Bealach na Ba pass through Applecross is the most awesome, twisty, hairpin bendy road in the United Kingdom. The single track road’s gradient slopes of nearly 20% enable its quick ascent from sea level to 2,054 feet.  The views are spectacular.

Anthony and I quickly ascended this Scottish Highland mountain pass on our rented motorcycles, and after a short break in the wee village, began the return descent and two hour ride back to our B&B in Portree.

Having found my stride up the mountain, I planned to push my limits on the way down. However, we quickly caught up to a vehicle whose driver seemed deathly afraid of the road. It’s a single track road, meaning only one car will fit on the side of the mountain at a time, so drivers must carefully observe oncoming traffic. One driver must move into an accessible passing place, giving the oncoming driver the right of way to continue on the road, if two drivers meet head on, someone has to back up until a passing place is reached. After the road clears again, the stopped driver proceeds onward.

In front of me, the car’s driver constantly slammed on his brakes in spite of clear roads ahead. We inched down the mountain at 10 mph, and I was frustrated. Anthony, sensing my tension (and knowing me well), rode up beside me to soothe my frustration. We pulled over to look at the views and relax. However, within minutes of being back on the bikes, we caught up to the same car and slowed way down again.

Suddenly, we hit a straightaway and the car jolted forward.  Elated and hopeful, I followed suit.  Then, he slammed on the brakes, from 45mph to 0mph in an instant. I had maintained good distance and saw him stop, but while braking caught the gravel on the mountain side of the road. I knew I was going to crash. I kept slowing in the gravel, but then had no where else to go and abruptly hit the mountain.  The jarred bike and I careened at a 45 degree angle back onto the road and then slid across the asphalt to a stop. My helmet, which I hated wearing, saved my life. Anthony lifted the bike off me, but I couldn’t move right away.  I knew three things: I was alive. Somehow I didn’t go over the edge of the cliff. I was holding up traffic in both directions.

What I Believe

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church).  As a Latter-day Saint, I believe that we are all God’s spirit children who lived and grew in His presence before this earth life, and now have the opportunity to have a physical body and gain experience in this mortal world. The whole point of our existence is to become like our Father, who is a glorious resurrected being of flesh and bones. Because of the Savior Jesus Christ’s miraculous atoning sacrifice, after we die, we will be resurrected (our spirits and bodies unite again) with a perfected body.  Having that perfected body sounded amazing to me as I lay hurting on Scottish mountain pass asphalt.

That incident taught me several lessons about my mortal experience.

Don’t Do Stupid Things To My Body.

The Lord gave specific commandments for our safety and to enhance our journey through life. He knew what would cause emotional and physical pain to our souls and told us how to avoid it. We protect ourselves by wearing spiritual helmets and gear. “Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother” (Luke 18:20). “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37, 39).

Anger Wreaks Havoc.

Honestly, my intense frustration at the scaredy-cat driver in the car caused me to lose control. While I judged his lack of reason in coming to a complete stop again, I lost my opportunity to stabilize myself and wrecked.  My anger did not affect him at all. He didn’t even stop after I nearly sideswiped him. My emotions affected me and Anthony (and then everyone else who had to wait for the road to be cleared.)

Emotions provide the amusement-park experiences of life – up and down, back and forth, excitement and terror, elation and so dizzy that you …

Mastering my emotions is a constant struggle, but with Christ, all things are possible. In the Book of Mormon,a loving father counseled his son, “[S]ee that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love” (Alma 38:12). The Apostle Paul exhorted, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Everyone On The Road Is On The Same Journey-Even Scaredy-cat Drivers.

If I truly believe that all people are children of God, shouldn’t that change my perspective? Would I rush around adamant that everything has to be done my way and in my time frame? Can I celebrate the divinity in others and rejoice in our unique perspectives and talents? Should I take off my blinders and actually see?

Instead of seeing persons in “my way,” I could consider that we crossed paths for a reason. One of my favorite quotes is: “You lift me and I’ll lift Thee, and We’ll both ascend together.” God’s plan promotes unity of purpose—a Zion, or physical state of oneness with God and each other—rather than individual defensiveness.

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Corinthians 13:11-12).

I love living in a time where I can see into outer space and then into tiny atoms, with speedy technology at my finger tips.  The talents and passions of great minds richly enhance life’s experiences. And yet each person I pass on the sidewalk has divine potential to similarly shape the world in his or her own way.

