Make it Better

I've been in the middle of some tough situations.  Really tough.  Tough enough to break my heart and bring me to my knees in desperate prayer.  Going to the Lord for help is not a bad thing.  I should do it way more oftener than I do.  Maybe next time I won't be driven to prayer - I'll be there all by myself!

As I work with the good people in these tough situations, I wonder how the Lord would react.  I've agonized over what to say.  I've asked to guidance in handling things lovingly - His way.  And I've gotten glimpses of how difficult I must be to deal with, and how patient and loving and gentle and never-giving-up the Lord is with me.  Thank you, Jesus.  Please continue to guide my footsteps, because I'm not out of the minefield yet.

I found a good guideline today.  It came from devotional address given by Elder Holland recently.  I've been listening to it in snippets all day as I have a few quiet moments, and it is positively uplifting.   He said that in difficult situations, we need to use care in responding.

"However one would respond to (insert your difficult situation here), the rule forever is that it has to reflect our religious beliefs and our gospel commitments.  Therefore, how we respond in any situation has to make things better, not worse.  We can't act or react in such a way that we are guilty of a greater offense than (the original situation created)."  -Jeffrey R. Holland

That is something for me to chew on.  In my effort to be understood, or to get my point across, or even to do the right thing, am I actually making the situation worse?  Christ would apply the healing balm of Gilead and make it better.

I can, too.

Now, I'm off to watch the rest of it.  You should give it a go.  Watch it rather than read it.  He's so good!  And then go make the world better.