Healing During The Holidays

(Note: This was a talk that I originally gave in December of 2003)

When we received our December (2003) Ensign, our daughter, Amy, was exited to see the new “Joy to the World” video which came with the magazine. However, instead of pronouncing the title “Joy to the World”, she said instead, “Joy of the World”. This caused me to think for a moment, The Savior’s coming truly was a moment of joy to the world. However, for those who love and serve the Savior, He can truly become the Joy of the world as well.

This being the case, how do we answer the following question: Is the Savior the Joy of my world? For the next few minutes, I would like you to ponder that question in your own hearts.

At Christmas time, we celebrate the coming of the Savior into the world. The Prophet Alma describes the mortal mission of the savior in:

(Alma 7:10-13.)

10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

This scripture gives us a wonderful description of the purposes for which the Savior came into the world. He came and suffered all things that we might be called upon to suffer in this world: He suffered every pain, every sickness, every temptation. He took upon himself our sins. He suffered persecution and abuse, even to death. He overcame the grave, and was resurrected. He provided the way that we can be saved from our sufferings, both physically and spiritually, and one-day overcome the world, just as he has. And because he has suffered all these things himself, he also knows the pains and sufferings that we experience, AND, most importantly, he knows how to heal us.

Knowing this, we can be sure that the Savior has provided the cure for any heartache, disappointment, anguish, despair or torment that we may feel. He came into the world with “healing in his wings”, to bind up our wounds, and to make us whole again.


The Cause of Heartache and Disappointment

In each of our lives, we suffer from the wounds, heartaches and disappointments that are a part of mortal life.

Some of these wounds are those which we have brought upon ourselves through our own sins or poor decision making. The burden of sin inflicts the deepest wounds, and ladens us with the heaviest burdens we can carry in mortal life.

Some of our heartaches disappointments come simply as a result of what I call, “Random Acts of Mortality”. These are things of which we are called upon to endure through no fault of our own. These might include accidents, illnesses of both body and mind, or simply just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The agency of others sometimes causes us great pain and suffering. When others use their agency to inflict harm on us, we can suffer great loss.

Sometimes it may be one of our children or other loved ones, who use their agency to pursue forbidden paths outside the laws of the gospel. Our love for them causes us to have great anguish when they choose to be disobedient.

Some may feel a lack of purpose and meaning in their lives. Life seems to be hollow and empty, because they have chosen to fill their lives with that which cannot feed their souls, and bring joy to their hearts. They are seeking for happiness in all the wrong places. As Alma taught, “Wickedness never was Happiness”.

President James E. Faust once said: “One reason for the spiritual sickness of our society is that so many do not know or care about what is morally right and wrong. So many things are justified on the basis of expediency and the acquiring of money and goods. . . Those who persist in following after the evil things of the world cannot know the “peace of God, which passeth all understanding.”

President Faust Continued: Someway, somehow, we must find the healing influence that brings solace to the soul. Where is this balm? Where is the compensating relief so desperately needed to help us survive in the world’s pressures? . . . comfort in large measure can come through increased communion with the Spirit of God. This can bring spiritual healing.”
(Elder James E. Faust, April 1992 General Conference, “Spiritual Healing”.)

What are some ways in which we can receive the healing influence of the Savior in our lives? Each of us carries burdens, each of us bears the wounds and bruises of mortality. Each of us needs the healing balm that the Savior can provide. Hear are several ways in which we can apply the healing balm of the Savior to our lives:

1. Priesthood Blessings. Priesthood blessings can be a source of Spiritual Healing. Both blessings of comfort and counsel, as well as administering to the sick following an anointing with consecrated oil. Christ is the great Physician, . . while the Comforter is the agency of healing.”

2. Temple Worship. Temple Worship can be a source of the healing influence of the Lord. Temples provide a place where we may go to lay aside many of the cares and worries of the world. Temples are places where we can find a peaceful sanctuary from the world, and where the Lord can heal our broken hearts and bind up our wounds.

