"Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world." 3 Nephi 11:14
This verse reminds me of a very powerful experience I had while I was attending school in Idaho. It was my first semester there and my first official religion class I ever took and stuck with. The instructor was amazing and so in tuned with the Spirit. I remember one of the most powerful and astounding feeling and vision I have ever had in my life. We talked about Christ coming to visit these people in the Americas. Then the instructor brought our minds to the thought of what it would be like if Christ would walk in right now to us. He said that everything would move away from him in his path because of the great power he holds and how every thing would bow down to his feet. I imagined the power he would have and how I would lovingly, meekly and graciously fall at the feet of my Savior as he would approach me individual and talk to me. He would call me by name and bide me to come to him so I could feel the wounds in his hands and feet.
As I thought about placing my hands in those wounds I would feel with in my heart an overwhelming gratitude for him. For I would know as I do now know that He is the Christ and He has atoned for my sins and suffered so much so that I could come unto Him and live with him after this life. I couldn't even begin to imagine all that these blessed people were able to experience as they were able to witness Our Great Redeemer come to administer unto them.
"Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life." 3 Nephi 5:13
This one is for all the missionaries! I absolutely LOVE this scripture. I read it on my mission and it was the very core of what I was doing. It is such a powerful verse and it says it all missionary or not. Those that have been baptized are disciples of Jesus Christ and have been called to declare his word to all people of Christ and his gospel. Powerful! Amazing! Astounding! We are disciples of Jesus Christ-Declare his Word!!
"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." D&C 19:23
I Love this verse! The recipe to having peace in our life is just this: to learn of Christ, listen to his words, and to walk in meekness following His Spirit.
Everyone wants peace in their life but we all seem to strive to find different means and quick fixes to get that peace. In the end they don't last and they fail to satisfy that everlasting hunger our hearts desire. Christ is the way, the only way, and he will always be the only way to find the things we truly want. Its simple and plain as that if we want peace then we must learn of Christ for he is the only way that we can find peace. He is the author and creator of peace and this world, so of course he knows how to give us peace. Learn and listen of Christ and follow his example, you will then obtain peace and happiness in this life.
"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
This is such a profound and empowering scripture that is found within the Book of Mormon. I think it edifies and draws further light and knowledge to us all. There is a recipe and a help that can be understood to help us. If we want to withstand the temptations that come to us and have strength during those trials this verse will help us to know how we can. In order to stand firm we must be established on a solid foundation, one that would not crumble beneath us. That solid and firm foundation that we must stand on is Jesus Christ. When he is at the center of our lives and hearts everything is more manageable. People may have the false conception that we will never go through hard times or struggle but these trials are apart of life. No matter how good we are we will still have difficult circumstances but the thing that we must focus on is that we can find support, comfort, and happiness through those trials. This is done by turning our hearts and lives to Christ, he is the author of our salvation, everything that is good comes from him. So if we desire happiness we must seek first Christ to find that happiness. Christ is the Rock on which we must build so we can withstand all of Satan's tactics to bring us down.
We all have moments in our life where discouraging feelings enter into our minds and hearts. We think that our lives are invaluable amounting to nothing, as we engage in these thoughts the more they do seem as they speak truth. Depression comes and we find ourselves in this hole, a whirlwind of doubt, self denial and nothingness. Feeling sorry for ourselves becomes a full time job and we cant see to snap out of this trance we are subjected to. We question our value and our own self worth.
Can I just take this single moment to tell you that you, Yes YOU!!! You are worth more than you know, your life is valued, appreciated, and treasured in the eyes of God and Jesus Christ. You are indeed worth something!!
This is profound and moving to the heart. God knows us how incredible is that, and just the thought is intriguing. Who you are no matter who ordinary you may feel or low in self esteem you are, you are worth "great" in the sight of God.
You are born of God, given a divine and godly birthright. He knows you personally because you are his precious child. He sees you and all that you can do and have done. His love for you is unmeasurable and beyond comparison. He has shown us that he loves us in our daily life by giving us another day to live to grow and overcome the trials in our life.
Think about this for a moment what is the worth of a soul in the sight of God? Yes it is great but what does this truly mean?
Let me give my perspective. We were born of God, being his offspring giving us the title of his son or daughter. We have power from on high because He is our Heavenly Father. He loves us so much that he is willing to do anything for us.
