The Healing Power of Jesus Christ and the Atonement

Portions taken from below talks: Lessons on Healing by Elaine S. Marshall The healing power of forgiveness James E. Faust All through the scriptures there are stories of the healing that Christ did during his ministry on the earth. There must have been a reason why so much of Christs life was spent on healing. If we look at the purpose of why Christ came to this earth, I think we can start to see and understand as to why he spent so much time healing. One of the main reasons Christ came to this earth was to teach us how to become like and to be an example ofour Heavenly Father. Why is healing such an important part of that? What are we to learn through the healing process? Christ suffered the Atonement to equally give us the opportunity to be healed spiritually as well as physically. How can we be healed physically through the same atonement that is supposed to heal us spiritually? I guess we can denounce that the process must be the same in both healings. Sis.Elaine Marshall talks about the first day that she was to start her nursing career and how much she wanted to heal people. She has since learned throughout her nursing career that healing is a process of restoring and become whole. The processes involved in physical healing mirror in many ways the spiritual healing we all required to do at difficult times in our lives. She states that there are six lessons we learn through the physical healing that help us to heal spiritually as well. 1) Healing Hurts How often do we hear someone who is about to go through a procedure ask Will it hurt? If we are truthful, the answer would nearly always be Yes, it will hurt. Healing hurts, Life hurts. Healing really begins only when we face the hurt in its full force and then grow through it with all the strength of our soul.For every reward of learning and growing, some degree of pain is always the price. Author M. Scott Peck suggests that if you do not want pain, you must do without many things. I think you would do without friendship, dating, working, getting married, or having children. Sometime in life, crises happen that will threaten everything we have based our beliefs on throughout our life. You might seem to lose hope and feel that you cannot emerge from the pain, and that nothing will ever be the same. During the moment of hurt, it is very easy to feel this way. -You may not get your first choice in school or in the career path you wanted. -Maybe that special person does not have the same revelation you think you have. -Maybe you lost someone so close to you that no success in your life will ever be the same because you cant share it with them. -Some of us suffer the wrenching consequences of sin or poor judgment and the consequences that follow. -You may be entangled in activities with others or on the internet that you wish you had never started. - You may have fallen into a deep trap of debt We hurt when we see our failures. Our lives are changed forever, not only by the pain buy by facing our need to heal.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles warned:

The world around you is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few of you, it may be nearly drowning you. You can change. You can be helped. You can be made wholewhatever the problem. All he asks is that you walk away from the darkness and come into the light, his light, with meekness and lowliness of heart. Christ has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, Isaiah declared, and with his stripes we are healedif we want to be. If we want to heal the hurt, we need to understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Atonement that was suffered to heal us spiritually as well as physically. 2) The next thing we need to learn is that Healing is an Active process that you have to participate in. No one can do it for you, not your friend, your spouse, you mom or dad. No one but you can heal. You have to face the problem as well as the pain. To begin healing, you must acknowledge and feel the hurt. Only those who dont feel, those without a conscience, cannot heal. Sis.Mashall talks about her first day of being a nurse. She states that she thought being cured and healing were synonymous. She has since learned that they are not necessarily the same. A Cure is clean, quick, and done often under anesthesia. The antibiotic kills the pathogen, the scalpel can cut out the malignancy or the medication can resolve the chemistry problem in the body but healing may involve a lifelong process of recovery and growth. It often required time. Sometimes we pray for a cure but in reality, we need healing. Weather we are in need of physical healing to our muscles, cells or nerves or are in need for spiritual or emotional recovery, healing requires our work, time and energy. 3) The third thing is that Healing is a private thing. Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught: There is, in the suffering of the highest order, a point that is reacheda point of alonenesswhen the individual (as did the Savior on a much grander scale) must bear it alone. Even the faithful may wonder if they can take any more or if they are in some way forsaken. Those who stand on the foot of the cross often can do so little to help absorb the pain and the anguish. It is something we must bear ourselves in order that our triumph can be complete.6 Healing is not only private, it is sacred. Weather we are healing our bodies, which are temples of God, or healing our spirits, which are children of God, it is a very sacred thing. There is something very sacred about partaking of the power of the Atonement to overcome suffering, disappointment, or sin that happens in the privacy of our special relationship with our Heavenly Father. He is the master healer and wants us to come to him to be healed. It takes personal reverence, which as I taught my primary children, means respect and awe. There are many times when Jesus said to the people he had just began the healing process with See thou tell no man; but go thy way. This does not mean that we need to go through the entire healing process alone, as many times, we need others to help us through processes. It just means that much of the work of healing is done alone, inside the heart, in the company of the Spirit of the Lord.