3. Scripture Study. Studying the scriptures regularly allows the words of the Lord to directly enter our hearts and minds. These words have great power, if we will feast upon them and take them into our souls.
As we let the power of the scriptures have a greater influence on our lives, we will begin to crowd out those things that cause us heartache and disappointment. We will be motivated to repent and make changes in our lives which will bring us closer to the Lord, and increase our portion of joy in the world.

4. Invite the Spirit. Avoid those things which may cause the Spirit of the Lord to depart from us. The Word of Wisdom is perhaps more important for our Spiritual Health, than it is for our physical well being. While we know of the harmful effects of the substances proscribed by the word of wisdom, these same substances also harm our spirits, and interfere with the delicate communications from the Holy Ghost.
Physical well being is important, but the ability to receive the peace and comfort of the Holy Ghost is perhaps even more important.

I might also add that anything that causes the Spirit of the Lord to withdraw from us is harmful to our spirits, just as breaking the word of wisdom harms our bodies. We cannot be healed by the Savior without the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost.

5. Prayer. Honest, sincere prayer is one of the best ways to draw closer to the Lord, and invite His healing power. Prayer is the “soul’s sincere desire”. When we call upon our Heavenly Father, in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and when our words are uttered by the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can become one with the Lord. We can know His mind and will for us. We can feel His love, and know that not only is he aware of us, but that he truly wants us to return into his presence. We can feel the healing balm of the Savior being applied to our wounds.

6. The Sacrament. Each week, as we attend sacrament meeting, we have the opportunity to worship the Lord, and to partake of the sacrament. As we repent, and come unto Christ, in meekness and lowliness of heart, we can feel the burdens of sin being lifted from our souls as we partake of the sacrament. As we are cleansed from or sins by the Savior, through this holy ordinance, we become more worthy vessels, and qualify to have a greater portion of the Spirit of the Lord with us. Through this process, we can be freed from the heaviest burden we can bear in this world, which is the burden of sin.

The spirit can also provide comfort to us for our pains and sorrows. Through the Spirit, we can gain insight and perspective regarding the trials and tribulations that we may be called upon to bear. We can come to understand more of God’s plan for us in our lives.

Some trials and tribulations may not go away anytime soon. In the case of illness or handicaps, they may last for the duration of our mortal lives. Sometimes we may not know why we are called upon to bear these challenges. But through the Spirit, we can be strengthened and enlarged to carry weight of those burdens, that they may become light unto us, until the purposes of the Lord have been fulfilled.

7. The fallacy of Inactivity. The opportunity of partaking of the sacrament, and receiving the associated blessings of the Spirit can only be ours if we attend our meetings. Too many of our members miss out on the spiritual renewal that is available to those who come and partake of the sacrament through attending sacrament meeting. Without regularly undergoing the repentance process and partaking of the sacrament, the burdens of sin become increasingly more heavy to bear. Our spiritual vision and perspective become clouded. We may become disaffected, or even blame God for our problems and disappointments. The Spirit of the Lord becomes less and less a part of our lives, until it can become only a distant memory.

When a person reaches this point, they are particularly vulnerable to succumbing to the philosophies and wisdom of the world, and the subtle whisperings of the adversary. If the Spirit of the Lord were more present in their lives, these philosophies and temptations could not stand the light of truth. However, without that light, they become murky shades of gray, and the truth is not so readily apparent. Those who think they can stay at home or participat in recreational activities on Sunday, instead of attending their meetings and partaking of the sacrament are missing out on great blessings, and are placing themselves in spiritual danger.

8. Giving Unselfish Service. When we provide unselfish service to others, we also can unlock blessings for ourselves.

After completing high school, I attended BYU for one year prior to leaving for my mission. During that freshman year, I felt very overwhelmed by the experience. I was keeping the commandments, and doing well at school, yet I still felt something lacking -- a kind of hollowness and emptiness inside. I remember attending a fireside in the Marriott Center, where a General Authority Spoke. I don’t remember now who the speaker was, but he challenged us that if we would give service to others, that we would find great solace to our souls as we forgot ourselves in the service of others.

