Hales - Healing Soul and Body - October 1998

Elder Hales discusses that since the last time be spoke in conference, he suffered this third heart attack.  He talks about the healing process and notes that although he couldn't so many things physically, he was able to mentally ponder on the things of God.  This talk is about his ponderings and the way that the healing of the body is much like the healing of the soul that is damages and in need of repair.

• I discovered that if I dwelt only upon my pain, it inhibited the healing process. I found that pondering was a very important element in the healing process for both soul and body. Pain brings you to a humility that allows you to ponder. It is an experience I am grateful to have endured.

He speaks about the need for faith and that the experiences we have are given to us to teach us deeper things.

• I have come to understand how useless it is to dwell on the whys, what ifs, and if onlys for which there likely will be given no answers in mortality. To receive the Lord’s comfort, we must exercise faith. The questions Why me? Why our family? Why now? are usually unanswerable questions. These questions detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith. We need to spend our time and energy building our faith by turning to the Lord and asking for strength to overcome the pains and trials of this world and to endure to the end for greater understanding.

He speaks about the need to be in the scriptures.  This will enhance our pondering and our healing process.  With scripture study we need to add prayer and listening as these are essential to learn what the Lord would have us do.

• If you and I are to feast upon the words of Christ, we must study the scriptures and absorb His words through pondering them and making them a part of every thought and action. Just as studying the words of Christ is an element of pondering, so too are diligent, faithful prayer and listening to the Spirit.

He shares that a result of ponder on the things of eternity, we will be given the gift of gratitude for the Savior and for the blessing that He has given to us.

• Pondering the things of the Lord—His word, His teachings, His commandments, His life, His love, the gifts He has given us, His Atonement for us—brings about a tremendous feeling of gratitude for our Savior and for the life and blessings He has given us.

We need to remember that the Savior knows us personally.  He suffered for not only our sins, but He suffered for every pain of mortality that we can experience.

• Our Savior knows the heart of each of us. He knows the pains of our hearts. If we seek the truth, develop faith in Him, and, if necessary, sincerely repent, we will receive a spiritual change of heart which only comes from our Savior. Our hearts will become new again.

He speaks of pain and how it is a necessary part of mortality.  It is not always caused by our disobedience or the result of our unrighteous actions.

• In this mortal life, each of us is going to experience pain in one form or another. Pain may come from an accident or from a painful medical condition. We may feel deep pain from the mourning that appropriately comes with the loss of a loved one or the loss of affection from one we hold dear. Pain may come from feeling lonely or depressed. It often comes as a result of our disobedience to the commandments of God, but it also comes to those who are doing all they can to keep their lives in line with the example of the Savior.

Christ is the ultimate caregiver for our souls.  He has provided us the Atonement that we can live with him again.

• The Lord is the ultimate caregiver. We must surrender ourselves to the Lord. In doing so, we give up whatever is causing our pain and turn everything over to Him. “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee” ( Ps. 55:22 ). “And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son” ( Alma 33:23 ). Through faith and trust in the Lord and obedience to His counsel, we make ourselves eligible to be partakers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ so that one day we may return to live with Him.

We need to remember that in our pain, we should draw closer to the Savior instead of pulling away.  True healing comes from the Lord on his timeline.

• When pain, tests, and trials come in life, draw near to the Savior. Healing comes in the Lord’s time and the Lord’s way; be patient.

I have come to learn that the Atonement is so much more than a forgiveness of our sins.  It is a healing tool that in time, will make all things right.  Elder Hales talks a lot of about pondering and I can see from his talk that part of being healed is understanding the roll that the Savior plays in making all things right in our lives.  Part of the healing process is acknowledging the Savior's roll in our lives.  When we recognize that the Lord is trying to teach us things that will prepare us for eternity, our perspective changes and we realize that we have a loving God that only wants what is best for us.  Although the trials of mortality may cause us hurt and pain, we need to realize that these experiences help us become something more than what we could have been without them.