Nothing sounds better than driving down a red dirt road with the windows down and some George Strait on the speakers. I am a country music fan – through and through, but it is not the whole of who I am.
Who are you? Instead of music, do you identify with something else, such as a career or profession? The greats, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson suggested that you could be a cowboy – but a good mother would let you grow up to be a [doctor, lawyer, and such].
I shouldn’t get Carried Away with these puns and such casual analogies. We often identify with our hobbies, occupations, addictions, disabilities, and even sexual identities. This is a problem.
When recognizing who we are, how frequently do we answer in a way that acknowledges that we are children of God? This appears to be a case of compartmentalization – that is, in our daily lives, we tend to neglect our eternal identities in favor of temporal identities. This issue occurs across many situations.
Jacob, my friend and Editor-in-Chief of the Cougar Chronicle, recently wrote about Pierre Manent’s essay Who is the Good Samaritan? Jacob emphasized Manent’s point that adulterated compassion, or mere humanitarianism, is not actually Christian, as it neglects the cardinal virtues of courage, justice, and prudence proper to our human condition. In other words, it neglects crucial aspects of the Christian soul, the human soul.
Our identities are incomplete without an acknowledgment of this unseen identity- the soul. Thus, divorcing our physical bodies from our eternal beings leads to dire consequences, as it fractures our eternal identities.
A medical doctor would not be willing to give an individual a blood transfusion without acknowledging a multiplicity of unseen characteristics, such as blood type. Transfusing without the correct blood could be deadly to the patient. All medical therapies, especially those that have to do with our mental, spiritual, and emotional states, are incomplete and perhaps even deadly without the treatment proper to our divine identities. Can we genuinely expect all the grace and healing that Jesus Christ has to offer while denying an essential element of our soul the Great Physician died and rose to preserve?
We cannot.
I am not arguing that doctors, psychologists, et al., have no place in those genuine and debilitating health challenges. Rather, I am arguing that when life gets dark and dreary and we forget to pray – we are in error. It is considerate, and perhaps even more Christian, to suggest that some of our trials can be completely healed if not substantially lifted through complete reliance on the Father and the Son – for the Great Physician is both a healer and medicine. The healing nature of Jesus and prayer has been expressed beautifully in the hymn Did You Think to Pray:
When your soul was full of sorrow,
Balm of Gilead did you borrow
At the gates of day?
President Packer has taught about the folly of compartmentalizing or differentiating between the body and the spirit.
There is another part of us, not so tangible, but quite as real as our physical body. This intangible part of us is described as mind, emotion, intellect, temperament, and many other things. Very seldom is it described as spiritual. But there is a spirit in man; to ignore it is to ignore reality. There are spiritual disorders, too, and spiritual diseases that can cause intense suffering. The body and the spirit of man are bound together. Often, very often, when there are disorders, it is very difficult to tell which is which.
How do we heal these disorders?
In Elder Holland’s famous Like a Broken Vessel, he counseled on this.
He explained that we ought to pray and continue to do what we know to bring the spirit of the Lord into our lives. We should seek to participate in priesthood ordinances, including calling for the elders of the church (James 5:14) and the sacrament. We should continue with faith in Jesus Christ and hope for improvement. If the struggle never ends and we cannot escape – seek professional care.
We cannot ignore who and what we are in combating these illnesses: “Prayerfully and responsibly consider the counsel they give and the solutions they prescribe. If you had appendicitis, God would expect you to seek a priesthood blessing and get the best medical care available. So too with emotional disorders.”
The adversary will pull no punches. His goal is to deceive the very elect (Matt. 24:24). He will do all in his power – even manipulating life-saving resources, such as professional therapy. A well-meaning professional may prescribe a treatment contrary to God’s commandments or ratify or affirm practices hurtful to our eternal spirit. Professional help must understand your goals of overcoming trials, returning to the presence of God through Jesus Christ, and living His gospel.
It is important to qualify this with a firm belief in what Christ taught: “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23). While there are times that we act in faith, this scripture also implies that we should use all temporal means necessary to achieve the desired healing.
Allow me to illustrate this with an example. A psychologist may wrongly tell a faithful individual who is experiencing gender dysphoria or same-sex attraction that this is just the way they are – that nothing can be done. This is a lie. Gender is an essential part of who we are, and marriage between a man and woman is essential for the Lord’s plan of Salvation. The psychologist’s statement strikes at the individual’s sense of divine identity and incriminates God. It says that an identity organized by God in a place that was not fallen is the error, not a fallen body’s feelings, emotions, and desires.
When counseling BYU students as the Commissioner of the Church Educational System, Elder Holland spoke precisely of this danger:
Please spare me your speeches about “That’s just the way I am.” I’ve heard that from too many people who wanted to sin and call it psychology. And I use the word sin again to cover a vast range of habits, some seemingly innocent enough, that nevertheless bring discouragement and doubt and despair…. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, “I’ll change”—and mean it.
While some struggles may be life-long, that does not mean burdens cannot be eased and sinful tendencies overcome (Mosiah 24:11-14). Ultimately, patience in suffering and growing pains as part of the repentance process are insignificant to the glory of eternal life (Romans 8:18), and only through yielding to God, His Spirit, and the Gospel of Christ will lasting peace come (Mosiah 3:19). Priesthood leaders can provide counsel as we seek to accept Christ’s assistance in overcoming both physical and spiritual afflictions – such counsel is exactly why they are called to serve.
The handbook for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints frequently calls for competent professional help. However, many self-proclaimed “professionals” will try to convince us that no ill feelings or difficulty should be felt in this life. Others will push us to leave behind religious constraints to embrace authenticity and our “true self.” Guidance that advises individuals to overcome challenges by feeling less remorse when breaking the commandments is an attempt to deceive the elect and worship the self. It tugs at the very center of our beings and treats us as though we have no eternal identity and as if there is no God.
I don’t know if there will be a day when I stop enjoying country music. However, now is when I choose how I will live forever, so I will identify as a child of God, a child of the covenant, and a disciple of Christ. I will always hold these three descriptors above all other identities and labels. Whatever help is needed and whatever heartache is being experienced, having a correct understanding of who you are and who you want to become is necessary if you desire to rest, recuperate, and come to Christ. The compartmentalization of our eternal identities and righteous desires is lethal.
All healing comes through Jesus Christ, turn to Him and be saved (2 Nephi 25:20, Acts 4:12, Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-19).
If you have questions about methodology that conflicts with the teachings of The Church, counsel with priesthood leaders and trusted and faithful loved ones. Leaders can often refer you to those who understand, prescribe, and implement faith-promoting medicines and therapies.
Written by: Logan Spears
Senior Contributor at the Cougar Chronicle
The opinions in this article are those of the author.
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
