“Well what would you say to someone else going through this same experience?”
I was going through a time in my life where I felt really lonely.
I was venting to a friend, and she asked me this question.
Boom.
Immediately, ideas, comfort, and perspective came to my mind!
Have you ever noticed that before?
It’s sometimes a lot easier to coach other people through their hard times than ourselves.
We can see the little tender mercies that other people may have missed!
We can offer them an eternal perspective!
We can give advice for how they can improve the situation!
But when we are going through the tough time, doesn’t there seem to be a lot more self-pity?
“I don’t need comfort because I should be able to figure this out in my own.”
“There’s nothing I can do to make this better.”
“This isn’t fair, and I’m not sure why I have to endure this.”
One of the most transformative experiences is when we start to realize that all these things we “believe” ACTUALLY and LITERALLY apply to our own situations.
In one of the most tender and vulnerable interactions in all of scripture, a father approaches Jesus and asks Him to heal his son.
“Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief”. (Mark 9:23-24)
Elder Bednar has commented about one possibility for this father:
“He may have believed in Christ generally but not believed Christ specifically and personally.”
What a sweet admission, for this man to tell Jesus that he needed help to believe with even greater conviction.
To make the transition from “Jesus heals everyone!” to “Jesus can heal my son.”
We usually only find out where we are at when we need the help and the miracle the most.
Do we believe in Jesus AND do we believe that Jesus can actually make a difference in our lives, no matter the circumstances?
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