We all need to eat and sleep. We each seek love, security, and purpose. You are me and I am you. Let’s give each other permission to shine.

God’s Timing Enables Me To Enjoy The Ride.

I’ve thought a lot about how I gypped my Applecross experience by wanting, anticipating, and hoping for something else on my journey down the mountain. I focused on the brake lights ahead, which became my skewed reality, and ultimately left me battered and tattered and pretty unfulfilled.

Why didn’t I enjoy the respite Anthony provided, or use our 10mph ride as ample time to breathe in fresh air deeply and enjoy the exquisite vistas from our heavenly perch?  Why am I always in such a hurry to accomplish some crazy to do list?

Why do I compare my weaknesses with others’ strengths or bemoan barrenness when some moms bemoan my freedom? Is the grass really greener going 60 mph down mountainous curves? Why would I want to live someone else’s life?

“Be still and know that I am God” (Doctrine and Covenants 101:16).

Only in the stillness of a relationship with Deity does life gain perspective and purpose. We are His children after all. He knows us and wants us to succeed. He provided the perfect path—His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. When I rejoice with gratitude, I feel God’s promise to “go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88). When I sin, through Christ’s grace, I can repent. When I sorrow, Jesus succors me. When I need direction or increased faith, hope, and charity, He “[leads me] by the hand and [gives me] answer to [my] prayers” (Doctrine and Covenants 112:10).

Each of us can find Him.  We are His.

Immortality and Eternal Life

Immortality means to live forever as a resurrected being. Immortality is a beautiful gift that will be given to every single one of Heavenly Father’s children; everyone who lives on earth, or who has lived on earth, will receive immortality. Jesus Christ overcame physical death and was the first person ever resurrected. Through the Atonement, we all will be resurrected and have immortality.

Eternal life, sometimes called “exaltation” in scripture, means to not only be immortal, but to live in God’s presence and have families eternally. The kingdoms of heaven do not share equally in the glory of God.  Exalted people enjoy a fulness of His glory.  The Doctrine and Covenants states that eternal life is “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7). Those who gain eternal life will live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ forever. They will also be with their families—children, spouses—forever. This amazing gift is also possible through Jesus Christ’s Atonement, but also requires us to obey the God’s laws and ordinances while on earth.

Receiving Eternal Life

Nephi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, explains what is required of us in order to receive eternal life. Nephi states that the first step is following the example of Jesus Christ to be baptized and receive “a remission of [our] sins.” Nephi teaches that after baptism, we have entered the “strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:17-18). However, after entering the path, we must continue to walk down it. We must “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.” We must “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end,” and then, “thus saith the father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20).

In addition to being baptized, there are other covenants, or promises, we must make here on earth in order to receive eternal life. We must also make sacred covenants in holy temples, including the covenant of marriage. These covenants are very important; without them, we cannot receive eternal life. Our covenants are also eternal, meaning they can last forever, as can the marriage and family that are bound within the covenant.

Endure to the End

We can’t receive eternal life in an instant. Gaining a testimony isn’t enough; being baptized isn’t enough. As Nephi said, we must “endure to the end.” Qualifying for eternal life is done every day, with the good desires of our hearts, and the small acts of love, service, and obedience we give to our Father in Heaven and to His children. We can’t have a marathon of obedience, followed by an absolute disregard for His commandments, and expect to gain eternal life. We must continually strive to follow the counsel of Nephi to feast on the word of God, or the scriptures, and to love God and all people.

Eternal life is the gift we all are striving for. It’s the reason we are here on earth—to gain a body, be tested, and eventually return to God’s presence, which is eternal life. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called the Mormon Church, we strive each day to qualify for eternal life. We make sacred covenants with God, at baptism and in the holy temple to help us reach our goal of eternal life. We proclaim the gospel to the world in order to bring others to eternal life.  We mostly strive to become more like God and to do His will.  In so doing, we become better and kinder.  At the judgment seat of God, it will be more important who we’ve become and not what we’ve done.

Sometimes it can seem daunting to endure to the end. The word “endure” makes it sound really hard. But that’s the way life is supposed to be—if it weren’t, our faith and testimonies would never grow. We have many tools and guides to help us endure to the end and gain eternal life, including scriptures, prayer, living prophets, and the temple. Heavenly Father loves us all, and wants us to have eternal life.