The worth of soul is beyond measure because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our great Jehovah was sent down to Earth to give his life for us. Even if we were the only person on this earth Christ still would of came down to atone for your life for your sins and to redeem you from death because of your worth in his eyes and in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We are precious, adored and revered in his sight.
"For God so loved the world (YOU), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
We may think and even believe that we do not amount up to anything, that our talents are very minimal and we cant do much compared to others. God does not think so, he sees past your limitations your thinking and past all the things that you have done wrong or failed in. God see the real you, who you truly are and what you truly can become. He sees your potential, it is great, it is valiant and empowering. The potential you have and hold is unfathomable for we are endowed with power from on High, we have Godly gifts and the ability to grow into someone we ever thought of becoming and things we never thought of doing. Lift your spirits high and shoot for the moon, for if you miss you will land upon the stars.
Your soul is worth the Blood of Jesus Christ. That means something, that amounts for something. Hopefully something greater than you are now thinking it does.
Alma 7:11-12 "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions, and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
"Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father...; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been." Mormon 9:31
I listened to a talk on the Train today called "Trial of Your Faith" by Elder Andersen. He talked about the fiery trials that we all face in life and how we are tried through these events to help us to become stronger. They are strange to behold and to see that we are dealt with but God has said they are a trial of our faith to enable us to grow and become stronger, they are to help us not to stop us.
This verse above he quotes in his talk and it struck me with wonder as I pondered more of this deep meaning behind it. Many people are turned away from the Book of Mormon for what ever reason they may have or reservation they hold against it. But here Mormon talks about how these men that have wrote these words are yet imperfect like I am and like you are. As we read their words we may see their imperfection in their character or the way the write or speak but he tells us that these imperfections can help us to become better. I thought of how this pertains to our family. We live with them day in and day out for a large portion of our life and we see their weaknesses, their struggles and strengthens. If you are similar to me those weakness they have can frustrate you like they do me, but I have come to see that these weaknesses can help us to become better. We can learn and grow from someone's weakness allowing us to be strong in that point. I look to my future family and hope that they will see my weaknesses and make them their strengths for I know they will be powerful and wonderful individuals in the Lord if they implement this and learn from my own mistakes and limitations. So what can we learn from our family, from a parent, spouse, sibling, or anyone else. Do not judge but learn to grow from them and love them. They are like yourself weak and imperfect, but they need what you need mercy, love and understanding. Give a little speak love and show gratitude.
During my daily study of the scriptures I read within Alma 47-51 about a man who turned from what he was living to seek power and glory beyond what we should. He was determined to be King and have power to rule of the people as he pleased, to subject them to any manner that well pleased him. He tempted and tried a newly appointed commander to come down from his position. This brought to my mind the words in Alma 22 about giving away our sins to know God. This recent story was far from this powerful condition and invitation to come to God.
So how do they fit so well together. Well this new commander Lehonti and his soldiers were fixed in their mind with a determined resolution not to go against the Nephites or allow Amalickiah to be ruler over them. They planted their feet high in a mountain and would not budge. Amalickiah eventually came up the mountain almost to where they were and told them to only come down a little instead of coming down all the way. This was more appealing and seemed a little safer for them to give in. From this small act that didn't seem so harmful came very dangerous and destructive to Lehonti and the Lamanites. Amalickiah eventually poisoned Lehonti by degrees and achieved his evil plan. We learn that even when we give in a little it continues into a downward spiral until we have been destroyed or done something we said we never would do.
We are to stand on high grounds and not give in to any delightful flirtations to satisfy our natural thirst and craving. These little temptations that dance around us everyday are not easy, they tempt us and try us to every point, for many they do give in. But we must not allow ourselves to give in, we are to strive for discipline and something greater. So as we are on higher grounds we must make sacrifices. Alma 22:18 "I will give away all my sins to know thee." Where ever we may be on our path and journey in this life or no matter how high up or how low. We all have something to sacrifice in order for us to draw closer to God and things we can do in order to stay on that higher ground.
So what sacrifices do you need to make in order to get to those higher grounds and come closer to God? And what sacrifices to you need to make so you can maintain standing on that higher ground? Sacrifice to life the higher life of God.
