God Knows What's Best

This week in my New Testament class we have been talking about the suffering, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We learned about all the physical pains that He had to feel for our sake and the torture inflicted upon Him. This physical suffering was essential so that Jesus could know personally all of the pains that mankind feels. But to me what is even more touching is the mental and spiritual torture and suffering that He was called to endure. We know that Jesus has felt all of our sorrows, grief, pain, afflictions, and remorse (see Alma 7:11-13). He knows what it feels like to be rejected, wrongfully judged, guilty, and distant from the Spirit. As part of His sacrifice for us, He had to not only overcome physical death, but also spiritual death. Spiritual death is basically the complete separation of a spirit from Heavenly Father's presence and Spirit. Because we live on Earth, all of us are separated from the presence of God. We can feel glimpses of it through the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. But, for us to be able to return to the presence of the Father, Christ had to overcome this spiritual death. In Matthew 27, we read about the Crucifixion and death of Christ. In these moments of extensive physical pain and suffering, Jesus was required to overcome it alone. The Father had to withdraw His Spirit so that Jesus could feel and overcome a complete spiritual death. In verse 46, Jesus cries out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Even the Son of God, the Savior of the world, questioned the Lord's will a few times. However, He never forsake it and was perfectly obedient and trusting that the Father knew best.

Like the Savior, we too must trust in God's will. It is OK to have doubts, fears, uncertainties, and questions. Don't keep them to yourself! The Lord wants us to have questions and seek the answers to them. He wants us to learn and gain a testimony for ourselves. Sometimes in the search for guidance and answers we may feel like we aren't getting anything in response. We may feel abandoned, hopeless, and confused. We may wonder if the Lord is really even there, if He really cares, or if He will ever answer our questions. There are some things in this world that will take us a long time to understand; there are others that we will never understand in this life. I testify that although sometimes we may feel distant from the Lord, He truly has our best interests in mind and will never let us fail without first offering us help. Sometimes He is silent in answering our pleadings not because He doesn't love us or care about our concern, but because He wants us to grow from making our own choices and using our agency. It's like learning to ride a bike. When a father teaches his child to ride, he lets go once the child becomes comfortable and strong enough to pedal on her own. This is not because he doesn't care about protecting his child. He knows that she can do it on her own, and that if she does begin to wobble and fall he can always swoop in to catch her. I know from personal experience that the Lord loves us and knows what we most need to grow and develop. I know that sometimes this requires Him to pull back a little and let us "ride" on our own. He loves us so much that He lets us have our agency. He does not want us to be His "robots" whom He controls ; He wants us to become self-sufficient and capable.

Coming unto God

This week in our New Testament class, we are reading and discussing about Jesus' last few days here on Earth. We are learning about the injustices and pains He had to face and the true depth of His sacrifice for mankind. He "fell on his face, and prayed, saying "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39). As I have been reading the New Testament this semester, I have noticed that Jesus always gives the glory, honor, and respect to the Father after He performs any sort of miracle. He never tries to boast, brag, or do His own will. Jesus knew His purpose and did not want to do anything to detract from fulfilling it. He came to Earth to perform what we call the "Atonement." This word literally means "the process of becoming at one", particularly with God. Therefore, Jesus came to Earth to help all of us be able to become "at one" with God the Father. Without Him, we would not ever be worthy to live with God. In order to be able to lift us up, Jesus had to descend below the depths of all sin, guilt, shame, sorrow, bodily pain, sickness, and temptations. He had to experience these feelings and rise above them. I always thought it was quite admirable that Jesus went through all these difficult things, yet all along was giving the credit to His Father. I used to wonder, "Why doesn't He take some of the credit for Himself? After all, He is doing a lot."

But, I have come to better understand that Jesus, like all of us, strives to serve the Father and do as He commands. While it is true that He underwent the utmost agony and sacrifice for the world, He gave the glory to the Father because it is He who makes it all possible. He pays the ultimate price. A great analogy that my professor gave this week helped me to understand this. He prompted us to think of the story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. Whenever we read this story, to whom do we give more respect and credit -- Abraham or Isaac? Of course, Isaac was the one that was going to die as a sacrifice. But, do we not revere Abraham for his strength and courage in being the one to perform the sacrifice? This is similar to the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mediator between God and man. He makes it possible for us to come to God because of His Atonement. However, if it were not for the Father and His great and eternal plan for our salvation, none of it would be possible!

