Lesson Recap and Video link

Daughters of God: Listening to the RIGHT Voice Inside of Us

Given by Devon Linn

Sunday, May 12 (Mother's Day)

So this topic today seems to be something the Lord wants us, as sisters in our ward, to discuss, and it has come from multiple promptings. First, I asked the Bishop a couple of months ago if there was anything new he wanted us to focus on for the year, and he told me that he felt really strongly that the sisters in our ward need to remember to try to see themselves the way that the Lord sees them. I mulled that over for awhile and we have planned a few lessons and activities around that general theme. But then I prayed for promptings of what we needed to hear during General Conference last month and I suddenly felt really strongly during President Uchtdorf's talk during the Priesthood Session that what he was saying was really really important for all of us to think about. As I went back to re-read what the Bishop had directed me on, I was amazed how exactly they aligned.  

I am going to read the portion of President Uchtdorf's talk that the Spirit struck as me being the most important thing for us all to hear (but since it was given during the Priesthood session, I am taking the liberty of changing all of the "sons and brothers" to "daughters and sisters" since the message is universal):

One title that defines all of us in the most fundamental way is [daughter] of Heavenly Father. No matter what else we are or do in life, we must never forget that we are God’s literal spirit children. We were His children before we came to this world, and we will be His children forevermore. This basic truth should change the way we look at ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and life itself.

Unfortunately, none of us quite lives up to everything that this title implies, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

It can be discouraging at times to know what it means to be a [daughter] of God and yet come up short. The adversary likes to take advantage of these feelings. Satan would rather that you define yourself by your sins instead of your divine potential.  [sisters], don’t listen to him.

We have all seen a toddler learn to walk. He takes a small step and totters. He falls. Do we scold such an attempt? Of course not. What father would punish a toddler for stumbling? We encourage, we applaud, and we praise because with every small step, the child is becoming more like his parents.

Now, [sisters], compared to the perfection of God, we mortals are scarcely more than awkward, faltering toddlers. But our loving Heavenly Father wants us to become more like Him, and, dear [sisters], that should be our eternal goal too. God understands that we get there not in an instant but by taking one step at a time.

I do not believe in a God who would set up rules and commandments only to wait for us to fail so He could punish us. I believe in a Heavenly Father who is loving and caring and who rejoices in our every effort to stand tall and walk toward Him. Even when we stumble, He urges us not to be discouraged—never to give up or flee our allotted field of service—but to take courage, find our faith, and keep trying.

2013 April General Conference, Four Titles, Priesthood Session - By  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

So we are HIS DAUGHTERS. We should know what that means, but we often forget to think of ourselves first and foremost as "daughters of God." I think this can be best shown with the example of how we, as women, think and talk about ourselves. One example is how women can become such complete pros at giving disclaimers or excuses over all sorts of things..."this gift isn't perfect...I look awful cause I'm not wearing any mascara...my house isn't clean (when it sure looks it)....I'm the world's worst Visiting Teacher..." even my personal favorite "I shouldn't be allowed to teach this lesson -- I should be sitting there listening to someone else teach it, cause I'm not perfect at this topic yet..." (which obviously doesn't apply to this lesson, since I can't say that NOW that we're talking about it.)

President Uchtdorf gave a perfect example of this habit of women in his talk "Happiness, Your Heritage" (from the Relief Society Broadcast in Sep. 2008).  He explained the differences between how his wife feels when she cooks a perfectly prepared, delicious, beautifully presented meal and yet always has some disclaimer about needing a bit more ginger, or using just one bay leaf next time. President Uchtdorf, on the other hand, feels proud of his cooking when he burns toast or cooks fried eggs extra runny.

Even if you think, "oh, I don't do that" you occasionally do it without even realizing it, whether it's about your house, your clothes, a gift you give, your strengths and weaknesses, or even your thoughts or behavior. But it's not the disclaimers themselves that's the problem -- the root problem is HOW we are seeing and thinking of ourselves and where those voices and thoughts are coming from. 

I think it's important we understand the "why" and look inside our hearts and honestly ask ourselves some questions:

Why do we do this? What makes us feel that we need to focus on the negatives about ourselves?

Answers from class:

• Feeling insecure in ourselves and our strengths
• Fear of Being Judged (and partly, by judging others)
• Feeling less than others because of comparing ourselves unfairly
• Fear of being thought to be imperfect (or feeling guilty that we AREN'T perfect)
• Fear that we aren't as good or loved as others
• We are focused on OUR imperfections, yet only see other's presentable best
• Feelings of our unworthiness, and disappointing the Lord
• Feeling that we have to do everything ourselves, and fear of falling short.

