Opposition is Good
Written by Christina Judd
“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” (2 Nephi 2:11)
My two and a half year old can swim, without floaties. I watched her jump into the hot tub, having forgotten she was not wearing them. She buried her face in the water and kicked herself to the edge. She popped up, proudly, and then promptly asked for me to put her floaties on. While she can swim independently, she prefers the relaxing, effortless sensation of floating. Though she can swim without floaties, she prefers ease.
The problem is, (hypothetically speaking) without the opposition imposed on her body, forcing her to paddle and kick to keep herself afloat, she would wither away; become flaccid, weak, limp.
Watching my daughter choose ease was a beautiful lesson in opposition. I realized, opposition is simply resistance. In this fallen state, resistance is necessary to keep us from becoming spiritually and emotionally limp.
When a friend is struggling we might hear, “Is it Satan? Is Satan working on me?” Some do say, “It is Satan. He knows you are [amazing, working hard, have so many talents and big dreams, etc, etc…] and He is working extra hard on you.” But opposition is not always Satan. The hard stuff is simply resistance.
Resistance is a necessary part of our mortal journey because it keeps us growing, changing, developing—spiritually and emotionally maturing. When we feel resistance, we can be sure it is aiding our development.
Sometimes the opposition we experience is the adversary, but not always. Sometimes, opposition is the Savior saying, “I have more I want to give you, more I want you to know, more I am going to cause you to become.”
I almost never enjoy the resistance. It hurts, and it’s hard. But there is good news. “I give unto men weakness … [and] I make weak things become strong unto them (Ether 12:27).” We do not make ourselves strong by what we do; Jesus makes us strong by what He did.
We endure. We believe. Mortality is doing its job; Jesus is doing His.
What do I need to stop worrying over—stop controlling—and surrender, in order to “[rely] wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save (2 Nephi 31:19-20 emphasis added)”? It will work. We will be changed. Our faith will grow. We will come to know Jesus Christ more intimately than we have ever known Him before, and we will grow in the knowledge that it truly is by Him that we are saved, despite anything we do (2 Nephi 25:23).
Love What You're Reading?
Be sure to check out our weekly podcasts.
Shatter Your Triangles
Sometimes we think we have an understanding of the Gospel, but when we take another look at what the scriptures, our paradigms can completely shift! Our Shattering Triangles team aims to help you deepen your testimony and doctrinal understanding to some of the more prominent questions found among members.
Up Your Preparedness Game
Our Honey + Lilies Blog is dedicated to helping you prepare for the days ahead. Want to get started? Click here.