I See His Image!

The holidays are always looked forward to with excitement, anticipation and often a little dread. We know why we celebrate the holiday, but we are mere mortals and susceptible to the stresses and pressures of the season. We want to focus on the birth, life, ministry and Atonement of the Savior, but we yield to the customs and traditions of a material world. Recently, I have seen His image in the countenance of others who truly "get" the meaning of Christmas and the message that our Lord and Savior has shared with us.

For me, this is a particularly difficult Christmas. I find myself throwing one heck of a pity party! My children are all grown and off in other parts of the country. They have to make time for other members of their extended families or they are not in a position to travel. For whatever reason, I find myself alone for Christmas for the first time in my life and I am definitely feeling the impending loneliness. As if this were not enough of a reason to lick my wounds, I am experiencing one minor catastrophe after another and find my resources, patience and faith stretched thin. Just when things look most bleak, someone steps in and brings the perfect brightness of hope that exemplifies the teachings and example of the Savior.

There have been emmisaries of the Savior showing themselves through their actions and love that have demonstrated to me how He manifests Himself to us. I have had a very dear and cherished friend offer to fly me to be with family because he didn't want me to be alone through the holidays. I have had ward members and friends come to perform an act of service by trimming and pruning a large tree that has been making a nuisance of itself in my yard. When the alternator went out in my car and it became a matter of paying other bills or buying a new part for my car, my brother in law purchased the part AND traveled from another state to install it for me.

Our Father in Heaven truly loves each of us and because of this great love, He uses others to be His hands and His eyes and His loving arms. It is through others that His miracles are accomplished in our lives. When we reach out to help those around us and show kindness, love and mercy, we are allowing the Savior's image to show in our countenance.

As the recent recipient of so much love and generosity, I realize that I am never truly alone. My Savior is there with me every step of the way and wants nothing more than to lighten my burdens and share my joys. It is through the Christlike efforts of others that I am able to see this unfold in my day to day life.

As miraculous and wondrous as the miracles accomplished through others are, there is one gift from the Savior that comes only through Him and no matter how pure the intentions of those around us, it is only through Christ that the Atonement is available to us. Choices that have caused me to distance myself from the Savior, however briefly, can be overcome through humble application for forgiveness and a willingness to be obedient and follow His teachings. Does that mean that I will never falter again? No. I will fall, but I can get back up and repent and try again.

It's the process of perfection and the effort given to it that matters. We will not see perfection in mortality, but we can strive towards it every day. In the book "Continuous Atonement" by Brad Wilcox, he gives the analogy of the sacrament prayer. The prayer is an ordinance and therefore must be verbatim. When there is a mistake, the priest must start over again. There is no limit to the number of attempts that he can make until the delivery is perfect and when it is finally completed without error, the entire effort is counted as perfect.

This Christmas may be a little different for me with respect to how it is spent and with whom, but in many ways, it will be remembered as one in which a tremendous outpouring of love has been shown to me and an affirmation that I am NEVER alone. If I draw myself closer to Him, he will most certainly recieve me and draw closer to me.