This article was written by Jeff Hilton, a student currently studying at Brigham Young University.
I wrote this for my page on newgrounds.com, to a general audience. Many visitors of newgrounds are young, and somewhat standoffish when it comes to the concepts of religion.
“And now, behold, I say unto you, and I would that ye should remember, that God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word.”
Those who know me personally know that I’m very hard on myself. I often kick myself for not working harder, or for making simple, human mistakes. There are times when I feel like there’s no mercy for someone like me, no relief. I’d imagine there are many people reading this who’d find that this describes themselves as well. This scripture, Alma 32:22, serves as a solid, straightforward reminder of the truth of the matter: that God is merciful, and those who believe in him can depend on him for that mercy. Not only can He provide us with comfort, He wants to provide us that comfort, which to me is a testament to God’s love for us.
Whenever I’m in a state of negativity and hopelessness, I remind myself that God loves me, regardless of my mistakes, and I pray to God so that I can feel that love and comfort as I work to improve myself. I’d like to challenge you all to do the same, and to experiment with a belief in God. I want you all to know the peace that comes with a belief in God, and to feel it for yourselves in your everyday lives.
-Jeff
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