Doctrine and Covenants 54

How have you been blessed by turning to the Lord when you would get hurt by other's choices?

"Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet to Newel Knight, at Kirtland, Ohio, June 10, 1831. Members of the Church living in Thompson, Ohio, were divided on questions having to do with the consecration of properties. Selfishness and greed were manifest. Following his mission to the Shakers (see the heading to section 49), Leman Copley had broken his covenant to consecrate his large farm as a place of inheritance for the Saints arriving from Colesville, New York. As a consequence, Newel Knight (leader of the members living in Thompson) and other elders had come to the Prophet asking how to proceed. The Prophet inquired of the Lord and received this revelation, which commands the members in Thompson to leave Leman Copley’s farm and journey to Missouri.

1–6, The Saints must keep the gospel covenant to gain mercy; 7–10, They must be patient in tribulation.

1 Behold, thus saith the Lord, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, even he who was crucified for the sins of the world—

2 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, my servant Newel Knight, you shall stand fast in the office whereunto I have appointed you.

3 And if your brethren desire to escape their enemies, let them repent of all their sins, and become truly humble before me and contrite.

4 And as the covenant which they made unto me has been broken, even so it has become void and of none effect.

5 And wo to him by whom this offense cometh, for it had been better for him that he had been drowned in the depth of the sea.

6 But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment, for they shall obtain mercy.

7 Wherefore, go to now and flee the land, lest your enemies come upon you; and take your journey, and appoint whom you will to be your leader, and to pay moneys for you.

8 And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites.

9 And after you have done journeying, behold, I say unto you, seek ye a living like unto men, until I prepare a place for you.

10 And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 54)

And here's the commentary entitled: "I can turn to the Lord when I am hurt by others’ choices." :

"Have you ever suffered disappointment when someone you depended on didn’t keep their commitments? This happened to the Saints from Colesville, New York, who expected to settle on Leman Copley’s land in Ohio. To learn from this experience, consider reviewing the heading to section 54 (see also Saints, 1:125–28; “A Bishop unto the Church,” in Revelations in Context, 78–79). If you had a friend among the Colesville Saints, what counsel could you find in section 54 to share with them?

Leman Copley’s farm"

I did suffer disappointments before because of others' choices. If I had a friend among the Colesville Saints, I would counsel him/her to turn to the Lord. It's indeed a challenge to deal with a situation you get into as you deal with someone who is not reliable. Turning to the Lord is the best thing to do because He is the only perfect being whom we can trust. As we turn to Him, He softens our hearts towards our fellow human beings who are imperfect just like we are. When someone disappoints us, it's a reminder that nobody is perfect among us. Remembering that we all need to repent humbles us. Everyone has the tendency to disappoint someone, even myself. My job is to show more compassion to others and to myself. We can understand and forgive one another more just as the Lord wants us to do. We can choose to love one another and ourselves instead of beating others and ourselves up whenever a wrong decision is made. When we understand and remember that we do have the tendency to make mistakes from time to time, and we remember that mistakes are stepping stones for us to learn and grow to become our better version in this fallen world, and that the Lord did carry all our pains, and through turning to Him in faith, and choosing to do His will, it's a lot easier to let go of the disappointments that we suffer because of others' choices.