Doctrine and Covenants 38

(October 4, 2015)

                We are part of a culture that, for whatever reason, values weakness.  We value victimhood, and the struggles that we have faced and the difficulties and heartaches of our past have become almost a currency for us to operate with.  Forgotten in all of this, of course, is that facing difficulty is not something to be cheered – overcoming difficulty, however, is.

                I love the language of the Lord here – “be ye strong from henceforth.”  It doesn’t matter what we have faced to this point in our lives, or how we might have failed, or how others may have abused positions of trust or power to inflict admittedly painful wounds.  None of this matters because, on balance, the infinite Atonement stands more powerful than all of that combined.  No, we are not given license to dwell in our past error or past difficulty.  Instead the Lord invites us to be strong from henceforth.