Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum if the Twelve Apostles spoke in General Conference November 2018 of the ‘Wounded‘ saying:
On March 22, 2016 just before eight o’clock in the morning, two terrorist bombs exploded in the Brussels Airport. Elder Richard Norby, Elder Mason Wells, and Elder Joseph Empey had taken Sister Clain to the airport for a flight to her mission in Cleveland, Ohio. Thirty-two people lost their lives and all the missionaries were wounded.
The most seriously wounded was Elder Richard Norby, age 66, serving with his wife, Sister Pam Norby. Elder Norby reflected on that moment: “Instantly, I knew what had happened. I tried to run for safety but I immediately fell down. . . . I could see that my left leg was badly injured. I [noticed] black … soot drooping from my hands… it was not soot but my skin had been burned. My white shirt was turning red from an injury on my back. “As all the consciousness of just what happened filled my mind, I [had} this very strong thought:. . . the Savior knew where I was, what had just transpired, and (what) I was experiencing at that moment.”1
There were difficult days ahead for Richard Norby and his wife, Pam. He was placed in an induced coma, followed by surgeries, infections, and great uncertainty. Richard Norby lived but his life would never be the same… 2
. . . . We search for happiness. We long for peace. We hope for love. And the Lord showers us with an amazing abundance of blessings. But intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain: there will be moments, hours, days sometimes years when the soul will be wounded. The scriptures teach that we will taste the bitter and the sweet 3, that there will be “opposition in all things”.4 Jesus said, “[Your father maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”5
Wounds of the soul are not unique to the rich or the poor, to one culture, one nation, or one generation.
Jesus Christ Is Our Good Samaritan; Never give up—however deep the wounds of your soul, whatever or whenever they happen, and however short of long they persist, you are not meant to perish spiritually. You are meant to survive spiritually and to blossom in your faith and trust in God.
God did not create our spirits to be independent of Him. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through the incalculable gift of His Atonement, not only saves us from death and offers us, through repentance, forgiveness of our sins, but He also stands ready to save us from the sorrows and pains of our wounded souls.10
The Savior is our Good Samaritan, 11 sent to “heal the broken hearted.”12 He comes to us when others pass us by. With compassion, He places His healing balm on our wounds and binds them up. He carries us. He cares for us. He bids us, “Come unto me . . . and I shall heal [you].”13
“And [Jesus] shall. . . {suffer] pains and afflictions and temptations of every Kind; . . . that . . . he [might] take upon him the pains and sicknesses of His people . . . [taking upon Himself our] infirmities, [being] filled with mercy.”14 ….
Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish;
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts; here tell your anguish.
Earth has no sorrow that heav’n cannot heal.15
At the time of enormous suffering, the Lord told the Prophet Joseph, “All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” How can painful wounds be for our good? In the crucible of earthly trials, patiently move forward, and the Savior’s healing power will bring you light, understanding, peace, and hope.17
Don’t Ever Give Up
Pray with all your heart, Strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ, in His reality, in His grace. Hold onto His words: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”18
Remember, repentance is powerful spiritual medicine.19 Keep the commandments and be worthy of the Comforter, remembering that the Savior promised, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”20
(To access Elder Anderson’s complete talk go to: ‘Wounded’)
References:
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Personal conversation, Jan. 26, 2018.
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In a conversation earlier this year, Richard Norby said to me, “We answer to what has been given us.” He shared this from his journal: “The tests and trials that come to each of us give the opportunity and privilege to better know the Savior and understand in deeper detail his atoning sacrifice. It is he we lean on. It is he we seek out. It is he we depend on. It is he we have confidence in. It is he that we love with all our heart, without any reservations. The Savior has covered all the physical and emotional pains that are part of mortality. He takes the pain from us. He absorbs our sorrows.”
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“Lord, I Would Follow Thee,” Hymns, no. 220.
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“We will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25; see also Doctrine and Covenants 101:4–5).
- A friend wrote to me: “A nearly five-year battle with emotional ‘darkness and gloom’ in varying degrees takes you to the very edge of your capacities, resolve, faith, and patience. After days of ‘suffering,’ you are tired. After weeks of ‘suffering,’ you are exhausted. After months of ‘suffering,’ you begin to lose your ground. After years of ‘suffering,’ you submit to the possibility that you’ll never get better again. Hope becomes the most precious, and elusive, of gifts. In short, I’m not sure I know how I got through this trial, save it was [the Savior]. It’s the only explanation. I can’t explain how I know this, except that I do. Because of Him, I got through this.”
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See Luke 10:30–35.
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Luke 4:18; see also Isaiah 61:1.
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Alma 7:11–12. “He descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6).
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“Come, Ye Disconsolate,” Hymns, no. 115.
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“Thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain” (2 Nephi 2:2). “I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 36:3).
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See Neil L. Andersen, “The Joy of Becoming Clean,” Ensign, Apr. 1995, 50–53.
