Trials As Blessings

I was reading yesterday in Ether Chapter 6 about the brother of Jared and his family and friends. They build eight boats that are "tight like unto a dish." They have holes in the tops and the bottoms that they can open when needed. The Lord touches the stones so that they shine and bring light to their journey. They load up food, plants, animals, and go.

So, as I read, I related this story of their journey across the sea to our journey through life. It's a fairly common analogy, but I was surprised and touched by the things I learned as I pondered the analogy as it applied to this particular journey in the scriptures.

First of all, it is repeated a couple of times that no matter what they might go through in this journey, the Lord has not left them alone. He gave them light. We too are blessed with the light of the gospel in our journey through life.

Next, I was impressed by their willingness to "commend themselves unto the Lord their God." These are ships that they can't steer. They can't see where they're going. They don't have control. They had to turn it over to the Lord. Likewise, if we want the blessings of Eternal Life, we must turn our will and our lives over to God. We must allow Him to direct us. This takes huge amounts of faith and trust.

Now, verse five stood out to me most of all. Now that they're all tucked away and putting their lives in God's hands, what does He do? He causes there to be a "furious wind" that tosses them about. I'm visualizing crowds of people and animals and food flying around inside these boats. If not flying around, then at least rocking wildly. I'm imagining a lot of seasickness and discomfort, maybe even be squished by a few cows or something. There were even periods of time it says when these winds and waves would push them deep under the water.

Can you imagine how terrifying and awful that could be? And here's the big kicker: three hundred and forty-four days. That's how long this goes on. They are on the boats and tossed by the sea and pushed forth by the wind for nearly a year!

And it's a blessing.

Do we sometimes question the blessing of life that God has given us? Especially when He sends us some "furious winds" to help us progress on our journey? I certainly do. Who hasn't had there moments, or days, or weeks of wondering why we have to go through all this? The answer is this: God loves us, so He tries us. He knows more than we do; He sees the beginning from the end. He knows exactly what we need to learn, how we need change, what we need to improve. Isn't that a blessing! But sometimes it doesn't feel like it. Like when you lose a job, or a friend, or a child. Like when you are struggling with pain and discomfort, or being told no.

I bear my testimony that trials do have purpose and that they are for our good. I am one who believes in a very involved God. I don't think that He "sends" trials per se. I believe that these things happen because we live in an imperfect world and He decides whether to intercede on our behalf depending on what will do us more good: the trial or the miracle. I have experienced both in my life, and I know that it has always been for my good.