Remembering is a Good Choice

What is it that You Will Choose to Remember This Day?

We all remember the scenes of devastation and sorrow. 

Do we remember the love? Do we remember the kindness?
Do we remember the humanity and the selfless service
of those who gave their all to save a stranger?

After 9-11, individuals and families all across our nation
chose to remember God and to remember Country.
Is that a choice for you today?
Are you still attending your Church?
Are you still displaying your flag?
Do you still have hope
for yourself, your children, and our Country?

The Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance.
Are we remembering to express gratitude to those we love,
to our family and friends?
Are we remembering to show kindness to strangers?
Are we remembering to give thanks,
praising God, and giving Him the glory?

We can choose to see evil every day,
because it is here and we can see it.

We can also choose to see love every day,
because it is here and we can be a part of it.
We can create it.

We clearly mean it when we say, “We will never forget.”
But what exactly is it that we are choosing to remember.
Will our memories make a difference to us?
Will our actions make a difference for others?

We can’t forget the insidious actions of hatred
that have taken innocent lives, on 9-11 and throughout history;
and how those cruel deeds caused pain and damage
to loved ones that is ongoing. 

But do those actions make a more indelible mark 

on our souls than the goodness that is witnessed 

during those very times? 

Light always shines through, 

and our choices can make it overpower the darkness 

in our own hearts, minds, and lives.
With that light,
we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Jesus is the Light of the World, 

and it is only through remembering Him 

that we can experience everlasting peace and everlasting life.

He died for all humanity, 

our failures, our mistakes, and even our hate.

He lives for all of us, too. 

He is the Way. He is our Bread. He is our salvation. 

Through Him our lives can again have meaning and direction. 

With His love, He provided hope for all. 

His invitation is, “Come, follow Me.”

Do we remember to find ways to 

recognize and remember God’s kindness?

What will you choose to remember today?

A scripture verse:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the
rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation;
that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea,
his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built,
which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman 5:12

A message from an apostle:

O Remember, Remember

Sometimes It's Good to Let Go

Sometimes It's Good to Let Go: Sunday Reflections

I look back on my life, and I have led a pretty good life. I have treated other people with kindness and given them the benefit of the doubt. I have made my mistakes, certainly, but I have done what I can to make things right and to seek forgiveness and be forgiving. I feel good about that.

There’s a lot of jealousy in this world, a lot of nit-picking and grudge-holding. Life is much too short for that. It seems like sometimes we must want someone else to pay for our hurts; and that is just so unnecessary, because Jesus has already done that. That’s a good thing to remember. Because Jesus paid for our mistakes already, we should be ready and willing, quickly and frequently, to not ask payment from anyone else, but to forgive those who we consider to be our debtors. We should stop keeping score and free each other.

We continually are meeting new people, making associations, and breaking connections, because we are moving, and learning and growing. Most of the time, the people I’ve been close to have stayed near and dear and close to my heart and I have to theirs as well. But time and distance do move us apart sometimes, both in life and in death. That’s okay. We know that our friendships and our family connections are intact, and when we see each other again, we’ll pick up right where we left off, and continue writing our story together.

But those other relationships, what about those? I mean the strained ones, those who are estranged from us. Sometimes, try as we might, things seem beyond repair. Even if we have love in our hearts, their philosophy may differ from ours. The best thing we can then do is take inventory of our own selves. Are we honest with ourselves and before the Lord? Have we done what is needful and necessary? Are we holding on to the good memories and keeping those alive, instead of festering our wounds? I have found it helpful to remember the good feelings associated with the memories of the good times had together in the past. If it is impossible for us to have a relationship currently, I can savor the past relationship in my memory and wait for the day when things may again be restored.

But I don’t have to force that. It’s a hard thing to accept our ability to be whole without the acceptance and approval of some people in our lives. But with the Lord, all things are possible. He is our help, our support, and our salvation. It is only through Him that we are ever made whole. So trusting in Him, in His timing, and in His loving care becomes the new focus of what is needful and necessary. You can’t make someone think highly of you, nor should you have to. And you don’t have to prove anyone wrong in order to feel right. That kind of right is pride. Being right with the Lord is a quiet humility, and something that I am going to diligently seek after.

These are my thoughts at the end of this Sabbath day. They have been helpful to me. I hope that they will be useful to someone else.

Have a good week. Have a good life!

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and Peace Be with You

Jesus is the Prince of Peace

 Brent Borup

Jesus is the Prince of Peace. He who created all things and gave us life also allows us to live our lives. His desire is for us to grow in goodness and prosperity, to learn to love and trust Him, and in so doing, to love and help each other. But as always, He gives us choice. 

