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(11/22/00)
"Life is a school, a place for us to learn and grow. We, like Adam and Eve,
experience 'growing pains' through the sorrow and contamination of a lone and
dreary world. These experiences may include sin, but they also include mistakes,
disappointments, and the undeserved pain of adversity. The blessed news of the
gospel is that the Atonement of Jesus Christ can purify all the uncleanness and
sweeten all the bitterness we taste." — Bruce
C. Hafen, "Beauty
for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ," Ensign, Apr. 1990, p. 10
(6/19/03)
"All of us collectively shared certain experiences prior to mortality,
which suggests why people might be drawn to each other and exhibit common
tendencies. Our spirits were fathered by the same eternal God, who nurtured us
while we were with each other prior to our birth. (See Alma 13; Abraham 3:22-28)
The conditions of premortal life were evidently not unlike the sociality that
exists among us here. Each of us had a distinctive identity and gender. We
possessed there 'a pre-existent, spiritual personality, as the sons and
daughters of the Eternal Father.' Therefore, our associations together in
mortality and the idea of continuing our associations after death naturally
sound both attractive and familiar to us." — Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K.
Hafen, "The Belonging: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family
Heart," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], p. 13
(5/22/04)
"Some people want to keep one hand on the wall of the temple while
touching the world's 'unclean things' (Alma 5:57)
with the other hand. We must put both hands on the temple and hold on for dear
life. One hand is not even almost enough." - Bruce C. Hafen, "The
Atonement: All for All," General Conference, April
2004
(6/13/05)
"In
Luke 4:18, Jesus quotes part of a passage from Isaiah that describes the
heart of his ministry. The Isaiah passage reads: 'The Spirit of the Lord... hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;... to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,... to appoint unto them that
mourn in Zion... beauty for ashes.' (Isa.
61:1, 3; italics added.)
"The Savior's atonement is thus portrayed as the healing power not only for sin,
but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement
is not just for sinners.
"We need to understand the Atonement more fully than we do, both because
outsiders may misperceive our doctrine and because we may view the Atonement too
narrowly in our own lives." - Bruce C. Hafen, "Beauty
for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ," Ensign, Apr. 1990, 7
(7/22/05)
"It is so important for us to be on the Lord's side. But we
should never forget that the Lord is also on our side.
"Each of us will taste the bitter ashes of life, from sin and neglect to sorrow
and disappointment. But the atonement of Christ can lift us up in beauty from
our ashes on the wings of a sure promise of immortality and eternal life. He
will thus lift us up, not only at the end of life, but in each day of our
lives." - Bruce C. Hafen, "Beauty
for Ashes: The Atonement of Jesus Christ," Ensign, Apr. 1990, 13
8/22/06
"Some people want to keep one hand on the wall of the temple while
touching the worlds 'unclean things' (Alma
5:57.) with the other hand. We must put both hands on the temple and hold on
for dear life. One hand is not even almost enough.
"The rich young man had given almost everything. When the Savior told him he
must sell all his possessions, that wasn't just a story about riches. (Matt.
19:16-22) We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is
nothing else we want more.
"So we must willingly give everything, because God Himself can't make us grow
against our will and without our full participation. Yet even when we utterly
spend ourselves, we lack the power to create the perfection only God can
complete. Our all by itself is still only almost enough—until
it is finished by the all of Him who is the 'finisher of our faith.' (Heb.
12:2; see also Moro. 6:4.)
At that point, our imperfect but consecrated almost is enough." - Bruce C. Hafen,
"The
Atonement: All for All
," Ensign (CR), May 2004, p.97
8/3/07
"We grow in two ways—removing
negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. The Savior's grace blesses both
parts—if we do our part. First and repeatedly we must uproot the weeds of sin
and bad choices. It isn't enough just to mow the weeds. Yank them out by the
roots, repenting fully to satisfy the conditions of mercy. But being forgiven is
only part of our growth. We are not just paying a debt. Our purpose is to become
celestial beings. So once we've cleared our heartland, we must continually
plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our sweat
and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, 'the flow'rs of grace appear,' (There
Is Sunshine in My Soul Today, Hymns, no. 227.) like hope and meekness. Even
a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that
it lightens all our burdens 'through the joy of his Son.' (Alma 33:23.) And when the
flower of charity blooms here, we will love others with the power of Christ's
own love. (See Moro.
7:48.)" - Bruce C. Hafen, "The
Atonement: All for All," Ensign (CR), May 2004, p.97
4/3/08
"Adam
and Eve learned constantly from their often harsh experience. They knew how a
troubled family feels. Think of Cain and Abel. Yet because of the Atonement,
they could learn from their experience without being condemned by it.
Christ's sacrifice didn't
just erase their choices and return them to an Eden of innocence. That would be
a story with no plot and no character growth. His plan is developmental—line
upon line, step by step, grace for grace.
"So
if you have problems in your life, don't
assume there is something wrong with you. Struggling with those problems is at
the very core of life's purpose. As we
draw close to God, He will show us our weaknesses and through them make us
wiser, stronger. (See
Ether 12:27.) If
you're seeing more of your weaknesses,
that just might mean you're moving
nearer to God, not farther away." - Bruce
C. Hafen, "The
Atonement: All for All," Ensign
(CR), May 2004, p.97
1/16/10
“Nothing is more fundamental to authentic religion than the attitude of faith,
that childlike willingness to become ‘as a child, submissive, meek, humble,
patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit
to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father.’ (Mosiah 3:19.)
As we read in Proverbs, ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding.’ (Proverbs 3:5.) For the sublime example, picture
Abraham, the Father of the Faithful, standing over his only son, Isaac, with a
raised knife. God had asked him to submit his will to God's direction
under circumstances so utterly contrary to reason that Abraham could only bow
his head in "fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12; see also Mormon 9:27.)” -
Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen, “The Belonging: The
Atonement and Relationships with God and Family,” p. 136
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