This inward healing is a process of living. It is a daily task. It happens quietly, while you face the pain, and over time as you live, work, study and give service to others. 4) Another purpose of the process of pain and healing is that it is a teacher. My son earned money to purchase a bow with some arrows and has been practicing it at a local sports shop. The man that owns the shop is a great teacher. As Tucker was holding the bow the first few times, he was not wearing a wrist guard. I was concerned, as a Mother, that he would let that string go and he would get severely hurt by it rubbing his wrist. We talked to the teacher about him putting on a wrist guard and he stated No, pain is a very good teacher. Meaning that if he got hit, he would learn real quick the correct way to hold the string so it didnt hit him. Knowing how Tucker was very stubborn, I allowed this to happen as I understood what the teacher was saying. And he was right, It only took 2 times for him to get swiped by the string for him to realize the correct way to hold the string. I know the standard answer we give when asked why we are here on this earth is that we are here to gain a body and be tested. Well I like to think of it a bit differently. We know that Heavenly Father knows what we will do in every situation that we come across. He doesnt need to give us trials to see how we will react to them and in so doing raise us up to another level. He knows what we will do. We dont know what we will do. We have not learned how we will react and what we need to do to react in each situation that comes our way. I know that the main reason we are here on this earth is that it is a school for us to learn how to become like our Heavenly Father and eventually become diving beings ourselves. That being said, every event that happens and painful thing we have to endure is meaningful and teaches us part of an attribute that will bring us closer to that goal. When we are in the pain, we have no understanding why and what it is that will bring us closer to the meaning of the lesson we are learning. Elder Orson F. Whitney (18551931) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: No pain that we suffer is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer , especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we [came] here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.7 When we look at it in those terms, it seems like a much more God like method of learning. We are not being tested so the teacher will know the outcome, we are given lessons so we will know and learn the attributes of God. The faster we learn these attributes, the closer we become like our Heavenly Father on earth. This also puts us on a different level when we die. If we have learned more attributes of our Father in Heaven here on earth, we will be closer to the goal when we pass through the veil onto the other side. 5) The fifth lesson of learning the healers art is the obligation and great gift it is to help other heal. President Gordon B. Hinckley has admonished: As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, ours is a ministry of healing, with a duty to bind the wounds and ease the pain of those who suffer. Upon a world afflicted with greed and contention, upon families distressed by argument and selfishness, upon individuals burdened with sin and troubles and sorrows, I invoke the healing power of Christ. Every day we come across people in our path that are hurting. People who are afraid or feel inadequate or someone that needs a friend. Someone needs you to notice them and reach out to help them to heal.

Sometimes we are so caught up in our own wounds and healing process that we forget that we have been put here on the earth together to help each other reach the same goal of becoming diving beings. You can help heal wounds of misunderstanding and contention. You can serve the same cause as the Master Healer. 6) Sis. Marshall states that the last and greatest lesson of healing is that it is a diving gift that is always available from a loving Heavenly Father. If you have any pain, physical, emotional or spiritual or if you have sorrow, disappointment or even just a grudge that needs healing, the Savior simply says Come unto me. When Jesus ordained the Twelve, He specifically gave them the power to heal and instructed them to go about using their gifts freely. President Hinckley has promised: Jesus of Nazareth healed the sick among whom He moved. His regenerating power is with us today. His divine teachings, His incomparable example, His matchless life, His all-encompassing sacrifice will bring healing to broken hearts, reconciliation to those who argue and shout, even peace to warring nations if sought with humility and forgiveness and love.10 We make solemn covenants based on Christs atoning sacrifice, and we take upon us his name, Elder Holland reminds us. In as many ways as possible, both figuratively and literally, we try to take upon us his identity. We seek out his teachings and retell his miracles. We send latter-day witnesses around the world to declare his message. We call ourselves his children, and we testify that he is the only source of eternal life. We plead for him to swing open the gates of heaven in our behalf and trust everlastingly that he will, based upon our faithfulness. When we learn to heal ourselves and eventually others, we have learned one of the most beautiful attributes that our Heavenly Father has. We have gained a divine knowledge in that area. 7) I would like to add one thing to the process of healing through our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the healing power of Forgiveness. Elder James E. Faust talks about a story that truly shows the benefits of this process. He states: In the beautiful hills of Pennsylvania, a devout group of Christian people live a simple life without automobiles, electricity, or modern machinery. They work hard and live quiet, peaceful lives separate from the world. Most of their food comes from their own farms. The women sew and knit and weave their clothing, which is modest and plain. They are known as the Amish people. A 32-year-old milk truck driver lived with his family in their Nickel Mines community. He was not Amish, but his pickup route took him to many Amish dairy farms, where he became known as the quiet milkman. Last October he suddenly lost all reason and control. In his tormented mind he blamed God for the death of his first child and some unsubstantiated memories. He stormed into the Amish school without any provocation, released the boys and adults, and tied up the 10 girls. He shot the girls, killing five and wounding five. Then he took his own life. This shocking violence caused great anguish among the Amish but no anger. There was hurt but no hate. Their forgiveness was immediate. Collectively they began to reach out to the milkmans suffering family. As the milkmans family gathered in his home the day after the shootings, an Amish neighbor came over, wrapped his arms around the father of the dead gunman, and said, We will forgive you.1 Amish leaders visited the milkmans wife and children to extend their sympathy, their forgiveness, their help, and their love. About half of the mourners at the milkmans funeral were Amish. In turn, the Amish invited the milkmans family to attend the funeral services of the girls who had been killed. A remarkable peace settled on the Amish as their faith sustained them during this crisis.

