When we find ourselves at the extremes of life, when things are either going unbelievably well or unbelievably badly, we sometimes fall into the trap of believing that this state of affairs will remain the same forever. For those of us in a truly awful set of circumstances and also prone to anxiety and depression, it can be especially crippling for us when we truly believe that we are doomed to suffer at this unchanging level of misery for the rest of time. But the same kind of assumptions can get us into trouble at the other end. If we are currently in the middle of a particularly long and unprecedented string of successes, we might be tempted to believe that we will remain at the same level of happiness and prosperity indefinitely. This kind of assumption not only very quickly leads to pride and a diminishing sense of empathy, but it also sets us up to be much more disappointed and distraught when things finally and inevitably take a turn for the worse than we might otherwise have been. If we find ourselves enjoying a period containing no stress or pain or heartbreak, we are in a situation that is too good to be true. Literally. This level of good is not a reflection of the truth of reality. Just because we temporarily are not suffering does not mean that suffering has disappeared from the world. And it definitely does not mean that we deserve all of our happiness and everyone else deserves all of their misery. It is a wonderful, beautiful thing to have those islands of joy and peace and prosperity amidst the stormy seas of life, but if we allow ourselves to forget that there must be opposition in all things, then so much greater will be our fall when we are compelled once more to be humble. None of this is to say that we must cover ourselves in sackcloth and ashes at all times and never allow ourselves to enjoy our beautiful yet temporary peace. Rather, we ought to take thought for why the Lord has blessed us with our prosperity. Maybe it is because we have been extra righteous and we deserve it, but maybe the Lord is blessing us at this time not just so we can pat ourselves on the back and think about how much better we are than everyone else, but also because He wants us to use the gifts and the blessings that He has given us to help out those who are worse off than we are. Utilizing our temporary reprieve from the tragedies of life to reach out and lift others up helps us to feel and show gratitude for the gifts we've been given and also inoculates us somewhat from our eventual turn of fortune. We won't forget that there is suffering in the world and so we will be less surprised when it finds its way into our lives. And besides, if we have spent our time, talents, resources, and energy helping others when we were on top, when we experience our fall from grace, they might just feel inclined to return the favor when we are at the bottom and they are at the top. The only thing in life that is constant is change. If things are bad, they will get better for a time. If things are good, they will get worse for a time. But if we have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, He will comfort us in our afflictions, and He will prompt us to acts of service and generosity in our times of prosperity.
