The Healer - Broken Things to Mend

 I've been thinking a lot recently about Jesus and His ability to heal.  When He was on earth He invited people to come to Him and He healed them. He healed them from sickness, pain, blindness, disease and other physical ailments.  But He also healed so many broken hearts and minds that were sick and souls that were lost.  Those days that He spent healing others must have been exhausting.  He didn't just snap His fingers and heal the entire crowd all at once, but instead, He took them one by one, and ministered to each person and took the time to let them know the He saw them and He knew them and He loved them.

In my own life I've turned to Christ at times when I needed healing.  I remember in some of my saddest, and most painful, moments I've dropped to my knees and asked Christ for help.  I've come to know that He is the source of healing, especially when it comes to heartbreak, sadness, despair and other things that are taking place within ourselves, where no one else can see.  The healing doesn't always come quickly, but I've learned time and time again, that the healing does come.  And He sits with me through it all and I find comfort in knowing that He is there. 

I've become a huge fan of the new series called The Chosen.  It's all about Christ and His ministry here on earth and it's so good.  It's helped me to grow so much closer to Jesus and to learn more about Him and His teachings.  One of my favorite parts so far is when He heals Mary Magdalen. She had pretty much given up all hope and her mind was troubled and her heart was broken.  Her life was sad and dark and lonely.  And in an instant Christ came to her and healed her and completely changed her life.  Her past didn't matter.  She had been made whole and her life had meaning. It's so amazing to think that Christ has that power and that ability to heal and make us whole.  

Here is the scene from The Chosen where Mary is healed:

Here is a blog post I wrote in 2009 all about this topic. It's one that is on my mind a lot and I am so thankful for the times in my life when Jesus has mended my broken heart.

BROKEN THINGS TO MEND

"So last night I was hanging out with some friends and I went to my room to grab my phone. I happened to drop my phone (which isn't an unusual occurrence) and when I picked it up I looked at the screen and I thought, "Oops! I did it again!" I was so mad! Another phone broken!!! I think in the past year I've been through 4 or 5 different phones. My wonderful friends tried to console me and I put up my best front as I mourned the loss of yet another beloved cell phone. We had a good laugh as we spoke of my other cell phones, like the flip phone that was held together only by a wire, and another phone that had a screen that turned black. Then a friend mentioned my camera with the broken screen and I thought about how so many things in my life have broken. So what do I do when things in my life break? Well, when my cell phones break I either buy a new one or inherit an old one from a friend. When my camera broke I learned to keep using it despite the broken screen. I just can't see the display of the pictures I am taking. So, whenever I use my camera, I am reminded of its brokenness. Whenever my car broke down I took it into a mechanic to get it fixed and then when it could not longer benefit from fixing, I got rid of it.

When I went to bed last night, I kept thinking of these broken things. Then I thought about broken hearts and hopes and dreams. Where do we go to "fix" those broken things? My thoughts turned to a talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland called, "Broken Things To Mend." I pulled it up online and read it, searching for an answer. When we suffer from a broken heart where do we go to get it fixed? Do we take it in to be fixed and pick it up a few days later? Do we buy a new one? Or do we just let it stay broken and have a constant reminder of the pain that caused it? The answer, of course, is quite simple. Who mends our broken hearts? The answer is:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

When we have a broken heart that needs fixing, we take it to the Savior and He can fix it and heal the pain. He is the only One that knows how to heal us and make us whole again. Elder Holland said that during His mortal ministry the Savior was saying to us, “Trust me, learn of me, do what I do. Then, when you walk where I am going,” He says, “we can talk about where you are going, and the problems you face and the troubles you have. If you will follow me, I will lead you out of darkness,” He promises. “I will give you answers to your prayers. I will give you rest to your souls.”

We do not have to pay money for the healing and we do not have to live with the pain. All we have to do is come unto Christ. He has felt ALL of our broken hearts. Can you imagine? What a painful and horrifying experience, but He did it for a purpose. He suffered so that we don't have to. What an amazing blessing to know that when we are broken, we can be mended! All we need to do is take our broken hearts to Christ and He will mend them and make them whole once again.

In Nazareth, the narrow road,
That tires the feet and steals the breath,
Passes the place where once abode
The Carpenter of Nazareth.

