A Calming Answer

by Katy Jolly

My family was being torn apart. So were my insides. Where could I find some encouraging words?

I sat teary-eyed and confused, the knot in my stomach wrenching my insides like it had for so many days. Why wasn’t it working? I’d prayed and pleaded with Heavenly Father; I’d paid my tithing and studied my scriptures faithfully. But nothing had changed.

I’d felt this way for three months. My parents were getting a divorce, and we were selling our house. I knew those things must be the reason for my confusion. All I wanted was to be calmed from the constant hurt inside, from the pain and anger that were wearing me out emotionally and spiritually. I felt like I was always trying to fight it off, but I never seemed to get any help.

I reached for my Book of Mormon with only the slightest bit of hope and opened it to the place I’d marked days before. I recognized the title through tear-filled eyes: Enos. It was a short book, so I decided to read the whole thing. I read eagerly, searching for some encouraging words.

As I came to the last verse, my heart filled with joy when I read: “And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen” (Enos 1:27).

The knot inside me slowly disappeared and I sighed with relief. My Heavenly Father had answered my plea. What more could I ask for than to know that one day, if I obey and love my Heavenly Father, I can rest with him in peace.

Photography by John Luke and Jed Clark. Models used for illustration