I was impressed by this verse: "And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people." Mosiah 3:7
My Nurse brain started to wander as I pondered that scripture. In school, we are taught a very in depth assessment, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes. I started with His head:
He understands the pain of headache and migraine. He knows the humiliation of losing all your hair or having some disfigurement that causes people to point and stare. He has felt the pain of acne or acne scars and wanting to be clean and beautiful. He has felt the anguish of mental illness, including hearing voices no one else can, sinking in the depths of depression, difficulty forming relationships, hallucinating, and experiencing so much internal pain that the only solution you can think of is to physically harm yourself or others.
He knows the pain of blindness and deafness. He understands what it's like to hear someone saying unkind or untrue things about you. He has had to see all the disgusting, deplorable, and sorrowful sights that mankind has beheld throughout all time. He knows how scary it is to slowly lose your eyesight. He has had to smell every offensive smell. He comprehends the frustration of speech impediments or not being able to speak at all. He has felt every toothache and root canal. He understands thirst-both the physical and the mental variety.
He has endured all of your debilitating back pain. His shoulders have felt the heaviest of burdens, the crack of a whip, and the sting of sunburn. His arms have ached with physical loads, with emptiness of loss, and with progressing weakness. He even comprehends not having arms at all.
His hands. His mighty, scarred, loving hands. They know blisters. They know neurological incapability. They know arthritis. They know carpal tunnel. They know how many times you have practiced that song and still can't get it right!
He has felt all the chest pain: physiological and emotional. His heart has been broken over and over and over. He knows the fear of waiting for a transplant for yourself or a loved one. He knows what recovery feels like. He knows the physical heart heaviness of loss.
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He has had every stomach ache. He has felt the never-ending hunger pangs. He has thrown up with morning sickness and chemotherapy. He comprehends the intense pain of digestive disorders. He has passed kidney stones. He perfectly understands UTIs.
He has felt the pain of miscarriage or the sorrow of a continually empty womb. He completely understands menstrual disorders and pains and the tremendous effort and sacrifice of labor.
He has felt muscle pains and weakness. He knows paralyzation. He comprehends the loss of amputation. He knows better than anyone the mental and physical agony of burns. He has experienced the loss of mobility and freedom.
On top of all of that, he has felt embarrassment, shame, loneliness, confusion, frustration, anger, poverty, addiction, hopes, dreams, and desires. He has felt perfectly what it is like to be your parent, your sibling, your child, your neighbor. He knows YOU.
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He comprehendeth all. things.
"And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." Alma 7:12
I know everyone reading this has gone through something listed above, is going through something listed above, or someday will. I testify that He will never leave you comfortless. He did not suffer all things so that He could stay in Heaven and watch us. He did it so He could succor us, and He longs to succor us. Turn to Him. He can heal your broken heart, mind, and body.
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