Healing The Wounded Soul

President Packer said. “You won’t survive spiritually unless you know how to receive revelation. The still small voice of the spirit. It’s a noisy world and you’re going to have to learn that revelation comes in the quiet times. It will come when the lord can speak to your feelings. The lord will speak to you; he will never fail to answer your prayers.” The problem is that we need have quiet times so that he can speak to us. As we spend time meditating, and In the midst of our meditation we will suddenly discover what we need to do. We’ll discover how we can heal ourselves, how we can change and how we can bless. (We’re usually just to busy) We have to have quiet times to be able to hear the voice of the spirit and come to know the savior. (Meditation is the key)

Misbehavior: People don’t usually misbehave because they are bad people, they misbehave because they are wounded, they’re hurt, and their lack of desire to please and to serve their master (Jesus Christ) is totally influenced by their pain, suffering and wounds. Generally these people’s misbehaviors are because they are wounded. Often times “We” don’t know the whole story about these people and how often are we so quick to judge. How often do we put them down, get upset at them or talk bad about them because of their misbehavior? When in reality their lack of desire and motivation to do that which is good, isn’t there because of internal pain. Their misbehavior has nothing to do with who and what they REALLY are.

These types of wounds have to heal from the inside out; we must be patient with people. But when they are healed you won’t even be able to tell that there has ever been a wound there. The savior can Heal without a scar.
Again, most misbehavior is not about people being bad, or worthless, or stupid… it’s about wounds, and pain, and insecurity, and hurt.

How often do we ourselves get up set, and when we are hurting inside or in pain, we say things that we don’t really mean. It’s often quoted that “hurting people, hurt people. “ Your whole misbehavior has nothing to do with your lack of love for the other person. It had to do with your own pain, your own insecurity, and your own wounds. And as a result we often bark back, we say something or do something that we normally wouldn’t do.

What about those who suffer from drugs? What about those that have been victims of sexual, physical or verbal abuse? What about someone who absolutely hate themselves because they’ve been told that they are stupid or ugly or they don’t like the way that they look.
We need to stop saying “You stupid idiot, why would you do that? “ And instead ask “What is it that has caused such deep pain, such deep wounds, such deep insecurity that you would behave in such a manner? We need to work to be more understanding and see what’s behind it all and why they might do those things. We might consider the questions…Why would drugs be so attractive, why would pornography be so attractive, what is missing in your life? What pain, what hurt, what insecurity, what need is not being met? Then we might see in what way we might love and help them.

Jacob 2:8 “And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.”

The word of god heals wounded souls. Jacob himself knows about being wounded because he lived it. He was a victim of abuse from his two oldest brothers. We see that the drenching of ourselves in the living waters of the scriptures will begin to heal our wounds. With prayer, scripture study and meditation we will discover how to handle our difficulties. We will have the spirit of revelation come upon us.

President Faust was asked, “ President Faust, What are we going to do to overcome all the addiction that we face in this world, alcohol, drugs, pornography?” President Faust put his elbow on the podium, put his chin into his hand, and said, “Get them to hold faster and tighter to the Iron Rod (The scriptures).“ If you let it get in you the word of god will heal your wounded heart, feelings and emotions.

When people become truly healed, all they care about is pleasing their Heavenly Father, and loving and serving him. They will want to love and serve their master. Our lord, Our Savior and our King, Jesus Christ. But many times those who misbehave don’t get it because their wounds have been so deep that they haven’t been able to see clearly.

3rd Nephi 9: 13 “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?” It’s a question, “will you let me heal you”, that’s all he wants to do.
1st Nephi 15: 24 “And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.”

The Healing balm is the word of god which health the wounded soul. We can’t force anyone to read scripture or to feel the way we feel.

Elder Nelson said “ Man is that he might have joy, NOT Guilt Trips.” How often do we put guilt trips on people? One might say for example “Well if you don’t go on a mission then you just don’t love the lord.” Instead we should understand that maybe the reason that they don’t want to go on a mission is because they are wounded and they haven’t been able to see clearly yet. This goes for any other misbehavior problem we might see.

Well, How do we get the word of god into those people suffering from wounds, and particularly into the Book of Mormon? We must Love, Lead, and teach out of our own healed and changed hearts. President Lee said, “We will never help another unless “WE” are standing on higher ground.” So we have to love, we have to be patient, and we have to let them heal from the inside out.

May we remember President Hinckley’s challenge. “Those who read the Book of Mormon will be blessed with an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a greater resolve to obey His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”

Russell M. Nelson taught “Each individual who prayerfully studies the Book of Mormon can also receive a testimony of its divinity. In addition, this book can help with personal problems in a very real way. Do you want to get rid of a bad habit? Do you want to improve relationships in your family? Do you want to increase your spiritual capacity? Read the Book of Mormon! It will bring you closer to the Lord and His loving power. He who fed a multitude with five loaves and two fishes, He who helped the blind to see and the lame to walk can also bless you! He has promised that those who live by the precepts of this book “shall receive a crown of eternal life.”

If you may be one who is struggling I say to you Come Home! Heavenly Father needs You.! We need you! May we be slow to judge others. Cause if we really knew the whole truth we wouldn’t be so harsh, we wouldn’t be so quick to judge or to miss judge. Because again often people are wounded, they haven’t learned that they are Princes and Princesses to a King, Jesus Christ.

The old nursery rhyme is true: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses, And all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again! But the King Can!

Let’s heal out of our own healed and changed hearts. I know as we read the Book of Mormon we will come to know the Great Healer, Jesus Christ, and by coming to know him we will be healed of our own wounds. This I know because he personally has healed me many times in many different ways. I am proof that it’s true. May we have trust in the promises of our Heavenly father and faith in both his words, the scriptures, and his son Jesus Christ the Great Healer.