Our Personal Gethsemane

At some point in life, everyone must experience their own personal Gethsemane. For the Savior, this meant experiencing the most excruciating pain ever felt as He suffered for all the pain and sin in the world. For the Savior, this meant experiencing Satan head on and reaching a breaking point where He wanted to give up. For us, this is when we experience those times where we are in such suffering that we are on the brink of life. It's when we feel as if everything in our life is going wrong. It's when we feel completely lost and absolutely alone. It's when we can't see the way out and have completely lost all hope.  For us, our Gethsemane is the nights spent crying because we feel like it'd be easier if we simply just disappeared. 

Although this event that we call our Gethsemane may be different for everyone, that doesn't mean that one person's pain and suffering is worse than another's. But no matter what it is, this event will lead you to a point in your life where you must decide which path to take. You can take the easy way out, which is turning away from Christ, thinking He has turned away from you. Or, you can use your own personal Gethsemane to rely solely on Christ and put your life in His hands. By putting your life in His hands, you learn that Christ will never turn His back on you because He loves you and He has a plan for you. And just as Heavenly Father's plan involved Christ suffering unimaginable pain in Gethsemane, there are times in our life where pain is a part of the plan. 

So what do we do with this pain? What is its purpose in our lives? Well, over the last few months, I have experienced what I believe to be one of my own personal Gethsemane's and I have learned that from our pain and from our tribulation can come the most beautiful testimony and understanding of our Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ. My Gethsemane has taught me that no matter how dark things are, there is always light. No matter how bad things seem, there is always good. No matter how broken you are, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ can and WILL heal you. I have learned that because Christ suffered His Gethsemane completely alone, we do not have to suffer ours alone. Christ knows. He perfectly understands every single thing you've ever gone through and He has felt every single pain you've ever felt. He is there and He is waiting for you to come to Him. I have learned that if you let it, your own personal Gethsemane will make you stronger than you ever believed you could be. It will make you realize that there is ALWAYS a light and there is ALWAYS hope because Christ is the light and Christ is our hope. I have learned that just as Christ knew that His Father would be there for Him and that eventually the day would come when He would no longer have to feel the pain's and suffering's of this world, we too will experience our own days where everything comes together. We just need to be patient enough to allow God to give us the experiences we need to have in order to learn the things of this world and draw nearer unto Him. I wouldn't trade my personal Gethsemane for anything because I have learned more about myself and this gospel during this time than I have in any other time in my life. I have learned to pray the hardest when it is the hardest to pray. I have learned that Christ's atonement is available to all and it will heal you. I have learned that I am never alone.

So when you face your own personal Gethsemane, remember that there is a way out and HE IS THE WAY! Christ will guide you through every trail and tribulation no matter how excruciating the pain or how lost you may feel. Don't allow yourself to get trapped in the darkness the comes from losing sight of Christ and believing Satan's lies that things will never get better. Because no matter the trial, the day will come when the pain will be lifted and you will be rewarded for your obedience and endurance. Remember that you are never alone and someone does understand because someone has already experienced this pain. Draw nearer unto Christ and He will draw nearer unto you. 

The path of salvation always goes through Gethsemane.