Family Under Stress

 For this week’s class, the topic we focused on was learning about family crises and how we can best overcome the adversities that we all face in life. There are mentioned some methods that are seen to be ineffective in dealing with a crisis. One idea that might help initially is denying that the crisis even exists. Though this may be helpful at first in dealing with the crisis, it will still be left unresolved. Avoiding the crisis might give you some relief, but the crisis will also be left unresolved and will only become worse the more that it is put off. The best way of dealing with a crisis is to work together with other members of the family to find ways of getting past the problem. In my life, I have had instances of hearing dear ones who I was close to passing away. The first experience I had of this was a dear friend of mine who was the second counselor of the bishopric when I first met him. I remember him taking me for a ride in his roadster and times that we would go into town to hang out. In my mind, he took the form of a father figure, but I had never told that to him. When I heard that he was diagnosed with cancer, it shocked me how it affected him not only mentally but physically as well. Sometime later I received the news that my best friend had passed away and that was devastating to me. This was the first of many instances that I have lost either a family member or a dear friend. On my mission, we received a referral for one individual by our zone leaders since at the time we were serving in the YSA ward. As we were teaching this guy, you could feel that he was prepared by the Lord to receive the gospel. He had such a good spirit about him, and both my companion and I were amazed by his diligence to follow Jesus Christ. Two weeks after his baptism, my companion and I received news that this beloved brother in Christ had passed away. This experience again was devastating to me because of the close connection that we had with this guy. Though it was hard for me to hear of his passing, I am so grateful for the other missionaries in my district who were able to provide me with comfort, and sometimes that comfort came in the form of ice cream.

Through each experience that I have dealt with a personal crisis, I firmly believe that the Lord is mindful of what we are going through. While we are on this Earth there are times that we will have to deal with a crisis, but we should always remember that we do not have to go through it alone. I am indeed blessed with the people that have had a profound influence on my life. I know for a fact that I will see those I have cared about again. This reminds me of the experience the prophet Joseph Smith had in the Liberty Jail. Having to hear reports of the Saints suffering all manner of persecution, he cried out to the Lord to know where he was and how long this harsh treatment would last for them. In the Lord’s own words, he said “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions will be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high” (Doctrine & Covenants 121: 7-8). Dealing with a crisis in life is inevitable, we all will have to experience it at some point in life. The best way that we can overcome any family crisis is to lean on our Savior Jesus Christ. He has felt all the pain that we will have to experience, we should ever strive to grow closer to Him. With the knowledge that I have of the gospel, I believe that we will see all our loved ones again. I never got the chance to meet my oldest brother since he only lived around 5 months after he was born. It will be nice when the day comes that I can meet my brother and build a strong relationship with him in the next life.

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