さて、信仰についてわたしがすでに語ったように、信仰は物事を完全に知ることではない。したがって、もし信仰があれば、あなたがたはまだ見ていない真実のことを待ち望むのである。 アルマ３２：２１
And now, as I have said concerning faith – faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. Alma 32:21
Sometimes it seems like this life would be so much easier if we could just see over the horizon of time into the future. If we could see that things will be better in the future, we would have much less stress in this life.
For example, if we could see that in the future a rebellious child will fully repent and come back into the Gospel, if we could see that a difficult financial situation will work out okay, if we could see that health problems with an aging parent, a spouse, or a child, will all be resolved, if we could see that our own personal challenges and trials will end successfully, how much easier it would be to face these problems.
Two thoughts.
First, that is not how this life works. We knew about that from the very beginning and we all agreed to it. We understood that this life is a period of testing and challenges. We understood that we need to live by faith, not seeing the future. We understood that we gain faith by trusting in the Lord to guide us and help us and then by taking action ourselves to move forward. As we do so, the Lord blesses us and helps us gain greater faith.
Second, in a way, we really can see into the future. We all know what the final results will be. We know that the Lord has promised us “all that my Father has” if we are faithful and obedient. We know that there will be blessings and joy greater than anything in this life if we keep the commandments. We know that we will live with our Heavenly Father again.
So we do know how life will work out. We need to look beyond the day to day problems that face each one of us. We need to remember to “hope for things which are not seen”, but which we know are true. We need to walk with faith, trusting in the Lord that everything will be right and fair in the end. If things are not fair in your life yet, it is only because this is not the end yet.
May we all remember that the Lord loves each of us and that he knows each of us. He is ready to help and bless us if we are obedient. That does not mean that we will get to avoid the tests and challenges of this life, but it does mean that he will be there with us to guide us through those problems.
Let’s all have a great week!