The phrase "she was no stranger to pain" keeps going through my head. Perhaps it's because every single one of us has experienced pain of some sort, be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain. Everyone suffers. And the last thing I want to do is contribute to the suffering or pain of others.
Christ knows our pain, even the hidden pains that we experience. "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" (Alma 7:11). Because of His suffering, "which suffering cause [Him] even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit" (D&C 19:18), He knows what we are going through. Christ is no stranger to pain.
As I have pondered that we all experience pain, this scripture has taken on a new meaning for me: "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in" (Matthew 25:35). After enduring my own pain and suffering I know what a relief it is when I am offered comfort, a type of being invited into understanding, compassion, and love. I believe that we each have our own experiences we must endure. It's when we open our hearts to others to offer comfort and love that we can become strangers no more. Through Christ's suffering, He showed us the way to take others in, to feed them, and quench their thirst...and when we do, "no longer as strangers on earth need we roam" (Now Let Us Rejoice). This I testify.
No comments:
Post a Comment