Thursday Thought: Christ performed the Atonement NOT to free us from our sufferings, but to BE WITH us in our sufferings.

A woman in our ward said this thought in her talk the other week. It has been so profound to me, especially in thinking about empathy. Sometimes we go to people, or to God and ask them to take away our pain. That’s like going to the doctor and asking her to cut off our broken arm because it hurts. Sometimes that’s the answer, but most often the answer is to set it and let it heal.

It’s okay to suffer. In fact, suffering helps us become stronger, someone who can more easily have empathy for someone else, someone who appreciates happiness and peace more. It’s not comfortable. But it’s okay.

Nothing in life is about the end result. It’s about the growing we go through to get there. It’s not about having the pain of the broken arm go away; it’s about the broken arm healing. The pain going away is just a by-product.

How is Christ with us in our sufferings even when He doesn’t fully take it away?

How can we be with others in their sufferings without having to take it away?

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