Christ Sees Me
When I felt completely alone, Christ saw me and helped me overcome my loneliness.
The night before general conference, I lifted my voice in prayer for something I was sure Heavenly Father was getting tired of me asking—to take my loneliness away.
My husband had been away for military training for a couple of weeks, and though a couple of weeks was nothing compared to the time we’d spent away from each other in the past, I was sick of being alone. It seemed that every time he left, I was reminded that I hadn’t had the chance to make friends, and during this time in particular, because of the world’s circumstances, I didn’t have many opportunities for human interaction.
I was tired of not having anyone to talk to, and I was especially tired of not being able to talk to my husband.
That night, I asked God why He couldn’t even just prompt someone to check in on me. I’d heard countless stories of other members being lonely, and they claimed He always sent someone to them. Why couldn’t He do it for me?
Near the end of my prayer, I thought about how general conference was the next day and how if He wasn’t going to answer my prayer right then, He could at least give me answers through someone’s general conference talk. The second after I thought that, though, my mind said, “He’s not going to answer me during general conference. I’ll probably go to bed feeling alone as usual and be fine when I wake up, and the cycle of loneliness will continue.”
I finished my prayer and got ready for bed, but I couldn’t get rid of the tiny hope that maybe, just maybe, He would send me comfort through conference.
The next morning, I did feel slightly better after sleeping. I still missed my husband terribly, but at least I didn’t feel completely alone anymore. And I was excited for general conference. But when Sister Michelle D. Craig, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, started talking about observing and deeply seeing other people,1 I’ll be honest: I really didn’t want to listen to her talk.
I wanted to use my time “more wisely” by doing the mountain of tasks I hadn’t gotten to that week. I told myself that I could do these tasks and still listen to conference without missing anything. But every time I was about to start doing chores, I kept feeling like I would miss something I was supposed to hear.
Eventually, I decided to just listen and take notes.
As Sister Craig’s talk went on, I thought back to my prayer from the night before. She was telling us to do exactly what I had prayed that someone else would do for me, so I again thought, “Why can’t anyone see when I need a friend?”
Then she said something that totally changed my perspective.
“Jesus Christ sees people deeply,” she said. “He sees individuals, their needs, and who they can become.”2
Though Sister Craig said this to show an example of what we should do for others, her words pierced my soul for another reason: Because she testified that someone saw me—and not just anyone, but Christ. He understood my situation perfectly and saw my struggles. And though I may not have felt Him near in the moment of my struggles, I could have faith that He hadn’t forgotten me and that He would stand by me through it all. He knew how best to help me.
God had heard and answered my prayer. And He did send someone to comfort me. I felt this inspiration was answer enough to my prayer, but God continued to show me His understanding and love. He orchestrated a miracle and my husband was able to come home from training several days earlier than we had expected, which rarely happens.
I know I’ll experience more times of loneliness, and my husband likely won’t come home early from any future trainings or deployments, but I have faith that even if no one else sees me, Christ will.
I’m sure I’m not alone in these feelings of loneliness, though. As I continue through life, I can think of how others may be suffering in silence, just as I was, and I can, like Sister Craig said, “act by loving, serving, and affirming their worth and potential.”3 As I strive to lessen the loneliness of others, I believe God will give me the strength and support for my own loneliness.
I believe in Sister Craig’s promise that the Lord will guide us as we strive each day to truly see ourselves and one another deeply. “With His help, we can discern what is most needful. We can begin to see the hand of the Lord working in and through the ordinary details of our lives—we will see deeply.”4