This I Know . . .

This I know . . .

We have a kind, loving Heavenly Father. He knows and loves us. He is aware of our needs and listens to our prayers. He wants us all to return home to Him and gave His Son so we can. Jeffrey R. Holland* said that in order to have a testimony of Heavenly Father we must first have a "realization that He is a real being, an actual person, a literal Father of flesh and bone who speaks and sees and feels, who knows all His children’s names and all their needs, who hears all their prayers, and who wants all His children in His Church." We also need to understand that "He has a plan for [our] salvation and that He has given commandments as to how we find our way back to Him."

Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us and has shown us, by example, how we should live. He gave the ultimate gift of His life so that we can return to our heavenly home. Elder Holland taught that we all need to "appreciate much more . . . the majesty of the mission and message of Jesus Christ, who came down from the Father and taught what the Father taught Him. All must come to realize that Jesus came into mortality to show us the way, the truth, and the life. Indeed, He is the only way, the whole truth, and the perfect life. We are to have faith in Christ, trust that He has redeemed us from death physically and hell spiritually, accept His Atonement as the only means of reconciling ourselves before God, and acknowledge that there is no other path to salvation."

The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the most precious gifts. The Holy Ghost can comfort, teach, guide and protect us. Elder Holland reminds us that "the Holy Ghost is the member of the Godhead with whom [we] will have [our] most frequent and most intimate relationship. . . . It is this member of the Godhead who will lead . . . to truth and will then bear witness of that truth when [we] encounter it."

The temple is God's house. It is a place of peace. Through priesthood power, our families can be together for eternity. Thomas S. Monson said, "Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort."

We have a living prophet and apostles who tell us the things Heavenly Father wants us to know. If we follow them, we will be blessed. Heber J. Grant said, "Let us be ready and willing to follow our leaders, and to sustain them. . . . You will always be blessed and benefitted in following the advice and counsel of those whom God has chosen to preside over the Church. By honoring the man God has chosen, God will honor and bless you; and as you individually do your duty, you will grow and increase in the light and inspiration of the Spirit of God."

The scriptures are the word of God. They bear testimony of our Savior and help us know how we should live. Richard G. Scott taught, "We talk to God through prayer. He most often communicates back to us through His written word. To know what the voice of the Divine sounds and feels like, read His words, study the scriptures, and ponder them."

These truths are the things that have given me the strength and peace I need. At the critical times in my life, they are what kept me going. It was seven years ago today that our daughter was killed in an automobile accident. That day, more than any other in my life, I understood the great value of my testimony. Our family was blessed with so many tender mercies. Perhaps one of the most tender was what we found in Adrianne's purse on the day she died. She had photocopied two conference talks from the most recent general conference, so small that one could fit on each side. :) The two talks were

"Come What May, and Love It" by Joseph B. Wirthlin and the other was President Uchtdorf's talk, "The Infinite Power of Hope." That piece of paper felt like a gift from her to us. Ironically both talks spoke of death. But they were not sad talks. They both spoke of a peace that comes from understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ. They have been continual reminders that because of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we can indeed love what comes our way!

I will share only one quote from each talk, but you can access the link for each talk above.

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude. One of the blessings of the gospel is the knowledge that when the curtain of death signals the end of our mortal lives, life will continue on the other side of the veil. There we will be given new opportunities. Not even death can take from us the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father." - Joseph B. Wirthlin

"Hope is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father. . . . No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations."

This I know!

*The quotes from Jeffrey R. Holland came from an article published in the January 2016 Ensign. The article is incredible! His testimony at the bottom is truly amazing!