All Things Does Take Some Time to Heal

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post may take longer than five minutes to read from start to finish.

I know that everyone has experienced of feeling their heart has been broken, and we do know that it does take some time to heal a broken heart. I know that everyone has experienced of having injuries, we do know that it does take some time to heal and recover from those injuries. I know that everyone has experienced of feeling sick, and we do know that it also does some time to feel better.

I would like to share some questions and followed by, I would share experiences when I have felt that it took some time for my body to heal. 

Close Chest Infection Experience: 

Have you ever faced of having a close chest infection in the past? If no, you can skip reading the following two questions. If you have; what was the steps did you took to allow yourself to feel healed from having a close chest infection? Do you remember how you felt when you had a close chest infection? 

I remembered the experience when I was diagnosed of having a close chest infection and I was eighteen years old at the time. During my first ever group date that I have attended, my asthma was playing up and I was not too sure why. 

I knew that it certainly was uncomfortable for me to have shortness of breath and coughing most times when I was talking to my date that I had. At one point; my mind just wanted to end the date and go to the hospital because I was worried that I was having another asthma attack. 

I felt scared because when I took my asthma inhaler, it felt like I was getting worse. I knew that it was somehow difficult for me to try to have my asthma under control. After the group date; I went ahead and called my doctor to book a appointment. I was able to attend my appointment as soon as I can and I am glad that I did.

CILAMOX - antibiotics. 

My doctor did several tests and he diagnosed me of having a close chest infection. I was shocked because I was certainly not expecting to have a close chest infection. I know that if I didn't see my doctor sooner, I think I would've diagnosed of having a chest infection. 

He has prescribed me with antibiotics - CILAMOX to take each day until the box is empty. It took some time to heal, Overtime, I gotten better and I was so happy to feel better. I have not have a close chest infection ever since then. 

Ovarian Cyst Experience:

Have you ever gotten asked of some questions by some people in relation to pregnancy topics and having children topics when you were not expecting? How did those questions has made you feel when those people has asked you those type of questions?

Did it made you feel uncomfortable? Did it made you feel upset? 

When I was twenty-three years old; I just gotten married within a few weeks when several people has asked me if I was expecting. I went to Dallas Latter-Day Saint Temple as a routine for going once a month with church members that I know. One particular time; my Mum and my grandparents had an opportunity to go to Dallas Latter-Day Saint Temple sometime shortly after I have been sealed to my husband. 

I know that I wasn't feeling the greatest, I felt unwell. I refused for not attending any sessions in that morning. I prayed about a certain question in the Temple before my Temple Recommend gotten scanned, I cried so much. My Mum has comforted me. During the endowment session that my Mum, my grandparents and the church members who came with me to the Temple are in, I was able to talk to the Temple President's wife. 

Despite how sick I was; I tried to be positive, and I felt privileged of having a conversation with the Temple President's wife. We have talked about having children topics, I cried again, and I knew that there was no way of me to be pregnant so soon after getting married. 

Clear Blue Pregnancy Test reads
"Not Pregnant"

Fast forward to around this time last year; I was gaining weight ridiculously a lot, and my stomach was growing. I eventually had to get my husband to purchase sweet and sugary foods for me to eat. I knew that my body was going through some changes. 

I did my best to listen to what my body wanted. My body was experiencing some pregnancy symptoms because I had mood swings, I was feeling morning sickness,  I was feeling tired more than normal, I was going through sweet cravings, and I have missed a period cycle. 

As my stomach was growing; I kept getting asked if I was pregnant by more people. I kept saying to who has been asking me that I was not pregnant. I gotten emotional about it. A sister in my stake has suggested me to go and see a OB/GYN doctor sometime.

I remembered in January this year; my husband and I was watching Brother Bear movie together and somehow I felt inside of my stomach that it was moving. My husband felt the same thing. My left rib was starting to hurt a lot around that time, and my hips was starting to be painful. It was uncomfortable feeling. 

