I posted this on Facebook first, which I need to STOP DOING because stuff I put here automagically goes to Facebook anyway. 😛 So forgive me if you’ve already read it.
A scripture hit me like a brick this morning.
It’s in 1st Nephi chapter 11, when the Holy Spirit is speaking to Nephi on the mountain. And the Spirit asks, “Knowest thou the condescension of God?”
And Nephi answers, “I know that he loveth his children, nevertheless I do not know the meaning of all things.”
(first, it’s important to know that at the time the Book of Mormon was translated, the term ‘condescension’ referred to people of high rank being kind to their inferiors. It didn’t mean being snooty, like it does today.)
This struck me powerfully because of Nephi’s answer.
He knew that God loves all of us. That was first. It was first because it is the most important.
But he acknowledged then that he didn’t know everything.
This hits me because he didn’t say, “I’ve heard that God loves his children,” or “They say God loves his children, but there are so many things in this life that don’t make sense.” Nope, he KNEW God loves his children. Despite being driven from his home into the wilderness. Despite being beaten and derided by his brothers. Despite having his life threatened by Laban. Despite losing most of his worldly possessions. Despite having no idea what the future held for him. He knew God loved him. And that was key. He didn’t know why any of those bad things happened. Yet he perceived it all through the important filter of knowing that God loved him.
It’s super easy to perceive God through our own filters. “God can’t be involved because he didn’t give us/me/them miracles like we would have wanted.” “God can’t love us because this thing I insist is bad happened.” “God can’t exist because if he did, the world would be how I think it should be.”
But if we flip it around and choose to perceive the world and events in our lives through the filter that God loves us, and therefore this stuff must be good for us somehow, at some point, despite how it feels at the moment, even though we don’t understand it, it opens a world of joy to us.
God loves you. He is intricately involved in your life. He is all powerful.
Therefore, be of good cheer. Find the good you can learn and gain from your current pain. It’s there. It will be okay.