Pain: A Godly Attribute?
In Doctrine and Covenants Section 19, the Lord says, “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink.” This got me thinking about pain and if it is something necessary for us in our progression towards becoming like the Father and the Son. Since acquiring all the attributes of God is part of becoming like him, how can we expect to gain knowledge through pain if we don’t experience it to some degree?
When we think of the attributes of God, all the happy things come to mind; like love, mercy, kindness, long-suffering, and so forth. However, those things are only a part of who he is. Christ ascended above all things, but he also descended below all things. We can also assume the same for the Father. Does this mean we have to go out looking for ways to experience pain and suffering? I don’t know. But I do know we have to understand those things.
When Adam and Eve were in the garden and had partaken of the forbidden fruit, (Genesis 3:22), the Lord God says, “Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.” This states that God has knowledge of all things; good and evil, which would include, by implication, joy and sorrow, health and sickness, pleasure and pain. Everything has opposites, precisely so we can learn by experience.
We all wish for one-sided lives; all good and no bad. That is not the plan. It is the will of God that we all partake in salvation and exaltation, but there is a price to pay for those gifts. Obedience to the commandments is the least painful path, but that does not preclude us from negative aspects that mortality presents.
Keep in mind that we signed up for this. As we experience hard things, remember that when we are gaining attributes that make us more like God.
Sorry, I missed a couple of weekly messages, I am working on a project that is consuming the little brain power I possess.