My Christmas Letter
Christmas Day, 2014
Dear Family & Beloved Friends,
This month flew by as it usually does. I was not able to
purchase as many store bought gifts as I would have liked. I settled on some
customized family photo cards for only a few of my nearest family members (nearest
should not be interpreted to mean dearest because you are all dear to me). But
here am I, still wanting to give more.
I have been thinking about the gift of life everlasting and
the opportunity for eternal increase that the Lord Jesus Christ gave me. This
is the greatest gift of all. I think the greatest gift I can give all of you is
my personal witness that Jesus is real, that He is the Messiah foretold of in the
Old Testament, and the Savior rejected of men in the New Testament, and that He
is the same God who appeared to the Nephites in the Americas shortly after He
departed Jerusalem following His resurrection as recorded in The Book of Mormon:
Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
It is personal and very difficult for me to explain how I
know this is true. It is a knowledge that blossomed over time through simple
and consistent applications of the gospel in my life; even trial and error,
repeated repentance, and never giving up. There have been a few awakening experiences
that solidified my simple faith, most of which happened during my 12 years as a
single mother, and some that occurred when I was a child after a traumatic
boating accident that I was in. After all I've endured through, after the many
prayers answered that helped me to endure, after the many priesthood blessings I
received strength from, and after finally making it to the Lord’s temple to be
sealed forever to a righteous man who I couldn’t love more, now I can’t deny
what I know. It’s more than a feeling or belief.
I look back on the many trials and struggles throughout my
life. I see how the Lord Jesus enabled me and cleansed me every time I've
needed it. He continues to enable me daily and cleanse me weekly as I continue
to renew my baptismal covenants by partaking of the sacrament every Sunday. I know that any level of success or happiness
in my life is owed to the Lord for keeping His promises. My beautiful and righteous daughter is a
blessing of the Lord. My loving husband and our eternal marriage is a blessing
of the Lord. It took me a while to get some things right, but when I finally
did the Lord immediately blessed me and the blessings grew, compounded,
multiplied, and they keep multiplying even amid sorrow and struggle.
It can feel very difficult to keep the Lord’s commandments,
to live the way He lived, and to follow His modern day prophet’s counsel. This
world is harsh. People are harsh often times too. The Lord is never harsh. He
always loves us. I think sometimes we perceive the Lord as being harsh, but if
we dig deep we learn that we are the ones being harsh on ourselves. If we
humble ourselves then we will see how the Lord loves us. He knows our names. He
wants the very best for us. He’s given every one of us His most perfect life as
a gift that keeps on giving, so shouldn’t we give Him ours in return?
I want to devote my life to the Lord. I try to. I haven’t
always been very good at being my best self. I think I've always tried to
quickly repent when I find myself on the wrong path. I hope to continue to quickly repent when I
make a wrong choice—and let’s face it—I will. Hopefully I won’t make as
ginormous of mistakes as I made when I was really young. I think I learned my
lesson a while ago: “Keep the commandments. In this there is safety. In this
there is peace.” (LDS Hymns, 303, Text and Music: Barbara A. McConchie b. 1940).
For Christmas I want to give Jesus Christ the gift of my
obedience. And to all of you I want to give my testimony that Jesus Christ is
the way, the truth, and the light. I
also want to add my witness that the Book of Mormon is truly another testament
of Jesus Christ. I've read it countless times, and I promise that if you read
it you will also come to know the Lord in the most awesome way. I know that
Joseph Smith was literally a prophet of God. I know the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s church restored to the earth. I know that
after the hundreds of years of apostasy and the loss of the priesthood
resulting from the deaths of the Apostles of Christ during the meridian of time
that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ later appeared to Joseph Smith one
Spring day in 1820. Those same apostles of old eventually returned to confer
upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry the Lord Jesus Christ’s true priesthood,
and by so doing brought the power of God that had been taken away back to the
earth again.
That priesthood power has healed me and strengthened me more
times than I can count. I have experienced my own personal miracles because of
it. I know it’s real power. I KNOW it’s real. If my life was threatened I still
could not deny that I know Jesus is the Christ and that His church, my church,
is true. I would rather die than deny it.
I know the Lord will hold me accountable for these words.
They are mine. He knows what I know. He’ll judge me based on what I know. I'm
glad He will. Jesus is the righteous judge. He is my King. He is my Savior. He
is my God.
In Jesus Christ’s name I leave you this testimony that we
might all one day sit down in God’s greatest kingdom together forever. Amen.
Merry Christmas!
Love,
JNP
#LDS #LDSFAITH #MORMON #CHRISTMAS #SHARETHEGIFT
