Sabbath Devotional :: The Healer's Art

“If you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.” (C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy)

This may not be the message that any of us want to hear right now, but I believe that it is perhaps the most important one I can offer. Simply put, having done one hard thing, it may be time for us to do another and harder and better one. We must each commit to transition from warriors to healers.

So how can we “learn the healer’s art” and truly accelerate the return to health that we are all in desperate need of? Let’s start with ourselves. We are battered and bruised, and may even feel deeply wounded by people we love. If we hope to be of use to others, we will need to give attention to those wounds and our sorrows. Some of that work can be done on our own — we can journal or talk our pain through with others, or practice acts of self-care. But we are still living through an unprecedented period of trauma, and much of our personal healing may require the active engagement of Christ’s Atonement. This power can help us to heal and forgive, and our knowledge of this power and our ability to access it, is a remarkable blessing.

As I have been reading in the final chapters of the Book of Mormon, I was struck powerfully by a simple declarative sentence made by Mormon. “(I) tasted and knew of the goodness of Jesus.’ (Mormon 1:15). This verse is simple and yet so evocative for me. Somehow this “taste” fortified Mormon in a way that allowed him to endure years of suffering and deep sorrow. What happens to us when we come to truly know the goodness of Jesus? It changes us, empowers us and protects us in ways that nothing else in the world can. It heals! And I know that this power is available to each of us as it was to Mormon.

Next, we probably need to assess how Christianity in general and our own faith in particular have experienced collateral damage in our most recent political wars. When holy spaces and communities are enlisted in acts of aggression and the aggregation of power, our churches are weakened. They are less able to do their most important work: bringing children of God to Christ for the healing that only He can provide. So as apprentice healers, we must work to repair any damage that has been done to His spiritual hospitals. We must have the deep faith necessary to value our communities more than our own pride or pain. We must work to rebuild relationships with our fellow saints and find ways to gently but forcefully expel the worldly influences that impede our communal worship.

Finally, I believe that we all have a beautiful opportunity before us. The opportunity to lead other women and men to the Master Healer. True disciples behave with sincerity and goodness, letting their lights shine in a dark world. However, while I believe that we can and should share truth and wisdom we have gained through our discipleship, and that we should also behave as bright and shining examples of Christ’s goodness and mercy, this alone will not suffice. We must boldly witness that He alone is the source of our own safety and happiness and connect others to Him so that they too can be healed.

Our nation and its people are in desperate need of mending, but to be a true healer requires patience, generosity and tolerance. It is the act of eradicating disease or pain and then working methodically to return a body or soul to health. Healing is an act of love, and acts of love have not been particularly common in recent days, while disease and pain abound. But I deeply believe that God will abundantly bless those who value the spiritual welfare and happiness of His children, and that in this moment we each have a chance to participate in the work of healing. We can do that by first turning to Christ, and then leading all who will listen to He who is mighty to save.