In all your beliefs you don't talk about how a disability can distroy a marriage or partnership. My partner and I have a great friendship that has last fourteen years, and seven of them have had to exist under a cloud of disability, which happened to him, and at a relative young age of 37ish our personal lives have been distroyed since then. How do you come back from that, if you can, where's god now.

I hope you would be able to give me some words of comfort as I feel lost occasionally, and don't know how to move forward without guilt or trust being distroyed.

I am so very sorry that your partner has had to suffer this disability and that you are suffering because of it. I receive quite a few emails from those who are suffering serious problems.

First of all, I can't profess to know all there is to know in advising you on how to handle these kids of sorrows and trials because I haven't experienced what you are going through. I could only speculate at best. Although, I have known people who have had to face similar challenges of disability of a loved one. I know of others who face various sorrows, even death. When faced with any kind challenge, I suppose people can respond in several ways, but for the sake of this email, I want to look at it from a spiritual point of view, which is the theme of My Belief section anyway.

Some feel picked upon and become bitter or depressed about the challenges they face. Others may see these as part of life. As a matter of fact, some view them as opportunities to serve and grow. This is the response the Lord hopes will occur. Like it says in Romans 5:3 "...we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" And in Acts 14:22, "...we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

The Lord taught us to love and serve one another even to the extent that "...he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:39) He teaches us to walk the extra mile for others and to give our coat and cloak also. In the Book of Mormon, a righteous man named King Benjamin taught his people, "...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. (Book of Mormon | Mosiah 2:17)

I like the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew the 25th chapter verses 31-46 which says, "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curse'd, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:31 - 46)

For some people, the challenges they face are really spiritual opportunities, but for others the Lord emphasized in John 9:1-3, "AND as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him."

I don't know if this answers your question, but from the perspective of the teachings of Christ, this helps me react with happiness rather than dissappointment and bitterness. I'm sure the Lord will help you and give you the peace you need if you will trust in him enough to pray to our Heavenly Father for the strength and the peace you seek.

I sincerely hope this answer helps in some small way.

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


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