"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." Alma 48:17
As I sat on the train today heading into the office I had the opportunity to listen to Alma 47-51. This scripture was read and reminded me of my mom when I was growing up. This scripture is such a powerful one, reading it alone sends chills up your spine. Have you ever stopped to think that someone could be so great that the very powers of hell would shake. Yes we all know of Jesus Christ but other than him. We all have the potential to be great and overcome the power of the devil so he would never have power over our hearts. I love captain Moroni, his story and character is an example that empowers my soul to lift higher. I looked up to this man and pondered the magnitude of the very meaning and dreamed of this very characteristic in all of us. If we were all like this man the power we all would hold and the ability we would have to over come the Devil but most incredibly being able to have hell shake forever.
Gratitude is part of the Beattitudes in which Christ taught to his disciples upon the Sermon on the Mount. This attribute is a divine one only obtained by the help of God for it is an attribute of him. As we seek him and strive to develop this gift we are blessed to feel a great and empowering feeling within our soul to guide us and teach us. The divine gift of Gratitude is a sacred and essential gift that we must strive to cultivate for many reasons. First and foremost it is a commandment from God, but as we develop this we are blessed beyond a measure that cannot be determined for it is far beyond the reach of our understanding. What I mean by this is that as we look for the good we will see the good but see much more than that as well. We ultimately will be able to see through the eyes of God, seeing the things of Heaven or through its perspective, thus in the end we will have an eternal perspective.
This may seem impossible and daunting but it is not so with Christ's help. We must take one step at a time and remember it is a process. Within the recent General Conference President Monson spoke on counting our blessings, being grateful for what we have. To develop this sacred gift of being grateful we must start by counting those blessings we receive whether great or small.
As I have strives to be more grateful for the things in my life I have felt a sustaining source of peace and love come into my heart. I received a little note book from a Sister and an explanation about it, it was called the "Lord's Hand." Throughout my day I look for moments where I feel the Lords love for me, and feeling that comes within and radiates out from my heart. The moment does not have to be big by any means and most frankly none of the moments I write down are large they are small very small. One moment I recorded was seeing a shooting star one night, that moment touched my heart and I felt Gods love for a child needing his support and reassurance in the most crucial time in my life.
I know as we look for these small moments in our lives and count our blessings, taking an inventory as President Monson said we will be blessed further more. Our trials that we go through will still make us struggle but having cultivated this holy gift from God to be grateful we will feel a sustaining support to help us through those darkest times. We as we are within those dark times will be able to recall those tender mercies from the Lord and have a hope that Good things will come. Look to God and give thanks to him for all he has given you, for all good things and all good gifts come from God.
Elder Holland this past weekend during General Conference spoke about the First and greatest commandment of all-that being Love. Loving God with all our hearts, might, and minds is the first commandment and by far the greatest of them all. Ever other commandment hangs from the basis of this one. Holland tells of the interaction between Christ and Peter after Christ was crucified and walks on the water towards his disciples. He rebukes Peter and asks him "Lovest thou me?" Peter's reply was firmly "Yea Lord." The Great Jehovah asks another two more times, with each time bewildering Peter I would assume to ask such a question while in Peters mind it was so clear that he did indeed love His Savior. But Peter's actions did not denote that he truly loved Jehovah for he returned to his old ways by going fishing, doing what he knew the best. Christ in a way told Peter that if I need fish I can get fish but I need Disciples.
As he told his disciples in the very beginning of their journey cast your nets aside and I will make you fishers of men. This second time he tells him the same thing saying Follow me and I will make you fishers of me. The commandment to Love the Lord is in-laced so minute but embedded so powerfully and fully. As we love the Lord we will follow Him and keep his commandments. We show our love to God by doing what he asks us to do, was we follow him he will make us fishers of men. He will help us to bring others to the Gospel, for this is Gods glory and purpose. He cannot do it alone, he needs disciples as he has told Peter. We all can change and become fishers of men, but we must first love God and cast our nets aside.
Alma 30:60
"The devil will not support his children at the last day."
