I had the chance to catch up with my buddy Corey this past Monday and to hang with him a little bit. It was good times had by all. We got to talking on Monday night a little bit. We were just talking about random things and what was new in each other’s lives. After spending the night talking about life and stuff like that, I found myself being very grateful for a whole lot of the blessings in my life.
I am very thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful for the love that I have in my life. I am very grateful to have my future wife Jamie in my life as well. She helps me so much through the stress that comes each day. It seems that lately we’ve had lots and lots of stress and drama to deal with. We’re both still standing, thankfully.
I think most of all, I am thankful for the Lord and what He has done for me and for us all. During the past year of my life, I have gone through some trials that I never thought would be part of my life. I have learned that no one is perfect, and it’s such a waste of time to pretend like you are perfect. I am so grateful that Jesus died for the things that I have done wrong in this life. Now surely, there will be lots of stuff I do in the future that will add to my list of shortcomings and imperfections, but I hope not too much. I guess that’s the main goal of each new day, at least for me personally.
It’s funny how real the Atonement is when you really need it. You can grow up for many years and never fully realize it’s power. I know because I have done that very thing. I was born into the Church, and have never seen the Atonement as real as I see it today. For better or worse, I am so thankful that I’ve been taught that lesson, or at least a portion of it. I’m glad that I know that even though here on Earth, we do a lot of things wrong, there is a way to be completely forgiven. There is a way to be restored to the presence of the Lord. Part of this lesson was taught to me in my reading of the Book of Mormon. I was listening to a audio talk by Jack R. Christiansen, who is an LDS speaker. He quoted two verses in the Book of Mormon regarding Ammon and the sons of Mosiah. In the Book of Mormon, at one time, Ammon and the sons of Mosiah go about trying to destroy the church, and in Mosiah 28:4 it says this:
“And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever. “
The part of that verse that is most powerful to me, is the description of how bad these guys were. The word ‘vile’ is always used in a pretty strong manner.
Knowing what that verse says about Ammon and the sons of Mosiah, Jack Christiansen goes on to quote another verse from later in the Book of Mormon. He cites Alma 48: 18. Now this verse is referring to a man named Captain Moroni when it’s talking about “he”, but it mentions Ammon and the sons of Mosiah. It reads:
“Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.”
So basically, we learn that even though Ammon and the sons of Mosiah had spent part of their lives doing lots of horrible bad things, they were able to be forgiven, and later in their lives, they were referred to as ‘men of God.’ Folks, it’s hard to relay to you the effect this concept had on me when I heard it. It still hits my soul with power that is hard to describe. I know it’s true, I really do. I know that God will forgive us no matter what we do! It’s pretty amazing if you think about it.
Here is a great quote from the apostle Boyd K. Packer about repentance:
“The discouraging idea that a mistake (or even a series of them) makes it everlastingly too late does not come from the Lord. He has said that if we will repent, not only will He forgive our transgressions, but He will forget them and remember our sins no more. Repentance is like soap; it can wash sin away. Ground-in dirt may take the strong detergent of discipline to get the stains out, but out they will come.” (Packer said this in a talk called “A Few Simple Lessons, New Era, August 2002.)
Anyway, it’s late. I’m hitting the sack.
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