“Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.” (2 Nephi 2:2). We understand that if we are to live the law of construction, then we must dedicate all of our time and attention and resources to the Lord and His work. But many of us may find ourselves overlooking our afflictions as also being necessary to consecrate to the Lord. When we dedicate not only our blessings but also our pain and suffering to the Lord, then we are well and truly following in the Savior's footsteps. It is entirely unhelpful to become bitter and resentful when we are enduring a trial or affliction. It is better to try our best to figure out how such afflictions might eventually bless our lives and be for our good. However, it is even better still to consider not just how our trials can eventually be for our gain, but to go beyond that and seek ways that our afflictions can be consecrated to building up the Kingdom of God on earth. Rarely, if ever, is the Lord calling upon us to endure some affliction solely for our own benefit. He is always accomplishing many things at the same time, and if we are willing to submit with our whole souls to His will, then we will be able to consecrate everything to Him, our blessings and our curses, our successes and our failures, our strength and our weakness, our triumphs and our tragedies, our joys and our sorrows.
