Recently, after watching an episode of The Chosen, my dad talked
to me about some things that I had actually been pondering for the last few
months. In the particular episode we watched, the Savior healed a leaper and a
man who had been paralyzed since birth. By healing these people, along with so
many others throughout His ministry, the Savior was showing His power and His
glory. Ultimately, He was showing who He was, The Son of God.
Since Christ has already come to earth and has shown His
power and His glory, are we denied healing because He isn’t here in person to
heal us? Of course not! While the Savior might not be on this earth physically,
His power is still here. Any worthy male of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day Saints, who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, has the right to use
Christ’s power to heal, if it is in accordance with the will of our Heavenly
Father.
Over five and a half years ago, I was given a blessing of
healing. The words of the blessing gave me comfort and I knew that the pain I was
experiencing would go away. The pain didn’t go away. Days
turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and the pain still wasn’t gone. Not
only was I experiencing pain, but it was getting worse and I didn’t know why,
and my doctors didn’t know why. I was frustrated and didn’t understand why I
hadn’t been healed. I had had faith that I would be healed, and I had felt that
healing me was the will of the Father. So why wasn’t I healed? This question
has been on my mind quite often for the last five years. It wasn’t that long
ago that I finally got an answer.
I wasn’t healed immediately when I was given that first
blessing of healing, because my Heavenly Father knew I needed to go through the
experiences I did in order for me to grow and become the person He needed me to
be. I needed to go through some of the most heart wrenching experiences so I
could help others. I needed to experience them so I would know more of what my
Savior went through. I needed to go through them so I could testify that both
our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, are always right there with us
and that they are in the details of our lives. I needed to go through what I did
so I would know how strong I really am and how much stronger I could be with
the help of my Savior. I needed to experience what I did so I would know how
real and powerful the Atonement of Jesus Christ is.
Five years after receiving a blessing of healing, it finally
happened. Anybody who knows what I’ve been through in the last five years,
knows that I’ve had quite the challenge to get back on my feet and walking
again. I am happy to say that I can walk, and what’s even better is that I can
walk without the help or need of a cane or crutch to help keep my balance. I
have had to work hard and push through pain and discouragement every day to get
this far. I wear a brace that provides support for my foot and leg. I was
strongly opposed to this brace in the beginning but now I love it. It has made
such a difference in my walking ability and I will be forever grateful for the
tech who recommended this particular brace for my needs. He was definitely
inspired! Over the last year not only has my walking improved but so has my
balance. I still struggle with staying upright, especially if it is dark, but I
have come so far. I keep making improvements almost on a daily basis. There are
things that just a month or so ago I couldn’t do and now I can. I may not be
fully healed but in my eyes, I am healed. Everything is a work in progress, and
I am willing to do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be. I have come
to accept that there are certain things that I will just struggle with for the
rest of my life, and I’m perfectly fine with that. The fact that I have and am
still making progress is all that matters.
I will forever be grateful to my Heavenly Father for not healing me that Sunday in 2015. I am so grateful for the experiences I went through and the lessons they have taught me. I have seen miracles in my life, and I wouldn’t have experienced them without going through what I did. I can testify that Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. I know that He loves us so much and wants what is best for us, and sometimes what is best for us, requires us to go through some pretty hard challenges. We are given trials for a reason, and if we will allow it, we can learn and grow so much from the things we experience and endure. I know that the Savior is always right there beside us. He is our advocate with the Father. We can trust Him! I love my Savior and know that I wouldn’t be here without Him.
WARNING: SOME OF THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE A LITTLE INTENSE, SO VIEW AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