I was not able to see my OB/GYN doctor until sometime in February this year. Each visit to seeing my OB/GYN doctor; she gotten me to take a pregnancy test and those pregnancy tests came up negative. I was upset. One time, she pressed down on my stomach to feel if there was any babies in there and she told me that I was not pregnant. 

I suggested one time for her to get me to get an ultrasound and I gotten blood work done prior to when I went in for my ultrasound appointment. Sometime after my OB/GYN doctor gotten the results from the ultrasound appointment, she mentioned to me "You have a small left side ovarian cyst ..." I was so shocked. 

I knew that I was certainly not expecting to hear that I have ovarian cyst, I was upset. I kept it to myself, I told my husband straight after he gotten home from work. He comforted me. Within a week; I told my immediate family members that I had ovarian cyst, and they felt sorry for me. I told several close friends about it, and they also felt sorry for me. 

Throughout from April this year to October this year; I just completely changed my diet. I made sure that I was eating more healthier foods, I was able to lose weight by bike riding eventually and I had experienced times when I was able to maintain the same weight. It certainly took some time to heal. I am still healing at this present time with physically and emotionally. About a month ish ago, I started opening up to several friends about that I have experienced ovarian cyst. 

If you ever wanted to know what triggered my body to have an ovarian cyst; I would like to share with you those triggers now. I was feeling extreme and sharp rib pain enough for me take two to three acetaminophen tablets and the pain was not going away, extreme and sharp hip pain for me to take two to three acetaminophen tablets and again the pain was not going away, and I was gaining a lot of weight within a short period of time (within six months). 

I strongly feel and know that pregnancy topics are sensitive to me ever since that I have experienced ovarian cyst. I felt healed sometime about six months or longer after having diagnosed with ovarian cyst and I changed my diet. I was not eating pasta, I was eating a lot of rice dinner meals, I changed of the meal times for me to eat meals, I gotten into a routine of eating healthier snacks such as eating fruits instead of a lot of lollies. 

I would really appreciate for people to stop asking me if I was pregnant, and accept the answer to be "no." I know that my husband and I will share pregnancy announcement when we feel comfortable and ready for it. I know that every woman experience pregnancy different, and also different or similar symptoms from each time when they are expecting. 

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Healing = Courage + Action + GRACE ~ Part Four

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 
this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part four. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "...  Grace

... What is grace? I love the definition provided by David A. Bednar in a devotional given while he was president of BYU–Idaho. He quoted the Bible Dictionary, which states that grace can be defined as divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

... It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals ... receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power. After reading this definition, President Bednar then added, “Thus the enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.” 

The scriptures are full of examples of the grace of Jesus Christ as He ministered to people struggling to do and be good but coming up short. The scriptures teach of Him reaching out to His people at their breaking point and providing strength, patience, joy, comfort, assurances, peace, faith, hope, courage, and determination and even wiping away the tears from their eyes.

The grace of Jesus Christ, His bounteous mercy and love, is available to us if we but have the courage to reach out to Him. Sometimes that grace comes directly through the Holy Ghost, and we can feel His clear and specific love for us. Sometimes that grace comes as Christ touches another person’s heart and prompts her or him to share, bless, and uplift another. 

In other words, grace is often made manifest through the courage and action of a person who reaches out to serve another. ... President Monson was a minister of grace, and we can be one too. Grace is the power by which healing occurs. In every aspect of His mortal and postmortal ministry, Christ went about healing all manner of afflictions. 

His part is to be our atoning Savior, and our part is to be courageous enough to act. He then provides the grace and healing. However, sometimes we may not appreciate the manifestations of His grace because healing blessings do not always come in the form we ask. 

"Captivated by his Grace."

Sometimes His grace is made manifest by letting us sit and struggle with an issue. Again, our Heavenly Father and Savior are more interested in our growth and progression than in our comfort and convenience. Moments of struggle often bring the greatest growth. 