Serve Others, Serve the Lord

In my reading this week of Matthew 25, I learned more about the nature of service. In this chapter, Jesus tells the story of the ten virgins and the righteous people who are prepared for the second coming of the Savior. He then goes on to bless them for the service that they did for Him when He was hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in prison. The people did not understand this at first -- when had they ever seen Him in these circumstances? Jesus explains "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (v. 40). 

As we serve those around us, we are in effect serving God. Through our actions of love and aid to others, we can act as His "hands" here on Earth. Of course, God is all-powerful and can make whatever He wants to happen come to fruition. But, He knows it is so much more meaningful for us to be able to act as instruments in His hands. He can use us as tools to make His good purposes come to pass. That way not only those whom we serve are blessed, but we are made even better for it too. God's purpose is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). He does this in several ways, but allowing us to serve one another is a major way in which God lets us grow. True discipleship strengthens as we focus less on our selfish needs and turn outwards to help another. Sometimes it may seem illogical to stop and serve someone -- maybe they seem to have things under control themselves, or you may be in a rush. But, I know that when we act on the desire to do good to others, it always ends well. You may not see any dramatic results, but you can rest assured that you have done some measure of good in the life of another. Serving others is something I strive to do, but I'll admit that sometimes it is hard! It's hard to go outside of your comfort zone or to use your time for someone else when you may feel in need. However, I have seen that whenever I choose to make sacrifices to help another it always works out well for me. Things fall into place and I feel so much happier. Service helps us grow and feel God's love for others. If every day we made the effort to do at least ONE purposeful act of service, just think how much better the world would be! 

Listening and Love

"Jesus wept."

This is the shortest verse in all of canonized scripture, yet to me it has one of the deepest meanings. The context of this scripture is the story of Lazarus and when Jesus raises him from the dead. Jesus was well acquainted with Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha, who were all followers of the Savior. He had shared His teachings with them before and it seems like they were His friends too. When they told Jesus that Lazarus had been dead for at least 4 days, He already knew this. He knew that He had the power to bring Lazarus back to life as well, and that He would do that. From Jesus' perspective, there was no problem. There was not anything to be sad about. However, when He saw these people whom He loved crying and in despair over the loss of their family member, He had compassion and wept with them. Some people may think that they cannot relate to Jesus because He led a perfect life. But, it is important to note that although Jesus had great knowledge and understanding, He also felt human emotions. He wanted to understand the sorrow, pain, frustration, confusion, loneliness, joy, faith, hope, and love that mortals experience.

In this story, Jesus also shows us a great example that we can apply in our daily lives. Sometimes, like I'm sure all of us have experienced, a friend will come to me with a concern or issue of theirs. They may complain about it and express their feelings of fear, low self-confidence, sadness, and pain. From my perspective, the answer to their problems can often seem quite clear or it may seem like they are overreacting. My first instinct is to tell them that it isn't as bad as it seems, or to offer reasonable solutions for the issue at hand. However, what most people truly need is just to feel loved and understood. They will figure out the solutions to their problems over time and with patience, work, and faith. God gives us these problems to work through so that we can grow. Sometimes, we just need to let others work out their own concerns. Most often what we can do to truly help is give a listening, compassionate ear and mourn with them. Jesus clearly knew that everything would work out with Lazarus. He could have told Mary and Martha that they did not need to be sad because Lazarus would live again. But, He is loving and compassionate and wants to give us comfort and assurance. He feels sad when we are sad, even though everything is under control in the eternal scheme of things. In the same way, we should all strive to be a little more patient and compassionate with those around us. Criticism never helps anyone. When we love others and help to carry their burdens, that is when true power comes. So many barriers can be broken down through a simple act of listening and love.

Obedience to the Lord

 This week we learned more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how it is through Jesus Christ -- and nobody or nothing else -- that we are ultimately saved. This caused me to reflect on how wonderful it is that Christ knowingly chose to sacrifice himself for our sake. This scripture stuck out to me as I read in the Book of John this week:

17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

 18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus Christ was not forced to do what He did for us. He was not tricked or deceived. He knew the entire plan outlined from beginning to end. Jesus knew that it would be difficult and painful. But, He also understood the great eternal consequences of His sacrifice for all of Creation. He knew that it was a commandment from the Father to perform the Atonement for our sins, but the Father still let Him choose if He would do it or not. Nobody truly had the power to kill Christ, but He was able to give up His own life for our cause. He chose to come to Earth and experience a mortal life, though He already lived with God before. He chose to give up his life and experience all human sin, anguish, pain, weakness, doubt, and every other dark experience of mortal life. Because of this choice, Jesus knows us all individually and we are indeed His "sheep", if we will choose to follow Him. 

