Son of Man

I was asked to lead the music in Sacrament meeting yesterday. We got to church a little bit late, so Gordon and the kids had to sit in the back. Rather than trek up and down the aisles, I stayed on the stand the entire time.

One of my friends, Missy, gave a talk about Joseph Smith. She talked about his life and trials, and spoke about his time at Liberty Jail. This time of his life always hits me hard. I imagine him sitting in the cramped, cold jail cell and suffering miserably. From this time comes some of the most beautiful and poignant scripture we have (in my opinion.)

1 O God, where art thou? And where is the pavillion that covereth thy hiding place?
2 How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?
3 Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?
4 O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol--stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us.
5 Let thine anger be kindled against our enemies; and, in the fury of thine heart, with thy sword avenge us of our wrongs.
6 Remember thy suffering saints, O our God; and thy servants will rejoice in thy name forever.
7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

And then the clincher...at least for me:
8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

As she was speaking, these verses of scripture kept coming into my mind. I kept thinking of the trials and afflictions I have in my life, and how often I feel sorry for myself.

It then hit me that Christ knows of my afflictions, and has suffered more than I. He knows me, He knows what I'm going through, and He loves me. I am grateful for this knowledge. I have known it my entire life, but haven't really needed it until now.

I sat on the stand and cried for joy. I realized how much I need Him, and how much more I need to depend on Him. I also felt a little silly for complaining about my current state of affairs when my suffering is miniscule compared to what is going on in the world around me. I'm a complainer, but I'm going to try to be better about it. I need to realize that in the long term, this trial is just "but a small moment." If I endure it well, I will know true happiness.