The Savior Wants to Forgive

 

In October 2012 General conference, President Monson counseled:

“We need to bear in mind that people can change. They can put behind them bad habits. They can repent from transgressions. …We can help them to overcome their shortcomings. We must develop the capacity to see men not as they are at present but as they may become.”

 

Our Heavenly Father knows what we are facing, that we all sin and “come short of the glory of God” again and again. He sent His Son, who “knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.” His Son teaches us to “pray always that we enter not into temptation.” We are told to “cry unto God for mercy; for he is mighty to save.” The Savior commands us to repent and to forgive. And although repentance is not easy, as we strive with all our hearts to obey His gospel, He gives this promise: “Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding your sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. I will not utterly cast you off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy.” The Savior wants to forgive.

 

While on my mission I've been blessed with the opportunity to see this principle in action. I have stepped into homes full of hard feelings and broken families, then been able to see Jesus Christ transform them as they take hold of His Atonement.

 

Again and again I hear the stories of their darkest times, their lowest points all with a common thread, "He never left me. He was always there."

 

As members of the church we are very quick to say, "You can have the companionship of the Holy Ghost only as long as you are worthy of it." This is true, when we turn away from the Spirit, when we choose to ignore His voice and avoid His embrace we can loose the feelings of comfort and council that He brings. I believe however that that companionship is never lost. I've received countless witnesses that tell me He was there for them in that dark pit they had dug for themselves. He didn't just throw in a rope but climbed down in there with them and lifted them up and out.

 

“And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."

 

Let us remember our commission from the Savior to find those that wonder and are lost. He has not forgotten nor forsaken them and neither can we. I know that God is mindful of all of his people. I know that there is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from His love. We can help others to return to that love again!

 

 

O Remember, Remember

"I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old." Psalms 77:11

This week my remembering skills have been put to the test! 

It is no secret that a missionaries life can change on a dime and last Wednesday my life changed with one phone call. "Sister Taylor, you are being transferred to Great Falls." Honestly I thought he was joking with me. How did he know that I had left my heart in Great Falls a year ago and I wanted nothing more then to go and find it there again? I was so excited.

I felt like I'd climbed aboard a time machine rather then a transfer van as we pulled into the city limits of Great Falls MT. In an instant so much from my life here came rushing back. I knew exactly where I was! Although I had experienced some of the most trying days of my mission when I was here last summer, I felt like I was returning home.

Then came the test of my memory. Sister Greenfield and I were ambushed with countless new names and place. I felt an instant pressure to remember each person and name. I knew each person was precious and was a gifted opportunity for me to share the gospel. Within hours I was tempted to get frustrated and disheartened.

"Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men" D&C 3:3

I've been put into some pretty trying circumstance on my mission, some of them right here in Great Falls. I remember first arriving in the mission field, scared and overwhelmed. Feeling under prepared and inadequate. But I also remember the way that the Lord carried me. Through my experiences he taught, stretched, shaped and qualified me for the work. I remember it came one day at a time, one experience at a time. He never left my side and he never let me fall.

"I remember what the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me." Alma 29:10

President Eyering said, "My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies... It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world... The key to the remembering that brings and maintains testimony is receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion. It is the Holy Ghost who helps us see what God has done for us. It is the Holy Ghost who can help those we serve to see what God has done for them."

I can testify that the companionship of the Holy Ghost not only will comfort us in times of trial but he will help us to remember all that God has done for us in the past. He will testify of the enabling power of the atonement, and remind us to turn to the source of all light, truth and strength. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.