Healing

So Chris and I got to be the speakers in the local Chinese branch of our Church this Sunday. We've attended the Chinese branch before and want to do so pretty regularly; it's a really great group of people, and it's fun to be connected with a community of people who speak Chinese and celebrate Chinese holidays and whatnot. I've become sort of a go-to girl for the LDS missionaries in our area lately, too; when they meet people who are interested in our church but whose first language is Chinese, they tend to call me up so I can be present for teaching appointments and help translate if needed. It's been a fun way to be involved.

Anyway, we spoke yesterday, having been asked to pick our own topics. Chris chose to speak on "daily discipleship." He based his talk in part off of a talk given by one of our Church's twelve Apostles in the most recent Church General Conference, about how because Jesus went through the terrible alone-ness of the Atonement, we don't have to be so alone in our own difficulties.

Chris's talk built off of something Elder Holland (the Apostle mentioned above) said--that as followers of Jesus Christ, we can try to help others not be alone as well. I love the idea that in following Him, we can try to help people turn to Jesus, but we should also help others to obtain the help that He has to offer. This reminded me of another talk by Elder Holland called "Teaching, Preaching, Healing," that emphasizes that the things Jesus taught helped to spiritually heal the people He taught, and that when we teach (or, I would argue, just interact with) other people, we can try to help, and heal, them.

I just kind of have these ideas rolling around in my head, and thought I'd share those two talks. I love the doctrine that discipleship means trying to be there for and to help heal people. That feels like true Christianity to me, and like a really good way to live.