Latter-day Saints Believe Everyone Is Saved

Unlike my friend’s understanding of “being saved,” Latter-day Saints believe that Jesus Christ saves everyone from sin, not just those who say they accept Him. That isn’t to say, however, that everyone is automatically redeemed. The grace of Jesus Christ—one aspect of which Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) commonly call the Atonement—isn’t something that you earn, but rather it’s something that you’re given. And, like a gift, we have the choice to accept it or not.

When Jesus suffered for our sins in Gethsemane and died on the cross at Calvary, He suffered for everyone, not just those who He thought might need it or accept it. His Atonement is a blanket one. Our entering mortality came with the condition that we would be saved through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He suffered and died for us so that we might be made clean and perfect, so that we could live with Heavenly Father again. Latter-day Saints believe that everyone is saved because Jesus Christ overcame death and sin; that triumph alone is enough to qualify everyone for redemption. Even those who never accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice will be saved from a fate in hell.

We Must Choose Jesus Christ

The Atonement of Jesus Christ doesn’t automatically make everyone clean, however. Rather, it makes it possible to become clean. In Psalms we learn about the conditions for dwelling with God: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart” (24:3–4). No one can be perfectly clean through their sole efforts; anyone who lives with God must be made clean through the grace of Jesus Christ.

The key to being saved is our own moral agency. (Moral agency is a term Latter-day Saints use to describe our ability, freedom, and responsibility to choose between right and wrong. Our moral agency is a gift from God and gives us the power to become as He is.) When the Savior completed the Atonement, He established a condition whereby we may be cleansed. He made it possible. But because He won’t force us to keep His commandments and live by His example, He cannot guarantee that we will be saved unless we choose to accept His gift of grace.

In the Book of Mormon (a book of scripture unique to Latter-day Saints and a companion book to the Bible) we learn a key characteristic of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ: “he [Christ] cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins” (Alma 11:37, emphasis added). The key to this scripture is that Christ cannot save us in our sins; He can only save us from them. If He redeemed us in our sins, then we wouldn’t be required to change, and we wouldn’t really be made clean. He saves us from our sins, so that we can repent, change, and be cleansed.

Faith and Works

When my friend and I were discussing this, she got hung up on the battle of faith versus works. In James we read that “faith without works is dead” (2:26). But we also know that we cannot become perfect and clean through our own efforts. So how do faith and works fit together? What James means is that our faith in Jesus Christ is powerless unless we act on it. We must use our faith to propel us into making choices that guide us closer to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

When it comes to grace and being saved, our works are crucial, not because we “earn” salvation but because we surrender ourselves to God’s will. We cannot say that we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior without changing the way we live. So when my friend said that her relative had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior, he was clearly indicating that he had faith in the Lord. But unless he changed his life to fit more in line with the teachings of Christ, then his faith didn’t do much.

We Are Saved by Grace

I need to emphasize that Latter-day Saints (“Mormons”) do not believe that our works will get us a ticket into heaven. The pathway to salvation isn’t divided up into one part works and two parts grace. The atonement of Jesus Christ is the whole pathway. Our works come into play because they are what gets us onto the road of grace, and our works keep us there. Being saved isn’t a passive act; it is an involved and active way of living. Being saved is a way of life that invites the Savior into your heart, mind, and actions so that He can make you clean. He can’t wash away our sins if we insist on holding on to them.

Latter-day Saints say that everyone can be saved, because that pathway to salvation is available to everyone. No one is exempt from being able to choose to follow the Savior, and because of His sacrifice, all can make it down the road He has prepared for us.

Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Letter to my wife about giving up our will

I want to share an idea from my New Testament class this week. We were reading in Philippians 2 and noticed the importance of our will, especially in verses 12 through 17 or so. I have always found it interesting to notice that all we have that we can truly give to God, that He hasn’t directly given us, is our will. I have always felt humble about this idea and have loved attempting to accomplish it. Basically, the only way to do this is to place our will on the altar of God. Then, once our will has been given up, we can receive God’s will in our heart. I think this is the essence of the Atonement and our best way to become like Christ.

My professor told a story that really magnified this idea that I would like to share with you. It started with him telling us about a little old widow convert from his mission in Brazil. He said she lived down by the river on property that you don’t have to purchase, because no one is interested in a property that would flood a couple times every year. This woman’s house was tin-roofed and the slats that made up the walls left small gaps. In about a 10×8 foot house she had only a small bed, a stump for a chair, and a small table made of two sawhorses and three 2×6 pieces of wood.

