Sarah and I had the opportunity to babysit some of my cousins while my aunt and uncle went on vacation for their 20th wedding anniversary. I won't use their names for their protection on the internet, but those of you who know us and them will know who I'm talking about. For those of you who don't know them, their family consists of a boy who is 14, a girl who is 12, a girl who is 10 and a boy who is 7, or somewhere very close to that. In fact, by the time most of you read this, the 12 year-old will be 13, but that is really besides the point.
The first night that their parents were gone, we had an experience that has since caused me to think quite a bit. We had a fun-filled day which I think helped keep his mind off of his parents leaving, but when it came time to go to bed, the youngest began to miss his parents very much. He cried and cried and I didn't know what to do. We called his parents on the phone and he talked to both of them. Between sobs, he told them that he wanted them to come home. They comforted him over the phone and told him that although they couldn't come home right that instant, they would be home in a few days. He told them goodbye and hung up the phone.
By this time, the older girl had come upstairs to console her little brother and see if there was anything she could do to help. She hugged him and did all she could to comfort him. Together they went to the room of the younger girl, where the crying of the youngest boy caused her to miss her parents and start crying. This led to the older girl crying as well. (As their babysitter, I had no idea what to do at this point.) Then, the younger girl suggested that we say a prayer. She said a short prayer and asked Heavenly Father to help them be able to go to sleep and not miss their parents so much. Then they started to sing primary songs to find comfort.
Finally the youngest two went to bed. When I walked past the room of the older girl, I saw something that touched me. There she was, kneeling at her bed, saying a prayer. I'm sure that the prayer was for her younger siblings, asking God to comfort them while their parents were gone. A few minutes later, the older boy came up to me and Sarah and said with a little bit of a chuckle, "So I was downstairs watching a movie and then all of a sudden, they come downstairs singing primary songs. It was kind of an intense part of the movie until they got there, then I was like 'What the heck are they singing primary songs for?' " He gave a little laugh and then dismissed it on his way to bed.
Sarah and I then sat there and talked about what had happened for a little while, full of gratitude that the kids were finally able to go to bed. It got me thinking about our experience here on this earth. I think there comes a time when we realize that we have been separated from our Heavenly Parents and we want to be with them again. We may pray to Heavenly Father and ask Him to let us be with Him again, but I believe the response we receive is similar to that my cousin got from his parents - we are separated for a time, but after a short while we will be reunited again.
When we share this discovery that we are separated from our Heavenly Parents with others, the response we get from them will vary greatly. Similar to how one of my cousins crying caused the other two to begin crying, I believe the realization that we are separated from our Heavenly Parents causes a longing within us to be with Them. How we respond to that longing says a lot about our character and our beliefs. We can feel hopeless as if all is lost and sob about anything that keeps us separated from God. We can dismiss the idea of being separated from God and focus on other things (like my older cousin with the movie) and even joke about the faith and hope of others. Or we can respond with faith, comfort others and try to help them as we all strive to return to live with our Heavenly Parents.
The faith of my cousin touched me very much. Her earnest prayer for the comfort of her siblings reminded me of the faith I should have and also the support I should lend to those around me. Her simple yet firm faith is an example to all of us.
0 comments:
Post a Comment