Thoughts

My head is pounding, my eyes are tired....but my heart is full. It has been a heart-filling, soul-soothing day.

When I woke up at 5:00 a.m., this beautiful verse was running through my mind:

"My life cannot implement in action the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds." {Anne Morrow Lindbergh}

Isn't that true? Can a mere mortal like me truly respond to all of the human suffering, grief, and pain in the world -- or even that tiny fraction which crosses her path? Lately I have been overwhelmed at that prospect. I can't do it all. I can't meet the needs of my own family members (at least to the degree I would prefer), let alone the many wonderful souls in my sphere whose abundant needs I long to fulfill.

Just this week, a friend and her seven kids slept two sub-freezing nights in a house without heat.

Another (and her seven kids) had lessons with the missionaries, where I learned of their sad circumstances in money, health, and spirit.

Another friend had a life-threatening crisis that will take a long time to resolve.

Another has a baby in critical condition.

In the spirit of Christmas, my little family is reaching out to people in our neighborhood who might need a little extra cheer, but it seems a meager effort in light of the legitimate suffering that abounds all around us. How can two little hands (or even the twelve in my home) ever make a difference? There is so much to do, so much to give, so many to receive, and I cannot do it all.

And yet.

This work is not mine alone. I am but a servant of He whose gospel can lift and sustain and strengthen those who are suffering. I might wipe a tear or fill a belly, but it is Jesus Christ, the Savior, who truly comforts and feeds. It is He who has the power to lift impossibly heavy burdens, to heal hearts, to change lives.

Tonight, as I was reviewing the blessings in my life, the tender mercies I have enjoyed this week, and my testimony, I searched for a Mormon Messages video that could capture my thoughts. This one is perfect!