April 2005 Ensign - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

16
Examples of Patience
Desiring to review how others responded in similar situations,
I turned to the scriptures. I found my first example
in the Book of Mormon. Moroni had been appointed chief
captain of the Nephite defense, and his army had suffered
great losses in battling the Lamanites. To continue withstanding
the Lamanites, the Nephite army needed more
warriors, more weapons, and more provisions. Moroni
wrote a letter requesting assistance from Pahoran, the chief
judge and governor over the land. But he received no reply.
So Moroni, in a state of aggravation and frustration because
of his army’s severe hunger and casualties, wrote
another letter to Pahoran “by the way of condemnation”
(Alma 60:2). Using words such as “neglect” (v. 6), “thoughtless
stupor” (v. 7), “slothfulness” (v. 14), “traitors” (v. 18),
and “idleness” (v. 22), Moroni questioned
whether Pahoran was a traitor,
and he threatened to abandon the
war against the Lamanites and “stir
up insurrections among you” (v. 27).
If ever one had cause to feel defensive
for being falsely accused, it was
Pahoran. But Pahoran’s reply was a
masterpiece of self-restraint and patience.
Rather than returning complaint
for complaint, he calmly and
kindly explained how insurrection and
rebellion against the government had
made it impossible to send help. Then
he stated, “And now, in your epistle
you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry,
but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart” (Alma 61:9).
At the letter’s conclusion, he wrote, “And now I close mine
epistle to my beloved brother, Moroni” (Alma 61:21). Surely
Pahoran’s patient response was pleasing to Heavenly Father.
In modern times, the Prophet Joseph Smith patiently
suffered many trials and afflictions due to unsubstantiated
and wrongful charges against him. After being incarcerated
in Liberty Jail for months and having had his appeals and
petitions denied, he was overwhelmed at one point with
feelings of discouragement and anger. But he was comforted
by the Lord’s counsel:
When the Prophet Joseph Smith was wrongfully
accused, he found comfort in the Lord’s
counsel that “all these things shall give thee
experience, and shall be for thy good.”
“If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; . . .
“And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the
hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed
upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing
surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine
enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements
combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the
very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after
thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give
thee experience, and shall be for thy good.
“The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art
thou greater than he?” (D&C 122:6–8).
The supreme example of patience, of course, was the
Savior Himself, who humbly bore unthinkable suffering
at the hands of false accusers. He suffered
as they beat Him, spat upon
Him, mocked Him as the King of the
Jews, and delivered Him up to be crucified
for crimes He did not commit.
Isaiah wrote, “He is despised and rejected
of men; a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief: and we hid as it
were our faces from him; he was despised,
and we esteemed him not”
(Isaiah 53:3). Isaiah continued, “He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he
opened not his mouth: he is brought
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a
sheep before her shearers is dumb, so
he openeth not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
With divine dignity and self-assurance, the Savior endured
it all patiently. In comparison, my own trial of unfair
abuse seemed small and inconsequential. I wondered, how
could I better emulate the Savior and His worthy servants?
Changing through Christ
I began to pray that I might develop the qualities of
patience and long-suffering those great men had in such
abundance. But it seemed that the more I prayed for patience,
the more impatient I became; the more I yearned
to be calm and long-suffering, the more troubled I felt. I
ILLUSTRATED BY ROBERT T. BARRETT