After a stake conference that I was asked to preside over, the stake president introduced me to a wonderful and courageous young single adult woman. I learnt that just weeks before serving a mission she was diagnosed with a severe and acute form of cancer. She had undergone painful, lengthy and invasive treatments that left physical and emotional scars.
I could see and feel her anguish. My heart wept for her. She was in tears as she questioned why this happened to her as she had such a strong desire to serve the Lord. “How should I go on to live the rest of my life with so much uncertainty?” she asked. I invited her to treat every day of her life as a gift from God. After all, none of us know when our Heavenly Father will call us home. If we live and love every day we have breath(1), and place ourselves in the service of our God(2) we will feel blessed, even in our trials and tribulations. I shared some personal things with her that I learnt about turning to God and finding joy in my own afflictions. The Spirit moved me to invite her to consciously step outside of herself and I urged her to pray for mindful eyes. That she may see through the eyes of the Saviour the trials of others and be a blessing to them every day of her life.
Our perspective of our own lives will change when we strive to serve others. Our bitter cup(3) will become blessed(4) and sweeter as we strive to shift from a “why do I suffer?” to a “how can I serve?” mindset. We will feel supported by angels and experience the healing power of the Saviour more abundantly in our lives.
In Mark chapter 5, we read of a woman who had suffered for 12 years with an issue of blood. Her condition not only affected her health but also left her socially isolated. She must have been desperate. When she heard of Jesus, she believed that touching His robe would make her whole. In faith, she reached out and touched it. Jesus turned and looked for her saying: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (5) Now here is the remarkable thing, she wasn’t just physically healed, she was “made whole”, restored spiritually, mentally, emotionally and socially.
Jesus Christ offers more than just comfort or healing, He offers wholeness. We may all carry unseen burdens: pain, illness, grief, addiction, doubt, guilt or shame. We may feel broken and in need to be made whole. When we reach toward Heaven in our anguish, and cry unto the Lord(6) in an earnest faith-filled prayer, He hears us, meets us where we are, and makes us whole.
The deeper meaning of wholeness is to be complete, at peace and aligned with our Heavenly Father. Through the Saviour’s Atonement we can all overcome physical and spiritual death and be made whole.
My wife Kirsty and I took part in the 2022 International FSY in Germany. One FSY song from that year has stuck with me the most. It’s called ‘Healer’. These are the words of the refrain:
He’s the healer,
The deliv’rer
From all pains, from all burdens and scars.
When you’re hurting,
Find His mercy,
And He will fix ev’ry piece of your heart.(7)
I find it hard to sing along without getting emotional and shedding tears. Oh, how I need the Saviour to abide with me and make me whole! As we walk the covenant path with faith together, the Saviour walks with us. His invitation is the same for all of us: “Come unto Me”.(8) He knows your heart. He knows the burdens you carry. And He alone can make you truly whole.
1. Mosiah 2:21
2. Mosiah 2:17
3. Matthew 26:39 & 3 Nephi 11:11
4. Matthew 26:27
5. Mark 5:34
6. 2 Nephi 33:3
7. ‘Healer’, words and music by Nik Day. Arranged by Mitch Davis, Nik Day, and Sean Hubrich
8. Matthew 11:28-29