When explaining his and his family’s difficult years in the wilderness, Nephi says that they “did travel and wade through much affliction” (1 Nephi 17:1, emphasis added).

The idea of “wading” through affliction is repeated five other times in the Book of Mormon. And I think it teaches an important truth about how the Lord wants us to think of our trials: perhaps enduring well doesn’t mean simply waiting for our trials to end but actively wading through them instead.

Here are four principles I’ve identified about how to successfully wade through our afflictions.

The root of the word “wade” is the Old English word wadan, which means “to go forward.” Nephi explained this same idea when he said we needed to “press forward” (2 Nephi 31:20), an idea which implies resistance; without trials and opposition, we can’t press forward because there’s nothing we’re pressing against.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “Endurance is more than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance; it is not only to accept the things allotted to us, it is to ‘act for ourselves’ by magnifying what is allotted to us” (2 Nephi 2:14).

In science, to magnify something is to zoom in on it with a physical lens so that it enlarges to occupy more of your field of vision. In spiritual matters, to magnify something is to focus your attention on it to the point that you stop concerning yourself with other things. In the case of Elder Maxwell’s teaching, it means you focus on and do the things that lie in your power (what is allotted to you) and stop concerning yourself with things beyond your control.

For example, you can’t control the decisions of a wayward child, but you can take steps to show them your love is unconditional. You can’t control whether an employer hires you, but you can keep polishing your resume, sending out applications, and practicing your interview skills. You can’t control whether your body succumbs to chronic disease or the effects of age, but you can control how you spend the time and energy available to you each day.

When you wade across a river, you get wet even though that wasn’t your purpose. Your true purpose was to get to the opposite shore. Similarly, when you wade through your trials, you suffer, but suffering isn’t the purpose. The true purpose is spiritual refinement; it’s proving (and improving) your faith. Instead of focusing on how hard the trial is, remember your purpose and focus on that goal.

What magnificent version of yourself is waiting on the other side of this trial? What strength and empathy will you gain from this? How much closer to God will you be because of this process?

When Nephi taught about pressing forward and enduring to the end, he added that this effort includes “feasting on the word of God” (2 Nephi 31:20). I used to think this simply meant studying the scriptures a lot and treating them as spiritual food every bit as necessary as physical food. But there’s more to it than that.

Feasts are never meant to be solo activities. They’re celebrations meant to be enjoyed with others. So, as we press forward and wade through our tribulations, we need to make sure we’re talking to others, asking for help, feasting together on God’s word, and letting their faith strengthen our own.

President Jeffrey R. Holland taught, “You can bear the struggles of this mortal life because we will help you bear them. You are stronger than you think. Help is available, from others and especially from God.”

The difference between wading and swimming is that when you wade through water, even if you’re neck deep in it, you can still touch the ground to walk. Wading through our trials is no different.

You may feel like you’re about to drown in hardships, but God promises that if you keep your feet firmly planted on Christ, the rock beneath you, your trials “shall have no power over you to drag you down” (Helaman 5:12).

So above all, remember your Rock, and remember His promise:

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow. For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

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