Alma 32: 1-16

"1...they did go forth, and began to preach the word of God unto the people, entering into their synagogues, and into their houses; yea, and even they did preach the word in their streets." Alma did not get discouraged even after being afflicted by witnessing the wickedness among the Zoramites. He moved forward with his mission. And because he did he found success. It says in verse 2, "And it came to pass that after much labor among them, they began to have success among the poor class of people; for behold they were cast out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of their apparel--"

Because of the coarseness of their apparel...They were being rejected because of their physical appearance brought about by their being poor. I can kind of relate to this...I guess many people do. It's not just the clothes but the color of the skin and stuff. In Asia, the white skin is beautiful. My skin is brown (I took from my Dad) while most of my siblings are white like my mom. Growing up, my dad would always tell me I am beautiful (of course--I look exactly like him). But outside our family, I could sense how people look at  me compared with how they look at others with fair complexion. I did develop an inferiority complex because of my looks. I'm just blessed for having a relationship (when I was in college) with someone who truly appreciate my looks. He's Filipino-American and would take the time to do sun-bathing to be able to copy my skin color. Even though our relationship didn't last very long, it had a great impact in my life--I was able to overcome my inferiority complex due to my looks.

I'm reminded of the scripture passage in the Bible. Speaking to the prophet Samuel in 1 Samuel 16: 7 the Lord said, "...for the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

The Lord looked on the heart of the poor Zoramites. When Alma heard their afflictions, "...he turned him about..., and he beheld with great joy; for he beheld that their afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they are in a preparation to hear the word." (verse 6) Finally, Alma found those who are ready to hear the word of God among the Zoramites. The Lord prepared their hearts through their afflictions.

Our afflictions initially look bad but they are actually blessings in disguise. We become humble because of them. When I was going through such experiences of being rejected because of my looks, I couldn't see how it was a blessing for me. It was a pain at that time instead of a blessing. But it's truly a humbling experience...The Lord was teaching me to be humble...Now that I am able to see clearly the purpose of my going through such feelings of being rejected, I appreciate it a lot more now than ever before. Everything truly has a purpose. Even the seemingly negative experiences we go through are only for our own good.