From a Distance

I was having a really difficult time awhile ago. Then one day I realized those around me are only seeing me from a distance, they do not take the time to see me and know my struggles close-up.

The moon from here on earth looks perfectly smooth and glowing bright, and yet we know that were we to walk on the moon or see it close up with a telescope that it would be covered with an uneven surface and marked by craters from where it has been hit by meteors. A mountain peak from a distance looks smooth, just like we drew them as children; but the one who climbs it intimately knows the crevices, terrain, boulders and vegetation which make it difficult to climb. With the powerful electron microscopes of today we have been shown that not even a tabletop is perfectly smooth. From a distance those around me cannot comprehend why I spent an hour sobbing in an empty dark room, not that they know I did that, as they were so far distant. The closer you get to someone or something the more clearly you see and understand the trials faced.

Among the many commandments that we receive in D&C 42 it states in verse 52, “And they who have not faith to do these things, but believe in me, have power to become my sons, and inasmuch as they break not my laws thou shalt bear their infirmities. Barbara B. Smith counseled us when she was General Relief Society President to be sensitive to the changes that come into others lives as well as our own. How can we do that if we aren’t close enough to know when transitions are happening? Are we truly getting to know and be close to our brothers and sisters in the gospel or are we seeing them from a distance and only seeing what can be viewed from that distance?

“We are constantly being made aware of the realities of life, which include many transitional phases—from youth to maturity, from single to married, from a house filled with children to an empty house, from military to civilian life, from employment to retirement, from married to widowed or divorced, from young and vibrant to old and dependent. Each transition brings with it a special set of stresses and concerns. Each of us needs a listening ear, at times, and encouragement as we seek to find our way. Relief Society officers and teachers and members can offer help through these difficulties. We must be sensitive to the changes that come into each others lives.” (Barbara B. Smith, “The Bond of Charity,” Ensign, Nov. 1980, 103)