Today, there are a number of reasons to complain about the choices of God's inspired servants. -Children of same sex couples, women and the priesthood, campaigning against gay marriage.
In the past there have been a number of reasons to complain as well. "We might have been happy." -Laman & Lemuel / "We should have stayed in Egypt" -Israelites / "The Woolley handcart company should never have been permitted to leave at that time with so little protection and aid." -early Saints
What they didn't take into account was the Spirit's influence on the people that made these decisions and the blessings that followed.
Lehi was told to leave Jerusalem in a dream. He and his family gained much more than Lehi's life in the promised land than they ever could have under the rule of worldly leaders like Laban in Jerusalem.
Moses received instruction to take the Israelites out of Egypt for a promised land with connected freedoms. The Israelites gained more than just freedom in the promised land. They received preprepared farm land, buildings, and comforts.
Every member of the Wooley handcart company chose to leave at the time that they did, because they were impressed upon by the Spirit that this is where they needed to be. Their conversion was so strong that they left homes and comforts across the sea, taking only a few possessions and their incredible faith that they would make it...somehow, and they didn't mind the price they would have to pay to try. As evidenced in this famous account.
Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church, because everyone of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities...
The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company. (Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, p. 8.)
There are still reasons to complain/question direction today. But when direction is given from an inspired source, perhaps there is still a sea to cross, 40 years of toil, or a winter trail to plow before we will see clearly the very real reasons our leaders were inspired to make these seemingly radical decisions.
Good will always come from following inspired directors, even if sometimes the vessels of inspiration might get it wrong from time to time.
Doubt should never overcome the faith we put in inspired sources, because God's ways are always higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). And if we can't confidently put our faith in something that challenges us to grow, what good is hoping to change to become like God?
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