The Miracle of Forgiveness

Because our Heavenly Father loves us, He sent His son Jesus Christ to provide a way for us to become clean and live with Him again. A way has been provided for us to overcome our weaknesses and to get rid of the guilt, pain, and remorse that accompanies sin; that way is called Repentance.

No matter where we are at in life, no matter what we have done or what we have been through, we can always repent and come unto Christ. We learn in the Book of Mormon that "...as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me." (Mosiah 26:30) But why does He offer that? Why will He always forgive us and why does He want to forgive us? Because He loves us. He wants us to feel joy and peace and that can only come by the power of repentance. I testify that He stands with open arms waiting to receive us. If we will get on our knees and plead with Him, He will be there to comfort us and to fill us with peace, happiness, and love. This is the Miracle of Forgiveness.

Delivered From Darkness

Have you ever felt lost or unsure about which direction to step next? With all of the influences around us it is easy to feel stifled by the almost tangible darkness of uncertainty. It is in times like these that I have learned to turn to our Father in Heaven for the help that He promises to give. "Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened."

It's not always easy to have faith that our Heavenly Father really is there and that He really does answer our prayers which is why I have often held to one of my favorite verses in the Book of Mormon. In 1 Nephi 8: 7-8, Lehi is having the vision of the Tree of Life. But even in his progress toward our Savior, he too was blinded by darkness. "...as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste." So Lehi, just like all of us, was tempted and confused as the adversary tried to knock him off his course. But instead of giving up Lehi decides to lean on his Father in Heaven to get him through it. "And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me."  As soon as he does this he is delivered from the darkness and sees true happiness. "And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy."

I truly believe that Lehi would have traveled many more hours in darkness if he had not turned to his Eternal Father and asked for deliverance. I am so grateful for the lessons that we can learn in the Book of Mormon. I testify that our Father in Heaven is there, and that He knows each of us personally and listens to each of our prayers. We can choose to travel many hours in darkness, or we can trust in Him and His promise to show us the light. He answers in His own time and in His own way, but He does answer.