Neil L. Andersen · Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
1I express my love for President Russell M. Nelson and my gratefulness for the remarkable influence he has had on each of us. And for all of us, I thank God for preserving and magnifying the noble life of President Dallin H. Oaks.
2With each passing year, I feel greater love for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for His merciful Atonement. His supreme sacrifice, securing victory over death and sin, is the most consequential contribution of all human history. Understanding His divine gift is for me an open-ended heavenly tutorial that will continue beyond the grave.
3The powerful compassion of the Savior in forgiving sin and in healing the wounds caused by the sins of others is a most miraculous manifestation of the love of God.
4My desire is to offer hope for those seeking forgiveness for very serious sins and to offer comfort to those seeking healing from the anguishing wounds caused by the serious sins of others.
5Healing and forgiveness are each found in their fulness in the atoning love of Jesus Christ.
6If you have committed serious sins and are in the process of repenting or have the desire to fully repent and feel the unspeakable joy of forgiveness, please know this miracle is awaiting you. The Savior continuously calls, “Come unto me.”
7Strengthening your faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, will invigorate the yearning of your soul to know Him, believe in Him, and yield your heart to Him. Enos asked about his own forgiveness, “Lord, how is it done?” The Lord responded, “Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen.”
8And Moroni added, “If ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you.”
9Turning from sin, turning toward God, and strengthening your faith in Jesus Christ are a beautiful beginning. Humbly submitting your will to God includes acknowledging serious sins to your bishop or branch president, but your full forgiveness comes from the Savior. Forgiveness is a divine gift offered through the grace of Jesus Christ.
10A desire to truly return to God is accompanied by the determination to be completely honest with your Heavenly Father, with yourself, with those who were harmed, and with your priesthood leader. Your Heavenly Father rejoices in your resolve to come unto Him with a broken heart and contrite spirit. Having a contrite spirit is humbly putting yourself in the hands of God; having a broken heart brings what the Apostle Paul described as “godly sorrow,” a deep longing of the soul to return to Him whatever the cost.
11Your yearning leads you to want to repair what you have broken. Yet, realizing some things are not in your power to repair, you fervently pray that the Lord, through His grace, will help heal those who have been hurt in consequence of your actions.
12The effects of serious sin on others are often painfully difficult to overcome. Are you following the example of the sons of Mosiah, who were “zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done”? Speak with those you respect about what you might not be seeing.
13As I was preparing this talk, I received an unexpected email from someone in the process of repenting and desiring to return to the Church. His former wife was still suffering from the loss “of [their] eternal marriage, [difficulties with the children], the loss of financial security, … not [being] quite able to keep up with expenses, [and] the deeply suffocating feelings of being betrayed.”
14He shared with me how his priesthood leader “felt impressed to [ask him] to prayerfully consider what [more he could do for his former wife and children].” With permission, I share a part of his email:
15“I [first] thought the [money] I gave up in the divorce decree was more than generous, but my branch president encouraged me to fast and pray about it. …
16“Initially, I struggled with the idea of further restitution. Since my sins weren’t financial, I wondered what a ‘generous restitution’ truly meant … [but] I soon realized it wasn’t just about money.
17“My priesthood leaders met with [my former wife] and my children and realized they were still struggling and hadn’t healed. …
18“My new goal was to move forward with faith. … I simply expressed my desire to help with no strings attached. … I decided to [send my former wife a specific amount] per paycheck, which was a significant portion of my net pay. Just before making the first payment, the Lord [impressed upon my mind that I needed] to pay [twice that amount].
19“I’ve learned that restitution isn’t just about money. It’s about humbly dedicating my life to the Lord. … The money is to help replace what I took from my family due to my poor choices. It’s about making and keeping promises without expecting anything in return and helping her not worry about bills so she can seek the Spirit.”
20Your efforts to restore what you have broken may have nothing to do with money, but as you humbly counsel with the Lord, you may find there is more you can do.
21As you seek the Lord’s forgiveness, be patient as you wait upon His full approval. Consider this scripture:
22“They … humble[d] themselves … in the depths of humility; and … did cry mightily to God; yea, even all the day long. … [But] the Lord was slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities.”
23“Nevertheless the Lord did hear their cries, and began … to ease their burdens; … and … they began to prosper by degrees.”