ALL OF THESE COME FROM LISTENING TO THE WRONG VOICE! It is Satan who is making us think and feel these ways, as not good enough, not righteous enough, not worthy enough, not pretty enough, not friendly enough, not enough, enough, ENOUGH!

So we need to ask ourselves another question:

How can we stop listening to Satan's Lies and instead listen to the Savior?

• Spend our time and energy doing the things that help us feel the Spirit on a consistent basis. He is the real "JUDGE" to help us listen to the right voice.  This includes all of the "Sunday School answers" like pray, scripture study, and church attendance.

• Pray for DISCERNMENT specifically and often - that we can see ourselves the way the Lord does. Pray for EACH OTHER -- especially your fellow sisters in the gospel  Pray that they see themselves more positively.

• Remind each other! When we hear each other saying negative things about themselves, maybe say..."Oh, none of that. Give yourself a pat on the back this time, you are amazing!"

• Take the time each week during the sacrament to pay attention to the right voice to guide you in your focus to overcome weaknesses. What a perfect time and place to renew that covenant with the Lord and aligning to His plans for you!

• EVALUATE OUR PROMPTINGS CAREFULLY (Guilt vs. Shame)  If we're doing something that goes against the Lord's commandments for us then the Spirit can tell us to change -- but the Spirit is never going to make us feel bad about ourselves for things that aren't spiritually important for ourselves or others. President Coe talked about this at the Adult Session of stake conference last week when he talked about Guilt versus Shame.  He taught that we need to evaluate what things in our life give us a sense of guilt -- what things make us feel the euphoria of confidence in the Lord -- and what things make us feel shameful and alone. He taught that the Lord, even when He shows us our faults, always uses a spirit of Hope. We need to focus on listening to the promptings to change that bring us the Lord's confidence and to avoid the voices that pull us into shame and isolation.

Start Today: Listen to the RIGHT Voice! 

True joy, the elusive thing we are all searching for, comes only through a firsthand, personal, intimate daily relationship with Jesus Christ–this is our goal. Don't let Satan's lies keep you from Him.

Quote: Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

  

You are each amazing women, and I hope that the point of this lesson resonates with our gospel knowledge that we are divine daughters of God.  We are great as we are... with make-up, without make-up, with enough money, without enough money, with a dirty kitchen or a burnt dinner or a gift someone doesn't want....the Lord sees us as amazing and "good enough" because we are HIS, and He made us!  I know that someday we are going to be blown away when we realize what He sees as really important, because I have seen that in you. The service you all give so readily, the comfort to those in need, the ministering to your visiting teaching sisters....YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!  Please start recognizing that in your lives.  Please give yourself the same benefit of the doubt that the Lord expects us to give each other.  And you will find, in humility with the Spirit this truth-- you are the Lord's creation that you are often throwing darts at.  You are HIS, and the great things you do are gifts from him.  Don't throw mud on His masterpiece.

And if you need help reminding yourself what the RIGHT voice sounds like, it will sound something like this:

You are a DAUGHTER of God.  You are his child!  He loves you unconditionally. He knows your individual potential and progress. He does not rank you or compare you with anyone else. He KNOWS you're not perfect, yet he is proud of your righteous desires!

And above all remind yourself that no mistake, no weakness, no past behavior or trial is outside of the healing and redemptive power of the Atonement. His grace is sufficient to make you whole.  And we need to bear testimony to that truth by how we treat and think about ourselves everyday.

Here is the video we didn't get time to watch, because we were too busy eating cheesecake. Enjoy watching, and remember that each of us are individuals and that we are HIS daughters!

Mormon Messages: Daughter of God Video (2 minutes)

Lesson: When loved ones let go of "the iron rod"

 

Devon taught a good lesson on what we do when others don't accept our invitation to come to Christ, are numbered among the lost sheep or let go of the iron rod. Whatever metaphor makes sense to you for your situation, these ideas may help.

Devon's young son shared what he learned in Primary recently and the conversation went something like this.

He showed her a picture of a sheep.

When she asked what it meant he said, "We are all sheep!"

"And what happened to the sheep?"

"They were lost."

"Who is the shepherd?"

"Jesus"

"And what will he do?"

"He will find us!"

And He will! But we are asked to help "feed my sheep".

