In order to have a good future relationship, it is important to heal notable wounds from personal issues, as well as past failed, hurtful, or otherwise frustrating relationships. A few good suggestions for that includes quality self-help materials, individual psychotherapy, group therapy, or meetings with the bishop. In this article I am just going to offer a few general authority/church-based quotes supporting the idea that you can have real hope to heal and have a future healthy, happy eternal relationship.
Quotes on Hope for Healing:
Look to the Atonement for Help; Work on your Spiritual Health:
“Whether or not the victim has access to professional help, it is best to pray, study the life of the Savior and His Atonement, and visit regularly with a priesthood leader. He can help ease the burdens and receive inspiration to help the victim understand their divine worth and relationship with Father in Heaven and the Savior. As Sister Carole M. Stephens, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, recently taught: “Healing may be a long process. It will require that you prayerfully seek guidance and appropriate help, including counseling with properly ordained priesthood holders. As you learn to communicate openly, set appropriate boundaries and perhaps seek professional counseling. Maintaining spiritual health throughout the process is vital!”
--Sister Nanon Talley, A Bridge to Hope and Healing, April 2017 Ensign
Forgive, Let Go, and Remember the Lord Will Administer Any Needed Justice:
I am convinced that most of us want to forgive, but we find it very hard to do. When we have experienced an injustice, we may be quick to say, “That person did wrong. They deserve punishment. Where is the justice?” We mistakenly think that if we forgive, somehow justice will not be served and punishments will be avoided.
This simply is not the case. God will mete out a punishment that is fair, for mercy cannot rob justice (see Alma 42:25). God lovingly assures you and me: “Leave judgment alone with me, for it is mine and I will repay. [But let] peace be with you” (D&C 82:23). The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob also promised that God “will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction” (Jacob 3:1). As victims, if we are faithful, we can take great comfort in knowing that God will compensate us for every injustice we experience. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated: “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. … Every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”
--Elder Kevin R. Duncan, The Healing Ointment of Forgiveness, General Conference, April 2016.
The Atonement Allows Us to Have Hope for Peace in this World, Keep a Big Picture Perspective:
When we have hope, we trust God’s promises. We have a quiet assurance that if we do “the works of righteousness,” we “shall receive [our] reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:23). Mormon taught that such hope comes only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ: “What is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise” (Moroni 7:41).
Source: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/hope?lang=eng
Prayer: A Key Part of the Healing Process:
“Those who follow this counsel can find comfort and guidance: “I started by praying,” recalled one man. “I had nothing to lose. I prayed, really prayed for the first time ever. I prayed long and hard and often. I prayed heavily for answers. I prayed for the pain to be eased. I listened to the responses that I got to my prayers, and I know my Heavenly Father spoke to me. I heard it inside my soul. I have no question that I had answers given to me. I was pleading for answers and comfort, and he was there. For the first time in my life I really was applying the principles in my life, and they were working. Something was different. I was starting to change.” Prayer brings blessings to the lives of all faithful individuals, but to those who are struggling to feel love, hope, and joy, prayer provides a lifeline. “Through prayer I developed a trust in God,” one person responded. “I believe this single factor of trusting in God has pulled me through some of the toughest trials in my life. Feelings of guilt, depression, and low self-worth would fade away when I realized that I was a literal child of God. I felt my Heavenly Father’s love, and the Holy Ghost would comfort me when I knelt in prayer and sincerely asked for help.”
--Name Withheld, “The Journey to Healing”, Ensign, September 1997.
Final Thoughts:
You can have hope to heal and improve yourself well enough to have a future healthy, happy, thriving relationship. You can work through and release your pains from personal or relational issues. It takes commitment, work, some time, and the appropriate help and resources. But you can do it. You have suffered long enough. It is time to work to let go, to release, to forgive, and to move on towards a better life and relationships. And remember that “…neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.”—1 Corinthians 11:1.
Dr. G
P.S. If you have any questions, comments, or a future article request for me, feel free to contact me at drgilchrist@yahoo.com.
| 2022-09-19 | Randy Gilchrist | Psychological health |
About the author
Hello, my name is Dr. Randy Gilchrist (aka "Dr. G"). I am a licensed clinical psychologist, a licensed marriage & family therapist, and a certified hypnotherapist in private practice in Roseville, CA (www.dr-rg.com), practicing since 1997. Also, I am happily married in the temple (Manti) since 1996 and have 4 sons. I am a volunteer writer and contributor to LDS Dimension. I use my training, education, and experience to share insights with LDS Dimension on all things of interest to the LDS dating community. Please read my articles and columns on this site to assist you in your online dating journey. Also, to be considered for an answer in a future Q and A column, please email me your dating/relationship oriented questions to drgilchrist@yahoo.com. Finally, I also offer a powerful, effective worldwide custom hypnosis recording service just for LDS Dimension members for weight loss, pornography, and many other issues of concern to those in the LDS dating community (please learn more now at www.dr-rg.com/lds; email me questions to drgilchrist@yahoo.com).