Part 3 - Wounds

(Read Parts 1 and 2 before this post)

Remember this is a work in progress and after typing parts 1 & 2 I started thinking that I need to explain what I mean by "wounds". In this essay of sorts, my definition of wounds is the mental, emotional, spiritual and even physical evidence of trials in ones life. This is something I am just discovering and mulling over in my brain so I hope it makes sense...

In his book entitled "All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience", Neal A. Maxwell said that there are three types of trials in this life, 1. Facing the consequences of our own unrighteous choices. He actually said this is the most common reason for our trials and if we really sit down and think about it, He's right. 2. The natural vicissitudes that come from living in an imperfect world with imperfect bodies. We get sick, our hearts are broken by the unrighteous choices of others, and we are subject to natural disasters, discomfort due to the weather, political upheaval etc. 3. A loving Father chooses to school us so that we can learn and grow and deepen our understanding of His plan.

If you ask me, the lines between each of these types of trials blur together considerably. We live in an imperfect world where others make unrighteous choices that cause us pain and sorrow which, in turn, may cause us to make wrong choices as a way of masking the pain (we all do it!). We are then left to face the consequences of our own choices which were put in place by a loving Father who wants to help us grow - and that is just one scenario - there are tons and tons of ways these lines blur. For example, when my husband and I were waiting for children to come. 9 long years we waited and hoped and prayed - it hurt and it brought sorrow - we were wounded. All this despite the fact that we had complete faith and trusted the Lord. It still hurt. Did that happen because of our unrighteousness? I honestly don't think so. It probably had more to do with the fact that my body is imperfect because we live in an imperfect world and for some reason the Lord saw fit that that particular trial was what we needed to help us grow closer to Him. He was right - oh how He was right.

This is actually the reason why we must be patient with each other and never pass judgment unless we have all the facts and WE WILL NEVER HAVE ALL THE FACTS. That is why the Savior reserves the right to judge for Himself - He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, why we do what we do and how hard we struggle and He knows when we display private courage, integrity, forgiveness and understanding - even if no one else knows this about us.

Suffice it to say that we each have wounds. The sources of those wounds are as different as each of us. Often, it is a given that if someone is suffering from wounds caused by certain physical illnesses or natural disasters or the hurtful actions of others or anything that is not the person's fault, it is so much easier for us to offer aid and comfort.

But when someone is suffering because of the consequences of their own actions or they are enduring pain from "taboo" wounds, such as mental illnesses, it is much harder for us to do as the Savior requests - "succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees." I am just as much to blame as the next guy but I hope I'm learning to overcome this. We must be wise yes, but let us not mistake fear for wisdom - that is exactly how satan wants it.

Interestingly enough, the pain that has brought me the most sorrow in my life is the pain I have felt because of the things I have done that brought sorrow to others - especially my Savior. I have a feeling most people feel the same. It might just be that when we are suffering from those self-inflicted wounds, we need more help from those around us than at any other time.