"Behold the Man!"

On Sundays I like to re-watch the latest General Conference.  This week I happened to re-watch Elder Uchtdorf's conference address from April 2018.  It is titled, "Behold the Man!".  Since the talk was given on Easter Sunday, fittingly it is about the most important day in the history of mankind - The Atonement of Jesus Christ. It is an exceptional talk and well worth reading or watching again.

I want to share with you just a few of my favorite quotes from Elder Uchtdorf's address:

"He did this for all who believe in Him. 

"He did this for all who do not believe in Him. 

"He did this even for those who mock, revile, and curse His name."

I love this!  Christ didn't just atone for those who believe in Him and love Him.  Our Savior suffered, bled, and died also for those who don't believe in Him and even those who despise, hate, mock, revile, and curse Him.  That is pure love.

Continuing with Elder Uchtdorf's talk:

"Those who find a way to truly behold the Man find the doorway to life’s greatest joys and the balm to life’s most demanding despairs.

"So, when you are encompassed by sorrows and grief, behold the Man. 

"When you feel lost or forgotten, behold the Man. 

"When you are despairing, deserted, doubting, damaged, or defeated, behold the Man. 

"He will comfort you. 

"He will heal you and give meaning to your journey. He will pour out His Spirit and fill your heart with exceeding joy. 

"He gives “power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

"When we truly behold the Man, we learn of Him and seek to align our lives with Him. We repent and strive to refine our natures and daily grow a little closer to Him. We trust Him. We show our love for Him by keeping His commandments and by living up to our sacred covenants. 

"In other words, we become His disciples.

"His refining light saturates our souls. His grace uplifts us. Our burdens are lightened, our peace deepened. When we truly behold the Man, we have the promise of a blessed future that inspires and upholds us through the bends and bumps in life’s journey. Looking back, we will recognize that there is a divine pattern, that the dots really connect.

"As you accept His sacrifice, become His disciple, and finally reach the end of your earthly journey, what will become of the sorrows you have endured in this life? 

"They will be gone.

"The disappointments, betrayals, persecutions you have faced? 

"Gone.

"The suffering, heartache, guilt, shame, and anguish you have passed through?

"Gone.

"Forgotten.

"Is it any wonder that “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins”?

"Is it any wonder that we strive with all our hearts to truly behold the Man?

"My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify that the most important day in the history of mankind was the day when Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, won the victory over death and sin for all of God’s children. And the most important day in your life and mine is the day when we learn to “behold the man”; when we see Him for who He truly is; when we partake with all our heart and mind of His atoning power; when with renewed enthusiasm and strength, we commit to follow Him. May that be a day that recurs over and over again throughout our lives.

"I leave you my testimony and blessing that as we “behold the man,” we will find meaning, joy, and peace in this earthly life and eternal life in the world to come.  In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen." -- Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Behold the Man!",  April 2018 General Conference