Because Of Him!

I love how being on a mission changes the way that you look at everything. Holidays like Easter have never meant as much to me as it does now. I knew before that Easter is about Christ, but now I finally understand why it is so important to me personally. If it were not for Jesus Christ, there would be nothing. I want to share just a few things with you that the coming of Christ has done for you, whether you fully realize them now or not.

You can change. 
Imagine just for a few moments, the kind of person that you are right now. All of your flaws, imperfections, and faults. If it had not been for Jesus Christ, there would be no ability to overcome any of those things. You would not be able to change. I don't know about you, but I would not be content to just stay the same way that I am right now. Because of the atonement of Christ, you have the ability to repent and become better. Because he has already paid the price for our sins, mistakes, and faults, you are able to find merciful forgiveness and divine help to be the person God sees that you can be. He doesn't look at you in terms of now, but in terms of forever. Because of Him, you and I can be better tomorrow than we were today, and continue on the joyful road of progression.

You can conquer death. I echo the modern day prophet, Thomas S. Monson, in saying that, 

"No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”  Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed. The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again."

(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/he-is-risen?lang=eng&query=he+is+not+here)

Not only did Christ pay for your sins, but because He lives, all of us will live again. Death is not the end of anything. He was and is the literal Son of God, and because of the divine attributes he inherited from his Father, he could take his life back up again. He himself declared that,

"Therefore doth my Father  love me, because I lay down my life, that I might  take it again. 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."
(John 10: 17-18)

I testify of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the eventual resurrection of all that have and will ever live. Death is not a close, but an opening; it is a step closer to coming back to our true home in heaven. I bear witness that he is the Savior of the world and the Redeemer of mankind. Because of Him, endings are not our destiny. They never were! I have found such peace in knowing that Christ paved the way for each of us to return back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I know that "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8: 37)

Please check out this website to see more ways that Jesus Christ has blessed your life!

http://easter.mormon.org/

"...That I Might Heal You..."

I've been feeling lately that I needed to share some of my thoughts on the Atonement of Jesus Christ here on my blog for a week or two now. Hopefully, someone who is feeling overwhelmed by the trials that come with life, be they self-inflicted or not, will find some peace and comfort from knowing about the Savior's mission. I don't know who exactly needs to read this, but I feel very strongly that one of you does. I've just been struggling with how to word how precious and important the atonement is to me, and  for each of us. I have gone through some pretty big struggles in my own life, but I have come to learn that I have never done any of them alone. Never. And neither are you.

In the Book of Mormon, Christ told the people of the America's that,

"Behold I have given unto my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you- that I came into the world to do the will of my Father...and my Father sent me that I might be lifted upon the cross...that I might draw all men unto me..."

(3 Nephi 27: 13-14, pg. 459)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came to do what our Heavenly Father wanted Him to do- save us. That was done through the atonement. The atonement started in His agonizing suffering Gethsemane, continued through His tragic journey to the cross, and concluded with His triumph over the captivation of death. Again, from The Book of Mormon, we read,

"And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than a man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish...And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning..."

(Mosiah 3: 7-8, pg. 152)

Doesn't that sound like another verse that has carried it's way into our hearts through the spirit of Christmas?

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

(Isaiah 9: 6)

  

It was through those experiences that Christ, who had been perfect His whole life, felt exactly what we have felt. There is no pain He has not taken, no sickness He has not felt, no unfair act He has not conquered. Why would He do that? Why would this perfect man, who had never done anything in His life to wrong another, or spoken out against any of the wrongs that stood against Him...why would He do that? Gordon B. Hinckley, a prophet of God, has said,

"He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. He has brought meaning to our mortal existence. He has given us the gift of eternal life. He was and is the Son of God..."

(A Testimony of the Son of God, December 2002 Ensign)

If I had to give a simple, one word response to why Jesus Christ went through what He did for us, I would say love. The love that Christ as our brother has for us was greater than the pains that he went through. If he did not love us, and if God did not love us, than Christ would not have gone through with a plan that would bring him inexpressible suffering. The love that He has for you had to be greater than the pain.

I testify that God loves us. I know because of Jesus Christ and his vicarious act of love in our behalf. God is love, and the atonement proves that over and over again. Because of it, we are able to truly go home. We can be forgiven of the things we do wrong, and the merciful act of forgiveness is one of the single greatest things that we can experience in this life. On the other hand, anything that is unfair in our lives can be made right through the atonement of Christ. If you are doing things now that are distancing you from your Heavenly Father, stop it right now. If you are in any pain of any kind, turn to Christ. Come back to him, and allow Him to be a part of your life. Come back to Him, and let him show you His love and forgiveness. Christ posed the question so well when he said,

"...will ye not return unto me, and repent of your sins and be converted, that I may heal you?"

(3 Nephi 11: 13, pg 425)

He wants to heal us so badly. Will we not allow him to? If we make the choice to come back and find solace in His love, we will be able to conquer literally anything. We will not only endure through this life, but we will prevail. My prayer is that each of us will make the effort to come unto Christ, and partake of the blessings that are ours through the atonement of Jesus Christ.