This morning I read in Alma 29 & 30 for my daily scripture study. Within chapter 30 you read of Korihor who was the Anti-Christ. He was deceived by an angel of the devil, who taught him what to say to the people. He went about leading many to commit sin and submerse themselves in wickedness, leading them away from the things of God. This verse is a powerful one after Korihor confesses he knew God and Christ and he was deceived by the devil we come to see that even when he is about to fall Satan doesn't care about this man. There is no support for those that turn away from God and all righteousness. It shakes me to the bones to a continuous reminder that if I depart from my ways of God I will have no foundation to stand on. Satan only cares to be above us all, he delights in wickedness, and finds joy when someone else is struggling and is miserable. "Or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." 2 Nephi 2:27 God seeks for our welfare, he is here next to us to sustain and uplift. God wants us to be happy and is there to support us unlike Satan. If we are founded and established upon Jesus Christ the winds will not have affect on us to blow us down, we will not fall God loves us too much and has promised us safety in his loving arms.
This past weekend was General Conference. For those that have no idea what I am talking about let me explain a little. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints every April and October there is held what we call General Conference. This is where the leaders of the Church the Prophet and Apostles and other General Authorities speak to us about the things they have felt inspired to address us about.
It has been a wonderful, edifying and uplifting weekend. For those that have heard these words spoken and have been touched so tenderly by the Spirit you may have felt as I have a bit of sadness that it has come to an end. But we still have these marvelous words and burning light of the Spirit within our hearts to go forth and to make necessary changes in our lives.
I have loved every single talk that has been given over the pulpit this past weekend. As I looked back and reviewed all the notes I have recorded I saw that this General Conference was about Missionary Work, our great call as members. We were taught about the Book of Mormon, the Plan of Salvation, life after death, death itself, family, treating children, love, service, and so much more. If you were unable to listen to these prophetic words and counsel I bide you to do so. I know that as you read, listen, or watch these words will come into your heart and you will feel as though they are addressing you personally-they are because they have addressed me personally.
For those needing comfort and understanding about death Elder Bowen gives an inspiring and comfort address to the soul.
There are many other edifying talks that you can listen to or watch just click here
Also if you have questions or want to talk to someone you can chat online
Life is not easy, we all know this and we all struggle and suffer. Our pains and trials come to us, as if in the worst most inappropriate time of all. We feel down and then something else comes along and kicks us where it hurts the most. Its hard. Where do we find our solace? Is there a Balm in Gilead?
We may be struggling with a marriage or friendship. We may have recently lost a job or lost a home, or we may have lost a loved one. The circumstances that come to our lives are unpredictable and catch us off guard. How do we find strength within to deal with these events that happen and how can we find peace among the chaos?
Jesus Christ is as old as time, he has been talked, preached, and prophesied about. It seems absurd by some to always have the answer be Jesus Christ but there is truth here within this Divine title. Jesus Christ can be our strength and comfort during these most trying and difficult times in our lives. Helaman 5:12 "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." This is a promise to us all. If we build upon Christ we will find comfort, strength, peace, and hope through our most hardest and unbearable trials.
Over the recent years I have faced some of the most unbearable trials of my life. Many of them have driven me to the point of breaking and giving up. But as I continued to have faith in Christ and keep his commandments I was blessed beyond measure with a strength that I know was not mine, it was a strength from my heart helping me through that was bestowed upon me from Heaven.
I have seen all my trials help me grow and become someone better. They have guided me to a path that has brought about so much happiness and satisfaction. They are no longer stumbling blocks but building blocks twined with blessings poured out from God himself. All that has come to my life all the good and the strength and hope has been from Jesus Christ. He has suffered all things so that we might not have to suffer them as he did. He knows how to succor us and heal us, we must humbly come to him on bowed knees, having our hearts open to him. Blessings will come. Things will get better even when they dont seem to be. The most darkest time of the night is right before the breaking of the sun. We may be at the most darkest time of our life but just remember the sun will break through and we will see our lives blessed. God is by our side to help us, giving us angels to bear us up. D&C 84:88
"Yeah, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Alma 26:12
I have been learning a lot about Gratitude, Humility, and Imperfections. This scripture sums all these three up and so many more principles/attributes that we must continually seek for and maintain in our daily life. We must come to know that we, each of us, all depend upon God. We are imperfect and powerless in this life but through God we are not, we are enabled, edified, and sustained in all things through Jesus Christ. Miracles are wrought through faith in Christ and they are seen only through his Spirit. As we seek God we will see through his eyes and be blessed to see his hands. Gods is our strength and we must continually give thanks unto him, as we do this we will be blessed and understand more deeper the purpose of this life and see our trials become blessings.
Hebrews 11:40 "God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."
