Suffered way to long –

I don’t know why some people suffer more in life than others. I do know most people that others think have the easy life have problems as well. They just aren’t as public as some are. When your feeling sorry for yourself just take time to look around and you will be happy to go back to your own problems. We have been told that we will not be tested beyond our ability to bear. I agree this feels wrong much of the time. There are a lot of things your responsible for as a bishop, the worthiness and activity of your ward are some of them. Every fast Sunday my ward clerk would have three lists on my desk: 1^st – the youth interviews and birthday. 2^nd – the endowed members of the ward without a current temple recommend. 3^rd – the members that had never been endowed. The purpose of these lists is to discuss what opportunities we may have to help someone make additional covenants and come unto Christ. During one of these sessions we had been discussing an elderly single sister that didn’t have a current temple recommend. When she had been asked to come in, she refused not wanting to discuss the situation. This was a bit perplexing to me as she was at church every week and showed every sign of being worthy to hold a temple recommend. During our conversation I had a strong feeling to go see her right then and to take the recommend book with me. We ended our meeting with a prayer and I went to her house without a warning. When she answered the door she asked me in and we exchanged pleasantries. Then I stated the reason for my visit – “I came to give you a temple recommend or to find out why you don’t have one.” She hesitated as tear started to well up in her eyes. It took a few moments but then she began to tell me a story of something that had happened more that twenty years before. It was embarrassing to her, but I could see the weight as if it was being lifted from her soul. The circumstances of the situation began to unfold none of while was her fault. These events had made her feel guilty and unworthy to hold a recommend, over the years a number of bishops had given her a recommend but she had never used it because she felt guilty. Never during that time did she explain why she felt that way or what had happened. Not only was she worthy but she had also been a victim. I challenged her to go to the temple as soon as possible, which she did. She continued to have a current recommend as long as she was in our ward. During the short time I served as bishop I had five or six individuals that talked to me about events that they had kept inside for more than twenty years, some more than forty years. In every case the pain, suffering and lose of blessings were far greater than what the Lord would have required for the transgression that had taken place. In more than one case they had done nothing wrong and were embarrassed to be a victim of someone else’s choices. I’m thankful for the influence of the spirit that instructed me to go see this wonderful sister that day and the blessing that were returned to her life. The question that then comes to my mind is how many other individuals we have responsibility for have limited their ability to receive the cleansing power of the atonement, have suffered far greater than the Lord has required and intended for them to suffer. One of the greatest principles of truth is that we need to come unto Christ; we need to start the process of repentance in order to be forgiven for our sins. Some sins are difficult to repent of and often it takes a lot of time and embarrassment for those involved. I believe the Lord will ask the minimum required to rectify the problem, the least amount of suffering for the act. But if we try to deal with it without his help it’s impossible to do so. But with his help also come an endless supple of love and compassion.