Variations on a Sacred Hymn

So it's been a few months, ok - four years - since I've posted to the blog, but my goal is to become better at this whole blog thing. 

Today in church as we sang the sacrament hymn (the song sung right before the bread and water are administered to the congregation), a phrase struck my eye that while I've heard a thousand times it never sunk in quite the way it did today. The phrase comes from a passage of scripture in the New Testament; Luke 22:42. The third verse of the hymn begins with the words, "Father, from me remove this cup. Yet if thou wilt I'll drink it up." These words brought comfort to my soul. Jesus Christ, the only perfect person to walk the earth, while on the cross pleaded with our Heavenly Father to remove the bitter cup thus displaying his need for drawing on another's strength. 

How many of us go through life thinking we always have to be strong, we have to solve a situation on our own, or that we have something to prove? Do we go through a challenge and pray only after we've tried to figure it all out on our own? Do we turn down the help others offer because we can do it all on our own? Do we build walls and keep problems to ourselves because we think we are supposed to master life on our own? I know I've been guilty of all of the above at least a time or two. 

Today I learned that we are not expected to get through life or its many challenges on our own. We have been given the gift of companionship whether it be with a spouse, a family member, a friend, or most importantly our Savior, Jesus Christ. Today I learned that there are people who have faced some of the same challenges I have and would welcome the opportunity to help me. Today I learned through the simple words of a sacred hymn that Christ is our perfect example in all things, even in showing me that this journey called life is not meant to be traveled alone. 

So the next time someone offers you help, kind words of encouragement, or a listening ear, take them up on the offer. A former prophet of our church, President Spencer W. Kimball stated in a talk, "God does notice us and he watches over us, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs."  The Savior was perfect, yet there came a time when even he needed the strength of our Father.  We have need of his strength too.