After the bishop of the ward had been to her house, he felt badly for her and wanted to help her. He decided to start with one piece of furniture at a time. Over the pulpit during the next sacrament meeting, the bishop announced that a family that was in need of a small table and if anyone could spare one to come to his office after church. After church, he had a light knock on his door. It was the old woman. She said, “Bishop, I want to talk to you about your announcement today.” The bishop was afraid that she was offended. Instead, she told him that she thought all families should have a table to eat at and she had a very small basic table, but that she would give it to them until they could find a nicer one. The bishop then smiled and told her it was supposed to be for her. She was polite, but told him thanks anyways. She said he should spend his time helping those who really needed it.

I love this story, and think it very much explains the way we should give up our will. I hope I can do this and hope it brightens your day also.
Love you forever,

Ian

BYU (Brigham Young University) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

Mormon Thoughts: “Letter to my Husband”

Hi Sweetheart!

I love when I find scriptures that apply directly to our marriage. One scripture that made me think of us lately is in 3 Nephi 10:9-10. It’s when all the terrible destruction of the wicked is coming to a close, and the three days of darkness is starting to disperse. It says:

“…And it was in the morning, and the darkness dispersed from off the face of the land, and the earth did cease to tremble, and the rocks did cease to rend, and the dreadful groanings did cease, and all the tumultuous noises did pass away. And the earth did cleave together again, that it stood.”

Christ visited the Nephites after His resurrection.

So how does this apply to us you ask? Well I was thinking how the darkness, the trembling, the fallingrocks, and tumultuous noises could all represent the trials and challenges that we might face in our marriage or family in the future. I’m not trying to be a downer, but I would bet that at some time or another, we will face a trial together that will physically or spiritually shake us. When that time comes, I want to remember these verses in 3 Nephi.

My favorite phrase in these scriptures is when it says “and the earth did cleave together again, that it STOOD.” I am a firm believer that we can overcome any trial or challenge we will face if we will hold to each other and to the Lord. Just like all the physical devastation, our trials won’t last forever. Eventually they will end, and if we have remained faithful we will be able to cleave together and stand. I know that trials—even though they may be extremely difficult or frustrating—can bind people close together if they choose to let them. I know this because I have watched my family grow together as we have gone through difficult trials. I remember when my dad’s dad, Grandpa Mike, was slowly dying in the hospital. I have never seen my dad so emotional and sad. But I noticed how supportive, caring and loving my mom was toward my dad. I watched them grow together even though they were going through a difficult trial. I know that we can continue to grow closer to each other as a couple as we travel through life together, whether in good or hard times. Thank you for choosing to stand by me forever.

I love you,

Jenica

If any who might be reading this letter have questions or comments, I would be happy to hear from you.

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormon Thoughts: A Great and Marvelous Change

Letter to a Friend

Dear Cody,

I’m doing great man! It’s great to hear from you. I hope things have been going well for you lately. What’s new in your life down in Alabama? Are you still taking classes at JSU? Or are you working at all?

Anyway, my Book of Mormon class has been amazing, brother. I hope you get the chance to come to school out here in the future, because these religion classes change my life. Right now we are making our way through 3 Nephi, where Jesus comes to visit the people in the Americas. If I’m not mistaken, that chapter was one of the first ones we had you read when we met you two years ago.

Even though I’ve read that chapter (chapter 11 that is) hundreds of times, I am still learning new things about the coming of Christ to the Americas and His visitation of the Nephite people.

I’ll share something with you that especially impacted me the other day. In 3 Nephi chapters 9 and 10, the people are experiencing all kinds of storms and earthquakes and other destructive natural disasters and are witnessing the annihilation of many of their big cities. Then, immediately following all of this destruction, a thick darkness covers the whole land to the point where they couldn’t even light a fire to see clearly. That darkness lasted about the 3 days until finally the Lord spoke to them: “O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they [those who were killed in the destruction], will ye not now return unto me, and be converted, that I may heal you?” (3 Nephi 9:13). I love how merciful the Lord is in that verse.

Christ visited the Nephites after His resurrection.

Later, in chapter 11 verse 1 it says, “And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together, of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which and taken place.” My whole life, I have always pictured this verse to happen immediately after the darkness is taken off of the land and all the people are sort of walking around the rubble of their old cities marveling at this change, but in my class, I learned that it is more likely that verse 1 of chapter 11 didn’t happen until possibly a whole year later! And if that’s the case, the people were most likely almost recovered from the destruction that had happened in chapter 9-10.

