After our scheduled trip home was canceled due to a super typhoon, we had no choice but to look for a place to stay since the hotel we booked was just too expensive, and they could no longer accommodate us. 

We checked several places and asked if we could stay for the night. We were declined multiple times. 

We felt exhausted, hungry, cold, and lost as we checked every place we could find. We were almost in tears but we believed that God would lead us to a place where we could find refuge.

He finally led us to a place where we would be safe from the typhoon we knew so little about. 

However, when we thought we were finally safe, we heard people talking about how we should not have been welcomed to that evacuation shelter since we were not locals. They wanted us out so other locals could stay. 

Tears started running down my face as I hid away from the crowd, asking God what we should do. No one wanted to accept us. No one wanted to let us in. I was in pain and was heartbroken.

And in that moment of pain and loneliness, I felt an overwhelming warmth as I remembered how Joseph and Mary also once experienced this similar dilemma. They too had to knock on multiple doors when Mary was about to give birth to the savior Jesus Christ. 

The Lord Understands Every Pain We Go Through Because He Has Gone Through Them

From birth to death, Jesus didn’t have an extravagant life. He was born in a lowly manger. He grew up in a humble and simple family with nothing much. He was bullied by non-believers. He was called names, chastised, and was not always welcome in the places he went. 

Elder David A. Bednar shared, “You and I in a moment of weakness, may cry out, no one understands, no one knows. No human being perhaps knows. But the son of God perfectly knows and understands for He felt and bore the burdens before we ever did.”

Your pain from being unappreciated, abandoned, losing a loved one, from being alone, being chastised, being ridiculed, insulted, falsely accused, physically hurt, betrayed, and every other pain you feel, He has felt it all. When you think no one understands, or that no one cares, He does. He understands, and He definitely cares. When you think that no one is on your side, remember that the Savior Himself is on your side. 

As I remembered these things while I was hiding away, crying, I was comforted knowing that someone knows exactly how I felt. It was bittersweet knowing that my savior bore these pains way before I ever did. My hunger, exhaustion, loneliness, and pain of rejection, He felt and had gone through it all even more times than I ever did or will in my entire life. 

The Lord will always be with us and can deliver us through our trials by sending us His angels and miracles

Elder Ulisses Soares said, “No matter the obstacles we face in this life we can trust that the Lord will provide a way for us.”

As my thoughts were drawn to the comforting truth that the Lord understands my pain and my situation and was wiping my tears away, my husband found me and listened as I shared how I felt. He assured me that He understood me and that everything would be alright.

I came back to the room where my family was, and I saw their smiles. I learned that a stranger came and offered to help us, out of nowhere. He spoke to the people who wanted us out, and we were given room to stay, and even supplies to help us be more comfortable during our stay. 

It was a teaching experience that the Lord will always provide a way for us, even if it’s not in the way we think or want, and many times sends us miracles along the way. He can turn painful events in our life into miracles. Experiencing that hardship reminded me that God uses painful events to strengthen us and to also help us understand other people better like He understands each of us.

Sometimes, the Lord will also send someone to you, maybe a neighbor, a colleague, a friend, or even a stranger, just to help you and show you that He has not abandoned you. He will send His angels to lift you up, guide you, and help you feel His love. 

Jesus Christ is the light of the world and can light even the darkest times in our lives

I may have experienced pain and felt alone that time, but it was just for a moment. What was left behind was the feeling of love and light.

All this pain comes with a purpose and that may be different for all of us, but ultimately, it is to strengthen us and foster a stronger sense of gratitude. If you feel like you are on a dark and narrow path right now, remember that Christ’s light will always be with you, lighting every step of the way, enough for you to return back to Him.

To learn more about healing through the Savior Jesus Christ, read To My Friends Who Feel Broken: You Can Feel Whole Again.