Our Heart in His Hands

My faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of my life, and Heavenly Father’s love is the essence of my life. I feel at one with Them. By making and keeping the covenants of the temple, I feel Their power in my life.

In the house of the Lord, I feel close to Him. I feel the strength and power of His priesthood. It feels as if He is extending His hand to me, inviting me to take it.

My journey through life has included medical studies, during which a connection between faith and medicine became evident to me. One time while training in cardiac surgery, I assisted in a heart operation. A patient was to receive a coronary artery bypass. Preparatory steps included connecting a heart-lung machine to ensure that vital blood and oxygen supply would be in the body’s circulatory system.

Using a special liquid solution, the surgeon temporarily stopped the heart so he could perform the procedure without the heart moving. I carefully watched the surgeon’s hands and saw him slightly lift the heart in front of him in the chest. At that moment he turned to me with a subtle movement of his head. He asked me to carefully grasp the heart with my right hand so that it could be stabilized for the bypass procedure.

When I held the patient’s heart in my hand, I immediately felt an enormous responsibility, as well as a deep sense of awe. The following words from Doctrine and Covenants 101:16 came to my mind: “Be still and know that I am God” (see also Psalm 46:10).

I associate this image of a calm heart with the spiritual realization that Jesus Christ, as our Savior, takes our heart in His hands and heals it.

I have learned the truth of President Russell M. Nelson’s words spoken during a recent general conference: “The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.”