"We live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of instant gratification. We seem to demand instant everything, including instant solutions to our problems. . .It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal."
-Boyd K. Packer
"And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them" -Abraham 3:25
Agency is what separated God's plan of Salvation from Satan's plan. "Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down" -Moses 4:3. Satan's plan was to not have man be endowed with agency so as to avoid having any sin. God's plan was to allow man to sin but also to allow man a way to be cleansed of his sin by his choosing to follow a chosen Savior named Jesus Christ. The Savior said "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever" (Moses 4:2). What applicable approaches to God these are for us! We can either say that God is wrong to let there be any consequential suffering due to our freedoms or we can bear the consequences and say "Thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."
Heres an excerpt from the talk by Elder Bednar called "And Nothing Shall Offend Them"-
To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:13–14). As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.
Its the test of our probationary state here in mortality to see how we will use our agency when faced with difficulty brought on by our own choices and the choices of others. If we are so insensitive as to think that our feelings are the only ones that matter, then we forget how much God has sacrificed for us as He watched His perfect Son suffer for our sins. When encountering someone or something offensive to us, we are in a position to be like Christ and suffer it or to let it destroy us. We have a choice of letting a speed bump become an impenetrable brick wall, or to walk over the water.
We must be sensitive to the feelings of others more than so sensitive in our own feelings' validation and justification. A very sensitive and insecure person is quick to become insensitive and hurtful towards another's feelings. A slight slight can be misinterpreted for a slap in the face, when really it was an accident. We must set aside our natural instincts to avenge our egos, with "an eye for an eye" philosophy. In other words, we must forgive the trespasses of others. Because so often the insult is not intended at all. Whether these offenses are intentional or not should not matter in our path of spiritual development. The Lord instructed us quite adamantly in the Sermon on the Mount-
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. …
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
“And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”
Don't let your hard feelings get in the way of progress. The Lord has always favored the steady heart with deliverance after being bombarded with discomfort, agitation, and temptation. The path to God is not easy or quick but long with many, many obstacles. All of which designed to help us, its all part of the plan from a loving and merciful Heavenly Father. We may question "Why?" but we should not let that lack of understanding get between us and God.
The Lord favors those that trust His will and keep His commandments more that those that need validation or justification for all their troubles. "An angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me." -Moses 5:6