Jesus Christ also chose to rise and live again and to be resurrected. Because of Him, we will one day do the same. Through His obedience to the Father in completing the Atonement, our salvation is possible. We now must be tested to see if we can use our agency (ability to choose) properly too. We are given commandments of the Father that require sacrifice, persistence, and determination to keep. Our human nature makes this difficult for us and inevitable that we will slip up at times. This is alright! As long as we are firmly anchored in Jesus Christ and follow His example, we can be saved from our fallen state. We must follow His example of obedience to the Father's will. Though it may not always make total sense in the moment, I know that the Lord's will is always far better than our own. I have felt and seen this in my own life that as I choose to do what God would have me do, I am blessed. 

Lift Up Those Who Have Fallen

In John 8:1-11, we read the story of the woman caught in adultery, or having sexual relations outside of her marriage. It is important to note that adultery is one of the "thou shalt not's" commanded against in the Ten Commandments and had very severe punishments according to the Law of Moses. Therefore the scribes and Pharisees, who were very strict in following the law, brought this woman before Christ to be condemned. They brought her before Christ while He was teaching in the temple, which was a very public place. These men were trying to publicly shame the adulteress for her sins as well as potentially use her as a means to make Jesus look bad. If He forgave her, they could accuse Him of disobeying the law. But if Jesus condemned her, that would go against all that He had previously taught about love, forgiveness and repentance. However, Christ does something they were not expecting. He tells them, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone" (John 8:7). 

All of them left, with none to accuse her. In His most merciful way, Christ explains "Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more" (v. 11). 

This story has great applications for us today. Every single person we meet, including ourselves, commits sin in one way or another. None of us are perfect yet. Yes, you may have issues with temptations that do not bother me, and vice versa. But, this does not make any one person better than the other. We all struggle and we all feel the despair of sin at times. It is our responsibility not to judge one another, but to lift up and love those around us. A particular application of this that all of us can apply has to do with those who struggle with addiction. There are addictions of every kind running rampant in the world today, and many people struggle with them every day. Some addictions are more visible than others, but all of them hurt. They cause pain in the lives of the addict and their loved ones. It can be hard to accept it when someone we love struggles with an addiction or temptation. But, through the atoning power of Jesus Christ, I KNOW that they can be healed and move forward. A big factor in this healing process is helping them to feel the pure love of Christ, which is charity. We can be instruments in the hands of the Lord to love, support, encourage, and accept those we love for where they are now and see the infinite potential that they have. Judgement only opens wounds; it is pure love that heals them.

Mission Farewell Talk

Here's my mission farewell talk for anyone who'd like to read it!

Good morning, brothers and sisters, friends, and family. I am so grateful to be speaking to you today about the Book of Mormon and its influence in my life and in my decision to serve a mission.

The Book of Mormon is an ancient record of scripture, similar in nature to the Bible. It contains the writings of prophets and followers of God. Just as Moses and others in the Old Testament prophesied of Jesus Christ's birth, life and ministry, and Atonement, the Book of Mormon prophets testified of Christ's coming to the Earth. In the Introduction of the Book of Mormon, it explains that the Book of Mormon “is a record of God's dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel.” Jesus Christ made himself known to His people in the Americas, as well as in Jerusalem. In John 10:16, Jesus says, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” The crowning event in the Book of Mormon is when Jesus Christ fulfills this duty by visiting the people of the Americas, some of His “other sheep,” after His resurrection. He taught them His gospel and about the Plan of Salvation.

