"Be Still and Know that I Am God"

Hey readers!  

I started back to college this week and haven’t had as much time to post on my blog as of late.  I’m planning to start a new thread of posts these next few months with things I am learning from my religion class this semester.  The course I am taking is called “Jesus Christ and the Everlasting Gospel”, and I am excited to learn more about Jesus Christ’s life and mission here on earth and into the eternities.  I hope you enjoy reading these posts as I share highlights of things I am learning!

One of my favorite verses I have studied this week is 2 Nephi 31:20, which states, “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”  I love this verse because it speaks peace to my heart.  In a world of chaos and confusion, we have the assurance that through Christ, we can overcome all things.  This week has been especially hard for me with starting back to school and jumping back into a busy schedule, new classes, and settling into my apartment.  As I attended my religion class this week and read about the Savior in my own personal scripture study, I felt a reassurance that even though things are hard right now, I can endure, and endure happily.

The principles found in this verse are ones of faith, hope, and enduring to the end.  This verse asks of us something that may seem hard and overwhelming, but know that Christ is with you every step of the way.  Though you may feel no one understands, He does.  He knows of your griefs, your pains, your silent pleas for strength and courage.  How?  Because He too suffered griefs and pains, both throughout His life, and in the Garden of Gethsemane.  As Elder Holland once said, “If your prayers don’t always seem answered, take heart. One greater than you… cried, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani… My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” If sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived” (The Inconvenient Messiah, Feb. 1982 BYU Devotional).

Because the Savior suffered, He understands our pains and sorrows.  The Savior lived a perfect life, but His life was not an easy one.  He was mocked, ridiculed, and eventually crucified by the very people He came to save.  If it was hard for Christ, how can we expect to become as He is if we are not tried?  In essence, this verse teaches that we can press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, with faith in all He is and all He can and wants to do for us, and we too can be triumphant as He is triumphant.  He is our strength, our salvation, and our Redeemer.  It is my testimony that Christ’s Atonement not only redeems us from our sins, but also from all the mortal griefs and afflictions we face in this life.  If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart!  So it has been with the best people that ever lived.  You can do this.

Until next time,

Brianna

#BeStrong #JourneyOn

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