Mike's Senior Picture
Mike and Gracie in September
I have been thinking a lot about Mike lately. I haven't seen him since November of last year. Mom tells me he's not doing that great. He's about the same--sometimes he's worse. I miss Mike. I want him to be healed. Two things have renewed my faith and prayers that Mike can be healed.
The first is witnessing what happened with Uncle Brent. I am so grateful that he was healed. We prayed for him along with all of you. His recovery is a miracle and renewed my faith in the Lord's healing power.
Second, we have been studying the New Testament since the beginning of the year. Ron and I have talked a lot about the healings that occur in the New Testament. Many of the people who are healed were brought to the Savior by family members or friends who had faith. If they hadn't been brought by their loved ones to see Jesus, they would not have been healed. In some instances, they couldn't have come on their own.
Matthew 8:16 says: "When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick."
Then there's the story of the man who was sick of the palsy:
"And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men." (Matthew 9:2-9)
In this story, the man's friends bring him to Jesus. Matthew says that when Jesus saw "their" faith, he proceeded to heal the man (both spiritually and physically). The faith of the friends of the man seems to be important to this healing.
Finally, there is the story of the daughter of Jairus:
"And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him...While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done." (Luke 8: 41-42, 49-56)
The father of this girl came to get Jesus. Probably she was too sick to be brought. When they are informed that the girl has died, the Savior speaks to the family and friends of the little girl saying "Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole." Again, the faith of the family is important to the healing of this little girl.
I feel that Mike needs the faith of his family. I know that he has been the subject of many prayers and I know we've held several family fasts for him. Mom and Dad especially have borne the burden of his illness and have done so much for him. One of Dad's favorite scripture stories is of the man who was healed at the Pool of Bethesda. This man was sick for 37 years. Many people in the NT were sick for years before they were healed. Like these individuals, Mike has been sick for many years. But if it is the will of the Lord, he can be healed. I know Mike can be healed. I know he will be healed in the resurrection, but I pray that his healing will happen in this life. I have been trying to pray more intently and faithfully on Mike's behalf and I hope all of our family will do the same.
8 comments:
thanks for this post jen...seeing mike so often, i have had a much more pessimistic outlook on it, as it can become very discouraging. and i have had many questions as to why he hasn't been "healed" or even really helped. he seems to just keep getting worse and worse. it is hard to see him live in fear. he has no kind of a functional life, he is just completely gone. that being said (those are my dark thoughts) i know that if the Lord wants to, michael CAN be healed. but for the Lord's reason, michael's "life" is the way it is. one day he will be whole again, i know that. and in the mean time i cannot let his illness get the best of me. i just feel sick/saddened when i think about how much it affects everyone and especially him and mom and dad. i wish i could be more hopeful in this life about this issue, and i know that my faith is weak, but i do know that the Lord is in control and that is comforting.
sorry about another comment....but i have so many feelings/issues when it comes to this. i wish i could be a more pro-active sister with michael. jen, you always seem so upbeat and kind to michael. i then feel guilty b/c i let the day to day dealings bother me sometimes and i get bogged down. i wish i could want to spend more time with him or i wish that i wasnt so bothered by the illness, but sometimes it is so weighty and heavy to see, that i would just rather not. i cant imagine how hard it has been for mom and dad b/c they see him almost every single day and he is their son. it is a hard thing to see the state that michael is in now. not just the hygiene, although, his looks have gotten very jarring...but the talking to himself, gesturing, pacing, the glazed over look, the wildness of his behavior sometimes. so i have a lot of guilty feelings, like i could do a lot more.
but again, thanks for this post b/c i have really been bothered by his state of affairs lately.
That was a beautiful post Jen. It brought tears to my eyes. I love all those NT stories and had just read the story of Jarius recently. Faith is a difficult principle of the gospel. I know for me, my faith was weak when my dad was sick. I felt like I was relying so much on the faith of others. Looking back on it, that bothers me and I have been trying to do things that would increase my faith. It is hard though. I know though that it is a true prinicple of the gospel and that it is so important. I am amazed over and over again by your faith, your parents faith and the rest of your family's faith. Your parents have been through a lot and even when they had their own burden, they were there for my family and I can't tell you enough how much your mom helped me through our trying time. She is a woman of great faith and I love her. Your whole family is and I love all of you so much. We pray and fast for Mike a lot and I know that he is in Heavenly Father's hands and he will be blessed, as will your family. I too, am praying that it will be in this life. Mike is a great cousin and I love him and I know that he will be blessed having to go through this. I love you Jen!
Jen, I love this post. I especially love seeing Mike's senior picture. When I have visited grandma I have spent time with Mike. I love him and whenever I go to the temple I put his name down. I too know he can be healed. I too hope it is in this life. If Jesus was here on earth, we would all bring Mike to Him. It is hard to understand why people have to go through difficult things like this. I guess we have to trust and have faith with these things. Uncle Brent is a miracle. He really shouldn't be alive- especially communicating and his old normal self- a true miracle and I am so glad that our prayers were answered and he was healed. I will always pray for Mike. My whole life through if need be. I am thankful for your faith Jen. It is strong and I am glad you shared this with us. I love u!
Jen, this post made me cry too because, although I haven't been around much during Mike's illness, I think about him a lot. We pray for him a lot. I have a lot of questions about God's will and faith. It is something I've been struggling with for awhile. I know that faith can work miracles but most of all I know we need to trust that Heavenly Father loves us and has a plan for us. Even if that plan isn't exactly our plan. I always struggle with "WHY?" and I need to just trust. I wish I had better things to say but I don't. Please just know, and let your parents know, that we always pray for Mike and we love him and all of you.
Thanks everyone for your comments. Janelle, I know that I'm not around like you are. If I were, I'm sure I would feel some of the things you do. I think it would be helpful if we thought about the things we are learning because of Mike's illness. Heavenly Father gives us trials to learn and grow. So maybe if we can learn what we need to learn, Mike could be healed. I know the Lord's will is for Mike to be sick right now. What I don't know for sure is that the Lord's will is for Mike to be sick always in this life. Let's not give up until God tells us for sure that He wants Mike to be sick this way for his whole life on earth. Maybe we need to learn to have more faith and once we learn that, Mike could be healed. You know a lot more about it than I. Thanks Lesley, Denae and Angie for your kind words. Your families have always been very supportive and loving towards Mike. I love you all!
thanks for the post Jen. I'm not around Mom, Dad, and Mike either and so its hard to know what to do about the situation. YOu're right though, its good to be reminded of the things the Savior did for other people. Through him Mike can and will someday be healed. Thanks for reminding me.
I just read this blog again so I want to say --we must continue to pray for Mike I, too, realize that thru faith Mike can be made well. As I interact with him, my heart is full of love for him. In my small way I pray that he realizes how much we all love him. I will continue to talk about him in my prayers and pray that he can be made whole
Post a Comment