This scripture has not always made sense to me in my mind but knowing that Joseph Smith was inspired and the Lords instrument in bring us Gods word through the Lords Spirit his translation of this verse has helped me and has given me greater wisdom and comfort.
JST Heb. 11:40 "God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect."
I love this verse, it testifies and helps us to see that God gives us trials or allows trials to come into our life so by them and through them we can become perfect. President Faust said in a General Conference address that "every experience and trial you pass through is necessary for your salvation." What we go through is not in vain, there is a purpose and building blocks that lay within each of them. As we turn to God we will be blessed to see these trials become strengths to us and we will be able to endure joyfully.
In the Bible from the Sermon on the Mount the Lord, Jesus Christ, teaches his disciples and followers a higher law. We are given guidance and understanding to the things concerning Heaven but one of the most powerful discourses he teaches reads:
"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matt 6:14-15
Sometimes daunting and unachievable comes to us as we reflect on the word forgive. Many of us have had a time or circumstance where we were hurt or offended by something that happened. If you are like me you may think that you don't need to forgive. I held on to many things in my life that happened when I was a child. I would get upset or angry when something that pertained to what happen to me came up. I didn't understand why it was happening but I felt so much emotion and frustration that I could not bare to be in the same room as those talking about this topic.
With these struggles I have come to learn that forgiveness is a commandment but so much more than that. As we forgive we release those that we have bound down to be free which in consequence frees us as well opening us up to God more than we thought.
"The Merciful Obtains Mercy" was Pres. Uchtdorf's address to us from the April 2012 General Conference. President Uchtdorf spoke of this very topic, teaching and exhorting us that if we have been hurt or offended we need to forgive those trespasses and let go.
President Uchtdorf reminds us that we all need forgiveness, we are all beggars and depend upon Christ. We seek forgiveness from God everyday and pray that he would extend to us his great mercy. Should we not then extend the same mercy and forgiveness to those that have hurt or offended us? We would be as hypocrites if we did not forgive as we have asked God so sincerely to forgive us.
Peacegiver by James Ferrell speaks so eloquently on forgiving and the atonement. In his unique way he illuminates the great principle and act of the Atonement pertaining to our relationships with others and God. Within a couple of sentence that I paraphrase in my own words he states that if we lack to forgive someone else we are initially and ultimately saying to God that the perfect Being, Christ who has come down and offered up a perfect sacrifice for sin and all things is not sufficient enough to over this act that we are holding onto. We deny Christ and is offering to us and say that though he is perfect and he has made a perfect atonement it still isn't good enough for us to forgive. Who are we greater than God to say that his perfect and love isn't good for us?
President Uchtdorf then goes on within his talk and teaches us ways to help us to forgive. The essential key for us to forgive comes from Christ and the atonement that has been made. The Love of God, in which he talks about is this enabling power for us all to overcome these struggles and let go of all resentment. Through the Love of God we are moved upon by Christ, being filled with his Spirit to change and come to him. His love is perfect and powerful and it enables us to do all things including to forgive. If we have love for Christ we are then able to love others and are able to see them as Christ sees them.
I have learned that when I need to forgive the most crucial things for me to do is to get on my knees and pray to God for help. I cannot forgive someone on my own, I need a higher power and strength to do so. As I pray for help my heart is soften and I am then able to pray for that person who has hurt or offended me. We all must give room in our hearts for forgiveness. The other thing that I have found helpful besides praying for them is to serve them and see them as God sees them, these things also develop through prayer but we must first make the step to pray. Prayer is key to this forgiveness process.
"I will give away all my sins to know thee." Alma 22:18
One of the most powerful verse within the Book of Mormon. As I read the Book of Mormon for the first time I came upon this scripture that moved me in a way that I have never been moved before. It spoke to my soul and helped me to see the life I lived and the life I could live or should live. Behind this scripture lies an extraordinary story of King Lamoni's father being taught by missionaries. He never believed in God and this was his first prayer to God.
This man was not righteous at all, his ways were far from God but he said that he would give away all he had-his whole kingdom to come to know God and Jesus Christ. He was so desireous and willing to come unto them that he would give away all his sins. I have asked my self many times what would I give away to know God. What would you give away to know God?
