" The WHOLE need not a physician, but he that is sick"
What does it mean to be "Whole"?
Do you feel like you are whole right now, or is that something you hope for in the future?
I have been studying this idea of the Savior making me (us) WHOLE.
One of my all time favorite stories is where the woman with the Issue of Blood, reaches for the Savior's robe and touches just the hem of it, and yet she is made whole. Something she had longed for for 12 years. Later in Matthew, many are brought to the Savior, and as the verse reads., "and as many as touched his garment were made whole". I wonder how the word got out. Another story that is interesting to me is the one about the ten lepers that came to be cleansed. After Jesus told them to shew themselves to the Priests, they headed off and found they were cured. ONE turned around and gave glory to God. In otherwords, one man out of ten thanked the Lord for this miracle. Jesus says to him, "You are whole". So ten CLEANSED, and only one made whole.
That sounds like something more than just a physical cure. It sounds like it could be mental and emotion, not to mention spiritually cured too.
I know we all feel so NOT whole a lot of the time. A year or two ago, I wrote a post about being "broken", and I think the same idea applies here.
We all feel broken, a little cracked, a little "messed up" at times.
I have felt it so many times, I probably out do all of you. :)
I cannot tell you how many times I have sat in the celestial room in the temple in one particular chair, and looking up to the chandeliers, I have said to the Heaven's.
"WHY am I so messed up?"
During my "cancer year", I LONGED to be healed and made whole physically. It was some tough times for me, not just physically but emotionally as well. Anxiety was awful for me.
Now, my body seems to have recovered somewhat, and it is almost easy for me to forget I even had cancer.
I am now working on being made "WHOLE" by the Savior, mentally, emotionally , and spiritually.
I have come to the conclusion that this is MORE than possible because of the Atonement. and that the better we understand it and appreciate it, the more likely it is that we will have multiple moments of being made whole.
I don't think , however, that we will be perfectly whole in this life. Instead, I see myself having moments of glimpses into the future, of what Heaven will be like.
As the days pass by ever so quickly, I am having experiences that are teaching me that I am already WHOLE many times each day. Even though they might not last, I believe they are coming more and more often than any time in my life.
How do I know?
I feel the "fruits" of being made whole by the Master Gardener and Master Physician.
I feel Peace
I feel Joy
I feel Love for others
I feel calmness
I feel Faith
I feel ambitious.
All of these and more are telling me that I am TOUCHING the hem of Jesus' garment.
I am "Close Enough to Touch".........figuratively speaking......... ( title of a song but I don't know who wrote it)
Jeffrey Holland said once that if we feel broken, then we have a LOT OF COMPANY!
We have scriptural accounts of Nephi, Moses, Joseph Smith and others who felt like they were less than they thought they OUGHT to be.
That is some pretty good company!
I would love some feedback on your ideas about being made WHOLE , by the Savior. I am giving a Relief Society lesson on Sept 3rd, so send me some ideas ASAP.
Love you all,
Love, Karen
Thursday, August 23, 2012
"Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole"
Posted by Karen E at 1:05 AM
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4 comments:
Karen, I think that maybe we all fall into a trap that once the Lord has "made us whole" we then start thinking that we are set for the rest of our lives. I don't believe this is the case. All of our lives are filled with challenges, trauma and sorrows that we cannot overcome on our own. There are many times that the Lord has "made me whole" only to be met head on by a whole new set of trials and major setbacks. THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE! I cannot emphasize this enough! I believe that our goal as human beings is to learn to trust in the Lord, that he will make us whole through every stage of our lives. We must learn to turn to him constantly in every situation throughout our mortality. Only then will be truly be "made whole".
I liked what you said about being "whole" several times a day. It reminded me of the scripture in Alma 32-34 that says "And now, behold, is your aknowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand." So it is hard to be perfect or whole all at once. It is a process and eventually we will get there! But as we are on the right path and feeling those moments, we are doing okay!
You might find some insight on from this Seminary lesson:
http://seminary.lds.org/manuals/new-testament-video-guide/nt-vid-1-5.asp
or some good quotes from this talk by Elder Holland
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/broken-things-to-mend?lang=eng
and here's how a woman used the teachings about being made whole as it related to her addiction to sugar:
http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/7894
and here are a few good quotes:
President Harold B. Lee: “The greatest miracles I see today are not necessarily the healing of sick bodies, but the greatest miracles I see are the healing of sick souls, those who are sick in soul and spirit and are downhearted and distraught” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1973, 178; or Ensign, July 1973, 123 ).
by Elder Howard W. Hunter: “These are not only the words of faith of a father torn with grief but are also a reminder to us that whatever Jesus lays his hands upon lives. If Jesus lays his hands upon a marriage, it lives. If he is allowed to lay his hands on a family, it lives” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 93; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 65 ).
When I think of being made whole, I think of being incomplete. I think of the circumstances of life taking away something that you wanted or needed- like our family having a missing piece when Eric's not with us (spiritually) or how Krystal or Shannon felt after losing a child, or how you felt after losing your parents, or even feeling the loss of the Spirit or the sorrow of sin, and not being "spiritually whole." I think of how it's hard to feel really complete until the Savior comes and fills in the void, in whatever way he decides to do it, whether it's through a healing, or hope, or just comfort...but there are just some vacancies that cannot be filled, and wrongs that cannot be righted, until the Savior makes them right, and usually that's after lots of searching and imploring on OUR part. I think that's an important thing: We have to seek after it, not just sit around waiting for it to take care of itself.
A lot of good comments there! I just wanted to add that Rob has written a song about this (of course). From Lamb of God. I think it's called Make Me Whole. It's Martha singing, who says she has faith in Jesus, but doesn't understand everything. And she asks him to make her whole. Maybe you could use that?
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