I have grown up reading the Book of Mormon and learning about it. I think I have always sort of known in my heart that it is true, but I didn't understand how or why. Especially in the past year, as I have more intensely and individually studied the Book of Mormon and prayed about it, I have found truth in its simple message. The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of mercy, of grace, and of hope. Basically, we are to use our God-given free will in order to choose to follow Jesus Christ. Our life is a refining process in which we learn, grow, repent, improve, and make sacred promises. As we turn our lives towards Christ, He will make us better and provide the way for our salvation. The Bible and the Book of Mormon work together to testify of Jesus Christ. They show how straying from Christ leads to pain, suffering, and confusion, while striving to be more like Him will bring happiness, hope, and clarity to our lives. In the Book of Mormon, it explains that the Book of Mormon was written that we may believe in the Bible, and if we believe in the Bible, we will believe in the Book of Mormon as well because they both testify of Jesus Christ, of the power of God, and the miracles which He has done for us.

As a full-time missionary, I will be working with a companion to teach the people of Brazil in our area about Jesus Christ and His gospel. I want to share the truth that I have found in the Book of Mormon and in Jesus Christ's gospel and plan of salvation. Our humble invitation is for others to come unto Jesus Christ and obtain salvation and happiness through His gospel. In the Book of Mark, chapter 1 verse 4 it explains how John the Baptist preached “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins”. The gospel that Jesus Christ taught while on the Earth was just this. To obtain salvation, we must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This faith leads us to want to become better people, and to repent of our sins. As we repent, we turn our lives towards Jesus Christ and follow His commandments. This change in our lives is manifested by being baptized by immersion for the remission of our sins. When we are baptized, we make covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that we will serve them, keep the commandments, be witnesses of Jesus Christ, and always remember Him. Baptism solidifies our commitment to Christ and shows that we are His disciple. It also allows us to be spiritually born again, and cleansed from all our previous sins. We are given a clean slate! Heavenly Father's promise to us is that we can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a spirit who guides, directs, comforts, and inspires us for good. After baptism, we can receive the gift of constant companionship with the Holy Ghost if we live up to our promises. This makes it easier for us to live righteous lives and make good decisions, as we endure the trials and troubles of mortal life to the end. As long as we remain faithful to our covenants, or promises with God, we will live with Him again, alongside our families, in eternal happiness. God's “work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”

Everyone who came to the Earth knew about this plan before they were born, and it is my purpose as a missionary to invite God's children to come back to it and live their Heavenly Father's plan. The Book of Mormon outlines the purpose of life, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and Heavenly Father's plan for us to come back to Him. Not only does this plan outline our means for eternal happiness after death, but living the gospel in our lives now brings blessings of happiness, peace, and strength. As a missionary, I will do as the Book of Mormon prophet Alma taught, and “stand as a witness of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places”.

There are three major things taught in the Book of Mormon that testify to me that it is true. They are the principles of purpose, progress, and potential. I want people to know what I know about why we are here, what we can become, and how we can do it. God is a loving Heavenly Father, who has sent us all to Earth so that we may learn, grow, and become better people. In the Book of Mormon it says, “This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God” (Alma 34:32). Our purpose on Earth is to become worthy enough to live in the presence of God. Luckily, He has given us the means to do this. We know of the Plan of Salvation, in which we must live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through faith, repentance, baptism, and living the commandments, we become refined and improved. We grow a closer relationship to our Heavenly Father and to His Son, Jesus Christ. Our lives will be happier, more fulfilling, and we will be better equipped to deal with the inevitable challenges of life. Though we will not become perfect in this life, or be happy at all times, living the gospel of Jesus Christ with diligence will give us an anchor to hold to. It is a foundation that if we build upon it, we cannot fall. The Book of Mormon helps us to know know of the divine and amazing potential that we have, simply by being children of a Heavenly Father. Just as children often grow up to become like their parents, we have the potential to become like God. Through His grace, forgiveness, and mercy, we can turn our lives around and become whole.

As part of our divine potential, I also am excited to teach others about the eternal potential of our families. God designed the family to be the fundamental unit of society. If mothers and fathers raise children in righteousness, teaching them to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ, and receiving the blessings of the temple, families can be together forever. A loving family is the most important support in our lives, and it is so exciting that we can have these loving ties for all eternity. Elder Robert D. Hales said: “The family is not an accident of mortality. It existed as an organizational unit in the heavens before the world was formed; historically, it started on earth with Adam and Eve, as recorded in Genesis. Adam and Eve were married and sealed for time and all eternity by the Lord, and as a result their family will exist eternally.”