24Be patient as the Lord gives you His blessing and approval by degrees.
25In the Lord’s time, you will feel His voice telling you, “Let these things trouble you no more.” One day, as you continue to turn to the Savior, your Heavenly Father will take “away the guilt from [your heart], through the merits of his Son.”
26For you who have been so unfairly injured by the serious sins of another, I long to share the Savior’s love and compassion, His comfort and peace.
27The sadness you have felt, the heartbreak, the loss, the suffocating feeling of betrayal, the upending of your life as you imagined it to be—I give you my absolute assurance, the Savior knows you and loves you. Reach out to Him. He is your comfort and strength; He will send His angels to bear you up. When will your pain be gone, your grief subdued, the unwanted memories forgotten? I do not know. But this I do know: He has the power to bring beauty from the ashes of your suffering.
28Our beloved brothers and sisters of Grand Blanc, Michigan, with their undaunted faith in Jesus Christ, with their courage and unselfishness, have received and will, in the weeks and months ahead, abundantly receive of the Savior’s incomparable love and grace.
29As you continue to place your trust in Him, your clouds of darkness and anguished sobbing in the night will be transformed into cascading tears of joy and peace in the morning’s light. “Your sorrow shall be turned into joy. … And your joy no [one] taketh from you.” That moment will come. I testify that it will come.
30The atoning love of Jesus Christ can be found in the most difficult situations, but we all constantly need the atoning grace of our Savior. President Dallin H. Oaks has taught: “Because of His atoning experience in mortality, our Savior is able to comfort, heal, and strengthen all men and women everywhere, but I believe He does so only for those who seek Him and ask for His help. The Apostle James taught, ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up’ (James 4:10). We qualify for that blessing when we believe in Him and pray for His help.”
31I received permission from my dear friend and emeritus General Authority Seventy, Elder Robert E. Wells, now 97 years old, to share his experience of more than 60 years ago:
32While living in Paraguay in 1960 and employed as an international banker, Robert Wells, then 32 years old, and his wife, Meryl, were each a pilot in two different planes, flying home from Uruguay to Paraguay. Encountering thick clouds, Robert and Meryl lost visual and radio contact with each other. Robert quickly landed, where he learned his wife’s plane had crashed. Neither his wife nor the two friends flying with her had survived. His children, at home in Asunción, were ages seven, five, and two.
33Elder Wells spoke of his grief:
34“Words will forever be inadequate in expressing the pain that swelled within me, consuming my emotions and numbing my senses. Profound tears of sorrow simply wouldn’t stop flowing. To make matters worse, as my mind was attempting to deal with the devastating realization of my wife’s passing, I found myself experiencing tremendous guilt for feeling I was responsible for the crash.”
35Robert blamed himself for not having had the plane inspected more thoroughly and for not giving his wife better instrument flying instructions. He felt he was guilty of neglect.
36Robert said:
37“My mind went into a dark daze. … I simply existed—[for the sake of the children,] nothing more.”
38“I … lost my desire to continue on.”
39In time, Robert was blessed with a deeply spiritual experience. He recounted:
40“One evening, about one year later, while on my knees in prayer, a miracle occurred. While praying and pleading to my Heavenly Father, I felt as though the Savior came to my side and I heard an audible voice speaking these words to my soul and to my ears: ‘Robert, my atoning sacrifice paid for your sins and your mistakes. Your wife forgives you. Your friends forgive you. I will lift your burden. …’
41“From that moment, the burden of guilt [and despair] was amazingly lifted from me. I had been rescued! I immediately understood the encompassing power of the Savior’s Atonement and … that it applied directly to me. … I … experienced light and joy like I had never before known. … I had been given an unearned gift—the Lord’s gift of grace. … I didn’t deserve it—I had done nothing to merit it, but He gave it to me nonetheless.”
42Brothers and sisters, may we each be “sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, … [becoming] holy, without spot.”
43I testify of the love, the mercy, and the grace of our Savior and Redeemer. He lives. We are His; we are children of the covenant. As we believe in Him, follow Him, and trust Him, He will lift us from our sorrows and our sins. Then, beyond this mortal life, in our Father’s house, we will live with Him forever and ever. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.