Faith | When life ‘stings’ us, remember there’s a remedy found in faith

On a recent family vacation, my husband was stung on his foot by a stingray while swimming in the ocean. He described the pain as some of the most shocking pain he has ever experienced.

The easiest way to neutralize stingray venom is to soak the area in hot water. It was true, if my husband took his foot out of hot water, or the water cooled, the pain would come rushing back.

This experience reminded me of a scripture I studied in 1 Corinthians 15:55, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” The Savior of the world also said, “because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). Jesus Christ suffered for us and was resurrected. Because of him, all will have the opportunity to live after this life!

When I think of the word “sting,” I think of something sharp, abrupt, painful, or shocking. Whenever I have been stung, I have immediately tried to find something that would help ease the pain, just like my husband with the sting from the stingray.

After this experience, I began to compare what happens when we get stung physically to what happens when we are “stung” spiritually, and how we can ease our suffering.

When we seek Jesus and give our spiritual “stings” over to him, he becomes our spiritual “Sting Ease.”

If we were to look at a Sting Ease bottle the label would not say: “If you apply this you will not be stung.” Or, “If you apply this it will prevent you from getting stung by the same thing multiple times.” Nor would it say, “If you apply this, you will not be stung by different things.” Wouldn’t that be nice to put on Sting Ease and never worry about being stung by anything ever again?

Unfortunately, our guard against a “sting” doesn’t work that way. Jesus Christ does not prevent “stings” from happening to us. What he offers is his comfort and relief.

I think this applies to every aspect of our lives: Death, physical or mental illness, heartache, the suffering of a loved one, job loss, or addiction. We only need to reach out to Jesus Christ so he can ease our burdens.

Nearly 20-years-ago my father was diagnosed with a rare neuromuscular disease that causes him to slowly lose function in all the muscles in his body. He currently uses a walker and has difficulty chewing and swallowing food. He cannot move well or hold anything without difficulty. His physical health outlook is bleak as he experiences a slow decline toward feeding tubes and confinement.

The day my husband was stung in the ocean, my father experienced another “sting” as he fell and broke his hip. He is now facing multiple surgeries and a recovery that will be longer and more serious with his neuromuscular condition.

His faith in Jesus Christ and knowledge that life is more than health decline and hospitals continues to inspire me. He looks forward to the day when he will be free from poor health and will experience what Jesus Christ experienced first, in gaining a resurrected body.

Additionally, my father’s faith has taught me that Jesus Christ is the way to happiness, as he centers his life on studying the scriptures, praying, loving his family, being a good neighbor, and trying to live a Christ-like life.

Because of Jesus Christ we can say as Paul said to the Corinthians: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”