Lastly, I would like to invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon. Whether you have read it several times, or have never even seen one, please read the Book of Mormon. It is a true book given to us from God and it's message is one of peace, hope, happiness, and salvation. Whenever I feel lost, confused, or upset, reading the Book of Mormon brings me peace, understanding, and joy. But, don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself if it is true. At the end of the Book of Mormon, in the book of Moroni chapter 10 verses 4-5 it says:

4. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things.

Heavenly Father is anxious for us to know the truth. But He cannot answer our questions unless we ask them. I testify that this gospel is true, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sacrifice

I have thought a lot recently about what it means to sacrifice something. Typically, the word "sacrifice" has a negative connotation in our minds, but it does not have to be so. To me, sacrificing one's time, effort, resources, comfort, and countless other things in order to promote a just cause will bless beyond measure. Sure, you may miss out on something you want to do or have, but I think this is outweighed by the impact you can have. For example, sacrificing an afternoon of watching television to volunteer at a homeless shelter. Temporally, there is no reason for you to do so. But, such service will help you grow, widen your perspective, and make you happier. It's amazing how giving up a small portion of what you have helps you to recognize how much you truly do have and how blessed you are. Here's the catch though, you can't just physically sacrifice something in order to be changed. If your heart is not in it, or you give it up begrudgingly or just to appease others' expectations, you will not be as effective as you could be. You may certainly help someone and meet their needs, but imagine how much sweeter of an experience it would be to sacrifice what you have with a humble heart and a loving attitude. In life, especially I think at my stage of it, we get so caught up in trying to plan our futures, take care of our needs, and make sure that we are getting everything that we want, that we forget to serve others. I know from experience that this state of mind is ultimately more stressful and unhappy. Helping others, making sacrifices, and giving service with love makes you feel more fulfilled and allows you to worry about others instead of yourself. Turning your thoughts to other people widens your view, puts your problems into perspective, and helps you learn that maybe you aren't as bad off as it seemed before. Of course, we do have to reasonably take care of ourselves, but there are many supposed "needs" that we attend to that are probably more like "wants" in our daily lives. Sacrifice takes trust in the Lord that He will help you and bless you to accomplish all that you truly do need to do, along with serving others. If you think about it, if everyone in the world gave service to those around them, everyone would have several people helping them and thinking of their needs and providing support, instead of trying to take on only their own worries all at once. Sacrifice brings people together and deepens their love and compassion. Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for all of mankind. This supreme act of love brings Christ close to us, as He has felt and understands all of our pains and sorrows. If Jesus Christ could suffer and sacrifice everything for everyone, how selfish is it of us to not give up a small, insignificant want for a fellow human's need? Finally, I believe the key to serving and sacrificing for others is respect. You may not agree with or be in the same situation as another, but they are still a person of worth and deserve to be treated with respect. It is easy to be angry, it is easy to be offended -- what is hard is to love someone despite the differences you have. I am definitely not any where near being good at this, but I understand now that I want to be. Everyone on Earth is God's child, and we all deserve to be treated as such. We all need love, help, and validation. I invite you to try sacrificing something for someone this week that you may have trouble dealing with, or that you usually do not get along with. Do something to serve someone who is not close to you, and see the change that can develop in both of you.

Earthly Father, Heavenly Father

On this Father's day, I'd just like to share a little video about the connection between our father here on Earth and our Heavenly Father. I know that Heavenly Father loves all of His children and wants us to come back to Him by following His Son, Jesus Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5FxdCgD-qI

Happy Father's Day!

Trust in His Plan

For the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about God's plan for us on Earth and as individuals. I know that we are all on the Earth for a purpose and that is to learn, grow, make choices, and come to know our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They want us to be able to come back and live with them after we die, and have provided a way to do this through the Plan of Salvation. (See this post to learn more about the Plan of Salvation: http://searchingandfindingtruth.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-way.html). This plan gives me comfort because I know that I am not just wandering aimlessly here on Earth for maybe seventy to eighty years for no reason. It gives me reason to live, to work hard, to change, to grow, to endure tough times, and to keep pressing forward. I love that God is so organized and has given us exactly what we need to do to find happiness and salvation. It's no mystery and is open for all to learn, believe, and know.

