Fear Not

I read a really great article by Elder Tad R. Callister this morning, and I wanted to share some excerpts from it. It's called Fear Not and it was published in the December 2010 Ensign magazine. For full text, click here. (And if you have some extra time on your hands, check out Elder Callister's book, The Infinite Atonement.)

"Mary and Joseph learned early in life that for every problem God has a solution. To Mary, the angel said: “Fear not. . . . For with God nothing shall be impossible” ( Luke 1:30, 37 ).
"Sometimes young adults are confronted with a problem that seems like Mount Everest. They believe it is just too high and too tough to climb. Because they see no solution, they become discouraged—perhaps even negative and pessimistic—about their futures. But, like Mary and Joseph, you can learn that however unsolvable the problems of life may seem,God always has a solution....
"There is much fear in the world today—of getting married, having children, making commitments, standing for the right, confronting peer pressure. There are fears of economic conditions and natural disasters. But the Lord’s counsel for us today is similar to that given to Mary and Joseph: “Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you” (D&C 68:6).
"The angel’s counsel for Mary and Joseph to “fear not” was more than customized instruction for their individual problems. It was a universal salutation for all people because Mary and Joseph would play a unique role in the Savior’s ministry, which ministry would make it possible to eliminate all fears of all people of all ages.
"Because of the Savior’s birth, life, and Atonement, there are no unsolvable problems. There are temporary tragedies and difficulties, of course, but they need not be permanent or unconquerable. Can you imagine anyone having a problem God cannot solve? He always has a solution that will advance our eternal progress. That is both the reason for and essence of the Atonement. That is why Mormon said, “Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ” (Moroni 7:41 ).
"There is no question about the Atonement’s capacity to provide solutions for our problems. The scriptures are abundantly clear on this point. The real issues are these: Will we embrace those solutions? Will we choose the world’s answer or God’s answer? Will we repent or rationalize, seek God’s grace to overcome our weaknesses or “go it alone,” acknowledge God’s love in times of tragedy or spurn Him at every downturn in life?...
"Mary and Joseph learned one of the most powerful lessons of life: if you believe in the Atonement and do God’s will, you need not fear because there will always be a solution to your problems...
"All of the problems of the world seem to fall into four principal categories, each of which the Savior descended beneath and overcame, hence His mandate to “be of good cheer.”

• First, death. The scriptures declare, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22).
• Second, sin. The angel told Joseph that Jesus would “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
• Third, weakness. The Savior taught Moroni that His “grace [the enabling power of the Atonement] is suf ficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27 ).
• Fourth, common ailments of life that may be unrelated to sin (such as sickness, rejection, depression, loss of employment, and so forth). Isaiah prophesied that the Savior would “bind up the brokenhearted,” “comfort all that mourn,” and “give unto them beauty for ashes” (Isaiah 61:1–3; see also Alma 7:9–13).

"For every affliction the world throws at us, the Savior has a remedy of superior healing power...He is the Savior because He really can save us from death and sin and weakness and the ordinary ailments of life.
"Our Heavenly Father wanted Mary and Joseph to commence the uncertain path of life without fear, knowing His Son was there with all His saving powers. He wants us to likewise learn this lesson early in life: “Fear not. . . . For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:30, 37)."

That's a pretty big chunk of the article that I just quoted, but it was such a great message that it was hard to leave things out. I really appreciated how Elder Callister's message tied in with the Christmas season and pulled in a practical application for us from the scriptures, but most of all, I appreciate the reminder about the Savior's power. It's so easy to get caught up in life--from the day-to-day little problems that just seem to add up to the overwhelming larger problems that seem like they'll never end--but as Elder Callister has so eloquently said, Jesus has the solution to every single one. His title of Savior is not an empty one; He will save us from every problem that we will let Him save us from.
My freshman year of college (so many years ago), I heard a quotation that I really enjoyed and think applies here: "Don't tell God how big your problems are; tell your problems how big your God is." It's definitely okay for us to tell God how big our problems feel; He is our Father and we should turn to Him in prayer and seek His help. However, as we are taking our problems to Him, we also need to be willing to let Him bring His solutions to us, and we need to remember how big our God really is--and that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is indeed infinite and provides all of the solutions we could ever need.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

If I had any musical talent at all (which I don't), I would love to put together what I call my "Alleluia Anthem"--basically a hymn of praise to God. Since I don't actually have any idea to do that, I've decided to create a verbal "Alleluia Anthem", where I share bits and pieces of songs that other people have written but that express my feelings toward my Savior. So, here's the first song I'd like to include in my Alleluia Anthem.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Words by Joachim Neander, translated by Catherine Winkworth
Music from Strausland Gesangbuch, arranged by William Bennett and Otto Goldschmidt

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
Join the great throng, psaltery, organ and song
Sounding in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord! Over all things he gloriously reigneth.
Borne as on eagle wings, safely his Saints he sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen how all thou needest hath been
Granted in what he ordaineth.