And up and down the dusty way
The village folk would often wend;
And on the bench, beside Him, lay
Their broken things for Him to mend.

The maiden with the doll she broke,
The woman with the broken chair,
The man with broken plough, or yoke,
Said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?”

And each received the thing he sought,
In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll;
The broken thing which each had brought
Returned again a perfect whole.

So, up the hill the long years through,
With heavy step and wistful eye,
The burdened souls their way pursue,
Uttering each the plaintive cry:

“O Carpenter of Nazareth,
This heart, that’s broken past repair,
This life, that’s shattered nigh to death,
Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”

And by His kind and ready hand,
His own sweet life is woven through
Our broken lives, until they stand
A New Creation—“all things new.”

“The shattered [substance] of [the] heart,
Desire, ambition, hope, and faith,
Mould Thou into the perfect part,
O, Carpenter of Nazareth!”
-George Blair

I am grateful for my broken phones and broken cameras and broken cars. They remind me that I am truly blessed. I am grateful for the broken hearts and hopes and dreams. They remind me that I have a Savior who heals me and makes me whole."

Jesus Christ: Creator

 

I'm not sure about you, but I'm a sucker for an amazing sunset.  The other night I was walking past the front door and caught a glimpse of the sunset outside and had to do a double take.  The sky was on fire and it was beautiful! The same thing just happened tonight.  I glanced out the window and saw some pink and purple painted across the sky.  I like to think of sunsets as God taking His paintbrush and giving us something beautiful to remind us that He's here and that He loves us.

As I looked at the sunset tonight one of my favorite name's for Jesus came to mind: Creator.  I can only imagine how sacred, and also how fun, it was for Christ during the creation, to watch as the earth was formed and to find joy in adding a beautiful mountain range here and an incredible waterfall there and wide open spaces with green rolling hills and the sandy beaches full of sea shells and crashing waves.  Sometime I even imagine that He asked us to help Him and maybe we each got to add a couple of brushstrokes to this planet we call home. 

I love this scripture: Colossians 1:16: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Jesus is a creator and He created us in His image.  So if we were created to be like Him, then we are also here to create.  What a huge blessing it is to create.  To make something that has never existed before.  And I also love that there are so many different ways to be creative.  Some people are amazing at creating beautiful pieces of art, others create music that touches the soul, some create beautiful homes that are sanctuaries to those that enter, some create beautiful babies and beautiful families and beautiful traditions that go on for generations.  Some create delicious meals for those that are hungry and some create long-lasting friendships that last forever. 

There are times in my life when I get a little stir crazy or feel a little disconnected and it usually comes down to realizing that I haven't been doing anything creative.  I do believe that we also have an innate desire to create, just like our Savior did.  We get to create beautiful, messy, exciting, chaotic and happy lives. Our lives are a canvas and Jesus has taught us to create of our lives a masterpiece.  It won't be perfect, but it is our own work, created through our own blood, sweat and tears.  And when we die we get to present that masterpiece to our Father in Heaven, and Jesus will be there, adding His grace and His mercy and filling in the cracks and sewing up the tears and turning each mistake into a beautiful stroke of paint that completes our masterpiece and He helps us see the beauty in the life we lived on earth and the life we get to continue to create after we go home to heaven.

The sun has now set, there is a bird sharing his beautiful song outside my window and the Creator of all things, both in heaven and on earth, is anxiously awaiting to see what I create next.  I better get to work.

PS: this video below is one that I've loved for many years. Enjoy!

Christlike Attribute: Patience

As I've been thinking about different names of Christ, and different Christlike attributes, that I want to study this year, the one word the keeps coming to mind is patience.  I probably keep thinking about it because it's a Christlike attribute that I would really like to improve in myself.  Patience is hard.  I'm the type of person that wants things done and I want them done NOW.  I have a hard time setting long-term goals because I want to see the results right away.  When a trial comes my way I just want to get through is as quickly as possible, with the least amount of pain or struggle as possible, and sometimes focus so hard on getting through it that I don't take time to consider what it is the Lord is trying to teach me. 

Today my mind has been thinking a lot about my Savior Jesus Christ.  Usually the word patience doesn't come to mind when I think of Christ.  So I asked myself, "Did Jesus practice patience?  If so, how did He practice patience?"  I just went back to the dictionary and the word patience is defined as: the quality of being patient, as bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.