Similarly, I believe that we all have different things to accomplish in our lives. Things that we can do to serve others and to change the world. I have recently discovered how little I truly know about the world, and really the universe in general. Though it may be a hard thought, I really do not have much power over the world around me. Of course, I have the power to control my own decisions, actions, and behavior. But, I cannot control what others do or what challenges come my way. My knowledge and faith in God gives me hope that everything will work out as it should. Anything that I could plan and hope for my life may certainly be good, but I know that if I follow God and serve Him, He will bless me beyond what I could dream of. He will refine me and make my life so much more meaningful and important. Sometimes, I worry about the future. It bothers me not to know exactly how my life will turn out sometimes. But, I realized that I do not need to know every little detail of the future to have hope that it will be good. As long as I follow the commandments of God, I will be guided and directed through the darkness of this world to happiness and light. As humans, we naturally want to feel in control. Psychologically it gives us confidence and eases our anxiety to feel like we have all the power in our lives. Think how much more secure of a feeling it is to know that the Supreme, All-Knowing, Creator of the Universe knows YOU, loves YOU, and wants to take care of YOU. He has set forth the way to follow. All we have to do is choose it and act on it.

God is our Loving Heavenly Father

Have you ever wondered about the nature of God? People talk about Him as if He is an obscure, all-encompassing blob of something that cannot be defined. However, God is our Heavenly Father. We are His spiritual children, and Jesus Christ is our elder brother. Heavenly Father loves and knows each of us personally and individually, and wants us to be able to live with Him again. He has a body of flesh and bone, just as we do. In Genesis 1:26, we read of how God created man in His own image and after His own likeness. This means that our appearance and form is modeled after that of God and that He is a distinct physical being. We lived with our Heavenly Father before we came to Earth. He has provided a plan for us in which we can grow, progress, and learn. This plan involves us coming to Earth, receiving a body, and living a mortal life. We have the opportunity to follow God's commandments and make righteous decisions, showing that we love Him and want to obey Him. As we obey Heavenly Father's commandments, we grow a closer relationship with Him and get to know Him better. We learn of our individual and important purpose of living and what we need to do to help others live righteously. Heavenly Father gave us our free will to make decisions. He does not force us to do what is right; we have the power to choose. This life is a time of testing to see if we will come back to Him and serve Him. He sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, to come to the Earth and atone for our sins. Jesus Christ died so that we may repent and be forgiven of our wrongdoings and become purified, better people. In this Atonement, Jesus also suffered all the pains of the world. We can look to Jesus Christ for support and compassion because He has literally felt all of the pains, sorrows, discomforts, and anxieties of our lives. He is the only person that has a perfect understanding of what we are personally going through, and this knowledge gives us faith, hope, and strength to press on when the going gets tough. I know that Heavenly Father cares about all of us deeply, in a fatherly loving way, and He pays attention to our lives. He mourns with us as we suffer, celebrates as we do what is right and are prosperous, and encourages us to persist. Heavenly Father is always there for us, and any feelings of distance from Him are a result of us walking away, not from Him leaving us behind. I invite you to develop a relationship with your Heavenly Father, just as you would with an earthly father. Get to know Him by talking to Him through sincere prayer, reading His word in the scriptures, and doing His will by following the commandments He has given us. As you make an effort to come to God and to follow Jesus Christ, you will be blessed and inspired.

Charity Never Faileth

In our world today, the word "charity" is often regarded simply as giving aid or help to someone, typically in the form of money. However, it has a much broader, deeper, and important meaning than that. Charity, as defined in the Book of Mormon, is the "pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47). This phrase can be interpreted in several ways. I love to think of charity as our love towards Christ, which we show and express through our prayers and testimonies of Him. In another sense, the word "of" indicates possession, in which charity is the pure love that Christ possesses towards mankind. This manner of love is perfect and lasts forever. In Moroni 7:45-46, a description of charity is given. If we replace the word charity with "Christ", this description becomes a depiction of our Savior and His nature: "And Christ suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not His own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. / Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not Christ, ye are nothing, for Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto Christ, which is the greatest of all". As we pattern our lives after that of Jesus Christ, we will be able to love others and help to build them up. Christ does not just love those who loved Him, He loves everyone. This includes the sinners, the outcasts, and those who revile against Him. Though we will not be able to reach that pure and perfect kind of love that Christ showed in His life and the Atonement, we can try our best to improve. In following this example, we must try to remember that everyone we meet is a divine child of God, and treat them as such.