Being Let Down

This topic has weighed heavy on my mind for the last week or so. And the only thing that seems fitting, is to write it down and share it with you.

We are all human. We all fail. We all disappoint. And we all let people down. To some, these things happen more than others. And to some, hardly at all. There are so many different factors that make up our decisions to deceive or hurt or betray. But two things remain constant. We are all children of our Heavenly Father. And we all can feel the healing power of the atonement.

More often than not, the atonement is spoken about in terms of repentance, because that is it's main purpose; to overcome spiritual death from sin. But I'd like to touch on a smaller (yet still important) purpose; healing and mending our spirits when someone has let us down.

It's a hard thing to swallow when hurtful words and actions are thrown your way, especially from people you care about. But you have two options.

First, you could just "sit" on it, or rather "in" it. Most of the time, when hurtful situations arise, it's just crappy. There's nothing good about it. It doesn't smell pretty, look nice, or sound friendly. It's like a bucket of poo being thrown at you. Nobody (to my knowledge) asks for a bucket of crap to be thrown at themselves. So you can sit in it and let your heart and mind be filled with crappy thoughts and soon consume you, and then slowly drive people away. I don't speak for the Holy Ghost and people around you, but if it were me, I wouldn't want to be around someone covered in poop. No thank you.

Second, you can let the power of the Atonement wash over your dung-covered body and clean you. Let the Holy Ghost comfort you and surround you with flowers and puppies. Let the hurt, pain, and sadness wash away like the tears that fell from Christ's face in Gethsemane. Let these things remind you that we are all human, we all fail, we all disappoint, and we all let others down. And unfortunately, sometimes you are on the stinky end.

"When life is too hard to stand, kneel"

This quote is often used when talking about trials. The trials I think about when hearing this quote deal with bills, raising children in this day and age, stress, or simply "life is just too busy to breathe". But I promise you, kneeling and asking for peace and understanding at to why someone threw crap at you, really helps wash away the stench. Prayer also opens up the avenue for you to ask for a softening of the "waste-giver's" heart, for them to hopefully see that you are just human as well. You will begin to see through the mess and filth and see a child of God on the other side, trying to make it through life just like yourself. You might not be able to see their struggles, but I'm guessing if they threw a bunch of crap your way, their life is not the sunny field of tulips you might think it is.

Feeling the power of the atonement, the power of prayer, and the love our Father in Heaven has for us is not like a few raindrops in a drought-stricken desert. It is a roaring rainstorm, quenching the dry ground with its everlasting drops of moisture. It is a perfect sunset on a cloudy day. It is the warmth of a towel fresh from the dryer. It is something memorable, comforting, and something not to be taken lightly. Heavenly Father loves us, more than you or I will ever understand. With that love comes understanding that we will be hurt. That is why the atonement is there and waiting for us to partake of it's blessings.

Disappointment is hard. But with the atonement, it doesn't have to be. Nor does it have to hurt. So which will you be surrounded by? Poo? Or flowers and puppies?