Did people try to provoke Christ? YES.   During His earthly life I'm sure getting provoked by others was nearly a daily occurrence, especially once He started his ministry.  

Did people annoy Christ?  YES.  I am sure He experienced so many things that annoyed Him.  Not just with those who didn't want to hear what He had to say, but even I'm sure His own disciples were annoying at times.

 Did Christ experience misfortune?  YES.   He was born in a stable.  He was ridiculed and surrounded by people that hated Him and wanted Him dead.  He was beaten and crucified. 

Did He suffer pain?  YES.   He suffered more pain than I can ever imagine.  I burnt a small part of my hand this morning when I was curling my hair and it hurt.  The burn has been stinging all day.  Christ suffered such pain that blood seeped out of every pore of His body.  My brain doesn't even know how to comprehend that amount of pain. 

Did He do it without complaint? YES.  He loved those that provoked Him and annoyed Him.  To those that were willing, He sat down with them, met them where they were, and ministered to them and loved them.  He didn't pray and say, "Heavenly Father these people are too mean and too annoying and I just don't think I can deal with them anymore."  Instead He said, "Come unto me and I will give you rest.  I will help you carry your burdens and make your life more peaceful."  And He continues to invite and to include everyone that will listen to Him. 

 Did He do it without losing His temper? YES.  There were so many times when it would have been so easy to lose His temper, but instead, He pressed forward with love and with patience.  During His trial and His crucifixion it could have been so easy to lose His temper and to scream and yell and get angry at those that were hurting Him.  But instead, He bore it all with patience and in the end He even prayed that God would forgive those that were killing Him.  

 Did He get irritated with people? NO.   I'll be the first to admit that I get irritated with people.  Don't get me wrong. I love people! But sometimes I just get irritated.  Someone doesn't do what they told me they would do.  Someone isn't really listening to me when I'm talking to them.  There are so many things.  I grew up with five brothers, I know how it feels to be irritated.  But Jesus looked past the small and petty things and saw the worth of each soul.  He knew the desires of their hearts and the hurts and pains that they carried.  He loved them too much to get irritated with them.  

So what does all of this mean for me?  How does it teach me to have more patience in my life?  It means that Christ knew that Heavenly Father had a plan for His life and He trusted that plan, even when it was really hard to do so.  He knew that after the struggle would come so much joy.  He knew the only way to help each one of us, including me, was so suffer what He had to suffer through.  

I know that God has a plan for my life too.  And I know the finish line will be glorious, better than any of the best days I've ever lived here on earth.  It's all of this in between stuff that takes patience.  I wish I could skip the in between and find eternal joy and happiness without having to go through any of the struggle, without having disappointments, heartache and failures.  

Jesus taught us that it's the in between that matters most.  What He endured from the time He was born, until the day that He died, is what prepared Him and made it possible for Him to rise from the dead on that third day and make it possible for me, and for you, to live again with our Father in Heaven, with our Savior Jesus Christ, and with the people in our lives that we love so much.  He patiently endured that "in between" and I know that I can too.  

This morning during my own personal scripture study I came across this verse in James 5:11, "Behold, we count them happy which endure."   I want to be counted as one of the happy ones.  That happiness comes from Jesus Christ.  From learning from His example the worth of every soul I meet. And along the way learning the worth of my own soul. He knows my heart, He loves my spirit and He is so incredibly patient with me.  Count me happy.  

*painting by Greg Olsen

   

He is my Redeemer

 Every Sunday for the next year I will be studying a name, or attribute, of Jesus Christ and writing my thoughts here.  I have really been wanting to get to know Jesus better and I am looking forward to finding Him as I study these things and seek after Him.

A name of Jesus Christ that I have always loved is Redeemer.  He is my Redeemer.

In the dictionary it says that the definition of redeemer is a person who redeems.  So what does it mean to redeem?  To redeem means to free from what distresses or harms.   When I think about that I think about how Jesus can, and will, save me from all those things that can harm me.  He makes good all that is wrong. He releases from debt and blame. He helps to overcome. He frees from captivity.  He frees from the consequence of sin. He changes us for the better. He makes us worthwhile.  

