Let's Talk About Love

There is Love All Around:

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" (Isaiah 52:7)

 Let us begin with an illustration of the most beautiful moment. This is a moment that embodies the "him" spoken of in the first verse of scripture on this post. That Him who we shall praise forever and always. The illustration I would like to share is one that is two things, supreme love and extreme sorrow.

"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." (2 Nephi 25:26)

This scripture tells who it is I am speaking of, but it does not explain the pinnacle moment in eternity that love became, as the Beatles quite often stated, all you need. For without this undying love we would never be able to know of it for ourselves. This moment that impacted more human beings than will ever fully understand. A simple moment on a small hill just on the outside of a small city with a small group watching. Above the world, a man was raised for so many sins that were not His own.

Let's just say, there is nothing beautiful about this sight to the eyes of mere men. There was a man, bleeding, sweating, being spat upon, nails maliciously driven through His wrists, hands, and feet. There were two others deriding him as they were both in the same situation, dangling from a cross with no hope of their own, spending their last moments defaming an innocent's name. A crown of thorns forced upon His head causing streams of blood to drip down a burdened face. Women and men alike were sobbing, and their eyes were full of loss. This loss was as though a person, or even all hope in life was gone, and for what they knew it was.

Let us take this from the beginning in eyes that are not merely looking upon this moment physically, but with a spirit about us to truly understand what this "man" did for us.

Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you imagine how excruciating it was? Can you believe that you not only caused it, but it was willingly done out of love for you? The cries, the pleading, the prayers. the blood, the earth-shattering agony, it was all done for you.

Take all of your pain, every ounce of sorrow, place in all of your sins, the thoughts you may have had that were unpleasant, the torment (both physical and emotional). Compile these for yourself and not even your own mind, that has experienced it before, can comprehend. There are those moments in life that you never want to relive, those that scar you so you can never forget.

Now let me tell you of a love story. A story that started some time ago, yet the pages are still being written. These pages that are being written are yours and mine, pages where the ink is still drying and the writer is still developing how their chapter ends. These pages are up to us to decide what is etched upon them. Though the future may be unwritten I hope to urge you onto a path that will always lead you to a "happily ever after."

Like I said, this is a love story, therefore it begins with a loving beginning.

There was once a loving Father, who wanted children. He had so many amazing things that He wanted them to have, but He wanted them because He wanted a family to share all joy and happiness with. There was one problem though, they did not have bodies like He had, they were only spirits. To fix this He created a way for them to receive bodies by coming to a world far away from Him, and where they would have to relearn a lot of what He had already taught His children.

There was another problem with coming to this far away place, they would become "dirty" from our mistakes and sins. They would not be able to return to their Father in that manner. For His kingdom doesn't allow anything that is unclean to enter. So there was something else the Father came up with a solution for. He would send His eldest Son to live a clean live, and to be perfect on this other world so that through Him all might be able to live once again with the Father.

The Father gathered all of His children together and presented this idea to them all. He allowed them all to choose for themselves what path they may live in this world. He explained to each of His children the risks of coming to this world, and He told them all that if they chose poorly in this life they may not be able to return. He then promised each of us, that if we follow the eldest Son, He would give us a gift on this far off world. He called this gift the "Holy Ghost."

This Holy Ghost was another of His children that had chosen to sacrifice His body so that He would be able to convey messages between the Father and His children. So there was no way for the Father's children to be alone in this far off place, for through any trial or obstacle presented to them, the Father would send them the things needed to overcome it.

The Father called this a "Plan of Happiness." Truly happiness is what the Father wanted for each of His children as they wandered off to this far away place. So they journeyed away from their loving Heavenly Father with the hopes of returning to Him, but they did not know if they would return.

So the children arrived at this world. A few years after the first of the children arrived a special one of them arrived. He was a grand man, not grand by worldly standards, I imagine Him reserved but knowledgeable. He is a man that at first seems to be ordinary, but when His mouth opens, the power of His words compare to that of a lion's roar. A thunderous clap, through the most subtle and mild of voices. A perfect calm that rang through to the heart's of those willing to listen and hearken unto His words. A man who lived a lowly and humble life. One that went around doing good for others and trying to help them see a bigger picture than what they were now seeing.

This child of the Father was mocked by His siblings, and scorned for the way He lived His life. For they believed not His teachings, save it be a few. There were so many other things in life that brought "joy" and "happiness" that His teachings of putting off these things and trying to be more like their Father were rejected. Their new bodies brought them a new form of pleasure, one of a carnal nature. This carnal nature was one of the most abominable ways to become dirty here in this life.

The Man told them that He could save them if they would hearken unto His words and follow the example He was setting, but this angered the people. They thought "how dare you tell us to live a different way!" These angry children of the Father had been so long away from the presence of the Father that they forgot a Son was to come and save them all from their sins, but it is on the stipulation that they would accept and follow and do all that this Son asked of them.

One night, knowing that the worldly children were conspiring against Him and that His life on that world would be over soon, He went to a small grove with a few of His closest friends. As they fell asleep on that still and calm night, the Man wandered a little ways off and knelt down to have a conversation with the Father through the Holy Ghost.

"Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:42-44)

The Father gave unto His eldest Son all of the pains of these other children and He suffered for them. He took on the pains and sorrows of those that abused Him and hated Him, that through Him they might be saved. He took on all the pains from both the righteous and the wicked. The sorrows, guilt, pains. Everything for everyone so He could understand each of them better, so they would never be without someone to understand them.

A pain was felt this night that was incomprehensible. A pain that would shatter any being that weren't the eldest Son of the Father. But He was fulfilling the promise made by the Father to all of His children.

That night, a group of the angered children came to arrest Him on false charges. They knew not who He was until one of His dearest friends betrayed the Son with a kiss.

(Isn't it sad that those we love leave the deepest wounds in our hearts.)

In their rage, they tortured this lowliest of man. This meek and humble Man that loved them with all of His heart. He was falsely accused and was taken to a few of the people's worldly leaders to have Him stand before a trial and be punished according to their accusations. Even then, they could not find fault.

On their last attempt, there were so many people outraged against the Son that the leader, in an attempt to free the Son, gave the people a choice between freeing an innocent man, or letting free a murderer. They chose a murderer. . . Who would choose a murderer over a man that would save us all? We would.

So this man was taken to be beaten, to be scourged with thirty-nine  vicious lashes. He was lashed with a multithonged whip that was built for tearing the flesh from bones, for destroying a man. He had a crown of thorns pressed into His head. He was made to carry a block of wood miles only to later be raised upon this same block.

He walked miles from the city to a nearby hill and was nailed to it. He had nails driven into His hands, into His wrists, into His feet. He was already in agony from suffering for the sins of the others, but He suffered a scourging that killed most that were scourged, yet He still pressed on into a humiliating death that should never have been His to suffer.

This Son of the Father did this for you. He did it for me. Our names are engraved in His hands and wrists and in His feet. He will forever remember us, for He knows exactly what we have had to bear.

Tell me, how is that not a beautiful thing?