Permit me to illustrate this point with an example from the life of my sweetheart and best friend, Sharon. In April 2002, Sharon’s fifty-six-year-old father, Mike, suffered a major heart attack one day at work. As a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain, he was in a coma for a week. 

Many friends and family members prayed and fasted, he received multiple blessings, and his name was placed on the prayer roll at multiple temples, but, regardless of these efforts, it was his time to die (see D&C 42:43–48). As the months passed, we came to some measure of peace regarding his early and unexpected death.

At the time, Sharon was working with the young children at church as the Primary president. It was her turn to teach the children, and the topic was “God Hears and Answers My Prayers.” We talked a lot about that lesson and the dilemma it presented for her, and Doctrine and Covenants 18:18 and 88:64 were particularly helpful at the time.

My wife said, “I know God hears and answers our prayers, but if in the end He is going to do what is His will, why should I pray for what I want and need? My dad died anyway because it was God’s will. My prayers have not been the same since he died.”

If you have not yet experienced that kind of despair in your prayers, you likely will. For some of you that moment is now. So what did Sharon teach the children? Up until the night before she was not sure what to say. When the day came, she simply taught, through her tears, “I know that God hears and answers every prayer. 

He does not always give us the answer we want, and that really hurts. But I believe you will do better in your life by praying than by not praying. That is why I pray every day.” Acting on true principles, even when your heart says otherwise, takes true courage. And as a result, Sharon received a measure of healing that day through the grace of Jesus Christ. 

One of my favorite parts about being married to Sharon and there are many is to listen to her pray in faith for our children, extended family, and others in need. She knows how to talk to Heavenly Father. ... By way of conclusion and testimony, I know that Jesus Christ is the great Healer. 

Over many years, in numerous settings, I have seen wounds of horrific abuse, long-standing addiction, loss that has shattered the soul, and heartache beyond description be addressed, overcome, and resolved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know He is a real, living, loving God.

I love and honor Him. I know His grace is sufficient meaning big or powerful enough to help us with all our problems. I know His promises to us are real and true. He can and will cleanse and heal us as He has said (see Ezekiel 36:25–28). ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jonathan-g-sandberg/healing-courage-action-grace/

Stay Tuned until next time.

Healing = Courage + ACTION + Grace ~ Part Three

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part three. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "...  Action
... Action is essential to healing. To act instead of merely being acted upon was a key issue in the War in Heaven before we came to this earth (see Revelation 12:7–11). According to the scriptures, “God gave unto man [and woman] that [they] should act for [themselves]” (2 Nephi 2:16), ...

When pondering these scriptures, I realized that when I choose to be inactive or place myself in a state of being acted upon, I give Satan greater power in my life. A number of scriptures describe clearly the need to act and not be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26; D&C 43:8–9), 19 but how is action related to healing?

I have come to see that action is the point at which belief turns into faith. When we act in faith, moving ahead on a good path, we open the door to grace. Having the courage to act opens the door to grace, which is the key to healing. Learning to act in faith is one of the great challenges of mortality. 

"Action is the foundational key to all
success." - Pablo Picasso.

What then are the major roadblocks to acting in faith? I would suggest that procrastination and fear are two of Satan’s greatest tools to keep us in the “acted upon” position.

If Satan can convince us that our fear is too great to be able to act or that to act is a great idea but we should do it later, he can prevent us from opening the door to grace.

Think about how he does this. Maybe you tell yourself, “I totally plan on getting married. It is a great idea and I am pro-marriage, but I have to do these other things first.” Or, “My life is in a holding pattern right now. I am not sure where I should go or what I should do until I get married. I am stuck.” 

... Or, “I cannot go to my bishop to resolve this sin because I am afraid he will see how far I have fallen and he will not want or will not be able to help me.” Can you see how effective procrastination and fear are in meeting Satan’s objectives in our lives? Remember, the longer we remain in an inactive state, the further we drift from the Lord and His Spirit. 

