Trials beyond you abilities

Is it reasonable in your mind to assume God will never give you a trial beyond you ability to endure? Given the gut wrenching things that happen to so many people I find this particular Mormon belief irrational

for over 200 people who died along the martin & willey handcart trail, god, through his appointed servants, gave them a trial they could not endure.

while i honor these pioneers with all my heart and soul, the promise of divine protection was and is not real.

the truth is that ‘stuff’ happens. in the transcendent, original story of Job, ‘stuff’ happened to Job. the chorus of TBM/stick-to-message friends kept spouting the standard, correlated BS that tries to make sense of ‘stuff’ — and none could be found. Sometimes there is no sense to be made: bad people sometimes prosper and good people sometimes suffer: the incidence of ‘stuff’ happening versus miraculous blessing is perfectly random.

Thank God for the story about Jesus in the garden of Gathsemane at the end of his Earthly mission.

Without that, none of our trials would make any sense. We would have no hope for divine inspiration to comfort us or receive answers for why?

My problem is: I want answers or inspiration or comfort right now.

When it doesn’t, I stomp my feet & hold my breath until I turn blue.

Mike from Milton.

It is a phrase that can provide hope and encouragement. But as wayfarer points out, doesn’t always hold true, and therefore needs the second part of the teaching…that if the trial is too great, you’ll be rewarded in the next life. To me, that just translates to there are some trials too great…so just do the best you can.

I don’t really believe God is handing out specific trials, or entering bets with the devil to allow certain levels of temptations (as in Job’s story)…I just think our mortal experience has enough trials for us all, without a need for intervention.

I’m with Ray. I think this is a peppier way of saying “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The other thing I’m reminded of are those emails people send around periodically about people from our generation all drank from a hose and didn’t wear a seat belt and none of us are dead. As my husband remarked: “That’s cuz dead people don’t send emails!”

I think I would have to disagree with you on that point. Many things happen to many people that do not make them stronger. Experiences may even damage them for life. I can think of things that happened in my relatively simple life that I could have easily done without. They did not give me any divine understanding or help me to any degree. They gave me ulcers and stress and to this day I wish I could erase the memory.

I do agree with the comments that stuff just happens in this life and we need to deal with it the best we can. I do not believe God inflicts bad things on people to test them. I would not do that to my children so why would God do that to me. At the same time things happen to my children that I can not control. Many times these are consequences of their actions but as often it is just a bad situation they could not control.

I guess it is comforting to believe that God is watching out for you always and will protect you from bad things, but history surly does not indicate that is so, at least much of the time.

I’m with wayfarer and cadence, however, history doesn’t prove out it is always false to believe we can’t overcome or grow from trials…just that there are multiple situations that seem to show sometimes they are worthless, or don’t make any sense, and are beyond our ability to control.

it allows the mind to say that leaving on a pioneer trek late, underclothed and underequipped is ok because our leaders said that god would stay the weather. god didnt. people died.

Yes, my ancestors died in the Martin Hand cart company. The 13 year old boy and his sister buried their father in a shallow frozen grave at Martin’s Cove, and pulled their sick mom and younger siblings in the handcart the rest of the way. Their journals are fascinating to read how they did not allow themselves to doubt God…but it strengthened their faith and devotion and dependence on God to save them. When reaching the Utah valley, they thanked God for being spared and joining the rest of the saints. They lived out the remainder of their lives non-polygamously but firm in the faith and always looking back at their trials as unbelievably difficult, but good came out of it. Perhaps to do otherwise would lessen the memory of their father’s sacrifice. I can’t imagine putting myself in their place or understanding what they were thinking, but I’m proud of their legacy.

My point is…there are events that happen. Bad weather. Under preparation. People died. However, finding the reason why those happened (God tested, pressures to obey prophets, random poor luck, etc), and the value of passing through those events (died for the faith, strengthen commitment, loss of testimony or faith in leaders)…all those meanings are the stories we place on the events and facts that happened. And they are not the same stories for everyone. There is a choice on how to place meaning on the stories.

In my life, bad things have happened, and good fortune has also been realized at different times. I can choose to put the stories on those that help me and my children find peace and fulfillment in life. I choose to try to put the most rational, and realistic stories so I don’t set myself up for disappointment on inaccurate perceptions of the world around me, and I tend to try to put an optimistic positive tone on the future because it makes me feel better. But my best shot at making my stories are still based on my imperfect mortal faculties to observe the reality around me. Sometimes I envy my dog. She doesn’t reason and wonder about the things I do. She just eats, poops, sleeps, and when someone walks in the door, she’s happy. When they don’t, she sleeps. I don’t think she has trials because she doesn’t have the ability to wonder about them. She just is and things just happen.

Yes, my ancestors died in the Martin Hand cart company…I can’t imagine putting myself in their place or understanding what they were thinking, but I’m proud of their legacy.

My point is…there are events that happen. Bad weather. Under preparation. People died. However, finding the reason why those happened (God tested, pressures to obey prophets, random poor luck, etc), and the value of passing through those events (died for the faith, strengthen commitment, loss of testimony or faith in leaders)…all those meanings are the stories we place on the events and facts that happened. And they are not the same stories for everyone. There is a choice on how to place meaning on the stories.

yes, exactly! ‘stuff’ happens…why it happens is anybody’s guess…how we respond is up to us. the pioneers were betrayed by abysmally poor leadership, who did not walk by their side, and failed to provide for their needs as promised. however, the pioneers’ response: their faithfulness, their seeking through their faith the small miracles that would sustain them along the Way…these are the things gods are made of. I cannot think of these pioneers without coming to tears for their sacrifice. to your 13 year old ancestors, to levi savage, and to all those who suffered, i can only bow in humblest reverence.

Well said, wayfarer. I wish SO badly everyone understood that principle better.