The Light of the World, Jesus Christ, is the only Savior there is.

The light of the Savior, Jesus Christ, comes with all people when they are born into this world.  It gently beckons to more light and truth.  As you act in accordance with this light and truth, it will guide you into more light.  Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, and by following His words as revealed through His prophets and apostles, the Lord can cleanse and purify us and lead us to all truth.

Sometimes we lack the faith to help this along, by working only toward what we think we need or want and not trusting that He will stay with us, heal us when hurt, and cleanse us from our sins.  Like a little child, who is afraid of the pain required to pull out a sliver, we too resist having sins and impurities pulled from our souls, because there is a certain amount of discomfort and even pain required.  If we trust Him, however, the pain will go away, and we will be left happier.  He understands the hurt and is patient with us.  As long as we continue to strive to improve, talking with Heavenly Father in prayer, feasting on His words in the scriptures and General Conference, He will gradually change and purify our hearts, that we no longer desire evil and gain control over both our spirits and bodies.

I bear testimony that He is really there.  He did overcome all.  He loves us, knows us individually, and works to bring us back, if we will have the faith, or even the desire to have faith in Him.  He is more powerful than all the evil in the world.  He knows and provides the way.  Usually the only way to fully come to appreciate this is through experiencing difficult times and pain, physical or spiritual.  Don't let that cause you to let go of Him.  He knows what you specifically need and will provide only what you are capable of experiencing.  He, like His and our Father in Heaven, is the kind of person I want to be with and become like.  His only desire, which is the will of the Father, is to bring us back to our Father in Heaven.  I want to be cleansed by Him and purified by Him, so that I finally want only what is good and right, and I have gained the strength to always act accordingly.  This is my testimony of Him, that I share in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Hang in there. Keep repenting and forgiving

My prayer for my family and their families is that we will all repent and forgive, repent and forgive, over and over in our families and marriages.  Have faith.  It will work out.  Be constant to our Father in Heaven and His Son.  Keep getting up when you fail, even when you think you will never be what you want to be.  He will get you there – eventually.  I know that with all my heart.

THE EMPEROR'S UNIVERSITY

There once was a great emperor who, unlike most emperors, was both just and merciful.  He had a very large family.  As the children began reaching adulthood, he wanted them to help him rule the empire by appointing them kings or queens over different regions within the empire.  However he didn’t want them to become tyrants or rebels with their power.  So he sent his oldest, and most trusted son to build a university in a foreign country far from home and who commissioned professors to both teach and test his children when they came of age.

There were the usual subjects of math, science, literature, technical skills, etc.  But unbeknownst to the children, he also directed the professors to provide situations where the children could be observed interacting with the other students to test them in regards to how they treated others when they had some power given to them.  If they proved that they could handle power and had control of their emotions and passions, these children would be appointed kings and queens over portions of the kingdom.  Those who did not prove themselves were appointed other tasks when they returned home and lived comfortably, but were not given power within the empire.

You and I are those children.  We are at the university (Earth) now, and because it is so far away and we have been here so long, we don’t remember home.  We only know the university (Earth) life.  This past year in my upper class studies I have been enrolled in a class not of my choosing called cancer.  I have studied topics such as fear, self-pity, hopelessness, pain, patience, and endurance.  I have been given riddles to solve, such as “Why should I be subjected to this trial when I have spent my life trying to live well both temporally and spiritually?  I have served others and learned to live by truth.  Why do I now have to suffer this pain and reduction in power and freedom?”

I have studied the best books for learning about these topics, and I have gone to the sources of power and energy (scriptures and words of the prophets) needed to fight the inner battles associated with these topics.  I have become aware that no matter how hard the courses, or how difficult the lessons, there are professors both seen and unseen (ancestors) who are watching out for us.  It appears that I am about to complete this course, though I do not know if I will be re-enrolled at some point in the future.  I do have some ribbons and decorations, called scars, which have been awarded for, and are proof of, my participation in these battles.

It is my hope that you and I may, with help from these professors and the builder (Jesus) of the university (Earth), be able to build and prove our worthiness, that each of us might be appointed a kingdom of our own, where we may begin our own eternal families and become like our parents, the Emperor and Empress of Heaven.

When we understand these things, it colors how, and on what, we focus our efforts.  It changes how we feel about others and our desires.  It strengthens us in difficult times to press forward in doing what’s right, to examine and improve ourselves, and to resist the mocking of the world.  It becomes a shield and a compass to us in the battle of life.  That understanding only comes with study, service, prayer, and time.