As C. S. Lewis astutely described, “The more often [a person] feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.” How then can we overcome the tendency to procrastinate or shut down in fear? Let me propose that prayer is the simplest form of action. 

Remember the truth in this hymn: “Prayer will change the night to day. So, when life gets dark and dreary, Don’t forget to pray.” When you pray, you act in faith and open the door to “blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them.” 

In your prayers, be sure to speak openly, sincerely, and directly to Him who is your loving Father. ... We need to learn how to offer mighty prayer. For example, you might fervently plead, “Heavenly Father, I am procrastinating again. I am getting stuck in that old pattern. Please help me to break free. Please give me the strength to just get started and then the stamina to stick with the task.”

Or, “Heavenly Father, I am totally shut down in fear. I need to move forward and act, but this prayer is all I can muster up right now. Please help me find the courage to act.” I promise those prayers will be heard and help will come. We call that help grace. 

And remember, you can still act, even if you are afraid or feel like procrastinating. My favorite example of this type of action is Mother Teresa. I love this quote about her from writer Marcus Goodyear: Mother Teresa doubted. Her spirit wavered. . . . Some days she questioned herself.

Some days she questioned God. And this is the biggest encouragement of all. Even Mother Teresa had doubts. ... Her doubt gives me hope; not that my own doubt will go away but that feelings of doubt are not as powerful as a faithful decision to act. I may doubt, but I still pray. I still go to church. I still worship. 

... Doubt is a feeling, but faith chooses to act no matter our feelings. ... I have since asked myself, “Am I in the right place doing the right thing, willing to act as God prompts so I can do the work He has given me?” ... I love that phrase “see herself as an agent and claim a space of choice.”

When we have the courage to act, we open the door to healing. Mrs. Parks’ courageous act opened the door to the civil rights movement, a movement that brought a large measure of needed healing to this country." 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Healing = COURAGE + Action + Grace ~ Part Two

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "Courage

... Simply defined, true “courage is not the absence of fear; it is the making of action in spite of fear.”  In order for healing to occur, we have to be courageous enough to move forward when we are afraid. I have chosen three examples in which courage is needed for healing to occur.

First, we have to be courageous to face the truth regarding what needs to change in our lives. This type of intense introspection requires tremendous honesty with ourselves. As Jesus said, “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32; see also 2 Nephi 28:28), but that is usually only after it hurts us first. ... It takes courage to be honest with ourselves.

Second, it takes tremendous courage to be congruent to live a life in which our public and private priorities are in sync and in which what we experience on the inside is consistent with what we show on the outside. ... As James in the New Testament said, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). 

"Fear is a reaction. Courage is
a decision." - Winston S. Churchill.

... I had to figure out what I believed not what my parents had said was right or the Church or my employer, but what I believed was right. I had to get right between God and me. 

Then I had to learn to live congruently so that my actions were in harmony with my moral beliefs which took courage. But oh, how refreshing it is to live a life of integrity! Healing requires the courage to find out that what we believe is true and live according to that truth. 

As the therapist Brené Brown has astutely observed: Trying to co-opt or win over someone ... is always a mistake, because it means trading in your authenticity for approval.

You stop believing in your worthiness and start hustling for it. I have learned over the years that posturing, posing, peacocking, and pretending are exhausting and bring unhappiness. Having the courage to be congruent brings a settled and peaceful feeling. ...

Third, we have to develop the courage to live counter to the world’s dominant culture. ... We live in a world in which appearance and approval are the keys to social status and power. In order to find healing, we have to develop the courage to say no to this dominant culture.

I love what Morrie Schwartz said to Mitch Albom about living counter to the culture in the book Tuesdays with Morrie: The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. We’re teaching the wrong things. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it. Create your own. 

