded by that God whose servants you are, and who will duly appreciate all your toils and afflictions for Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 185.)

There are times when you simply have to hang on . Sometimes we have to realise that there are some things that we just can’t change.  As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith: “Thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.” (D&C 121:7-8.)

3. Linked to patience is the requirement to be faithful

God invites us to respond with faith to our own unique afflictions in order that we may reap blessings and gain knowledge that can be learned in no other way. Those who are called to go through trials, sorrow, tribulation, and adversity are promised that if they are faithful in tribulation and adversity, that “the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.” (D&C 58:2)

 ‘The Prophet Joseph Smith learned from firsthand experience that the Lord expects us to avoid misery by living His gospel and wants us to understand that we can repent. When he lost the 116 pages of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation by giving in to the persuasions of men, Joseph was miserable. The Lord told him: “You should have been faithful; and [God] would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble”  (D&C 3:8). ‘ (Marcus B Nash, General Conference, October 2006)

4. Know that adversity is a necessary part of our mortal experience

Trials and adversity are not just an inevitable part of the mortal experience, they are also an essential part of the plan of salvation.

‘ Every trial and experience you have passed through is necessary for your salvation.’ (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.345; emphasis added).

We should not expect to sail through life without being buffeted by the winds. Elder Boyd K. Packer explained:

 “It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. Teach our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life” (“That All May Be Edified” [1982], 94).

Adversity should not be viewed as either disfavour of the Lord or a withdrawal of his blessings. Bruce C. Hafen once said “Our understanding of the Atonement is hardly a shield against sorrow; rather, it is a rich source of strength to deal productively with the disappointments and heartbreak that form the deliberate fabric of mortal life.  The gospel helps us to heal our pain, not necessarily to prevent it.”

5. ‘Know that it will make you stronger

As Elder Packer says, there is a great purpose in our struggle in our life. Neill Marriott observed: ‘The Lord allows the challenges and tests to come, and when we obey Him, He strengthens us, even enlarging our capacity to obey more fully’.

Every event or disaster has a lesson to be taken away.  Consider what you are being invited to learn from the experiences and circumstances you are in.  Do your best to take the new knowledge forward.

In misery in Liberty Jail, the Prophet Joseph Smith called out: O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

The Lord’s response is recorded in section 122:

5 If thou art called to pass through tribulation; if thou art in perils among false brethren; if thou art in perils among robbers; if thou art in perils by land or by sea;

6 If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? and if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb;

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

‘Why is adversity often such a good schoolmaster? Is it because it teaches so many things? Through difficult circumstances we are often forced to learn discipline and how to work. In often unpleasant circumstances we may also be subjected to a buffeting, a honing, and a polishing that can come no other way.’ (James E Faust, Ensign, Feb. 1998, 5)

Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven” (cited in Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972, p. 98).

6. Try to stay positive

 It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of feeling sorry for ourselves when bad things happen. When things are looking a bit dim, make sure you take time to appreciate the things that are going well. Do your best to maintain a positive outlook and look for the positive outcomes.  These may be difficult to find at times, but they are in there somewhere! life is abundant and there is always something to appreciate and be grateful for.

Remind yourself of the good things – grab a sheet of paper and a pen and write down ten things that are good about your life. Take the list and put it somewhere like the refrigerator or the bathroom mirror.

Having a goal to reach can be one of the best things you do for yourself. Working toward something positive will not only get your mind off the problems you have, you’ll build self-confidence as you strive for something better.

D&C 58:2 For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4 For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

President Brigham Young taught that “if the Saints could realize things as they are when they are called to pass through trials, and to suffer what they call sacrifices, they would acknowledge them to be the greatest blessings that could be bestowed upon them . . .

“. . . without the opposite and they could not know enjoyment; they could not realize happiness . . . If they should not taste the bitter, how could they realize the sweet? They could not!” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, pp. 301-302).

Conclusion:

To paraphrase John Bytheway – life isn’t a spectator sport. The Lord doesn’t want us to sit in the stands observing the game and taking notes. He takes us out of the stands and puts us in the centre of the pitch. We risk taking knocks and being injured but we will learn more about the game.

“Following the path of least resistance makes men and rivers crooked.” Saints should be men and women who are prepared to meet the greatest resistance when necessary.  God is not calling us to an easy life, but a life of obedience and faith despite the circumstances. But our Saviour Jesus Christ is always there to comfort and support.