Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Bear With All Manner of Afflictions

Struggling with great trials this morning again:  the anxiety has been tremendously bad today from circumstances beyond my control, and I've struggled with much pain, and sorrow, and anguish of soul.  I took out my scriptures and began reading, and came across these two verses in Alma:  "And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them;  But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions." (Alma 34:40-41)  A few things really stood out to me.

One of them was to remember to not revile but to forgive those who revile against me.  This morning's anxiety struggle resulted mostly from the feeling that those around me were "reviling against me" because of personal weaknesses in my work.  Part of that may be from being new at the job still, yet I don't see it that way, and it sure hurts to feel like others don't like me even though I work hard to help them out even when I don't have to or have that help reciprocated.

The other phrase that really stood out to me was: "have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions."  Part of my struggles today resulted from sleep deprivation, which is a difficult stressor, and the amount of quality sleep I receive plays an important role in how I feel and how bad the anxiety is.  That phrase, "that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions," felt particularly pertinent to my circumstances.  I felt all kinds of need for rest, both in sleeping and relaxing and recuperating.   One day, I will rest from all my labors, from all care and sorrow, from all afflictions.  Even if the anxiety is so bad that all I can focus on is the pain I'm suffering right now (and the feelings associated with the anxiety that this pain will not go away), one day all pain will end and we will all be free from it.

I'm grateful for a Father in Heaven who gives me such remarkable blessings and teaches me in so many different ways, even if they are occasionally painful.  One day, we really will rest from all the troubles of this life.

Love you all, my friends!

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