... In two devotionals given last year, both Tyler J. Jarvis and Kristin L. Matthews encouraged us to be more accepting of our imperfections and to be more pleased with our best approximations, our bodies, our gifts, and

our differences. I encourage you to reread their talks. 

... President Thomas S. Monson said ... "Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. ... A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh."

... Marjorie Pay Hinckley described the peace that comes when we refuse to compare and despair, as the dominant culture teaches: Fifty was my favorite age. It takes about that long to learn to quit competing to be yourself and settle down to living. It is the age I would like to be through all eternity! 

In order to find healing, we have to develop the courage to avoid the culture that says there is only one acceptable way (i.e., a specific size, hair color, or ACT score) to be a good person or even a good Christian. There are many, many ways to be a righteous, positive influence in the world. If enough of us say no to the dominant culture, it will lose its power (see Joshua 1:9)."

Stay Tuned until next time.

Healing = Courage + Action + Grace ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in January 2014, and it is called "Healing = Courage + Action + Grace" by Jonathan G. Sandberg. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights whilst I was reading the Devotional, and I hope that you would be able to read something new whilst reading through this post. 

Jonathan has mentioned the following; "... A Formula for Healing ... We all need healing. For some of us that need is great today. There are likely among us those who are brokenhearted because a relationship has ended badly. Others are in pain because their parents have decided to divorce or a loved one has renounced the Church.

... I would guess that there are some today who have wondered if depression or anxiety will always be a suffocating influence in their lives, while other students are going through a loss that seems both unfair and unrelenting. ... Perhaps these folks look or talk or feel different from what may be considered “the norm.”

... Even the greatest among us, Jesus Christ, experienced betrayal, mocking, abandonment, loss of loved ones, and physical pain as part of His mortal experience. My hope today is to encourage you that healing is possible if you apply the principles that lead to healing.

... My talk is entitled “Healing = Courage + Action + Grace.” ... Courage to face a difficult situation and stand for truth, acting in faith by turning to God in prayer, and peace and strength from the Lord through His grace courage, action, grace.

Healing

What then is healing, and why should we seek it? My favorite talk on the subject of healing is a BYU devotional given by Elaine S. Marshall in 2002 entitled “Learning the Healer’s Art.” I strongly recommend you study it. ... I suggest you read it more than once.

"Little by little a little becomes A LOT."

Listen closely to her definition of healing: On [my] first day as a nurse, I assumed cure, care, and healing to be synonymous. I have learned they are not the same. Healing is not cure. Cure is clean, quick, and done often under anesthesia. 

... Healing, however, is often a lifelong process of recovery and growth in spite of, maybe because of, enduring physical, emotional, or spiritual assault. It requires time. ... It requires all the energy of your entire being.

You have to be there, fully awake, aware, and participating when it happens. Healing is much more than “getting better” or “having our problems go away.” Healing is growth, development, and maturation. 

In a word, healing is change. It takes time and energy and struggle, but healing teaches us. As Marshall said: Healing can help us to become more sensitive and more awake to life. ... Healing invites gifts of humility and faith. It opens our hearts to ... truth, beauty, ... and grace. But remember, even with all that beauty and growth and grace, healing does hurt. 

... How is it that a loving God would allow us to suffer? I have come to realize that my Savior cares more about my growth than He does about my comfort. One evidence of His love is that He does not spare me from the suffering I need for my development and progression, even when I get mad at Him.

... And, unlike other humans, He does not punish me when I am mad or hold a grudge or remind me of it the next time my heart is right and I ask for His help. I love how Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, described healing: Healing blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to Him who loves us best. 

Sometimes a “healing” ... lifts our burden. But sometimes we are “healed” by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us. As we consider the key components for healing, let us remember that, in the end, healing is a gift from our Savior that will likely require effort and suffering on our part so that we can grow and develop through our struggles. The gift is often the refinement we experience in the process. ..."

Stay Tuned until next time.