Bring Them Hither and I Will Heal Them

As my wife and I have struggled to help some of our children overcome the difficulties and weaknesses and negative habits that they struggle with, we have tried in some ways to “fix” what is wrong with them.  As we have largely failed in those efforts, we are starting to understand better that our job is not to fix our children.  As my wife in particular sought direction in our parenting recently in near desperation, she felt the powerful but simple response from the Lord: “Love your children.”  When she wondered about all the problems we face though and are trying to fix, she felt the response, “I will heal them; you just love them.”  Of course as parents we must set rules, create boundaries, and provide discipline when needed—but it is love that our children need to hear more than anything from us.  We don’t heal hearts; we love and then that love can help guide our children to the One who can heal.  The Lord told the Nephites gathered at Bountiful, “Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them” (3 Nephi 17:7).  He is the Healer, not us.  Our job as disciples is not to heal but to bring others to Him in love so He can heal them. 

               The stories of the New Testament teach this principle in a powerful way.  When Jairus came to Jesus, he “besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live” (Mark 5:23).  Jairus could not heal his daughter, but with the power of his own love for her he could take her to the Savior, and she was indeed healed.  The woman of Canaan found the Savior “and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matt. 15:22).  Through her faith and persistence and love, the Lord did indeed heal her daughter, something she could not do on her own.  Another man came to Jesus and knelt down before Him pleading, “Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water” (Matt. 17:15).  Again, here was a parent in desperation and in love who came to the Lord, and the Lord healed his son.  The Savior emphasized this need that we have as parents to bring our children to Him, saying, “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence” (Matt. 19:14-15).  That is our great responsibility as parents, to bring them to the Savior as we teach them the gospel and seek to love them as He does. 

When Jesus was among the Nephites He “took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them” (3 Nephi 17:21).  How incredible it must have been for parents in that moment to see their little children blessed by the Savior, to watch Him place His hands on their heads and pronounce a blessing upon them.  As I think of the love I have for my own children and my yearnings for their happiness and protection and righteousness, I can think of no other more powerful experience than to see the Savior minister directly to them.  We may not get that privilege to have His physical presence with our children in this life like those Nephite children, but surely His influence can be just as powerful as we likewise bring our little ones to Him.