Reaching in Faith ---By: Valene Barwick

Whole. To be complete. To be in one piece. To be full. There are times, both physically and spiritually, that we are incomplete; times when we don’t know where to turn for peace. It’s times like this that we need to remember our faith and reach out to Christ, for only He can make us whole again.
Life can be difficult. We are always told to have faith; to step forward with an eye single to God. But life has many distractions. I often think that if we keep looking up won’t we trip and fall down? Yet we are promised that if "the light," or our countenance, "of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light"(3 Nephi 13:22). If we can keep our eye single to His glory, do nothing but that which will glorify Him, our whole body will be filled with light or understanding. By keeping His love at the focus of our lives, it will be fuller, more complete, and at peace---it will be whole.
Arthur Henry King said, "The world is sick and most of us are sick—perhaps all of us are sick in some way or another. We need to be healed, to be made whole." No one here on earth can feel complete without the love and mercy of the Father. But we must have faith in Him. Just as the woman, sick from disease, reached out in faith to touch the Savior’s cloak, and being healed He told her, "But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour" (Matthew 9:22). We need to have the faith to reach to Him to be made whole as well.
Not only can Christ make us physically whole, but He can heal us spiritually as well. When Enos’s heart was troubled by the sins of his brethren, he prayed unto the Father and was answered, "Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole" (Enos 1:8). Because of Enos’s pure heart and pure intensions, his prayers were answered and he was made whole.
I have needed to use this principle of offering my faith to be made whole again in my own life. A few years ago I was hurt very deeply both emotionally and spiritually. I eventually forgave those who had caused me the pain but I never managed to forgive myself and it tormented me. It eventually became too much for me to carry alone. At this time, a very good friend asked me if I had gone to God with my problem. I knew in my heart that the answer was no. I was too ashamed of my stupid actions. But, I was tired of living that way so I went to my Father in prayer. Since that night, I have been able to look at the situation, which is now in the past, differently; without hurting inside. I was made whole through repentance and the mercy of prayer. Merrill J. Bateman once said, "The Savior’s Atonement in the garden and on the cross is intimate as well as infinite—infinite in that it spans the eternities, intimate in that the Savior felt each person’s pains, sufferings, and sicknesses. Consequently, He knows how to carry our sorrows and relieve our burdens that we might be healed from within, be made whole persons, and receive everlasting joy in His kingdom. May our faith in the Father and the Son help each of us become whole." The Atonement is an amazing thing that allows a path for us to be made whole. He sacrificed so much, even His life, to let us have this peace, to be whole again.
But, we need to remember that, just as the leper who came back to praise Christ when he was healed, we need to use our newly-whole hearts to thank Christ through service to others and prayers and actions of thanks. Enos moved to use his newly-whole heart to "pour our [his] whole soul unto God for *his enemies+" (Enos 1:9). Amaleki also taught this principle of offering our whole hearts unto Christ when he said, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved" (Omni 1:26). If Christ gave us these whole, complete, and peaceful hearts, are we not indebted to serve Him? To use the tools that He’s given us to bless others and to glorify God? We will never be able to fully repay Him but He wants us to try. Isn’t that all He asks of us? If we try, He will make up the difference.
Our Father and Brother are always waiting to bring us comfort, to make us whole. They love us and want to help us. All we have to do is reach with faith to touch His cloak so that we can be healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Arthur Henry King said, "If we accept and live the gospel, we shall be made whole, we shall be glorified, we shall be that much further on in our eternal progression." I truly believe in the power of the Atonement. Christ and the Father truly love us and care for our salvation and happiness. They will not hesitate to help you, if you will but reach out and touch the hem of His cloak.

Works Cited:
Arthur Henry King, "Atonement: The Only Wholeness," Ensign, Apr 1975, 12
Merrill J. Bateman, "Power to Heal," New Era, Apr 2003, 42
Enos 1:8-9
Matthew 9:22
Omni 1:26
Picture from: http://www.zianet.com/maxey/jeswom1