Why Pain and Suffering?

     If God loves us, why does he allow is to suffer through pain and sorrow? This is a question I have heard many times while serving as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Here are some of the answers I have found during my service and throughout my life so far.
     One of the things that pain and sorrow does for us is that it allows us to grow. Much like working out breaks down our muscles and makes them sore, trials and hardships can be taxing to us spiritually. However, when we work through those trying times, our spiritual selves will come out on top, and we will be stronger than ever before. It is analogous to the way our muscles rebuild themselves after an intense workout. No pain, no gain, as the saying goes.
     "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith.
     Nevertheless—whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day. Yea, and thus it was with this people." (Mosiah 23:21-22.)
     Another thing, I don't necessarily think that people are inherently evil, there are just those people who don't understand what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. Needless to say, bad things do happen to good people. These "bad people", for lack of a better term, when wronged, need to have their revenge. If God was to make sure nothing bad ever happened to us that would mean He would have to stop all of the "bad people" from doing bad things. If God was to do that, He would be taking away our agency, which is the freedom to choose. When people do bad things, they are accountable for what they did. If God was to stop them from doing anything, then how could He punish them; they didn't do anything wrong. Thus, good people have to go through the pains and sorrows caused by the wickedness of others.
     Finally, there must be opposition in ALL things. We cannot experience happiness without knowing what it is like to be sad. If life was all puppy dogs and biscuits, we would take it for granted very quickly. We would simply exist in a state of limbo, going around our lives in a rather pointless existence, for without pain and sorrow, neither would there be any happiness. I like to think of it this way. Imagine the tastiest cookie you have ever eaten. If that was the only cookie you ever had, you would expect all cookies to taste like that and it would be nothing special. It takes eating something like a salty cookie, which is clearly nowhere as delicious, to realize how delicious that first cookie actually was.
     I have found that it is easier to just accept the trials God places before me and ask Him for the help that He is always willing to give us. We can get through our hard times if we just trust in God and rely on the fact that He knows what He is doing.

Why Commandments?

     Why does God give us commandments? I believe there are many reasons he gives them to us. In the beginning we were given agency, or the ability to choose for ourselves. When we make a choice, we have to face a consequence. Good choices have favorable consequences, while bad choices lead to painful outcomes. If we don't have commandments, then there is nothing that defines right and wrong. Now what would be the reason for being able to choose if everything we did was "good", including lying, stealing, cheating, and murder? We are given commandments so that we can know what is right and wrong. Without the consequences associated with breaking a commandment, we could never learn the difference between good and evil. Gaining that knowledge is one of the main reasons we even came to earth.

     Another reason I see that we have commandments is to give us a path so we can live happy lives. Here is a story of a boy that learns this principle while flying a kite:

     "The boy was very young. It was his first experience with kite flying. His father helped him, and after several attempts the kite was in the air. The boy ran and let out more string, and soon the kite was flying high. The little boy was so excited; the kite was beautiful. Eventually there was no more string left to allow the kite to go higher. The boy said to his father, 'Daddy, let's cut the string and let the kite go; I want to see it go higher and higher.'

     His father said, 'Son, the kite won't go higher if we cut the string.'
     'Yes, it will,' responded the little boy. 'The string is holding the kite down; I can feel it.' The father handed a pocketknife to his son. The boy cut the string. In a matter of seconds the kite was out of control. It darted here and there and finally landed in a broken heap. That was difficult for the boy to understand. He felt certain the string was holding the kite down.
     The commandments and laws of God are like the kite string. They lead us and guide us upward. Obedience to these laws gives us peace, hope, and direction." -Patricia P. Pinegar (Nov. 1999 Ensign, Peace, Hope, and Direction.)

     As we learn from this boy, commandments are not restrictions, but rather supports. From my experience of living the commandments to the best of my ability, I have experienced a greater understanding of the many joys that God has given to us while on the earth. Certain commandments help us to stay away from addictions which can be chains in and of themselves, so by living by those "restrictions" I am able to stay free. I have never really looked at a commandment as a restriction because I am able to see the true freedoms that come from living the commandments.