Freedom

Freedom. What is it? Jesus has told us that the truth shall make us free (See John 8:32).

Those who embrace His truths with trust in Him feel this freedom. We can be free from hate, free from addictions, free from idleness, free from greed, free from loneliness, and free from ignorance. The thing about that is that all these freedoms take work. Our free will is a gift to us, but these other things take work and are a result of our choices and how we exercise our agency.

Our chances for lasting peace and freedom are void without Him and everlasting abundant through Him. There may be seasons of rest from wars and strives, but there will never be lasting freedom without people choosing to work within the boundaries of laws, especially His laws. He who said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15), did not say so because He wants to control us, but rather because He wants to free us. 

Many of us long for the promised day when Jesus will return and the inhabitants will be at peace with one another. It will be lovely, beautiful, and supernal. But we do not have to wait until then to feel His love, His peace, and His presence in our lives now. Today.

Peace Can Be Felt Today

Jesus promises us as He did His disciples of long ago,

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). 

We Must Love God and Love Each Other (See Matt 22:36-40)

We cannot keep this peace if we feel anger, hate, and revenge towards our fellow brothers and sisters. Here’s what the Lord says about that:

"If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also" (1 John 4:20-21).

This extends to all humanity with which we share this planet, whether we have met each personally or not. We cannot love God without loving His children as well, who come from Him.

Also, here is good counsel from the Apostle Paul, who reminds us that the Lord said vengeance belongs only to Him, He who desires not to give it.

"Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:17-21).


How can we know when we are free? We will feel the Holy Spirit with us. And what is the fruit of the Spirit?

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-25).

Jesus Has Done All

We are not asked to do anything that Jesus will not help us do. Neither are we asked to do anything that He hasn’t already done for us. From the cross, He still loved us all. Every one.

The words He spoke resound through the universe still,

"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).

He who was wronged for all of our wrongdoings and none of His own, He who suffered for me and for you and bled from every pore; He it is who was free from all evil, and He alone can make us free as well.

Peace be with you.

And peace be with you as well.

Straining at a Gnat and Not Swallowing a Camel

The Power of Writing Things Down

I'm so thankful for the ability to write things down to express emotion. I just read over some very old unsent letters, and I decided to skip reading most of them. I’m glad that writing can help us work through things, gain perspective, and develop patience. While we all sense a desire to express ourselves, I'm so glad that I've left many things unsaid.

 Straining at a Gnat and Not Swallowing a Camel

Strained Communication

Often misunderstandings come from an inability to communicate our hurts appropriately. While there may be ample reason for us to feel the way we do, we cannot necessarily see into the other persons’ minds or hearts to know their intents or perspective. When there isn’t enough trust established to proceed with communication, sometimes we just need to pray for each other and hope for the best. 

Prayer is the Important Key

Prayer. Isn’t that the key to good communication? Here, with our Heavenly Father, we can always develop a relationship where we know we can be understood, we will be validated, and reproof will always be given with ample love. When we feel the Savior’s love, we will be able to love ourselves more, no matter what others may think, do, or say; and, we will be able to extend His love to others more freely, until we can develop that love in ourselves. 

We Need to Repent Ourselves

Prayer will also help us so our own part in the dissonance and what we are lacking ourselves. We will see our own need to change and find mercy, which should in turn help us to feel more merciful. We can seek inspiration on how to proceed: how to serve, how to wait, or how to let go. 

Serving and Forgiving

When there are opportunities to build more trust through service and shared experiences, we should seek to take advantage in developing more stable relationships. If we fall and skin our knees, we should try again. But even when things are rocky, we shouldn’t be throwing rocks.

For the times when I have spoken hastily or sought for vindication, I’m thankful for the ability to repent and repair. Sometimes feelings are raw for a long time, and even when people may want us to eat our words, or when they regurgitate them, we really cannot take them back. But we can choose to give second, third, and seventy-seventh chances, trying to give each other the benefit of the doubt.

How has writing been therapeutic to you in putting things to rest? 

How have your benefited from repairing strained relationships?

Extending His Embrace

1 January 2016

Extending His Embrace

Before I got dressed this morning, I lotioned my hands and my feet with coconut oil. As I did so, I thought about my mother. I had lotioned her feet and cut her toe nails for her in the days before she passed away.

I learned a lot of lessons in helping to care for my mother. Most importantly, how important each human soul is, and what a privilege it is for us to serve anyone (and everyone). Here I was taking care of the woman who gave me life and taught me how to live. I’ve taken care of my own children as well. As the hospice nurse Erica so beautifully put it, “It is a privilege and an honor.”  As King Benjamin said, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). The Savior said it best, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). 

