"There are many kinds of sorrow and suffering. . . . But if our sorrow and suffering strengthen our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, `[ourT sorrow shall be turned to joy' (John 16:20)," said Elder Robert D. Hales of the Seventy in his October 1983 general conference address.
Elder Hales spoke of various kinds of suffering and sorrow. "Suffering to develop strength will not exceed our ability to endure to the end," he said."When Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail, he cried to the Lord for comfort, and the Lord gave it to him. He said that `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.' (D&C 122:7.)
"Such trials give us the development of spirituality that we probably never would get if we didn't have the experience where the very jaws of hell gape open their mouth wide after us. Not only must we survive, but we must develop the ability to have a concern for others while we are suffering. It is a key element in our spiritual growth. As we lose our lives in the service of our fellowmen, we find ourselves.
"Jesus gave us the perfect example at Gethsemane when He forgave His Apostles who slept while He bled at every pore for all our sins. He only asked, `Could ye not watch with me one hour?' (Matt. 26:40.) Jesus also expressed concern for His mother's care as He suffered on the cross. And even while He was suffering, He taught the gospel to those who were suffering next to Him. (John 19:26-27.)
"One of the greatest examples in my life happened when I was a brand-new General Authority on my first assignment. One of the General Authorities had a wife who had passed away just a few days before. I walked onto the airplane and there he was, sitting on the front row of the airplane. What a great message! He talked to me about how difficult it was for him to go on assignment, but he went to give succor and helped others when he was hurting."