My roommate and I decided to take him up on the challenge. We decided that we wanted our service to be in secret. So we invented a fictitious character named ”Bryan Bateman”. We came up with the name by using our two middle names: My middle name is Bryan, and Batman was my friend’s middle name. We then began to look about us in the dormitory in which we lived, and found that there were many, like ourselves who were also struggling. We would then write them letters of encouragement, signed by “Bryan Bateman”, and offer them small gifts and tokens of our appreciation. We also made it a point to spend time with and befriend these individuals under our real identities as well.

As we did this, we noticed that those to whom were the focus of our attention were improving. However, we also noticed that as we looked outside of ourselves, and forgot about our own problems and worries, and started to feel after the needs and concerns of our neighbors, that our own problems and worries seemed to be diminished, and we were healed. Many of the heartaches and disappointments that we had experienced had seemed to melt away.

It was at this time in my life that I discovered the 5th verse of the Hymn, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief”. It Hymn Number 29 in our hymnbooks, and reads as follows:

Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
I found him by the highway side.
I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
Revived his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment--he was healed.
I had myself a wound concealed,
But from that hour forgot the smart,
And peace bound up my broken heart.

As I read this verse, I received a manifestation of the Holy Ghost that this was what happened to me. It is a lesson that I have never forgotten.

Many years later, I would learn from one of those friends in college, that the efforts my roommate and I came at a most opportune time. This young man was severely depressed, and unbeknownst to us he was seriously thinking about taking his own life. One of the things, we later learned, that helped him through that time, in his most desperate hour, was one of our letters of encouragement. The love, concern and encouragement expressed in the letter were enough to help him through one of his darkest hours. Now he is a school teacher, and the father of eight children, and makes many contributions in his own ward and stake.

It was the Savior who taught, “He who seeketh to save his life shall lose it; and he who loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (JST Matthew 10:34.) I found this to be true, as my roommate and I forget ourselves, and began to server others, we seemed to lose our own problems. The wounds and heartaches of our souls were healed.

I still find this to be true today. I know that my family and I are blessed as we serve others. This can come in a myriad of different ways: It could be serving as a home or visiting teacher. It may be as we fulfill and magnify our callings in the church. It can come in the form of fulfilling welfare assignments, cleaning the church building, or simply reaching out to our neighbors, and lifting up the hands that hang down, and strengthening the feeble knees. In a way, the payment of our tithes and offerings is also a form of unselfish service, because of the effort required to earn the money that is donated. In other words, one-tenth of our labor in our employment is dedicated to the building up of the Lord’s kingdom on earth as we pay our tithing. Service may also include our efforts within the walls of our own home, as we unselfishly look to the needs of our family members. No matter what form it may take, our service to others must be with an eye single to the glory of God, not for our own glory or worrying about who gets the credit, or recognition. And when we do so, the Lord blesses our own lives in many ways – not the least of which is to help us solve our own problems and troubles.

I have a little saying that I say to myself: “I know that if I will take care of His business (meaning the Lord’s business), that he will help me take care of my business.”

Remember the call of the Savior to each one of us when he said:

(3 Nephi 9:13-14.)
13. “ . . . will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
14 Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

So if you feel weighed down by the pressures and anxieties of life. If your heart is not right with the Lord. If the burdens you carry seem hard to bear – Come unto the Lord. For he has said, “Come unto me all ye that labor, and I will give you rest.” Draw near to the Lord, for he will draw near unto you. He will send you His Spirit, and you will be strengthened and comforted. Forget yourself in the service of others, and you will find your life – even a new life. A life filled with light and love, purpose and meaning, and hope and joy.

May you, with the angels, sing “Joy to the World”. And may you also know that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, is also the Joy of the World.