“Our greatest hope comes from the knowledge that the Savior broke the bands of death. ...He atoned for our sins if we repent.” - James E. Faust
“Where can I turn for peace? Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When with a wounded heart, anger, or malice,
I draw myself apart, Searching my soul?
“Where, when my aching grows, Where, when I languish,
Where, in my need to know, where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand? He, only One.
“He answers privately, Reaches my reaching
In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.
Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching.
Constant he is and kind, Love without end.” (1)
This is the song of my heart. Often, in my time of trial, I find that I am struggling and I do not know where I can go for hope that all will be right. It is easy, with a busy life, to fall into depression. This depression may come from stress, loss, illness, or sin. Regardless of where it comes from, those experiencing its effects are in need of solace and aid.
So the question comes: where can we turn for peace? The answer is explicitly given in this hymn. It is through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that we can find hope and peace. It is through him and the atonement that we can find redemption. Jacob mentions that “save Christ should come all men must perish” (2 Nephi 11: 6).
It is part of the Plan of Salvation that we will all suffer temptations in this life. Temptations allow us to prove our faith and diligence using our own agency. Satan, however, knows the specific weaknesses that tempt each of us most. From experience I know that sin comes with suffering. Every time I give in to temptation I am devastated and I descend into the depths of my sorrow. I suffer spiritually knowing my sins and knowing that I have done wrong in the sight of the Lord.
The one thing I forget when this happens, and the one thing that is important to know, is that Jesus Christ died for me. He suffered in Gethsemane for me and my sins and he hung on the cross that I might be able to repent and become worthy of his presence. “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent” (D&C 19: 16).
It is through hope in Jesus Christ that we may become pure. When sin and temptation enter our lives, or when we are weighed down with the sorrows of the world it is necessary that we remember Christ has suffered all for us. If we repent through the hope of our Redeemer, we will be saved. “For behold, are we not all beggars?” (Mosiah 4: 19). We all need to recognize that Christ is there for us, and that if we set our hearts and hope in him “God [will] grant unto [us] that [our] burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son” (Alma 33: 23).
I know and promise that if we remember these things. That if we remember our Redeemer, and remember to have hope in him we can be truly happy. It is my hope that I will be able to live my life so that, like Moroni, I may meet “before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead” (Moroni 10: 34).
Sources
(1)James E. Faust, “Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,” Ensign, Nov 1999, 59
(2)Hymn #129 “Where Can I Turn for Peace?”
(3)http://scriptures.lds.org/
(4)The Standard Works
1.2 Nephi 11: 6
2.Doctrine and Covenants 19: 16
3.Mosiah 4: 19 – 20
4.Alma 33: 23
5.Moroni 10: 34
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15 comments:
Andrew, I like this blog! I think you could develop it even more to make it a great essay you could enter into a symposium or contest.
Andrew, your blog is great! I too really love the hymn "Where Can I Turn for Peace". I think you used it well to help illustrate your point. I, like you, have also felt peace through my Savior. I enjoyed your blog!
I really liked your blog- it is very inspiring. I agree. Times of trial, the only person we can completely rely on to is our savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him, we can find hopes to move forward and we can be comforted. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
I love that hymn. What a great message it displays, and how you tied it in was beautiful. Thank you. Very inspiring.
Thank you for that hymn! It is one of my most favorites and it tied in beautifully!! thanks!
I love how you stated that we gain true peace by relying on the Savior. Great post!
This is such an uplifting blog, and it is entirely true. Christ is our one hope. Thank you.
It's a very nice hymn. I enjoyed how you portray Christ as our source of peace and hope.
the hymn was a great starting point, but my favorite part was the last paragraph with the quote from Moroni. Great Job
I really liked “God [will] grant unto [us] that [our] burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son” (Alma 33: 23). We need to remember to take advantage of the atonement, it is a glorious gift.
Where Can I Turn for Peace also speaks to my heart. It is way too easy to let stress and illness get you down and it is nice to know that there is somewhere to turn.
Really a great hymn. I enjoyed how you pieced it together with the rest of your blog. Really great.
I like your inclusion of the hymn. Hope is truely the opposite of despair and a commandment of god!
Peace is such a powerful ally. It allows us to go through life happily. The problem is that we often forget about the peace that this gospel brings into our lives, and then we suffer. We must always remember Him, as we promise to do when we take the sacrament each week.
I enjoyed your testimony about how Christ brings solace. It truly is a better life through Him.
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