Mists of darkness

In another familiar story we feel with Lehi in his dream of the Tree of Life the heartache of seeing a family member get lost in the mists of darkness or let go the iron rod that leads to the fruit or love of God, that is "precious above all".
 
What are the mists of darkness generally? Nephi tells us in 1 Nephi 12:17,

And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

What are some "mists of darkness" in our day?

Philosophies of men, anti-mormon information especially on the internet, hurt feelings, hang-ups, doubts and unanswered questions, mental illness, time/schedules, just drifting away, abuse, crime, drugs, TV, pornography, social media, music, feelings of inadequacies, guilt, insecurities, individual personalities.

It's quite a range of distractions and out-and-out evil that we and our loved ones can choose.

The point is we don't need to judge. We often don't know what is going on in someone's life that causes or effects the decisions they make.

What should we do instead? Just love them.

What we can do

Elder Holland in a talk titled "Because She Is a Mother" encourages us as parents of wayward children:

President Joseph F. Smith pled, “Oh! God, let me not lose my own.” ⁸ That is every parent’s cry, and in it is something of every parent’s fear. But no one has failed who keeps trying and keeps praying. You have every right to receive encouragement and to know in the end your children will call your name blessed, just like those generations of foremothers before you who hoped your same hopes and felt your same fears.

What do you do, or have seen others do when worry or grief for our friends and family overcome us? What can we do to help ourselves and them?

• Respect their agency
• Turn to God, turn them over to Him
• Remember that they were God's before they were ours and He knows them best
• Show unconditional love
• Resist judging
• Absolve ourselves of guilt
• Take care of yourselves first
• Never give up hope
• Understand that temple covenants and promises will be fulfilled
• Bear testimony in unconventional ways
• Know that it's okay to grieve
• Remember that the atonement can heal you and them

We also need to trust that the Good Shepherd knows his sheep. And He will find them.

John K. Carmack in an excellent conference talk titled When Our Children Go Astray seeks to comfort and gives very practical steps we can take. [Well worth reading again!]. He reminds us:

In 1929 Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: 

“You parents of the wilful and the wayward! Don’t give them up. Don’t cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The Shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were yours—long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fulness of knowledge brings the fulness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110).

Don't give up. Don't cast them off
Heavenly Father is far more merciful...and mightier to save than we.

So yes, Maddox, He will find us, all of us!

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Christ rescues us

Christ rescues us, even if we misbehave.

Mother's Day Lesson: Joy in the Journey

HAVE JOY IN THE JOURNEY and LIVE WITH HAPPINESS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
By Devon Linn

When I think of the sisters in our ward, the thing that worries me the most is how we can help each other make it through the inevitable tough times that we all have.

Times where we are facing a tremendous trial in our lives, or when we are suffering a loss, or when we just feel completely and utterly alone. Hard times will come for all of us, and I wish more than anything else that we could all know when someone needs a hug, a smile, a kind word, or a shoulder to cry on—but we don’t always know.

Joy, happiness, good cheer
In thinking about what could be done to help someone’s dark days get brighter, I ran across a scripture with the word joy in it, so I turned to the topical guide under joy, and was filled with the spirit just reading about ways to bring cheer and happiness into our lives, and the Spirit witnessed to me that we truly are meant to have joy (2 Nephi 2:25), even during our trials.

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer.” D&C 68:6

I did a ton of reading on joy, happiness, and cheer. And one of the things that really stood out to me in all my research was that we can simultaneously have joy DURING our trials.

We might not be skipping along humming when we are facing times that are hard, but we can feel the Lord’s influence in our lives and not let Satan overpower our thoughts and emotions.

The phrase “endure to the end” sometimes can make it sound like our journeys must be miserable if we have to endure them. So I like the phrase “JOY in the journey so much better.” It gives it such a happy turn!

One of my favorite articles I found from the Ensign was called The Quest For Joy, adapted from Barbara Workman, wife of MTC Mission Presidency member:

Joy is an emotion of the spirit. It comes through righteous living. It is not a casual or shallow feeling, ever. If we equate fun and pleasure with happiness, we may think pain must always be equated with unhappiness. But that is not true. Joy is not a stranger to pain. We may not feel deeply enough to know joy unless our hearts have been hollowed out by sorrow. A heart may not be big enough to know real joy until it has been stretched and pulled by trials and hard things. In 2 Nephi 2:23 [2 Ne. 2:23] we find this phrase: “having no joy, for they knew no misery.” Our capacity to feel joy actually increases as we righteously endure our pain.

