"And
it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God,
yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul."
-Jacob
2:8
In
Relief Society today we talked about the importance of reading the scriptures.
We discussed some of the blessings we get from reading our scriptures,
including: peace, an answer to prayers, promptings from the Holy Ghost,
warnings from the Holy Ghost when we are starting to stray, spiritual nourishment,
freedom from guilt, increased understanding of the scriptures, and an increased
ability to repent and receive forgiveness and eventually return to live in the
presence of our Heavenly Father.
I have
personally felt these blessings in my life. During my sophomore year of college
I was facing ever present feelings of gloom and hurt. I struggled every day to be
positive and make friends. I was dealing with trials at that time that made me
feel weak, fragile, and lonely. Every day was a fight to regulate my
overwhelming sense of discouragement. These feelings were especially difficult
to deal with in the morning. I would wake up and instantly get on my knees and
pray for help from Heavenly Father in being strong, and accomplishing the many
things expected of me. Eventually I had the idea to add scripture study to my
morning routine. I read from the New Testament while eating breakfast. Each day
I read of the miracles of Jesus Christ as he taught the people in the New
Testament. I heard His parables, watched His loving treatment towards the weak
and weary, and I felt the Holy Ghost testify to me of the reality and truth of
what I was reading. As I saw His miracles, I felt my own miracle occur. Each
day became easier, and the crushing sense of hurt grew light. As Jacob taught
in the Book of Mormon, those words were healing my wounded soul.
I have a
strong testimony of Jesus Christ, and I know that the Bible and the Book of
Mormon are true. I have studied them and I have felt all the blessings listed
above as a result. I continue to read my scriptures every morning, and I
treasure that time set apart to come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus
Christ. Looking back, I value the lessons I learned sophomore year, and I am
grateful for the opportunity to let myself depend more on my Savior and my
Heavenly Father.
Nephi, a
prophet in the Book of Mormon, said, “And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ,
we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our
prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission
of their sins.”
This is
me writing of Christ so that I too may point others in the direction of the
Savior. It is through Him that we may receive a remission of their sins, and it
is through the word of God that our souls may be healed.
The Lord
lives, and He loves you.
Happy
Sunday! :)