Jesus Christ makes me worthwhile.  He saves me, and will always save me, from distress, harm, sin, sadness, captivity, loneliness and heartache.  I am worthwhile because of Jesus Christ and no one has the power to take my worth away.  It is already there, and always will be.  Because of Him.  

"His act of redemption was accomplished out of His love for us and in large measure out of His understanding of what we are and what we face. Though He was always God, mortality fully touched Him. Therefore, He understood our strivings and failures; He knew us, because He became one with us. But in condescending to be like us, He is now able to lift us to become like Him (see 3 Ne. 27:14–22)." -Richard D. Draper

He loves me because He knows me.  He knows my heart and the desires I hold so deep within it.  I think it's because He knows my heart so well that He is so willing to redeem me. He knows I am worth saving.  He knows we are all worth saving.  I think if we all saw the deep desires of each other's hearts, and the hopes and fears and tender feelings we hold deep inside, we'd all do anything we could to help each other, love each other and treat each other with such gentle kindness, just like our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

My List of 40 Things To Do Before I Turn 40

Ten years ago I set a goal of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30.  It was a fun list, and a busy year, and I was able to do most of the things on my list.  As I've been thinking about my birthday coming up in tomorrow, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do this year.  I'm turning 39 years old tomorrow, which means I am one year away from the big 40!  So I've decided to make a list of 40 things I want to accomplish before I turn 40.  It's a big list, and it's going to take a lot of work, but I'm really excited to work on these goals and see what this next year brings.  I'll journal my experiences here.  If you want to join me on any of these goals, please let me know!

1. Break a Bad Habit

2. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon

3. Go on a 40 Day Spending Freeze

4. Read 40 Books 

5. Hike 40 miles on the Appalachian Trail

6.  Go 40 days straight without watching television

7. Visit any states that I haven't been to: North Dakota, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Connecticut

8. Complete the following workout series from Beachbody: Barre Blend, P90X and #mbf

9. Write a personal statement and display it where I can see it each day

10. Run/walk/hike 40 miles in one day

11. Bake an amazing cheesecake

12. Watch 40 movies that I haven't seen

13. Build a shelter/cabin using trees in my backyard

14. Buy a piece of art that I'm proud to display

15. Plan and follow through on 40 secret acts of service

16. Do something scary in my work life - something that stretches me.

17, Reach my goal of donating $1 Million to Charity

18. Fit into my Gold Pleather Wranglers

19. Lose 40 pounds and be in the best shape of my life

20. Go on a 40 day social media fast

21. Try 40 new recipes

22. Hike 40 different hikes

23. Learn to build a fire from scratch

24. Learn to juggle

25. Go on a 40 day fast from sugar, bread and meat

26. Plan my 40th Birthday TRIP!

27. Put 40% of each paycheck towards savings/retirement

28. Ride in a helicopter

29. Complete a triathlon or marathon

30. Study and share a thought each Sunday about an attribute of Jesus Christ

31.  Go 40 days straight of spending 40 minutes a day studying the Gospel of Jesus Christ

32. Try paddle boarding

33. Write a handwritten note to 40 people that have made a difference in my life.

34. Have my WILL written

35. Take classes to learn about becoming a foster parent/adoption

36. Put together a Webb Family History book

37. Learn to get Rip properly trained and perhaps get another dog

38. Build a piece of furniture out of wood

39. See the Northern Lights

40.  Try mountain biking for the first time

I'm Back!

Hey world!  It's been way too long since I've written on my blog.  I've missed it.  It always seem the case that when you get out of the habit, it's always so hard to get back into it.  Now and then I think about jumping back on here and writing a new post, but then I let the thought leave my brain as quickly as it arrived.

Next week I turn 39 years old.  How in the heck did I get so old?  I still feel like I'm in my twenties and I still feel like I have so much to learn about life.  But I also feel like so much life has happened in the nearly seven years since I last posted on this blog.  My brain, and my heart, are full of words to share and thoughts that need to be sent out here to cyber space where maybe they will find the one or two humans that are needing to hear them.

I'm taking this new commitment to keeping up my blog in baby steps.  Sometime soon I'll jump right in and get writing again.  But for now, I just want to say hi.  I'm here.  I've missed you.  

Day 21: Giant Chicken Car!