Paul H. Dunn said,

I wonder if the constant bombardment of dilemmas and challenges … doesn’t 
frustrate, discourage, and depress us to 
the point where our minds and attitudes 
are distracted from the very principles that would allow us to rise above the negative and find the positive answers we need.

Avoiding negativity
Sister Lou Chandler and her sisters gave a great talk at our Stake Women’s Conference a few weeks ago on Avoiding Negativity, they had so many wonderful quotes and ideas, so I’ll share some of if with those of you who couldn’t make it to that activity.

One of their first points was that we are conditioned to be either positive or negative about our journey, and overcoming conditioning requires change!!!!

A key to remember: before we can even begin to have Joy, we must desire it!

As sad as it is, there are times that we don’t want to be happy. That is all right for a time, but we need to make sure we don’t make it a personality trait. Do we like to “victimize” ourselves?
We have to really want to be happy, and make it happen! DESIRE JOY!

Some things we can do 
Here are some ways we can bring more Joy into our lives and learn to “Be of Good Cheer” every step of the way?

CHANGE PERSPECTIVE and EXPECTATIONS. How do you feel when things don’t happen in the way you expected? Sometimes we aren’t even aware that we had those expectations, and we need to:

• Acknowledge expectations.
• Discard unworthy expectations
 (thoughts of entitlement).
• Turn expectations into intentions.
• Be a catalyst for realizing other’s 
worthy expectations.

And we have to ask ourselves: How do we view things? Do we ever make mountains out of molehills because we aren’t looking at things from the right perspective.

Each of us tend to think we see things as they are, that we are objective. But this is not the case. We see the world, not as it is, but as we are—or, as we’re conditioned to see it.

~ Stephen R. Covey

We also need to make sure that along with this, we also don’t learn to blame our emotions on other people’s behavior.

AVOID DISCOURAGEMENT and NEGATIVITY. Negativity blinds us from solutions and keeps us from feeling the Spirit. This is Satan’s plan, and what he wants—to be miserable! To only see the glass as half empty, and to feel sorrow!

2 Nephi 2:17–18, 27:

17And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a cdevil, having sought that which was evil before God.

18And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

Marvin J. Ashton:

One of Satan’s most powerful tools is discouragement. Whisperings of ‘you can’t do it,’ ‘you’re no good,’ ‘it’s too late,’ ‘what’s the use?’ or ‘things are hopeless’ are tools of destruction. Satan … wants you to quit trying. It is important that discouragement is cast out of [our lives]. This may take a decided amount of work and energy, but it can be accomplished” (Elder Marvin J. Ashton, Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 73; or Ensign, May 1988, 63).

CHANGE OUR COUNTENANCE. This is one from Sister Lou Chandler. I called it “Fake happiness until it becomes a habit,” but it’s basically the same thing. What we appear to feel changes how others around us feel and behave, which then will change our emotions. We need to really strive to have the Lord’s image in our countenance.

LEARN TO LAUGH. Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said this,

Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam? Or have you had an encounter with an overhanging cupboard door left open at the wrong place and the wrong time which has been cursed, condemned, and avenged by a sore-headed victim? There is an antidote for times such as these: learn to laugh.

This is one of my favorite stories. Elder Wirthlin told it about their family in his talk, Come What May and Love it:

I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang.

In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door.

We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.

We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing.

Now, I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.

The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable.

MORE HUMILITY, LESS PRIDE. When you allow pride to lead you into the negativity cycle, it is like trying to swim while wearing a diver’s weight belt: it takes all your energy just to keep your head above water.

Let go of the pride, repent, and unstrap the weight belt of negative feelings and replace them with positive thoughts. Invite the Holy Spirit to heal and protect your [relationships.]

Positive thoughts, aided by the Spirit, act like a life vest to help keep you afloat so you can use your energy to stay on course.

GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST. The gift of the Holy Ghost is a great source of joy and wisdom. This “Comforter,” bestowed by the priesthood, “teaches [us] all things,” guides us into all truth, and brings “all things to [our] remembrance” (see John 14:16–27; John 16:13). “Put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good,” the Lord counsels, and it “shall fill your soul with joy” (D&C 11:12–13).

We can bring the Holy Ghost more fully into our lives by sincere prayer, feasting upon the Word, and listening to our Church leaders.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught us to

turn not away the small, still voice; it will teach [us] what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruit of the kingdom … it will whisper peace and joy to [our] souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evil from [our] hearts, and [our] whole desire will be to do good (Millennial Star, 23 Sept. 1873, 598).

