“He Is Always There for You—No Matter What,” New Era, Mar. 2015, 40
He Is Always There for You—No Matter What
Josalin Dunn lives in Florida, USA.
When my friend was struggling, I knew I should share my testimony of Christ with her.
Illustration by Clayton Thompson
When I was seven years old, I was diagnosed with cancer.
During the next year, I went through several rounds of chemotherapy and eventually a big surgery. The surgery left me cancer free until my freshman year of high school, when it came back and spread to my liver, where it remains to this day.
Through this whole process, I’ve become a stronger person as I’ve grown closer to my Savior. There were times when I felt like He was very close to me, telling me to keep fighting because my journey here on earth was not even close to done. These experiences strengthened my testimony of Christ.
Not long ago I was talking with my close friend Heather. She confided in me, through a flood of tears, that her parents had decided to get a divorce. She was hurt because she felt that God had abandoned her even though she’d lived a good life.
“Why do bad things happen to good people?” she asked.
I told her my cancer story and how my parents must have spent countless nights on their knees asking Heavenly Father that same question as their seven-year-old daughter lay in the next room with the chemicals from chemotherapy flowing through her body.
I then bore my testimony of trials and how Heavenly Father doesn’t give us trials that He knows we can’t overcome. He knew I could handle cancer. I shared my testimony of Christ—when Jesus was crucified for our sins, Heavenly Father knew Jesus could do it. I told Heather that Heavenly Father doesn’t enjoy watching us suffer. He is with us the entire time, and we can turn to Him for guidance and strength. I testified to Heather that once we overcome our challenge, we can feel His presence stronger than we’ve ever felt before.
Through her tears, Heather thanked me for sharing my feelings with her and told me that she would pray to God when she felt like she couldn’t go on.
I hope I planted a small testimony inside Heather that God is always there, no matter what. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us and is always by our side during our hard times.