Do you remember running to one of your parents as a young child when your world seemed to be falling apart? You were hurt, or afraid, or overwhelmed, or frustrated, or lost your toy, or felt slighted by a sibling or friend? Almost invariably, your mom or dad would wrap their arms around you and tell you, “It’s ok; it will be all right.” As a child, that often was the only comfort you needed-you believed your parents when they told you those words and trusted they knew what they were talking about.
In our dependence and innocence as children, we somehow felt sure that a parent (or other trusted older person) had the wisdom to see beyond our present hurt and to know that things would be ok. Without even thinking about it or knowing why, we believed in their power to fix our problems. What they knew, but we didn’t at the time, is that the pain of our woes was temporary, and the process of time and growth would ease the burden, or else the hurt would be quickly forgotten in the other joys and sorrows of life.
As we got older, however, we recognized that our parents really couldn’t remove all of our pain and our memories expanded to remember longer time periods and we began to lose that innocent trust in their abilities to confront and comfort the troubles of life. We naturally began to hold more fear of hurt and more understanding of the complexity of life, and sadly forgot some of the feelings of security and safety we felt in our parents’ loving care.
I wonder if the reminder the Lord repeatedly gives us to ‘become as little children’ is not, at least in part, an invitation for us to regain some of that innocent dependence and trust in Him that we had as our younger selves in our parents. After all, He also tells us over and over again that He will wrap us in His arms, and that everything will really be ok:
‘…whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.’ (Alma 36:3)
‘Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.’ (D&C 90:24)
‘Therefore, let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly…’ (D&C 100:16)
‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…’ (Romans 8:28)
‘Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.’ (D&C 6:20)
In relation to God and all He knows and experiences, we are as very little children. When our afflictions seem overwhelming and insurmountable to our understanding, He surely can see beyond our present troubles to the growth and the glory that lay beyond. As a loving parent, He can wrap us in His arms and assure us that everything will be ok–and vastly, massively, incomprehensibly more than ok. ‘Verily…I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hand and prepared for you.’ (D&C 78:17) Perhaps our task, then, is to regain that childlike trust in His abilities to make everything right and good; to remember, even in our darkest times that He always keeps His promises and can certainly provide everything we need to get through the adversity, to triumph over our trials and to find the joy that swallows up all heartache and pain.
