Have you ever asked yourself why do bad things happen? I like to think of myself as a pretty positive person. I try to find the silver lining. I try and find the good. And because of my faith I have some perspective that helps me see the big picture.
But a couple of weeks ago I was thinking about some hard things. Because life can be hard sometimes. I was reading about a sweet innocent little baby. He had a genetic condition that put his life in jeopardy. It was the same condition we thought our daughter had almost two years ago. And it’s a hard thing by itself to handle. But this poor, brave little child was having complication after complication. There were so many problems happening. And it seemed unfair. Unfair to this sweet little spirit to have to endure this physically painful ordeal. And I can’t imagine what his sweet mother must be going through. To watch your child go through something like that would be so hard.
And I found myself praying and wondering ‘why?’.
And then I remembered that we have a Savior. And that He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane willingly for us. That He actually felt every pain this sweet baby faced. He felt the sorrow, the despair, and the pleading of his mother. He felt everything she has ever felt. And He felt these things willingly so He could succor us. I have no idea how she is really feeling, but I know of Someone who does. And He is there for us, with open arms. And because this perfect person was willing to feel all the heartache, sorrow, loneliness, physically pain, and anguish of our soul, He can heal us. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be healed. It takes time. But He can bring peace and comfort when no one else can.
But that isn’t it. He also felt feeling of spiritual inadequacy. He felt the sorrow for our sins. And if we turn to Him we can repent and be made clean. As the only perfect person to walk the earth only He could take this yoke upon Himself. Only He qualified to be our Savior. Only He can save us from our sins. I really enjoyed this talk given by Dallin H Oaks. (Click over and read it!) He shares…
“Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal, and strengthen all men and women everywhere”
But that isn’t all. Our Savior Jesus Christ died for you and me. And because of His death and His glorious resurrection we too can live again. That is the good news! That is the message missionaries all over the world are sharing. That Christ has overcome death. He has overcome physical death and if we repent and follow Him we can overcome, with His grace, spiritual death. We have come to this earth to prove ourselves to our Father in Heaven that we will follow Him. We knew there would be trials. And maybe even some of us volunteered to take on hard things. For in doing so we could become more like Him. By doing hard things we become closer to Him.
Yes there are hard things. And we may think, “Why is this happening to me?”. But as we are weeping or suffering we can remember He too has gone through these things. He will not leave us comfortless. When terrible things happen to us we can remember that Christ has overcome the world and these problems will be just for a moment. As I was studying in the Old Testament today I read something that stood out to me. It shared that Israel had expected to move into the promised land without effort. We knew before we came to earth that it would be challenging. But we came because we wanted to return to live with our Heavenly Father and to become like Him. We have to go through the refiner’s fire to become who we were born to be.
So as I was crying for this baby and his dear mother I felt peace and hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t seem fair. But we are not to endure these things by ourselves. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can find peace. We can be healed. God has not left us here without hope. He loved us so much that he sent his Only Begotten Son.
I invite any of you that are in pain or feeling overwhelmed to come unto Him. Pray to our Father. Pour out your heart and turn to Him. And search the scriptures. Our Savior loves each of us more than we can comprehend. He knows us better than we can know ourselves. And only He know exactly how you feel. He has felt every sorrow and worry of your heart. He is not just my Savior. He is our Savior. I love this quote from Sister Linda S. Reeves (see more Women’s Conference Highlights)
“Sisters, I do not know why we have the many trials that we have, but it is my personal feeling that the reward is so great, so eternal and everlasting, so joyful and beyond our understanding that in that day of reward, we may feel to say to our merciful, loving Father, “Was that all that was required?”…
…What will it matter, dear sisters, what we have suffered here if in the end those trials are the very things that which qualify us for eternal life and exaltation in the kingdom of God with our Father and Savior.”
Putting life in perspective and remembering why I am here on this earth gives me purpose. And as I remember that my Savior was willing to be in agony and suffer for me I know that I am not alone when life is hard. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. He has overcome death and made it possible for us to live again. Because of His atonement we can be made clean and we can become whole. It is my prayer that you feel His love and the peace and grace that come through the Atonement.
