He is the tender behind the mercy

 

“In the garden and on the cross, Jesus saw each of us and not only bore our sins but also experienced our deepest feelings so he would know how to comfort and strengthen us.”

Merrill J. Bateman

“We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“We need to recognize and acknowledge angry feelings. It will take humility to do this, but if we will get on our knees and ask Heavenly Father for a feeling of forgiveness, He will help us. …Only as we rid ourselves of hatred and bitterness can the Lord put comfort into our hearts.”

James E. Faust

Adversity can bring us closer to God, with a renewed and enlightened appreciation for prayer and Atonement, which covers pain and suffering in all their manifestations. Those who suffer tragedy first-hand often experience increased capacity for love, compassion, and understanding. They become the first, last, and often the most effective responders in giving comfort and showing compassion to others.”

Richard C. Edgley

She washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair...

“When Jesus said he was the door to the sheepfold, he meant that there is only one door or way by which one can return to God, the Eternal Father. That door is Jesus himself. It is a very narrow door, designed and constructed to conform not only to his teachings but also to his works. If we enter in through that door, it must be in the Father’s way, as Jesus demonstrated through his own life of instruction and service, and not by some other way prescribed by man.”

 

Theodore M. Burton

 

“Man…need not stand alone. Prayer will open doors; prayer will remove barriers; prayer will ease pressures; prayer will give inner peace and comfort during times of strain and stress and difficulty.”

Ezra Taft Benson

“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ–real faith, whole-souled and unshakable–is a power to be reckoned with in the universe. It can be a causative force through which miracles are wrought. Or it can be a source of inner strength through which we find peace, comfort, and the courage to cope.”

M. Russell Ballard

“You are a child of God with eternal possibilities available to you, and one of the greatest things you can do with your life is to accept who you are, where you came from, and where you are going.”

Neil L. Andersen

Gentle Works of Grace

By Emily Freeman

Today another blog friend sent an email that left an impression on my heart.

“In Finnish (I served my mission in Finland), the phrase “tender mercies” in 1Nephi 1:20

is written lempeät armoteot,

which translates directly into “gentle works of grace.”

It reminded me of a thought I had several years ago…

He is the tender behind the mercy.

As I ponder on those words…gentle  and tender  my testimony of who the Savior is increases.

In the past two weeks I have felt His gentle hand.

I have experienced His tender touch.

And I am beginning to understand that Grace is divine means of help or strength,

 given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.  

This journey has helped me to know the Lord in ways that I haven’t before.  The attributes I am writing in the back of my Book of Mormon have spilled over into a journal.  

My understanding of His hand as its orchestrates my life is increasing.

And I am realizing that one month of many mercies is not going to be long enough.

This challenge is going to have to fill my entire summer…

Because it is not enough to know what Nephi knew, I want to know what Jacob and Enos and Alma and Moroni knew.  I want my testimony of the attributes of the Lord to expand.  I want to experience a Summer of Many Mercies…and I feel like I am just in the beginning phases of knowing how.

I really want to finish the entire Book of Mormon and

mark every verse that testifies of the realities of His Gentle Grace and His Tender Mercies.

I want to gather a list of attributes 10 times the size of the one below.

I want to know the Savior in a way that I haven’t before

until I have a deeper testimony of His gentle grace because I have experienced firsthand His tender mercy.