I always knew I wanted to be a full-time seminary teacher. I genuinely felt like this was what I was supposed to do with my life. For years, I did everything I could to work towards that goal.
Then I didn’t get hired.
I was confused. Angry. Devastated. I felt as though a tornado had suddenly slammed into my life, knocking everything off balance. It was a dark and difficult time for me, feeling like I was trapped in a storm that wouldn’t let up.
Perhaps you, too, have found yourself feeling trapped in a storm. A storm of disappointment, resistance, fear, or grief. If you have, perhaps you will find comfort in what a literal storm in the Book of Mormon reminds us about life. These three simple lessons have made all the difference in helping me press forward.
1. Some Storms are Non-Negotiable
First, let’s look at the storm the brother of Jared faced.
He and his people had been living on the seashore for three years. God had led them out of Babel and across the wilderness, and now they had some prime beachfront property. Everything, it seemed, was going according to plan.
Then, God commanded them to cross the ocean. He told the brother of Jaered to build barges “tight like unto a dish” because God was going to send a massive storm with a “furious wind” to blow them across the sea (see Ether 2:24–25). Men, women, and children would be trapped on the ocean in a storm for 344 days (see Ether 6:11).
Yikes.
What I find so interesting about this story is that the brother of Jared does ask some questions—such as how to get air and light into their barges—but have you noticed what he doesn’t ask? Why the storm was needed. If I had been there, I probably would have asked if the storm could be a bit gentler, or if there was maybe a way to skip it altogether and still get to the promised land.
But the brother of Jared never once questions the nature or necessity of the storm itself. He seemed to understand this lesson: Some storms are non-negotiable. They are going to happen, whether we want them to or not. The brother of Jared’s storm “never did cease to blow.” Thus, we can either choose to obey God and prepare ourselves accordingly, or we can take our chances in the storm all by ourselves.
I realized I had been trying to weather the storm alone after learning I wasn’t going to be a seminary teacher. I had let my anger and frustration prevent me from turning to God. Only when I accepted the storm and turned to Him for guidance, could I find a way through it.
2. The Storm that Makes the Journey Difficult, Also Makes It Possible
The brother of Jared seems also to understand another important point: The same storm that was going to make the journey difficult, was also going to make the journey possible. He chose to trust that if the Jaredites wanted to get to the promised land, this storm was how it was going to happen.
Similarly, God asks us to do things in life that are not easy. Some may be minor inconveniences, such as getting up early on Sunday morning to attend a meeting. Others are soul-stretching in the extreme. But as difficult as these storms may be, with God’s help they can push us to where He knows we need to be so that we can become all we are capable of.
3. Storms Aren’t All Bad
It is important to remember that storms are not purely destructive; they can bring about good things too. Storms clear away dead growth and clean the air. After the storm, the view is often clearer. After the storm comes the calm and the sunshine. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
The storm raging in your life right now may be clearing the path ahead for you to progress. When the storm has ended, we will be able to see just how far we’ve come, and that we couldn’t have gotten to our personal promised land any other way. We may then have a precious moment like the Jaredites:
“When they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land, they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them.”
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said:
“Often, we can’t see the Lord’s hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness.”
Years have passed since that personal storm changed the course of my life, and I am far enough removed from it now to see things more clearly. God didn’t abandon me in the storm. Instead, He used the storm to help me become who I am today. I know that He will also give you the light, protection, and direction you need to weather your storm.
▶ You may also like: Some storms cease, some increase. This mother’s story may help you find peace amid unmet family expectations
▶ You may also like: This 1 verse in the Book of Mormon will help you stop comparing your life to others’—and find joy
