Got myself to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple yesterday. It has become my temple of choice lately. I got there about 30 minutes before the session began, and with some time to spare, read from the Bible. I was reading in Luke, of how the Savior healed so many people of so many difficulties, despite constant interruption and discomfort. Some came to him with mental illnesses, and some with physical, and he healed them all. There were two stories in particular that really leaped out at me. One was the story in Luke 5:18-19, where the man sick with the palsy is brought to the Savior by his friends. And because they can't get into the house where the Savior is, they climb up onto the roof, and lower him through the ceiling. This required the faith of both the man, and his friends, as well as the charity and love of his friends who willingly and lovingly brought him to the Savior. The other one that got to me was Luke 8:27-39. In this story, a man with very severe mental illness, who thrashes and gets very agitated, is healed by the Savior. And after he is healed, he sits at the feet of Jesus, filled with peace. Later he begs the Savior to be allowed to stay with him, but is told to go home and testify to everyone of his healing.
Interestingly, as I was pondering these two stories, there was a woman who arrived for the session. She spoke only Spanish, and was in a wheelchair. She appeared to have cerebral palsy, and possibly tourette's syndrome. As in the story from Luke 5, she obviously was incapable of going through the session on her own, and so many brothers and sisters were pitching in to help her. Arranging language translation, helping her get dressed, and helping her participate in the ordinances. And as in the story in Luke 8, there were times when she would get very agitated, but then times when her body and spirit would be very peaceful. The Spirit was so strong, as there was a real-life example before me of the two stories I had just read. It made me realize that we all are doing our best to come to the Savior despite our different issues, and sometimes it requires charity on the part of others to help us accomplish it.
Interestingly, as I was pondering these two stories, there was a woman who arrived for the session. She spoke only Spanish, and was in a wheelchair. She appeared to have cerebral palsy, and possibly tourette's syndrome. As in the story from Luke 5, she obviously was incapable of going through the session on her own, and so many brothers and sisters were pitching in to help her. Arranging language translation, helping her get dressed, and helping her participate in the ordinances. And as in the story in Luke 8, there were times when she would get very agitated, but then times when her body and spirit would be very peaceful. The Spirit was so strong, as there was a real-life example before me of the two stories I had just read. It made me realize that we all are doing our best to come to the Savior despite our different issues, and sometimes it requires charity on the part of others to help us accomplish it.
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