Straiten Through Afflictions

I have been studying 1 Nephi 15 to 22 this week. I have learned some important lessons. The main one that I have learned is that we are given trials, struggles, and afflictions to make us stronger and to gain the blessings that the Lord has in store for us.
I started learning this lesson as I was reading chapter 17. In this chapter, Nephi is commanded to build a ship, and the Lord shows him how. His brothers mock him and call him a fool for thinking he can build a ship and cross the vast waters. They didn't believe that the Lord had commanded him to build a ship and was showing him how. He stood up to his brother and told them that if the Lord could bring the children of Isreal out of bondage, He can help him build a boat saying in verse 37  to 40, "And he raiseth up a righteous nation, and destroyeth the nations of the wicked. And he leadeth away the righteous into precious lands, and the wicked he destroyeth, and curseth the land unto them for their sakes. He ruleth high in the heavens...And he loveth those who will have him to be their God..." He continues on to say that the Lord "did straiten them in the wilderness...because of their iniquity" in verse 41. I looked up straiten because I wanted to see why they would use this spelling of the word. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, straiten means to make narrow. According to dictionary.com, it means" to put into or bring into difficulties or distress." To me this means, he is telling us that the Lord was giving them difficulties and narrowing their options because they are not following the commandments.
Now, I am going to skip to chapter 20. This chapter is like Isaiah chapter 48. I want to concentrate on just a few verses: 10, 18, and 22. "For behold, I have refined, thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction...O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments - then had peace been as a river, and they righteousness as the waves of the sea...there is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked." We are being told that the Lord is refining us with afflictions and if we follow the commandments we will have peace and a greater influence on others. Also, if we don't listen to Him, we will not have those blessings. Afflictions are not fun. Dictionary.com defines affliction as, "a state of pain, distress, or grief." We are not given peace automatically. We have to go through the "pain, distress, and grief" while obeying the Lord and following his plan for us. As we do this, he will bless us with peace.
In the Hymn book for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are taught "Sweet is the peace the gospel brings to seeking minds and true," in Hymn 14. As I have been studying the scripture over the last few weeks, this hymn has brought more and more meaning into my life. It has calmed me when I am scared, it has helped me in my studies, and it has helped me be more patient with my family. I know that the Lord brings us to Him through our trials and obedience. I am so happy that I have the opportunity to truly study and learn from the Book of Mormon!