One local resident very eloquently summed up the aftermath of this tragedy when he said, We were all speaking the same language, and not just English, but a language of caring, a language of community, [and] a language of service. And, yes, a language of forgiveness.2 It was an amazing outpouring of their complete faith in the Lords teachings in the Sermon on the Mount: Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.3 The family of the milkman who killed the five girls released the following statement to the public: To our Amish friends, neighbors, and local community: Our family wants each of you to know that we are overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace, and mercy that youve extended to us. Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desperately need. The prayers, flowers, cards, and gifts youve given have touched our hearts in a way no words can describe. Your compassion has reached beyond our family, beyond our community, and is changing our world, and for this we sincerely thank you. Please know that our hearts have been broken by all that has happened. We are filled with sorrow for all of our Amish neighbors whom we have loved and continue to love. We know that there are many hard days ahead for all the families who lost loved ones, and so we will continue to put our hope and trust in the God of all comfort, as we all seek to rebuild our lives.4 How could the whole Amish group manifest such an expression of forgiveness? It was because of their faith in God and trust in His word, which is part of their inner beings. They see themselves as disciples of Christ and want to follow His example. Forgiveness is not always instantaneous as it was with the Amish. When innocent children have been molested or killed, most of us do not think first about forgiveness. Our natural response is anger. We may even feel justified in wanting to get even with anyone who inflicts injury on us or our family. Dr. Sidney Simon, an authority on values realization, provided an excellent definition of forgiveness as it applies to human relationships: Forgiveness is freeing up and putting to better use the energy once consumed by holding grudges, harboring resentments, and nursing unhealed wounds. How much energy are you wasting on holding onto a grudge or being offended by someone or even a larger infliction of pain? Could you use that energy in a much better way. Is this learning an attribute of our Heavenly Father and applying it in our lives? If you have something that is sucking the energy out of you, why let it continue. Start the process of forgiveness and use that energy for something that deserves your time much more. Being hurt and learning to forgive is another process that our Heavenly Father gives us to learn to become more like him. He is the most forgiving person there every could be and if our goal is to become like him, we need to realize that the challenges we have in our life were given to us, again, not as a test for him to see how we would react, but as a lesson to us to learn how our Heavenly Father would react and teach us to become more like him. Physical and spiritual healing comes through forgiveness of others as well. Waiting for others to repent forfeits the peace and happiness we could have. If we can find forgiveness in our hearts for those who have caused us hurt and injury, we will rise to a higher level of selfesteem and well-being.

Some recent studies show that people who are taught to forgive become less angry, more hopeful, less depressed, less anxious and less stressed, which leads to greater physical well-being.9 Another of these studies concludes that forgiveness is a liberating gift [that] people can give to themselves. I know that this is the case in my life. When I stopped holding grudges for things that had happened in my life, my depression went away and I was much less stressed about the daily things in life. One other thing we need to remember is that sometimes a healing cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are healed by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us as were the people who followed Alma. They were in bondage to wicked people but the Lord gave them strength to easily handle their trials. The healing power of the Lord Jesus Christwhether it removes our burdens or strengthens us to endure and live with them like the Apostle Paulis available for every affliction we have in our lives. I strongly believe that the atonement was given to us as a method to become more like our divine Heavenly Father and if we are to progress in this life toward that goal, we really need to take a look at the healing that needs to be done in our lives. Do we have physical pain that does not ever seem to go away and engulfs our emotions? Do we have grudges that we cannot let go of? Do we feel hurt and abandoned by someone or by our Heavenly Father? Is there anything in your life that is sucking up your energy? Start the healing process. Know that we were given something to take that pain away or help us learn to deal with it so it does not consume us. Several years ago, I took the atonement into my life and started the healing process for all aspects of my life. In so doing, my outlook on life has completely changed. I have no more depression and the little things in life dont bother me as much anymore. I am able to handle them as I am always striving to look at the bigger picture and my goal of becoming like my Heavenly Father. I testify that this can happen in your lives if you take a good look at what is needlessly taking up your energy and starting the process of healing.