Today I would very much like to talk about how families are under stress and how this stress can be relieved. For this post I would like to talk to you guys about something very personal to me and something that has changed the course of my life forever.
At the top of this post is a picture of my seven and a half year old nephew. His name is Cole and he lived in Orlando Florida. Cole and his older brother Trent were my best friends when I was a young teenager. When they would visit we were inseparable; we would jump on the trampoline, swim, and play video games together. When I was twenty years old I left the Unites States to go serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ as Latter Day Saints. When I had returned after two short years I finally got to see my nephews again. We road go carts and played football and everything was just like it was before. A month had passed since I had returned home from my missionary service and I was once again separated from my nephews when we received a heart-braking call from my older sister. My nephew Cole has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor sitting right on his brain stem. Over the next six months we gave the best life we could to my little nephew and we pleaded to God that he would save our awesome little soldier Cole. One month ago Cole died.
I share this story because this is on situation that puts a family under stress. There is no pain that even comes close to the pain of losing a child. A family is stretched thinner than they can possibly imagine. More importantly i share this story so that I can testify as a personal witness that comfort is possible to obtain and that God loves his children. Even when it feels like your world is falling apart I testify that God holds us together. Whether you believe or not, God believes in you and knows you personally. You can't see him, but he can see you and he will help you stand when your strength has failed you.
We take chances on so many things and even having a kid is a risk because you might lose them. We take chances standing for what we believe in and supporting the structure of the traditional family, but no matter what the risk or the stress that comes with our good decisions I can promise you that the Lord will fortify you and he will build you up. I testify that he lives and that he loves us. Love him and love one another.
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