We all have moments in our life where discouraging feelings enter into our minds and hearts. We think that our lives are invaluable amounting to nothing, as we engage in these thoughts the more they do seem as they speak truth. Depression comes and we find ourselves in this hole, a whirlwind of doubt, self denial and nothingness. Feeling sorry for ourselves becomes a full time job and we cant see to snap out of this trance we are subjected to. We question our value and our own self worth.
During my daily study of the scriptures I read within Alma 47-51 about a man who turned from what he was living to seek power and glory beyond what we should. He was determined to be King and have power to rule of the people as he pleased, to subject them to any manner that well pleased him. He tempted and tried a newly appointed commander to come down from his position. This brought to my mind the words in Alma 22 about giving away our sins to know God. This recent story was far from this powerful condition and invitation to come to God.
We are to stand on high grounds and not give in to any delightful flirtations to satisfy our natural thirst and craving. These little temptations that dance around us everyday are not easy, they tempt us and try us to every point, for many they do give in. But we must not allow ourselves to give in, we are to strive for discipline and something greater. So as we are on higher grounds we must make sacrifices. Alma 22:18 "I will give away all my sins to know thee." Where ever we may be on our path and journey in this life or no matter how high up or how low. We all have something to sacrifice in order for us to draw closer to God and things we can do in order to stay on that higher ground.
Gratitude is part of the Beattitudes in which Christ taught to his disciples upon the Sermon on the Mount. This attribute is a divine one only obtained by the help of God for it is an attribute of him. As we seek him and strive to develop this gift we are blessed to feel a great and empowering feeling within our soul to guide us and teach us. The divine gift of Gratitude is a sacred and essential gift that we must strive to cultivate for many reasons. First and foremost it is a commandment from God, but as we develop this we are blessed beyond a measure that cannot be determined for it is far beyond the reach of our understanding. What I mean by this is that as we look for the good we will see the good but see much more than that as well. We ultimately will be able to see through the eyes of God, seeing the things of Heaven or through its perspective, thus in the end we will have an eternal perspective.
Life is not easy, we all know this and we all struggle and suffer. Our pains and trials come to us, as if in the worst most inappropriate time of all. We feel down and then something else comes along and kicks us where it hurts the most. Its hard. Where do we find our solace? Is there a Balm in Gilead?
Jesus Christ is as old as time, he has been talked, preached, and prophesied about. It seems absurd by some to always have the answer be Jesus Christ but there is truth here within this Divine title. Jesus Christ can be our strength and comfort during these most trying and difficult times in our lives. Helaman 5:12 "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." This is a promise to us all. If we build upon Christ we will find comfort, strength, peace, and hope through our most hardest and unbearable trials.
Over the recent years I have faced some of the most unbearable trials of my life. Many of them have driven me to the point of breaking and giving up. But as I continued to have faith in Christ and keep his commandments I was blessed beyond measure with a strength that I know was not mine, it was a strength from my heart helping me through that was bestowed upon me from Heaven.
In the Bible from the Sermon on the Mount the Lord, Jesus Christ, teaches his disciples and followers a higher law. We are given guidance and understanding to the things concerning Heaven but one of the most powerful discourses he teaches reads:
With these struggles I have come to learn that forgiveness is a commandment but so much more than that. As we forgive we release those that we have bound down to be free which in consequence frees us as well opening us up to God more than we thought. 
Peacegiver by James Ferrell speaks so eloquently on forgiving and the atonement. In his unique way he illuminates the great principle and act of the Atonement pertaining to our relationships with others and God. Within a couple of sentence that I paraphrase in my own words he states that if we lack to forgive someone else we are initially and ultimately saying to God that the perfect Being, Christ who has come down and offered up a perfect sacrifice for sin and all things is not sufficient enough to over this act that we are holding onto. We deny Christ and is offering to us and say that though he is perfect and he has made a perfect atonement it still isn't good enough for us to forgive. Who are we greater than God to say that his perfect and love isn't good for us?
President Uchtdorf then goes on within his talk and teaches us ways to help us to forgive. The essential key for us to forgive comes from Christ and the atonement that has been made. The Love of God, in which he talks about is this enabling power for us all to overcome these struggles and let go of all resentment. Through the Love of God we are moved upon by Christ, being filled with his Spirit to change and come to him. His love is perfect and powerful and it enables us to do all things including to forgive. If we have love for Christ we are then able to love others and are able to see them as Christ sees them.