Another source of suffering for the faithful is found in increased perception of the evil in the human heart. The suffering of the faithful consists largely in suffering from a greater awareness of the depth and breadth of evil that exists in this world while enduring the lack of an equally enhanced awareness of good. Their awareness of the wickedness of the hearts of men causes them to suffer in their desires to free people from the grip of sin.
It was said of Jesus that:
24 ...he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2)
How did he know? From constant, repeated experience. As a young child, he naively assumed that all people were like him, or even better than he was. He was continuously disappointed in his projection of his inherent goodness onto others, who bitterly disappointed and betrayed him over and over again throughout his whole life.
Those who will be disciples of Christ will experience the same to the degree they love him and follow his example in all things. Some prophets have written of their discovery of human nature:
1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.
2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.
3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.
4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world! 5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!
6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth. (Helaman 12)
The righteous must endure great persecution. They are attacked because of the light that is in them, and many of those who harm them do not realize what they are doing or why.
Those who follow Jesus will feel the pain of others wasting what they have paid the price to bring them. Those who have sacrificed the most to obtain and give away the most will feel the most pain in seeing what they offer underappreciated, resisted, or rejected.
The righteous suffer “with great anxiety even unto pain” for the welfare of those who choose wickedness and their victims (see Alma 13:27). The limited benefit and great cost of things sought after in the world are continuously before those who have sought after and found God, causing great sorrow. Still, what hurts more is the knowledge that they possess the key of deliverance from chains, yet the enslaved will not take it.