“Happy and Forever—Excerpts,” For the Strength of Youth, Nov. 2022.
Happy and Forever
Excerpts
True, enduring joy and eternity with those we love are the very essence of God’s plan of happiness. …
… Yet, none of us is perfect, nor is any family. …
… We have a profound opportunity and gift to discover new spiritual understanding, love, repentance, and forgiveness with each other and our families, in time and eternity. …
… Central in God’s plan of redemption and happiness, Jesus Christ, through His Atonement, promises to unite our spirit and body, “never again to be divided, that [we] might receive a fulness of joy” [Doctrine and Covenants 138:17].
… Atonement—at-one-ment in Christ— … can bring harmony with Him and each other.
… God knows and loves us perfectly. …
… [So] in the spirit world, even those in sin and transgression have opportunity to repent. …
… The Lord gives us divine opportunity to become more like Him as we offer proxy saving temple ordinances others need but cannot do for themselves. …
… Repairing our relationships and healing our hearts is hard, perhaps impossible for us on our own. But heaven can give us strength and wisdom beyond our own to know when to hold on and how to let go. …
… May we draw closer to our Savior in the holy house of the Lord, and may He draw us closer to God and each other as we knit our hearts together in Christ-given compassion, truth, and mercy in all our generations—in time and eternity, happy and forever. In Jesus Christ, it is possible; in Jesus Christ, it is true.