Lotioning my feet as my mother had done for me, and as I had done for her, and as the Savior had done for His apostles felt so right (See John Chapter 13).  My hands look more and more like her hands with each passing year. In doing so on the first day of this New Year, my thoughts were both reflective and directive.

The Savior gave us two great commandments in Mark 12:30-31:

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God 

with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, 

    and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: 

this is the first commandment. 

   

And the second is like, namely this, 

Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 

There is none other commandment greater than these.

To love the Lord our God with everything that we have, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This really got me thinking.

Can I love my neighbor the way the Lord would have me do if I do not adequately love myself? I can’t. Can I serve my neighbor with love if I have no reservoir of love in me, or without the development of love for my own person? No. Should I not care for my own soul as I would care for another, say my mother or my own children? Yes, of course, the Lord would want that, and even expects that I care for myself. So I need to learn how to humbly love myself, so that I have more to give in the Lord’s service to others.

Can I truly love myself where I am, knowing my own shortcomings and discrepancies? I know that I can. It is in feeling the Lord’s love for us that we are able to do so. When we understand the nature of God’s love for us, we can then begin to develop that kind of love for ourselves and for our fellowmen, both our friends and our enemies.

So we need to understand God’s nature and why He loves us so much. He is our Father. We are truly His children, and He desires our happiness. When we come to feel and know of His love, we need to develop a forgiving heart, not only for others, but for ourselves. When we feel surrounded, comforted, and embraced in His love, we need to hold on to that, and embrace right back. As we do, we will feel His sustaining power in developing those attributes that are necessary for us to love Him, to love ourselves, and to love each other.

Further reading:

After I was dressed I rode the exercise bike and read from the Ensign. Elder Holland’s words on understanding the nature of the Godhead are pertinent to the thoughts and feelings of this morning, and to my progress in the days ahead. By knowing the nature of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and by feeling of their love, we will be better able to share their good news and to love and serve one another. Please read his address here: Knowing the Godhead. 

Turn to the Light

A Lesson for Relief Society based on the talk,

"The Lord is My Light," by Elder Quinton L. Cook

Songs for the lesson:

The Lord is My Light

Lead Kindly Light

In our pre-earth life, we all made the choice to follow the Son of God. In doing so we were given the opportunity to experience earth life with all of the challenges it presents. The best way to be successful again here is to make the choice, along with covenants, to follow the Son of God. He is our Savior, Lord, and Redeemer. He is our Light.

How many of you have seen sunflowers? Describe them. What do they do?

Sunflowers grow in extreme conditions. Sunflowers turn their faces towards the sun. Do we limit what we can do because we don't believe that our circumstances are optimal? Or do we take root and bloom even when we aren't necessarily where we want to be? Do we turn towards the Lord?

This life will present some real challenges for us. How will we respond? When the challenges presented come from friends, family members, or church members offending us or turning away from what we believe is right, how do we respond?

Do we experience anger and desire estrangement? Do we feel genuine love and sorrow, and hope to build others' faith as well as our own? Does pride get in the way of our own progression and desire to repent? Does it get in the way of us forgiving and accepting others? Do we allow pride to impede our progress?

“The Light of Christ plants the eternal nature of the family in the hearts of all God's children” (Elder Cook).

“So much in life is extraneous, [but]...the family is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing; the thing to watch over and care for and be loyal to” (Carla Carlisle).

Why is family the important thing, and how do we make family ties stronger?

It is important that we all build our testimonies. There are proper ways to do this.

“Patiently and humbly studying, pondering, praying, living gospel principles, and counseling with appropriate leaders are the best ways to resolve questions and concerns” (Elder Coook).

This can be true when we are seeking our own growth, or when we are trying to gain understanding concerning someone else, so that we can appropriately respond to his or her needs.

“If we faithfully have family prayer, scripture study, family home evening, priesthood blessings, and Sabbath day observance in our homes, our children will be counting on that pattern of faith even when they are away from home. These positive habits, accompanied with sincere concern and love for each others' well-bing, will provide our families with security and a safe harbor. Each member will gain the needed fortification to stand in today's world, making good choices” (Elder Cook).

We will be able to feel secure in the eternal safety of our children no matter what life's challenges may bring, knowing that Jesus will save them in this life and in the resurrection.

How can families work together towards their goal of eternal life? How have family prayer, scripture study, family home evening, priesthood blessings, and keeping the Sabbath day holy blessed you in your families and throughout your life?