In that context, verse one takes on a whole new meaning for me. Now, the people are gathering to the temple to worship God and they notice “a great a marvelous change which has taken place.” In my eyes, this change is no longer referring to the landscape in the aftermath of so many terrible disasters; the people are referring to a great and marvelous change that had taken place in their hearts. The people had become converted to the doctrine of Christ, and once they reached that level of spirituality, the Savior Himself appeared to them at the temple. Isn’t that amazing? I love these beautiful little messages that the Book of Mormon has. It’s awesome.

I hope all is well for you and that you are happy. Love you brother!

Jeff

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Mormon Thoughts: Finding Power

Email to my sister

Hey, so I know you were really excited to go through the Mormon temple! I also know that you haven’t been back for awhile. I don’t really know why you haven’t gone back. It’s probably just because you haven’t had time or it has just slipped your mind, but you know that I just went through like two weeks ago and I just wanted to share some stuff with you.

I’ll be honest, when I first went there, I was very confused but I really did feel the spirit so much. I think it is hard for some people, because they don’t understand everything they experience there, and so they maybe don’t have a huge desire to go back all of the time, or they go and still don’t understand and so they get frustrated. I just wanted to share something that I learned though, because I think it gives us insight into what God is trying to teach us in this life.

We learn more about God’s plan for us at the temple.

In my New Testament class we were talking about Ephesians. We talked about a ton of great stuff that I’d like to share with you sometime, but for now I wanted to tell you first about chapter six. In verse 11 it tells us that we need to put on the whole armor of God. In my class we learned that the Greek translation of the phrase “put on” is enduo, which translates back to, “endow yourself.” So we are to endow ourselves with the armor of God. And the armor of God is described after that verse. The one that was especially powerful to me was the shield of faith. We talked about how it is a shield and therefore it is portable. The shield can protect any part of us. So we see how important faith in the Lord is. It will protect us from all of the negative outside forces. When we have strong faith then we don’t let the doubts of the world penetrate, causing us to waver in our testimony of Christ.

Every time I go to the temple, I understand more about the amazing things God has in store for us.  But we have to stay on the path that leads to Him and try to grab onto the gifts He offers us.  A lot of those gifts come through the temple.

Your BFF,

Cassidy

Additional Resources:

Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Mormon Thoughts: Moving Forward

Letter to a friend

Last week you were telling me that you don’t know what you are doing with your life. You said that you feel like everyone is figuring their lives out, and you are just going through the motions without progressing toward anything. We had a lesson in New Testament this week that I found really helpful in my life and I thought maybe could help you, too. We are in Romans right now, and there are a few verses I want to point out. First in chapter 5 verses 3-5, I’ll just summarize for you.

These verses give us insight on how we can obtain hope even through our tribulations. Through tribulation we gain patience, through patience we gain experience, and finally through experience we gain hope. I know you may feel like things aren’t going your way lately, and like there are things holding you back, while everyone else is moving forward. I’ve been there; it can be so discouraging! I challenge you to keep your head up and find hope for the future in the experiences you are having. You always have a clean future with endless potential.

The next set of verses I want to highlight are in chapter 6, verses 19-23. These outline the effects sin and righteousness have on our lives and on our futures. You’ve been quite an example to me over the months I’ve known you, little things you do to try to bring the spirit into your life and make your Heavenly Father proud have really impressed me. These few verses show us that if we choose to sin, our reward will be death and misery, but if we choose to be righteous and live our lives like I see you live on a daily basis, then our reward will be eternal life and a kingdom in heaven. You’re well on your way to gaining that great reward. When life gets hard, and it feels like you’re going nowhere, remember that our Heavenly Father loves you, and that He’s preparing a mansion for you in heaven. I know it can feel like we aren’t progressing in this life like everyone else is, but know that you always have the ability, no matter your circumstances, to progress in your spiritual life and THAT is what really matters.

The Lord knows our hearts even if we can’t express how we feel.

Finally, I want to touch on something that I struggle with in times of feeling inadequate, and that is knowing what to pray for. Often times I’ll be feeling distraught and get down on my knees, but not know how to express what I’m feeling to our Father in Heaven. Chapter 8 verse 26 shows us that in times like this, we don’t always need to find a way to express what we’re feeling. The Lord knows, He can feel our prayers just like He can hear and answer them.

