My heart is crying tonight for friends who are far from home, in a hospital with their 2 year-old son, and faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to donate his organs after he was suddenly struck down by a blood clot to his brain.

These are the times in life when it feels like the whole world should stop. Stop and pray. Stop and mourn. Stop and forgive. Stop and cherish their own families. But the world doesn’t stop. Other people go to work, take vacations, put gas in their cars, talk about politics, and argue over burnt toast. Only your world stops. And you frantically look for a way to make it start up again, and skip over the nightmare.

But it doesn’t happen, and your world hasn’t actually stopped. The doctor comes to you and says, “We can sustain him for a little while, but eventually his organs will start to fail. If you want to donate his organs, we need to know in the next few hours.” The decision to stop life-sustaining efforts is one you never want to be faced with.

Some wonder where is God in all of this? Why does this horrible thing have to be? But this life is not the whole picture. God has promised eternal life as part of the blessings of the atonement of His Son, Jesus Christ. He has promised to help us, to guide us through the valley of the shadow of death, and to bring us to the light again. When we are faced with the sore trials of this world, He asks us to turn to Him. He promises not to leave us comfortless. He promises to silence our fears, and to speak peace to our souls.

I have stood in the white halls of a hospital with my family, faced with making this decision for a family member. While it was one of the hardest things I’ve been faced with, it was also a moment when I felt the Spirit of Peace reach from Heaven and give comfort and assurance about our decision.

When others are suffering these things, the best things we can do to help them piece their crippled lives back together so they can walk forward again, are to mourn with those that mourn, and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. Exercise your faith and prayers on their behalf. They will be lifted.

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.