Peace

Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ~John 14:26-27

I think everyone would like to feel peace in their lives. My church published a gospel reference book called True To The Faith (it's a really good, easy to understand guide to all sorts of topics) anyway, the True to the Faith book says something interesting about peace. The mere absence of conflict is not enough to bring peace to our hearts. Peace comes through the gospel—through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the ministration of the Holy Ghost, and our own righteousness, sincere repentance, and diligent service.

Even when the world is in turmoil all around you, you can receive the blessing of inner peace. This blessing will continue with you as you stay true to your testimony of the gospel and as you remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you and watch over you.

I have said before that sometimes I don't want to have to deal with Te's addiction. I want to wish it away and never think about it again. Besides being impossible, wishing away the struggles I deal with will not guarantee the peace I am in search of. I think that turning to the Lord, and letting him help me through this has been a huge blessing in my life. It has made me realize that it's okay to admit that I can't do everything on my own. It's okay to feel overwhelmed, but I don't need to let that feeling consume me. I can turn to Heavenly Father. I can become closer to him, and he will lighten the load that I have to carry. He will bring peace to my soul even when there is so much around me that could drive peace away.

No one has a guarantee of an easy life. I think it's safe to say that we are all guaranteed struggles of some sort. I truly believe that if we are obedient to the commandments that our Heavenly Father has given to us, we can avoid so much pain. He has provided a road map to return to him. All we have to do is obey. Every time we step off the path, we cause ourselves extra pain and extra struggles. It's not necessary. That's not to say that staying on the path will preserve us from challenges. Life is hard, but we can make it easier if we are obedient.

I've been having a hard time thinking about that in relation to Te. He made bad choices. He has caused himself, and his family so much unnecessary pain, but his bad choices started at such a young age that it seems unfair to blame him for something that he felt was out of his control for so long. What a blessing to have the atonement. I have always been grateful that the savior, a real person, would choose to go through so much suffering to give people like Te (and people like me) a chance to change.

Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. ~John 14:26-27