Compassion Leads To Comfort

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12). The order in which Christ was able to help us face our greatest challenges was that He first took upon Himself our pains and infirmities, and then second, He knows how to succor us. I think this is an important sequence. There's a reason that in the baptismal covenant we promise to first bear one another's burdens and mourn with those that mourn and then only after do we comfort those that stand in need of comfort. If we love someone and see that they are in pain, the most natural thing in the world is for us to feel some of their pain. And the next most natural thing is for us to fix it as quickly as possible, not only to get rid of their pain but to get rid of our own. But until we have the courage and humility to take upon ourselves their pain, as deeply and intimately as we possibly can, we won't know the best way to give them succor and comfort and any of our suggestions or attempted remedies will fall flat. If someone we love is suffering and we are at a loss as to how to help them, we should examine our efforts to take upon ourselves their pains, to bear their burdens and to mourn with them and we should seek greater understanding from them and from the Holy Spirit and then we will better know how to succor them.