How I Feel About the Savior

Since this will likely be my last blog post before we return home, and especially since today is Easter Sunday, I want to express how I feel about Jesus Christ.  I am certain that words will be inadequate, but I want to try to describe the feelings of my heart. 

I love Jesus Christ.  He is my Savior, and the Savior of the world.  I have felt His love and companionship throughout my life. There are many ways to come to understand His presence and influence: reading about Him in the scriptures, praying, and serving others. Certainly, serving full-time missions has brought me closer to the Savior.  He has given me hope, faith, and encouragement. His example and teachings, His love and compassion, and the incomprehensible atonement and sacrifice He endured for my sins and weaknesses, and those of every other person, give me purpose and strong motivation to follow Him. 

He has given me many second chances in life – to live, to love, and to serve. It has been 23 years since a brain aneurysm nearly took my life, and every day since then has been a bonus for me.  I deeply appreciate the rich blessings of good health and life itself. These have been wonderful years -- nearly a third of my life -- and I am so thankful for the extra time I’ve had to grow closer to Pat, to watch our children marry and raise families, to enjoy life, serve others, and complete missions after retirement.  Beyond physical blessings, I am also grateful for the second chances I’ve had to learn and repent, to improve my life, and to feel the joy of forgiveness that only the Savior can provide through His love and mercy.

Jesus Christ has lifted me from discouragement, changed failures into successes, and turned personal weaknesses into strengths. He has blessed me and our family in ways we could not have anticipated, and led us along marvelous paths we might never have known or taken had we not made sacred covenants to try and follow Him.

I have ultimate faith in the Savior – that He atoned for all who will repent, and gave His life that all will be resurrected and live again after this life.  The Apostle Paul taught:  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  (1 Cor.15:22)   Jesus declared the cleansing power of the atonement when stating:  Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18).  These scriptures are true. They describe the miracle of the resurrection and atonement of Jesus Christ, which is our reason for celebrating Easter.

I love the book Believing Christ, by Stephen Robinson, who said we should do more than believe in Christ; we should trust Him and believe His words.  As our advocate with the Father, Christ has said: 

Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; …Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life. (D&C 45:4-5)

Referring to you, or to me, if we seek Him, Christ can say to the Father, “I’ve paid for this one, this one is mine.”     The following is a poem from Believing Christ:

But why would you do this for me?

Because I love you.

But it doesn't seem fair.
That’s right. It’s not fair at all – it’s merciful.

It is, after all, a gift.

But how can I possible deserve such a gift?

Don’t be silly. You can’t. You don’t.

This gift is offered because I love you, and because I want to help you,

Not because I owe it to you.

But how can I ever repay you?

There you go again. Don’t you get it yet?

You can’t repay me, not you or all the billions like you.

Gifts of this magnitude can never be repaid.

For what I’ve done out of love for you, you can only love me back,

And seek to become what I am, a Giver of good gifts.

I understand fully that we are saved by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, not by anything we think we might do to merit His blessings.  We don’t earn blessings, but gratefully receive those that come.  Just knowing that He loved me enough to suffer and die for me, makes me love Him with a desire to obey His teachings and love others as He has loved me. 

It is because of our love for the Savior and gratitude for the blessings we have received that Pat and I decided to serve another mission.  We have worked hard, learned much, and felt great peace and satisfaction.  We have missed our family and friends, whom we love dearly and who are great examples to us. We love and admire the missionaries and people we have met.  As always seems to be the case, we have once again received more than we have given.  

--Don