Doubt Not, Fear Not

With finals week approaching, I have been stressed to the max. D&C section 6 verse 28 says "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not." Reading this verse this past week provided me with the comfort and peace that I needed. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for me and for his son who knows my every heartache. HE knows how I am going to get through finals, HE knows what I need to be comforted, and HE knows how everything is going to work out. My testimony has grown so much over this semester as I have done a serious study of The Book of Mormon. I have come to truly know and believe in the power of The Book of Mormon. At the end of the Book of Mormon, Moroni talks about how merciful the Lord is. The Book of Mormon begins with Nephi, talking about the tender mercies of the Lord. The Book of Mormon is not just a record, it is an amazing tool that we have been given for us in our day today. It tells us of the love, patience, charity, and mercy that Heavenly Father has for us. I truly believe it is the most true and correct book on this earth and I am thankful for the chance I have had to study it in depth this semester.

Start Somewhere

Alma 32:27 says "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment unto my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."This scripture reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite conference talks. In "He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home" Dieter F Uchtdorf says, "Do not despair. If you cannot muster faith right now, begin with hope. If you cannot say you know God is there, you can hope that He is. You can desire to believe. That is enough to start. Then, acting on that hope, reach out to Heavenly Father. God will extend His love toward you, and His work of rescue and transformation will begin. Over time, you will recognize His hand in your life. You will feel His love. And the desire to walk in His light and follow His way will grow with every step of faith you take." I love this scripture and this quote. It shows of the desire that our Savior has for us to come unto to Him. We do not need to know everything, we do not need to be perfect. All that He asks is that we start with something. Start with a desire to believe and let it work in you until your desire grows into something larger. I think that this scripture is so powerful and comforting to me because it helps me understand that I do not need to be perfect. Sometimes I feel like I don't know enough about the gospel and that I need to know more before bearing my testimony or sharing a thought. This scripture assures me that the Lord doesn't expect me to know everything and this brings me peace and comfort.

Infinite and Intimate

3 Nephi has always been one of my favorite books in The Book of Mormon because of the focus on Christ. In this book Jesus Christ visits the Americas. It is so sacred and beautiful to read. 3 Nephi 11:15 states,"And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come." I love the phrase "one by one". It shows that Christ has time for each individual. Brother Griffin shared an amazing insight with our class while studying this verse. He bore his testimony that Christ is not only the infinite atoner, but also the intimate atoner. When we see Jesus Christ again everybody is going to get a one-on-one experience with Him. This scripture has given me so much comfort this past week and my testimony of the atonement has been strengthened. It is not just a broad, foreign concept that we hear about over the pulpit. The atonement is real and it is for each of us individually. This is such a beautiful verse and it has helped me to have a greater understanding of Gods love for each of us individually.

In His Strength I Can Do All Things

The scriptures Alma 26: 11-12 have been a huge blessing in my life this past week. "I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, 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 might miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." Stumbling upon this scripture reminded me that I am nothing without God. I feel extremely blessed to be able to do so many things here at BYU but I could do none of it without my Heavenly Father. I am nothing without him. I am so thankful for the power that He gives me to be able to succeed. I know that the things I am accomplishing are because of His strength, not mine. Each and every day Heavenly Father helps me and gives me the tools I need and I am so thankful for Him and His perfect love.

A Perfect Knowledge

This week I wrote a paper for my Book of Mormon class about a question that had come to my mind. I searched many scriptures and websites and still wasn't able to come up with a clear answer. I honestly was a tiny bit frustrated about it. Later in class we studied Alma 32. Verse 21 states "And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." How perfect for me to stumble upon this verse during this time. We need to be ok with not having a perfect knowledge of things, for that is where faith comes in. Heavenly Father hasn't revealed everything to us yet, and He does so in our best interest. He loves us so much and I'm thankful for this simple reminder to trust Him.

Born of God

Mosiah 27:25 is one of my favorite scriptures in the whole Book of Mormon. It says "And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters." It is required by ALL men to be born again, born of God. I think that being born of God means truly dedicating our lives to the Lord, doing the things that He would have us do instead of what the world would have. We must be changed from our carnal and fallen state. This requires a change of heart, repentance, and a lot of effort. It will require sacrifice to be born again. The repentance process is not always easy, but it is so worth it. I am thankful for the opportunity that the Lord gives us to be born again. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said "God doesn't care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go." This is a truth that I am most grateful for. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be born again, and He will help us to get there.

HE Was Wounded For OUR Transgressions

I've always had a hard time understanding all of the teachings of Isaiah, but I love the way he paints a picture with his words. Mosiah 14:4-5 says "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." In class this week we emphasized the words HE and OUR. This is one of my very favorite scriptures, and it becomes more meaningful when you read it like this. HE was wounded for OUR transgressions, HE was bruised for OUR iniquities. The earth has seen no greater act of love than the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am being healed because He was wounded for me. This week I have struggled with a few things. In a moment of weakness I sometimes think that I can solve all of my problems on my own. I get too proud to ask for help from my Savior. That's not what the atonement is for. The atonement covers every aspect of our lives. He was wounded for my transgressions, He wants to help me. I know that by calling upon the Lord for help I will be able to feel of His love for me and He will give me the strength that I need.