"O Jesus, Thou Son of God..."

The prophet Alma from the Book of Mormon had quite an incredible conversion to the gospel, and these are the words he used to share his story years later:

16 And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.

17 And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.

18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.

19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

This is a deeply personal and descriptive account of what it feels like to experience the redeeming love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Earlier in this chapter Alma stated  "Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of myself." Alma did not have to earn the savior's love. It was already there, just as it is for any of us. All we have to do is reach out to him.

Sometimes I get caught up in defending my beliefs or trying to clear up misconceptions about the doctrine/history of the Restored Church. While those things are important and I hope more than anything people can at least benefit a little from the words I share, the focal point of my faith is not in any specific doctrine or historical finding. It is in Jesus Christ.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught:

"The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it" 

He is the Great Jehova. He is both the Father and the Son. He's the savior, redeemer, and the Prince of Peace. He is an High Priest of good things to come. He is the Messiah, the Creator, and the great I AM. He is the firstfruits of those who slept. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is Endless. He is Eternal. He is the Son of God, come in the flesh.

Jesus Christ and the infinite power which He offers us through His atonement are the best way for us to overcome the struggles we are facing now as individuals and as a nation. Christlike faith, hope, and charity will change the world faster than anything else we can come up with. I truly believe that.

I would invite all of us to have greater faith in Him. In doing so I would remind you that Faith is not a perfect knowledge of things, but rather it is to "hope for things which are not seen, which are true."  Another Book of Mormon prophet, Moroni, taught us that faith must precede the miracle. That's completely backwards from any scientific method we are taught in school, but that is the way God works. Faith first, evidence second.

Jesus Christ suffered all manner of hardships and temptations so that he would know exactly how to help us in our times of need. (See Hebrews 3:16-18, Alma 7:11-14) If we come to him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he will heal us. Not only will he heal us but he will lift us to heights we never thought possible as he carries us with "healing in his wings."

Life is hard. Looking back on our lives, we all find times of trial where we could have echoed the words of Alma, finding ourselves in the "gall of bitterness." May we all have compassion for one another and try to put ourselves in each other's shoes before we jump to judging them. May we try to see people as Christ sees them.

As we come to Him in humility and unity, Christ will heal us. He will transform us and make us the best versions of ourselves. Whether we are white, black, brown, gay, straight, , male, female, He will help us.

All of us.