Purpose of Adversity

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." (Book of Mormon, Mosiah 24:14)

God doesn't promise is a problem-free life. He promises us that He will visit us in our affliction and that His Holy Spirit can be our constant companion.  

1. Not all adversity is because of our own sins, weaknesses and mistakes; but some are.  
2. Other adversity comes from the sins, weaknesses amd mistakes of others.
3. But much adversity is not necessarily because of sin but just a product of mortality. The Lord causeth it to rain upon the just and the unjust. But adversity is not without purpose. 
4. We must know the bitter to appreciate the sweet. If we lived in Hawaii and it was always 70 degrees, we may not appreciate the good weather or even have a concept of temperature if the temperature never changed.
5. We cannot exhibit/develop Christ-like attributes without adversity. You cannot be patient and longsuffering unless you have something to be patient about or something to suffer.
6. In heaven everything was happy and perfect. God wants us to prove it to ourselves that we are not just fair-weather fans. Will we still love God like Job even when there is bad weather.
7. God gives us weaknesses and adversity to keep us close to Him, so that we will turn to Him and He promises to make those weaknesses strengths.

8. Also, like Christ, as we pass through sorrow we can better understand and mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of confort.

Life is like being lowered into a well. We are a bucket and have to be lowered into the well to be filled with water (spirit). Then the Lord promises to draw us back out of the well unto himself. Our responsibility as the bucket is to make sure we are filled with water when the Lord comes to draw us back up out of the well unto Himself.

When the Jaredites were commanded to build barges to the Promises Land, the Lord helped them solve problems of having enough light and air to breath. But He did warn them that in their journey that there would be a furious wind and waves that would crash upon them and even bury them in the ocean. but that the purpose of the wind and the waves was to blow them towards the Promised Land. So it is with adversity in our own lives.

And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. (Old Testament, Job 1:21)

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; (New Testament, Romans, Romans 5:3)

For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. (New Testament, 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 1:5)