November Presidency Message

My sisters in Relief Society are an inspiration to me. Over and over again I see faithful women of the church striving to live as Christ would have them to live. They give their all as they serve their families and those around them. They rise to the circumstances they have been given. All the while they are serving their God and their Savior Jesus Christ. It is not easy. In fact, their struggles are a part of God’s plan for them. Elder Bruce C. Hafen taught, "Our Father’s plan subjects us to temptation and misery in this fallen world as the price to comprehend authentic joy... Struggling with our problems is at the very core of life’s purpose. As we draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us wiser, stronger. If you’re seeing more of your weaknesses, that just might mean you’re moving nearer to God, not farther away." (Liahona, May 2004).

As we strive to live faithfully, the commandment delivered by the Savior to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect," (Matthew 5:48) can seem a daunting thought. We must remember that it is through the atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ that makes this commandment possible to fulfill. Nephi taught, "We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23). We need to live as Christ would have us to live, and recognize that after all we can do, we will never be perfect, but our efforts will be accepted and Christ will make up the difference between our attempts and His perfection. I have learned that as we endure and are obedient, His grace also blesses us with divine qualities to help us through our trials. I feel so much gratitude for the atonement and its role in the plan of salvation, the love of the Savior and our Heavenly Father, and the blessings I am given daily which help me to feel of this love.

-Janee