How is it done?
Listening.
Especially as our children grow older and their human interactions become more complex, it seems that a large part of the mother and wife roles is LISTENING.
Now, my own wise mother of many children was taught that in order to keep one’s sanity, the mother must attempt to stay as emotionally neutral as possible. If one rides the ups and downs of every person’s day, a woman may exhaust her own emotional reserves.
I try! Oh, Mama, do I ever try to stay in the middle.
But sometimes the sheer volume of each person’s verbal “unloading” boggles my brain.
On one such day, I crawled into the back seat of my in-law’s car and buckled in for an hour drive. A vehicle in a neighboring city needed to be picked up, and my father and mother-in-law were graciously chauffeuring me to said vehicle.
Blankly staring out the window for a time, my brain reviewed the heavy issues heard in the last two hours. Not knowing what to think or how to help any of the people trusting me as a confidante, I sat and silently let tears drip onto my shirt. “Heavenly Father, what am I supposed to do?” I asked in silent prayer.
Eventually figuring I owed an explanation to my in-laws for the sniffles and lack of interaction, carefully I stated something about trying not to internalize other people’s problems, but today things felt very heavy.
Glancing in the rearview mirror, my father-in-law cheerful stated, “Well, everyone always tells me that it works to hand it over to Jesus.”
Braving a little smile, I replied, “Yes. It sounds so simple,” and began looking out the window again.
But his words rocked me a bit.
Mentally I looked at each situation that was weighing down my soul and realized with amazement that these weren’t my fights to fight! These weren’t my problems to solve!
With renewed hope, I began to pray again, but this time I felt that I really COULD lay the problems at the feet of the Savior. He would take those burdens, lift the people who were experiencing them, and maybe even allow me to be an earthly assistant as He extended love and support to those people.
And then the pain and confusion and heaviness were gone.
How is it done
That beggars like me
Can feel the love He freely gives
that opens eyes and makes us free?
How does this hope
Live in my soul?
And though I don’t deserve His grace,
I know that He will make me whole.
How is it done? (2023 Youth Album)
The prophet Enos asked the same question and recorded the answer: “And I said, Lord, how is it done?….Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen….Wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Enos 1:7–8)
I know we are not alone in this work of being mothers and fathers and friends and siblings and aunts and uncles and grandparents and fellow human beings. Our Savior can carry our burdens AND the burdens of those we seek to help.
It is done through our faith in Him.