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee.
Surely His goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
Who with his love doth befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath breath, come with Abraham's seed to adore him!
Let the "amen" sum all our praises again
Now as we worship before him.

There are so many beautiful phrases in this song, so many reminders about who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us and what He continues to do for us:

• "King of creation"--He is the Creator of the earth, and our Creator. We are in His hands, and He knows us.
• "Thy health and salvation"--He is the great Healer, He is the source of our healthy, whether it is physical, emotional, mental, etc. He is also the only means for salvation.
• "His Saints he sustaineth"--Believers of Jesus Christ are never alone, never abandoned; He is with us, watching over us, protecting us and caring for us.
• "All that thou needest hath been granted in what He ordaineth"--He gives us what we need. He may not necessarily give us everything we think we want, but He gives us everything that we need. He always works in our best interest, and we will have everything we need and every blessing He has promised as we follow Him.
• "Who doth prosper thy work and defend thee"--He is always looking out for us.
• "His goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee"--He is merciful, which doesn't mean we are given a free pass for how to live our lives, but does mean that He is always willing to forgive the repentant and to help us move forward.
• 'Ponder anew what the Almighty can do"--He can do EVERYTHING. He is all powerful, all mighty. All things are possible with God, so trust in His strength and in His love.
• "Who with his love doth befriend thee"--Jesus Christ is our best friend. He loves us beyond our understanding, enough that in the ultimate example of friendship, atoned for our sins and laid down His life for us.
  

These are all wonderful things to remember about Jesus Christ, and all great reasons to declare, "Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!"

Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?

"From that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the son of the living God."
(John 6:66-69).

I love the simplicity and the power of that scripture. With Peter, I add my voice: Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and there is nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to. Jesus Christ is the One to whom we should also go--with every heartache, every trial, every triumph, every anything. He is the One to follow. He is the source of eternal life, the Healer with the solution to every problem, the Master and Teacher with the answer to every question. As Peter noted, there is no one else to go to, because everything we need is found in Christ, the son of the living God.

Joy to the World

Joy to the world, the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King!
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Saints and angels sing,
And Saints and angels sing,
And Saints, and Saints and angels sing.

Rejoice! Rejoice, when Jesus reigns,
And Saints their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He’ll comes and make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Rejoice! Rejoice in the Most High,
While Israel spreads abroad
Like stars that glitter in the sky,
And ever worship God,
And ever worship God,
And ever, and ever worship God.
(This is the version of Joy to the World found in Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.* For an audio version, click here.)

Jesus Christ is the reason for joy. At this Christmas season, as we give and receive presents, as we enjoy carols and cocoa and cards, the most important thing to remember is that Jesus Christ is real. He lives, He loves us, and because of His infinite Atonement, we can have joy in our lives.

As President Gordon B. Hinckley, a modern-day prophet, noted, “There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas", Liahona, Dec. 2000, 2)

As I reflect during this Christmas season, that is the message I most want my children to know—that Jesus Christ did come to earth, He lived each day of His mortal life for us, He atoned for our sins and died for us, and then He was resurrected. He is the light, not only of the Christmas season, but of every day of our lives. Joy doesn’t come from Christmas presents or decorations; it comes from Jesus Christ, because Christ was love, because He is love. And so I wholeheartedly declare (and sing, although not necessarily in key): joy to the world—the Lord has come, and He has made joy a possibility for each one of us, through His life and His love.

*Just an fyi...Saints means believers.

Intro

Just by way of introduction, for those of you who may have randomly stumbled across this blog, my name is Adrienne, and I’m a librarian, a wife, and a soon-to-be Master of Library and Information Science (at the time of this writing, I have one more assignment to submit and then I am D-O-N-E!!!).

A lot of my friends have asked me what I’m going to do now that I can rediscover free time, and a few have asked if I’ll take up blogging. Well…it appears I’m going to be a blogging madwoman. I keep thinking of different ideas and topics that I’d like to blog about, but this morning the one that is most pressing to me is: Jesus Christ.

I’ve thought about putting together a book about Jesus for my children, to share with them some of my favorite songs, scriptures, and quotes about Jesus. Well, I don't actually have children (nor are any currently on the way, for those of you who are wondering…and whispering about it to my family members), but as I sit here, less than two weeks before Christmas, contemplating how to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, I find that I want to write about Christ.

So, even though my husband and I do not have children yet, I’m starting this blog to articulate the things that I’d like them to know about Jesus Christ. In the words of a prophet of ancient times, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ […] that our children may know to what source they may look…” (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:26).