Thoughts for Sunday

The last 7 years, I've kept my testimony relatively quiet about my faith and religion. I never use to be like that and it's not something I'm all that happy about either. Time for a change... Today however, I was teaching the Young Women a lesson on the Sacrament. A few things really hit home to me and I was deeply touched.

We all grow up learning the basics of the Gospel and think we've got things down. Sometimes we think we know everything there is to know and then one of those lessons that come along and we realize we are still so young and naive. The following quote I read my girls today really made me think (let's not mention cry) and I wanted to share...

"Our Father in Heaven...loved his Son, Jesus Christ, better than Abraham ever loved Isaac, for our Father had with him his Son, our Redeemer, in the eternal worlds, faithful and true for ages, standing in a place of trust and honor, and the Father loved him dearly, and yet he allowed this well-beloved Son to descend from his place of glory and honor, where millions did him homage, down to the earth, condescension that is not within the power of man to conceive. He came to receive the insult, the abuse, and the crown of thorns. God heard the cry of his Son in that moment of great grief and agony, in the garden when, it is said, the pores of his body opened and drops of blood stood upon him, and he cried out, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me."

"His Father looked on with great grief and agony over his Beloved Son, until there seems to have come a moment when even our Savior cried out in despair, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?"

This is the part that really got to ME...

"In that hour I think I can see our dear Father behind the veil looking upon these dying struggles until even he could not endure it any longer; and, like the mother who bids farewell to her dying child, has to be taken out of the room, so as not to look upon the last struggles, so he bowed his head, and hid in some part of his universe, his great heart almost breaking for the love that he had for his Son. Oh, in that moment when he might have saved his Son, I thanks him and praise him that he did not fail us, for he had not only the love of his Son in mind, but also had love for us. I rejoice that he did not interfere, and that his love for us made it possible for him to endure to look upon the sufferings of his Son and give him finally to us, our Savior and our Redeemer. Without him, without his sacrifice, we would have remained, and we would never have come glorified into his presence. And so this is what it cost, in part, for our Father in Heaven to give the gift of his Son unto men."
-Melvin J. Ballard

What would it be like to watch YOUR beloved child suffer the way He did? Could you bare it? No, absolutely not. I think about Mary while she watched/endured her Son suffer the way he did. How the pain must have been too much to bare. What an amazing example of a great mother she is to all of us. I thought of my SWEET little boy that I have waited sooo long for. He is my testimony of miracles, my EVERYTHING and of course-worth all the emotional pain of waiting for him. I KNOW I could not endure watching him suffer the way Christ did for all of us. I admire Mary for what she did and how much she had to go through for her Son.

Not only am I truly grateful for what my Savior did for me, but I am also grateful for what my Heavenly Father let HIS SON go through because of His love for me. He easily could have removed the cup from his Son and stop all the suffering, but he loved us ALL too much. I know that this HAD to be done for us and it was part of the plan but I don't think that it made his suffering ANY easier. I know with out a doubt this is the true and everlasting Gospel. There is a quiet yet strong and peaceful reminder when I am in Church, teaching my girls (that I ADORE) and in the temple.

It also made me think of all the trials and heartaches we go through in life. Could he remove our cup from us? Of course! However, it has been through MY deepest, darkest hours that I draw unto him the most and with the most sincerity. This is also when my testimony has grown the most. I am so grateful to be a part of His church.