If you are part of the human family and interact with others at all, chances are you will eventually be yelled at some time. A member of my team at work experienced just such an episode this week. Despite the fact that she was trying to help, the disgruntled person unleashed her frustrations without restraint. It was understandably hard.

When I was informed of the exchange, my heart went out to my coworker. No one deserves to be treated like that. As we discussed the situation, I was reminded of a talk from the October 2022 General Conference.

During this past Conference, Sister J. Anette Dennis told a story about a beloved hunting dog named Cassie. Her owner, Jack, was anxious to showcase her talent to his fellow hunting friends. When the time came however, Cassie uncharacteristically would not listen and refused to leave his side. This left Jack very frustrated and embarrassed. He couldn’t understand why she refused to listen. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized the dog had been seriously injured somehow. Sister Dennis related, “Her behavior had been influenced by her pain, her suffering, and her wounds. It had nothing to do with a lack of desire to obey Jack or a lack of love for him.” I’m sure something similar could be said about the person my coworker was trying to help.

I have found that more often than not, lashing out rarely has to do with the situation itself or those on the receiving end. Rather, it is often a culmination of factors, finally building to the breaking point. Have you seen the same? The world right now is full of angry voices and contention. I wonder how much of it stems from unseen wounds?

After her conference talk, Sister Dennis had a number of concerned people reach out to her about Cassie. In response, she gave a brief “rest-of-the-story” in a Facebook post. She explained that the vet told Jack that Cassie’s wound needed to heal internally, from the inside out. It would take a lot of patience and care. At first, it would not look like any healing was taking place, but eventually, it would be as if there was never any injury.

The lessons of that story have played again and again in my mind. What if we kept in mind the idea of unseen wounds as we interacted with others? Would we have more patience? Would we be slower to take offense? Sister Dennis’s story has made me want to do better at giving people the benefit of the doubt. I wonder what would happen if we all tried to be more aware of the needs of those around us? Maybe we would recognize that many of the sharp words or harsh corners of personality stem from hidden wounds that simply need to heal from the inside out. Could we help with that healing as we give love and patience instead of mirrored anger? It has sure made me think.

I’m so grateful for the example of Jesus Christ. I am struck by His patience with ancient Israel. Again and again His chosen people refused to listen to the prophets. Yet again and again, no matter how many times He was rejected by them, the Lord still reached out in invitation to them to return. Because of His Atonement, Jesus Christ has the power to help us heal from the inside out. No matter the depth of the injury or how long the process. No matter how many times we have turned from Him or maybe even yelled at Him. Jeremiah 50:34 says, “Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name; he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land…”

He can help us better recognize our wounds and those of others. He can help us be more patient as we wait for needed healing. He can inspire ways to offer our love and caring to others along the way. And that will make all the difference.

Here are the links to Sister J. Anette Dennis’s talk and subsequent Facebook post.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/10/42dennis?lang=eng