The faith to be NOT healed...

The scriptures talk about the several gifts of the Spirit. In particular in Moroni 10 and in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 46, many of these are outlined. The gift of tongues, the gift of exceedingly great faith, the gift of discernment and many others. Mentioned in both of these books of scripture are gifts surrounding healing, both the gift to heal, and the gift of faith to be healed.

As I sat in our Fast and Testimony meeting a few weeks ago, however, another came to mind. Several of our members have been going through various kinds of trials as of late, many of them largely physical in nature. One brother had a stroke, one an intestinal blockage, one sister had been shot and paralyzed from the waist down by a bullet she took which was intended for her son, one had a family member (for whom she was the primary caretaker) pass on. Several of these good people have at different times expressed some degree of frustration that they felt as thought they should be progressing faster or better than they are in their specific circumstances and trials. On this particular Sunday, though, each of these individuals in turn stood to bear testimony and to offer words of thanks and gratitude to ward members who had been helpful to them during these times. It was a powerful meeting.

It occurred to me, as I sat and listened, that a gift of the Spirit that sometimes must be exercised is the faith to be NOT healed. Sometimes we'll need the faith to accept our circumstance as it is and allow it to humble us to the dust and to rely more wholly upon Him who is our great lifter. We'll need the faith to live each day with an affliction or circumstance that may be beyond our direct control, that may cause us great discomfort or anguish, and yet to press forward with a "steadfastness in Christ", to endure all things well... to the end.

So while, yes, the faith to be healed is a marvelous gift of the Spirit... the faith to be NOT healed is something else entirely...