What is on the inside?

So often we judge each other by what is on the outside when we have no idea what people are really dealing with in their lives.  

Last week I had an experience that taught me a powerful lesson.  These are the thoughts that  I wrote:

"Yesterday for a Relief Society activity I had the opportunity to go with four other women to visit a sister that had recently moved in with her daughter who lives in our ward.

As we entered the home and began to visit with this beautiful woman.  She was positive and full of life, she was very pleasant to visit with.  After visiting for about 20 minutes I asked, "I know you moved in with your daughter because you have had some health problems, what have you been dealing with?"

She then began to explain that a couple of months ago she slipped on a wet spot on her kitchen floor and broke her finger.  Her knee also hurt and got to the point that it was difficult to walk.  She was surprised to find out that her knee wasn't broken, but filled with cancer (two years earlier she had had breast cancer, and thought it was gone). Not only did she find out that she had cancer in her knee. It was also in her lung, both breasts, wrist, gallbladder, and maybe more.  What could the doctors do but tell her she was going to die and turn her over to hospice.  She didn't feel that her time was up.  She felt so grateful for an LDS case worker that recommended to the doctor that they send her to a rehab center.  After working hard to be able to walk on her knee she left her home and friends of 45 years in Arizona and moved to live with her daughter.

We were shocked to hear what she was going through.  On the outside she looked great.  On the inside she was filled with cancel and knew it was a matter of time before she would move to the next life.  She told of the longing she had to attend two granddaughters upcoming weddings.

Her smile and happiness were an inspiration to me."


What if we really took time to understand what issues people are really dealing with?  What challenges are in their hearts?  Would we be a little bit more kind and loving to people we come in contact with?  What is on the inside of our hearts, we are all dealing with a challenge of one kind or another?