How does our ward family act in harmony with each family's goal for eternal life? How does involvement in quorums and auxillaries help build us as individuals and strengthen our families? In what ways do home and visiting teaching offer us stability in an ever changing and challenging world?

“Our ward family is important to our progress, happiness, and personal effort to be more Christlike” (Elder Cook).

We need to avoid the temptation to become disjointed. The Lord's emphasis has always been on unity. When the Nephite and Lamanite people were all converted to the Lord, there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.” As a result to this we read in 4 Nephi vs 16, “And surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God.”

Because the love of God dwelt in the hearts of the people, there were no contentions. What must we do in our wards and in our homes in order to dispel contentions and build unity?

Our outlook is not bleak. If we look towards the Light, our destiny is to grow in His Light and become like Him. It will take a change of heart. We will need to determine now to love the Lord more and to love each other more. He will help us.

“Our protections in this life and for eternity will be in individual and family righteousness, Church ordinances, and following the Savior. This is our refuge from the storm. For those who feel they are alone, you can stand resolutely in righteousness knowing that the Atonement will protect and bless you beyond your ability to fully understand” (Elder Cook).

“We should remember the Savior, keep our covenants, and follow the Son of God as the young sunflower follows the sunshine. Following His light and example will bring us joy, happiness, and peace. As Psalm 27 and a favorite hymn both proclaim, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.”

Love Wins

Love Wins

I don't think that there can be a truer statement than “Love Wins.” In what ways does love win?

Clearly, it is because of God's love for us that we all have a chance to be winners. We all have the opportunity to look to God and live. We all have the privilege of keeping His commandments and following His Son through covenants and ordinances in order to return to Him in heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ and through the power of His Atonement, Love has won forever. Christ Himself, through the commandment and grace of God, has overcome death and sin.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).

So here we are in a battle defining what love is. While Christ's love is freeing and liberating in that we are offered the forgiveness of sins and eternal life; and while relationships designed by God are a part of His plan to bring us freedom, liberty, and happiness; counterfeits of God's love and His plan do not bring freedom, nor do they place us on an equal footing on the pathway home to God.

It makes many Christians feel uneasy to see the phrase “Love Wins” so blatantly displayed in reference to judges making those things legal which can never be lawful. But it must not give Christians license to forget what we already know, and that is that indeed “Love Wins.” Even when we disagree in theory and in practice, there remains in us the responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves (See John 13:34).

Jesus indeed told us that the first great commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God will all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” He told us also that the second great commandment after that first one is “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-38) Jesus also has told us that “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen” (1 John 4:20)?

Are we are so caught up in what the laws of the land say, that we are forgetting the laws of God? The Pharisees did that. And Jesus made it clear that they were falling short according to the Law of Moses, which He had delivered, and according to the higher law which He brought to them at that time. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:10).

In our love for our neighbor, we cannot abandon our love for our God and our responsibility to honor Him and keep His commandments. Some people get that mixed up, and they try keeping the second commandment in favor of the first. That will never work well. As the family of God, for we are all His children, we can only love and serve each other best, when we love and serve Him first. His commandments are the same for all of His children, and His desired outcome is the same for all of us. But because He has given us agency, or free will, through the Gift of His Son, He will never force us to be righteous; and He will never reward us with Eternal Life with Him if we choose to forsake Him.

We cannot ever think though that salvation is granted us because of our own good works. How arrogant and ungrateful is that, for Jesus bought us with a heavy price! The very blessing of His forgiveness felt by repentant sinners, should cause our Christian hearts to desire the same blessing for all of His other children.

Why does Love Win? Moroni, delivering the words of his father Mormon, tells us that Love Wins because “charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever, and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him” (Moroni 7:47).

How important is this charity, the pure love of Christ? Just in case we feel justified in keeping some outward, obvious commandments, but we are neglecting those first two great commandments, the Apostle Paul reminds us just how important this love is in 1 Corinthians 13:

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in inquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

If we believe in the prophets, the scriptures, and the commandments; if we believe and trust in Jesus Christ and in His word, we must certainly acknowledge that Love Wins. God's work and His glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (See Moses 1:39). While we desire salvation for ourselves, we should never be a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters, because we feel that we are better than they are (See Romans 3:9). Love Wins when we develop a Christian heart and extend God's kindness and mercy to one another.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which He hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of His Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as He is pure. Amen” (Moroni 7:48).

tinyurl.com/o49yq8p

The Benefit of the Doubt

I believe that it is important to learn to give the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes we are so quick to judge others, even those closest to us, as a means to elevate ourselves by thinking belittling thoughts about them. How can such destructive behavior ever amount to anything constructive? It can't.

