Psalm 119:67, 71–72
Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. . . .
It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.
We would not like to think that we have to be afflicted in order to learn the lessons of life, but sometimes we do. Alma made a great appeal to the Zoramites who had been afflicted with great poverty and had become socially despised. Ironically but not surprisingly, this had a valuable effect upon them because they turned to hear the word of the Lord. In that regard Alma said, “I behold that ye are lowly in heart. . . . Because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; . . . [and] shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.”181
And then this prophetic insight: “Because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, [but] do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word? . . . Therefore, blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.”182
We do learn from our mistakes. Certainly we should. We are foolish beyond measure if we don’t. Many can say with the Psalmist that until they were afflicted, they were going astray. In such circumstances perhaps only our affliction brings us back to our senses, brings us back to keeping His word. With that perspective we all should be able to say, even with hard lessons and difficult experiences, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted.”
Notes