my talk

I gave a talk to my small ward today... and now I am going to share it with the whole world.. (not like the whole world reads my blog... but it is public so anyone may stumble across it!) It was a good topic and I found some great quotes... so if you would like to read on... here is my message to the world for today!



One of my favorite feelings in the world is going home and being surrounded by the loving arms of my family and friends. That is the one thing I miss most when I am here in the city. But what I have learned is that we all have someone who is here and who will graciously wrap His arms around us, at anytime, if we let Him.

My name is Bree Woolstenhulme and today I am going to focus on the love of our Savior and His arms that are wide open to us and how repentance through Christ’s atonement can help us worthily partake of the sacrament and continually be embraced in the Saviors arms. I will be using many quotes to emphasize my message because I feel like the apostles and prophets of the Lord say things far better than I would ever be able to.

The Lord loves each and every one of us despite our imperfections but as I’ve come to realize, His love is hard to find unless we are actively working to love Him as well. If we are studying and repenting we can feel His unconditional love for us. This fact is reiterated in a talk given by Dallin H. Oaks. "If only we will listen, we can know of God's love and feel it, even when we are disobedient. A woman who recently returned to Church activity gave this description in a sacrament meeting talk: 'He has always been there for me, even when I rejected Him. He has always guided me and comforted me with His tender mercies all around me, but I [was] too angry to see and accept incidents and feelings as such.' " End quote.

The Love of God is so strong that no matter what we may do in this life, we will always be loved by our Father in Heaven. Romans 8:38-39 says ‘For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Some of us may think that we don’t qualify for this great love, that we aren’t worthy of it or that we don’t deserve or want it, but that is not true! I have gathered a few quotes from Dieter F. Uchtodrf which explain perfectly WHY God loves each of us.

"[God] loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God's love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

"What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.

"Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount—that is the measure of God's love for you.

"God does not look on the outward appearance. I believe that He doesn't care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly, though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely.

To recognize and accept the love of our Savior we must follow the council given in Doctrine and Covenants 6:20 ‘Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.’

It is easy to forget to read the scriptures every day, it’s easy to forget to pray, and there are many excuses that we justify those acts with. Life gets busy, hard, tiring and we may think that adding one more simple thing to our list will be too much, but in reality we are only hurting ourselves. The Lord still loves us, He doesn’t need our love, we need His. Our mind set should be the exact opposite when life gets hard, we should schedule more time to be on our knees and in the words of our understanding Father. When God knows everything and can provide the most strength why is it so hard to remember that He can bring the most comfort.

Neil L. Andersen sates "The scriptures speak of [the Lord's] arms being open, extended, stretched out, and encircling. They are described as mighty and holy, arms of mercy, arms of safety, arms of love, 'lengthened out all the day long.’”

To fully appreciate and receive the Saviors arms around us we must continually repent for every sin, big or small, that may fall in our path. In the talk Arms of Safety, Elder Jay E. Jensen describes a young man who was able to take the sacrament for the first time after he had confessed and repented of a past sin “I witnessed arms of mercy, love, and safety encircling him as the healing of the Atonement warmed his soul and lifted his load, resulting in the promised forgiveness, peace, and happiness.” As stated faithful repentance, though hard, brings upon us the full force of God’s love.

Sometimes we may feel like there is no hope, that we are in too deep, that we can’t break our habit, Dieter F. Uchtodorf tells us that that isn’t true, He says “Wherever you find yourselves on this journey through life, whatever trials you may face, there is always a point of safe return; there is always hope. You are the captain of your life, and God has prepared a plan to bring you safely back to Him, to your divine destination." God is merciful and understanding, He wants us to return to Him, that is His only plea. Alma 5:33 reads ‘Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.’

The Lord has given us the greatest gift, the gift of repentance; which ultimately is the opportunity to live with God again because without repentance we are imperfect and therefore cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Have you ever been given a gift and refused to open it, refused to even see what may be inside? What if the gift held eternal joy and happiness? We each HAVE this gift, it is called the Atonement. Our Father in Heaven gave it to us through our Savior Jesus Christ so that we may repent and return to God’s kingdom.

I have found three quotes that together describe the Atonement perfectly. Lawrence E. Corbridge describes the actual event that took place, stating "Jesus Christ entered a garden called Gethsemane, where He overcame sin for us. He took upon Himself our sins. He suffered the penalty of our wrongs. He paid the price of our education. I don't know how He did what He did. I only know that He did and that because He did, you and I may be forgiven of our sins that we may be endowed with His power. Everything depends on that. What then shall we do? We will 'take upon [us] the name of [the] Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given [us]; that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us]' Everything depends on that." Doctrine and Covenants 29:1 says “Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arms of mercy hath atoned for your sins.’

Richard G. Scott referred to the result of the event, "Only the life, teachings, and particularly the atonement of Jesus Christ can release us from this otherwise impossible predicament. Each of us has made mistakes, large or small, which if unresolved will keep us from the presence of God. For this reason, the atonement of Jesus Christ is the single most significant event that ever has or ever will occur. This selfless act of infinite consequence, performed by a single glorified personage, has eternal impact in the life of every son and daughter of our Father in Heaven—without exception. It shatters the bonds of death. It justifies our finally being judged by the Master. It can prevent an eternity under the control of the devil. It opens the gates to exaltation and eternal life for all who qualify for forgiveness through repentance and obedience."

And President Packer explains why we should use the Atonement, “(The atonement of Christ) is an ever-present power to call upon in everyday life. When we are racked or harrowed up or tormented by guilt or burdened with grief, He can heal us. While we do not fully understand how the Atonement of Christ was made, we can experience ‘the peace of God, which passeth all understanding’”

In order to have the desire to repent one must love the Lord, accept His gift, and want to receive His blessings that can only come through faithful service. Elder Wirthlin says that “When we do so we become refined, pure, and holy. When we love the Lord, the benefits of the Atonement can wash away our earthly stain. Though our sins be as scarlet, they can become white as snow (see Isaiah 1:18), and we can become new creatures, filled with new life, new thoughts, and a renewed desire to do good continually."

Each week through the sacrament we have the opportunity to renew our covenants we made at Baptism. When we come repentant and worthily partake in the sacrament we will feel the arms of our Savior. Elder Jensen suggests “We should each come to sacrament meeting prayfully, hungering for spiritual healing, hoping, pleading to hear in their minds and hearts these words: “Behold, your sins are forgiven you; you are clean before me; therefore, lift up your heads and rejoice.”” To continue, Dallin H. Oaks says, “There is a spiritual healing associated with the sacrament: “The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a renewal of the covenants and blessings of baptism. We are commanded to repent of our sins and come to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament. In the partaking of the bread, we witness that we are willing to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and always remember Him and keep His commandments. When we comply with this covenant, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. We are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us”

Our Savior is here for us always, He loves us and His arms are stretched out to us continually. It is simply our choice to receive His embrace. He has provided a perfect plan for us, a perfect path to return to our Heavenly home. When we fall from that path we must simply open up the gift He has graciously given us. He atoned for our sins so that we may repent and receive the blessings that come with partaking of the sacrament. We need Him! Julie B. Beck said "It is not possible to make real change all by ourselves. Our own willpower and our own good intentions are not enough. When we make mistakes or choose poorly, we must have the help of our Savior to get back on track. We partake of the sacrament week after week to show our faith in His power to change us. We confess our sins and promise to forsake them.”

I hope that each of us will feel the arms of our Savior this week and that when times get hard we remember that God is the only one who can provide refuge, comfort, and safety.