Ether 2:25

25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come.

I learned two things that I love from this verse documenting God's interactions with the brother of Jared. First, we are all going to have obstacles come into our life. There is something comforting about being forewarned that there is a great deep, waves, winds, and floods that will make life challenging. Having the right expectations somehow makes some things more manageable.

Second, there is reason to believe that God has prepared us for every challenge we have faced and will face in life. God has given us attributes, experiences, knowledge, and relationships that allow us to flourish when the difficulties of life come upon us.

Looking back now, I can see this pattern in my own life. One example comes from my mission. I often felt discouraged during my mission because of limited opportunities to invite and help others to come unto Christ. This often felt like being stuck in the middle of the great deep without any hope of getting to the promised land. However, God had prepared me for that challenge, giving me parents who taught me in word and deed what it means to be dedicated for whatever responsibilities we had. So, I felt discouraged, but I always had the strength fit to the challenge.