Obedience

     The final Christlike Attribute is Obedience. Obedience is the first law of heaven. It requires us to act with faith. Sometimes we are commanded to do things even when we do not completely understand why. When I think of this principle, I think of the brother of Jared. "And he cried again unto the Lord saying: O Lord, behold I have done even as thou hast commanded me; and I have prepared the vessels for my people, and behold there is no light in them. Behold, O Lord, wilt thou suffer that we shall cross this great water in darkness? And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire... Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" (Ether 2:22-25.) The brother of Jared is told not to make windows and then is given a reason why, however he is not given a reason as to why he should not have fires. In our time we understand that fire would not be a suitable light source in a submarine, as it would burn up all of the oxygen in the air. This scientific knowledge was unknown to the brother of Jared, and he would have had a hard time understanding it even if God had chosen to explain it to him, but he obeys anyway without delay or need for explanations. I feel that this same principle applies to us. There are many times in our lives when we are asked to do things. Sometimes we understand why those things would be necessary, but sometimes God keeps that knowledge to Himself, and we just have to be obedient, trusting that God has perfectly good reasons for His commandments. We just might not even be able to comprehend those reasons in our current mortal state.

     Many people feel that the commandments are burdensome and that they limit freedom and personal growth. But the Savior taught that true freedom comes only from following Him. God gives commandments for our benefit. They are loving instructions for our happiness and for our physical and spiritual well-being. “The discipline contained in daily obedience and clean living and wholesome lives builds an armor around you of protection and safety from the temptations that beset you as you proceed through mortality.” -L. Tom Perry (May 1991 Ensign, Called to Serve.) As you obey, you increase in faith, knowledge, wisdom, testimony, protection, and freedom.

Diligence

     The next Attribute of Christ is Diligence. Life is very busy and there are very many things in this world that we can do with our time. A lot of things may seem good to be doing, but there are always better things that we can occupy our time with. An important part of being diligent is focusing our efforts on the things that are most important. For example, should we attend the soccer game on Sunday, or go to church? Some decisions are a little less obvious; should I get my work done this evening, or spend time with my family? Whatever the case may be with our busy lives, to be diligent we must focus on the things that bring us closer to God and strengthen ourselves and our family relationships.
     Another important part of being diligent is setting goals and following through with them. How often do we make plans to accomplish a task, only to have those same plans evaporate into the heat of our busy days? When we do not set goals, our plans are without any sort of vision. We head off into the dark, and who knows if our tasks will ever actually be completed during the time we spent wandering around. We will continue to procrastinate and wait for a better time only to find that it will never actually come. Goals are the light at the end of the tunnel, the measuring stick used to evaluate our effectiveness.

     You can tell a lot about a person by how they work when they think no one is watching. How would you like to find out that your "hardest working" employees didn't actually do anything while you were out to lunch? We need to have that same attitude in all of our actions. If we are truly diligent it won't matter if anyone is watching us because we will work hard at all times. Another part of this is working till you have successfully completed the task at hand. At no point should you ever give up. "You have not failed until you have quit trying." -Gordon B. Hinckley (Nov. 1983 Ensign, Live Up to Your Inheritance.)

Humility

     The next Christlike Attribute is Humility. I think a good way to understand humility is to take a look at its opposite, which is pride. "Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing. The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means 'hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.' It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us." -Ezra Taft Benson (May 1989 Ensign, Beware of Pride.) Pride is also competitive. If you are prideful you seek to have more and presume that you are better than others. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." (Romans 8:16.) If we are all children of God, how could any one of us possibly be greater than another? God loves each of us individually as His son or daughter we should all learn to humble ourselves and love one another.
     "For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
     And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
     And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another." (Mosiah 4:19-21.) If we can humble ourselves and understand that we really have nothing in this life, save it be through God, we will be far better off than we were when we worried about what was "ours".
     When we are humble we are happy and have an appreciation for the life we have. We understand that we are completely reliant on the Lord. We appreciate our talents and abilities that we have been given and acknowledge that they are gifts from God. It is not a sign of weakness, timidity, or fear; it is an indication that we know where our true strength lies. We can be both humble and fearless. We can be both humble and courageous.

Patience

     The next Christlike Attribute is Patience. It is one of the most difficult traits, in my opinion, for most people to acquire. Patience is synonymous with words such as endurance, long-suffering, and tolerance. Patience is the capacity to endure delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. “Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required.” -Thomas S Monson (November 1995 Ensign, Patience—A Heavenly Virtue.) It is the ability to do God’s will and accept His timing. When you are patient, you hold up under pressure and are able to face adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith; you must wait for the Lord’s promised blessings to be fulfilled. "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.)
     You need patience in your everyday experiences and relationships. You must be patient with all people, yourself included, as you work to overcome faults and weaknesses.