Safe in his loving arms

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 2008 Conference.

Just a quick quote today. I remembered Elder Cook's talk "Hope ya know, we had a hard time" because of the cute story at the beginning. I didn't remember much more about it. But I keep thinking about how much comfort and healing for so many trials, so many unfairnesses, so many wounds of mortality, is contained in this simple doctrine:

I could tell, as our three-year-old talked to his mother and told her of the hard time, he gained comfort and then reassurance. Our prayers are that way when we go to our Father in Heaven. We know He cares for us in our time of need.…

I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all of the trials and hardships that any of us will encounter in this life. At times when we may feel to say, “Hope you know, I had a hard time,” we can be assured that He is there and we are safe in His loving arms.

There's so much more Jesus can do for it than this, of course. He can help us learn from trials, grow from them, move past our old selves and become so much more. But even if all He ever did was just "hold us safe in His loving arms" while we cried and told him how hard it was—that would be an amazing gift. It's amazing how many times I have gone to God in prayer and just told him all the things I'm sad, scared, and discouraged about. And every time I come away feeling better. It's miraculous to think that no matter what we come to God with—questions, doubts, complaints, failures—He sends us away with comfort and reassurance and resolve. What a gift for a parent to give a child!

Other posts in this series:

The secret sauce is pondering—by Jan Tolman

Life is hard—by Rozy