It is so much more profitable to show patience, not only in others (and what they do and say), but in our reacting to them. Pausing, to give ourselves processing time is a wise choice. We do not need to allow first impressions of anyone or any event mar our overall ability to perceive clearly. Often if we seek clarification, we are pleasantly surprised that we are all nearly on the same page after all. And it's important to not hastily spread any early doubts to another's detriment or even to our own.

Communication takes effort, but it is well worth it, in avoiding misunderstandings and judgments that leave hurts and scars that can take days or even years to heal. Pride has a way of making us hold unto our hurts in justification of our own rightness and in seeking to prove how much we have been wronged. And often this destructive cycle begins with a small infraction, a miscommunication, or a breach in understanding. Instead of being quick to take offense, we should extend to each other the benefit of the doubt.

How has giving others the benefit of the doubt changed your perspective or blessed your life? How has doing so preserved a friendship?

How has someone extending to you the benefit of the doubt affected you?

A Few Thoughts on the Atonement

I most likely will not understand the Atonement during my mortal life. I don’t understand it, but I accept it. While it is difficult to comprehend anyone suffering to an infinite degree for me and for all humanity, I can comprehend His love for me, because I can feel it. I have felt the Savior’s love for me many times; I have felt His forgiveness and His acceptance. His promise of sending His Spirit and giving His peace is a reality for anyone who seeks after Him.

I Feel My Savior's Love

I feel my Savior's love

In all the world around me.

His Spirit warms my soul

Through ev'rything I see.

Chorus:

He knows I will follow him,

Give all my life to him.

I feel my Savior's love,

The love he freely gives me.

I feel my Savior's love;

Its gentleness enfolds me,

And when I kneel to pray,

My heart is filled with peace.

I feel my Savior's love

And know that he will bless me.

I offer him my heart;

My shepherd he will be.

I'll share my Savior's love

By serving others freely.

In serving I am blessed.

In giving I receive.

Words: Ralph Rodgers Jr., Newell Dayley, and Laurie Huffman
Music: K. Newell Dayley, b. 1939

Text and Music

I even have difficulty contemplating His suffering, His death, and His resurrection. No wonder His disciples fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus suffered for all of us. It was too much to witness; it was too much to take in. So while I know that the sacrament is a time to remember Him and honor His gift to me, often I fall short in my re-dedication and let my mind wander. But He is ever understanding, and He still accepts my meager attempts to covenant with Him, to keep His commandments, and to always remember Him.

The greatest testimony to me of the goodness of Jesus Christ is that I am happiest when I am trying to be like Him, when I am serving others. When I am guided by His love to extend that love to others, it is manifest in my own heart to an even greater degree. This is healing; this is light; this is the love of Jesus.

In my moments of greatest sorrow, I have not been cast off. I have been embraced in the warm of His love. As I look at pictures of Him that express sorrow, I am reminded that He is the Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief; and to become like him, I must also experience sorrow, but I am not left to do so alone. So even amidst the greatest sorrow, I have felt peace, and I have felt joy.

One of my favorite hymns expresses so clearly my thoughts concerning the Savior’s love for me in extending to me the gift of His Atonement:

I Stand All Amazed

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,

Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.

I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,

That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

(Chorus)

Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me

Enough to die for me!

Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine

To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,

That he should extend his great love unto such as I,

Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

            (Chorus)

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!

Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?

No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,

Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

(Chorus)

Text and Music

Text and music: Charles H. Gabriel, 1856-1932

I love the Lord. I can see this, because I have felt a connection with Him and acceptance from Him. This is because He first loved me. While I do not fully comprehend the Atonement, I do understand and accept that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and I can return to my Heavenly Father because of Him. Truly, I stand amazed. 

The Atonement is a Trust Fund

The Lord set up a trust fund for all of us when He atoned for our sins. If you set up a trust fund for your child, he can collect those funds when he is 18 or 25 as the case may be. But he will have to prove that he is who he says he is. The Atonement is like a trust fund. It is set up for us to use in order to receive a remission of our sins, but we have to prove who we are, that we are sons and daughters of Jesus in order to have access to those funds or to His forgiveness, His redeeming blood. Why not? He suffered greatly to set up that fund. So we have access to that fund through the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, and through continued allegiance to him as our Father, since we took His name upon us. Then if we are faithful to the trust and rely on His atonement throughout our lives, we are promised that we will gain all that our Father has. God has a right to set conditions on this trust fund. If you gave your only Son as a Scapegoat for all of humanity, you would place conditions upon it as well. But that doesn't make His love conditional; it just makes it so that He does not force us to love Him. He gives us the choice.