I hope this has helped you a little bit as it has helped me, know that I’m here for you just like you’ve been there for me before, be sure to let me know if you need anything.

Your friend,

Darrell

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

In this series (see below), students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the Book of Mormon in the form of letters to someone they know. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures.

In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to speak to all of us of the relevance, power and beauty of the Book of Mormon, a second witness of Jesus Christ and complement to the Bible. The Book of Mormon includes the religious history of a group of Israelites who settled in ancient America. (The names they use are those of prophets who taught the Book of Mormon peoples to look forward to the coming of Christ—Nephi, Lehi, Alma, Helaman, and other unfamiliar names. We hope those names will become more familiar to you as you read their inspiring words and feel the relevance and divinity of their messages through these letters.)

Let us know if you’d like to receive your own digital copy of the Book of Mormon, and/or if these messages encourage and assist you spiritually as well.

Mormon Thoughts: Enduring through the Trial

Letter to a friend

Before I took a class on the Book of Mormon I always assumed that Christ came down to visit the Nephites only three days after His crucifixion and resurrection. Now I know better—the Nephites actually had to wait nearly a year before they had the chance to see Christ. However, during this time they didn’t wait passively; they were working hard to change both their outward circumstances and inwardly they worked to change their hearts. In fact, on the day that Christ descended, the people were conversing about him. In other words, even though time had passed, they were still using the terrible trials that had befallen them to make themselves better, more worthy people.

Like the Nephites, we must prepare for our meeting with Christ by enduring our trials with patience.

I believe this can apply to people today. Sometimes a trial will happen in our lives and though we survive it, we are neither made better people nor blessed because of it. We will be better prepared for these circumstances if we look to the example of the Nephites during this time period. Just like the Nephites, we can’t be passive while waiting for our trials and afflictions to pass; we need to work in order for them to change us. We can also see that trials will take some patience. Christ didn’t visit the Nephites immediately after His death and the destruction that followed it; He made them wait. Likewise, we might wonder why a trial is lasting so long, or why our lives haven’t been especially blessed for making it through the trials, but just like the Nephites, we need to learn to be patient and work hard in the meantime.

Life can be extremely hard. It was for the Nephites and it still is for people everywhere today. The trick to getting through is trying a little harder to be a little better and having the knowledge that eventually we will all meet Christ personally, whether in this life or the next.

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs

Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know.  In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us.  We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.

Mormon Thoughts: An Epiphany

A letter to my sister

I had an epiphany this week in New Testament class. It is about the purpose of righteousness. We have been talking a lot the last few weeks in the letters of Paul to new converts about the differences between grace and why we need to do good works, such as what we read this week in Philippians 2:12. Because the original expectation was that we need to be perfect, and that was not attainable, that is the reason for the Atonement, right? So why can we not just take advantage of the Atonement and do whatever we want? It is because in performing the Atonement, Christ set a new standard for us to attain, you know, the laws of sacrifice, the gospel, etc. He transferred the debt we needed to pay from Heavenly Father to himself. He still wants us to become perfect, so He does not leave us without any rules, we are still expected to become something more. So my epiphany this week was about the purpose of righteous actions.

The Atonement sets a new standard for all who desire to be followers of Christ.

My professor said something about connecting to God, and I am not sure why that resonated so much inside me, just because it seems like such a simple concept. But I was thinking about it, and in my experience, I find that when I do something “good,” it is as if I am trying to achieve something; I am reaching for some abstract ideal. For example, God did all this stuff (Creation, Atonement, and everything needed for us to get back to Him) for us, and gave us the law of chastity, so I will be chaste for the sake of being chaste. I realized this was not the reason we do it. It is to connect with Christ. Let’s say we were building a bridge. Christ already has His part built, in just the right place with just the right materials, etc. It is now our object to attach ourselves to Him. Or in another analogy, to attach our branches to Him, the Vine.

It is through Him that we attain sustenance and that all blessings flow. In surrendering the only thing we have to give, our wills, we achieve the ultimate victory. When we seek to connect to Him, we are no longer focused on just our actions, but also our thoughts and attitudes. Ironically, we still need His help to do our part of the bargain as well. But if I had to trust my will, my life, and my whole soul to anyone, I am glad it is the most loving, all knowing, and perfect being in existence.

With warm thoughts,

Ashley

Additional Resources:

Mormon Beliefs