Hush Little Baby

“I love and revere the Lord. His power and peace are real. He is our Redeemer, and I witness He lives. And because of Him, our hearts need not be troubled or afraid (see John 14:27), and we will be blessed to hush our fears” (Elder Bednar).


One cold July night near the bottom of the world I was a missionary in southern Chile walking home with my small, dainty 19-year-old companion. I always got tired after a long day of walking, but when the world started spinning below me I decided it might be a good idea to sit down.  After collapsing onto the pavement I put my head between my knees and tried to regain balance so the little Ecuadorian beside me could stop worrying. We made it home, I ate a snack, we planned our day, I built the fire, and then it was off to bed.

Earlier that day we knelt down together in prayer and began a fast for the sick newborn baby of our friend’s 16-year old son. We wanted to ask Heavenly Father for a special blessing of recovery and health for her little granddaughter and for the two very new, very young parents.  The next day an hour after our fast ended we happened to see the baby’s grandfather on our daily walk down the street. He told us the girl was fine. She would live and it was a miracle.

I remember that fast for two reasons: Firstly, because I know God heard and answered the prayers of two inexperienced teenage girls, however humble and inadequate they may have been; and secondly—though little did I know it—because it marked the first day of my relapse.  Surprisingly I ministered to many men and women that last month of my mission while I was sick. People talked to me about broken marriages, grief for the loss of their deceased loved ones, fear for the welfare of their families, fear for their health after a troubling diagnosis, and each night I would go home, twitch on the floor, and sing hymns to keep from crying again.

I know my problems are small, but sometimes in the moment they seem big and scary. I’ve spent an August in bed, October with a cane, Christmas in a daze, and March in traction therapy, not in that order.  Like the mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather of that little baby I have been and continue to be afraid of many things. I am afraid of taxes, I am afraid of the dark, I am afraid of growing up, I have an irrational fear of walking over grates, I am afraid of getting sick, I am afraid of dying young, and quite often I fear for the friends and loved ones dealing with much stronger tempests than mine, be they literal or otherwise.

I was impressed by Elder David A. Bednar’s words this month in General Conference: “The peace Christ gives allows us to view mortality through the precious perspective of eternity and supplies a spiritual settledness that helps us maintain a consistent focus on our heavenly destination.”  I believe there is good reason to fear, but I also believe fear can be dispelled through our Savior Jesus Christ.  That might not make the monsters under the bed disappear or change the results of your CAT scan or keep the avalanches and earthquakes and tornadoes away, but I believe that trust can replace doubt and peace can replace fear.

I love the nursery rhyme that begins: “Hush Little Baby, Don’t Say a Word, Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.” Well that mockingbird might not sing, the glass might break, the billy goat might not pull, but Heavenly Father still loves his children and has offered Jesus Christ to heal the bird, fix the glass and pull goat forward. He will always give peace to the troubled heart and I believe His peace will help us see with more godly eyes. 

 "And if that horse and cart fall down, you'll still be the sweetest little baby in town."

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