We strive to follow Jesus Christ and be like Him as He is like God. One thing we learn about Jesus is in Isaiah 53: 3-8
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
Jesus was "...a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.." In our quest to be like Him, we will at times be people of sorrows and acquainted with grief, perhaps for much of our lives. Sorrow and grief, being despised and rejected, wounded and bruised, oppressed and afflicted, stricken. These same things He went through helped Him to have the compassion and charitable love needed to complete the atonement and death on the cross. His pain made Him more compassionate, more understanding, more purely loving.
To be like Him we must pass through our own intense trials, carry our own crosses, bear our own burdens so that we may know like Him how to succor others. I am not grateful for the trials I have had in my life but I do make them worth something by taking the good out of them- the help and love and lessons learned. I can then, like Jesus, help those around me in a holier way.
And "...with his stripes we are healed." He does not leave us wounded and broken. His atonement covers every pain, sickness, heartbreak, sin, sadness, and hurt for everyone. He extends us this great mercy especially as we extend our compassion to others to help them feel His love.
When we go through something hard it is nice to
talk to someone who has gone through the same trial. Jesus felt
everything in His life and the atonement so He is the perfect one to turn
to in trials. We need to learn how to Hear Him (Jesus, God, Holy Ghost) to get the comfort from them- often through other people He
sends, and in turn to help others- serving for Jesus in His name.
