So Jesus Stayed A Little Longer
Staying in love matters to God and here's why
Let’s get a little personal shall we?
Many moons ago,
a beautiful man, who happens to be my husband, tells me that I tend to walk away pretty quickly in a dramatic groaning flare (imagine frustrated baby with the smoky thing coming out of her ears with the exhausting train sounds) when the conversation gets too hard for me and asked me why. I thought about it and then I thought of my childhood, and thought of my parents’ fights, the behaviors I learned in a contentious environment as a little girl who was curious, observing, and ultimately absorbing—then I decided I didn’t like remembering that. My husband examines my face and I proceeded to mumble about my past trauma and all I could remember was his response saying that he was hurt. At the moment I didn’t care because I was also hurt but then the situation was brought to my mind again as I read about Jesus this week.
(Side note: my husband and I are fine after that, we learn to not hold a grudge for too long especially because we break into laughter too much just by looking at each other’s face)
There’s a part in The Book of Mormon when the Savior visits the Nephites after His resurrection. Christ tells the Nephite people that He felt their minds needed time to think about what the Lord just ministered to them and says that He will return the next day. However, the Savior saw and felt compassion as He looked to the crowd.1
5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.
7 Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.
So, Jesus Christ decides to stay a little longer! I REALLY love this part. Okay so after this, He then asks for ALL the little children to come to Him. Trust me, I’m getting somewhere.
11 And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought.
12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.
13 And it came to pass that when they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.
Jesus stands in the center with children all around Him! So this made me think. The Savior really didn’t have to do that. Then I thought, well, did the Savior feel something from the children that only He could sense? Maybe the Lord was just trying to have us remember to be more humble and pure like little children? Well, nothing really made sense until the Lord asked everyone to kneel down and pray, and He did so as well. The Lord began to pray for the people…
14 And it came to pass that when they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.
15 And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.
I thought about the children the Savior asked to come around Him. I don’t know why but they just occupied my mind one night. Then I thought, these are the children of those who were probably sick and afflicted, the children of the people who were asked to be brought before the Lord to be healed when He decided to stay a little longer. And I’m sure that some of these children were one of the individuals brought to Christ to be healed as well. Then I thought, why does that matter?
Then I thought of myself as a little child. My parents were afflicted in matters of financial and mental wellbeing—and because of cultural stigma, much of these afflictions hardly ever found resolution and contention became a constant partner to important matters of sustaining a family. Because of these challenges that I saw in my own family, my sisters and I (we were very little) felt troubled as well.
So, if my family lived at the time the Savior visited the Nephites, would He have asked for me and my sisters to come to Him too? Would He have sensed our troubles about things we didn’t understand at such a young age? If my sisters and I came to the Lord when He asked, were there also sad and hurt children next to us because of the very difficult things they’re experiencing and seeing? Important decisions and influential choices family members made or didn’t make that our small spirits saw? Would there be children with parents that no longer loved each other, like mine? Afflicted and confused like mine?
When things get hard in our families no matter how great or tiny the situation is, may we learn to stay a little longer like the Savior. Stay to understand. Stay to listen. Stay to pray with the Lord for our relationships. And may the Lord grant you the compassion to stay a little longer when you’re at your wits end or feel like giving up. May the Lord grant you and me to stay and…
23 …Behold your little ones.
…even if that little one is you.