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. In one of his conference addresses, President Monson taught about Borghild Dahl, both before and after her sight was restored, was filled with gratitude for her blessings.

In 1982, two years before she died, at the age of 92 her last book was published. Its title: Happy All My Life. Her attitude of thankfulness enabled her to appreciate her blessings and to live a full and rich life despite her challenges.

We don’t have to have health related illnesses or miraculous events take place in our lives to enjoy a proper attitude.

I would love to have the title of my life be “Happy All My Life” like Borghild Dahl. What a tribute to a remarkable woman.

REFOCUS ON OTHERS. We can start looking outward instead of inward! This can make all the difference! Along with this comes the blessings of service, service, and more service!

• Inspiring others is the most valuable work available to us.
• The disciples of Christ went about doing good—That is our stewardship also.
• Standard for Service: 
The best gifts are given anonymously and help people be more reliant ~Jon Huntsman
• Train yourself to look outward, not inward.
• There is a reason the church talks so much about serving others because it really helps us with our own depressions, our selfishness, our cynicism, and our negativity.
• There are opportunities all around us.

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN FROM TRIALS and PAIN, USE THE ATONEMENT. We can learn something worthwhile from our experience with spiritual and psychological suffering—those pains of the heart that may come from a wounded conscience, loneliness, disappointment, or a love that is lost.

Elder Bruce C. Hafen said,

Some will remember Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the literate wife of the famous pilot, Charles Lindbergh. The kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby, which finally resulted in the child’s death, once captured the attention and sympathy of the American nation.

In looking back on her life, Mrs. Lindbergh wrote: “I do not believe that sheer suffering teaches. If suffering alone taught, all the world would be wise, since everyone suffers. To suffering must be added mourning, understanding, patience, love, openness, and the willingness to remain vulnerable.” (Time, 5 Feb. 1973, p. 35; italics added.)

We will all suffer in one way or another, but we need a certain perspective if our suffering is to teach us.

I read another incredible article from Bruce C. Hafen entitled A Willingness to Learn from Pain, (1983) that I highly recommend to all of us. One excerpt that I enjoyed was:

I am willing to remain vulnerable to those painful realities that inevitably come with facing the truth about myself, with learning, with growing, with loving, and with trying to be faithful. Pain of that kind helps me remember that I am in contact with life as it was meant to be experienced, thus preparing me more fully for that appointed reunion with those who sent me here—when, at last, my joy may be full.

Again from Barbara Workman’s article: Joy is learning to “make friends with mortality.”

That’s a phrase my sister taught me long ago to help me endure when cars break down and bills pile up. She was trying to help me make the best of a telestial world.

• Sometimes we need to give ourselves a little time to regroup.
• Healing takes time, be patient.
• Let go and let God.
• Tears will come and as long as they do not last too long, they help us to heal.
• Our assignment is to get through the stages of grief not to invite them as permanent partners.
• There will be times numbness, depression and anger before we get to acceptance.
• Forgiveness.

It is not saying it is OK, it is not OK. We can not absolve anyone of the consequences, but we can get to the point where we leave it in God’s hands.

Forgiveness is saying I have better things to do with my life than to hang on to revenge, resentment and anger. Forgiveness is taking ourselves out of the loop.

The ATONEMENT is the KEY. There are times when our heartache comes as a consequence of sin, either ours or someone else’s. The Atonement can heal ALL of our sorrow and pain, and can help us overcome our character weaknesses and addictions that keep us from experiencing the joy that we have.

He is my joy, and my song
Ultimately, joy is in Jesus Christ. Unbearable pain turned Alma to the Savior and thus to joy. Perhaps that experience prompted him to say, “May God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son” (Alma 33:23).

The “joy of his Son” is found in every corner of [the world], indeed within every valiant [child of God].

His promise for their times of trial is very tender: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Devon Linn

Photo credit

The Way

No institution, plan, program, or system ever conceived by men has access to the redeeming and transforming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

Therefore, while the Lord’s invitation to follow Him is the highest of all, it is also achievable by everyone, not because we are able, but because He is, and because He can make us able too. 

“We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind [everyone, living and dead] may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”

The Lord’s way is not hard. 

Life is hard, not the gospel. 

“There is an opposition in all things”, everywhere, for everyone. 

Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. 

We have only two choices.  

We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. 

And I ask, which way is easier?

~ Elder Lawrence Corbridge, The Way, General Conference, October 2008

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Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

Apostles of Jesus Christ testify of the Saviors power to heal, change, and purify us through His Atonement.