my brother

My next BFF, is Jesus. My Brother. My Friend. The best. If My post about Heavenly Father doesn't make you feel important...Jesus will. I cannot describe him quite as eloquently as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland does, so I will eave it to him and share with you a quote from him:

"It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect SON who has NEVER spoken ill, nor done wrong, nor touched an unclean thing, had to know how the rest of humankind - US, ALL OF US- would feel WHEN WE DID commit such sins. For this atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.
But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings, that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that he NEVER flees or fails us. When the uttermost farthing had been paid, when Christ's determination to be faithful was as obvious as it was utterly invincible, finally and mercifully it was "finished." Against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, brought joyful spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness and despair. With faith in the God he knew was there, He could say in triumph, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.'"

Does that not make you feel so loved, so special to Him, so worth it. Is He not the greatest friend we could ever hope for?

You guys!!! He came and lived PERFECTLY and then suffered everything we will ever suffer FOR US because He knew we would make mistakes. He knew we would need Him. He wanted to be able to be there to comfort us WHEN we need Him.

Can a share a personal story/analogy. This is about me learning to ride a bike and my brother, Caleb. It was summer, and I wanted to learn how to ride my bike without those pesky training wheels. My older brother Caleb was bored I suppose, so he offered to teach me, claiming he was a great teacher...although I'm not convinced he had ever taught anyone to ride a bike before.
 So he took me out and rode my bike around to show me how its done. Then he said "Okay, get on, I will hang onto the back of the bike as you pedal."
 To which I quickly replied "NO! You're going to let Go! I know you."
 "No, I won't duder. Just get on, I will hold on, you'll be fine. I've done it a thousand times. It's easy. Get on."
 "Promise you will hold on." And so I got on, He held on as i rode, wobbiling, in circles.
 Caleb then said "Okay, now we are going to go down the street try to ride straight. I will be right behind you holding on."
 Okay, straight. I can do this. So I pedal and I am doing it, I look back and Caleb isnt there! He's at the end of the street where I started. I immediatly fall. And it hurt. And I cry. "YOU said you wouldnt let go! Look what happened when I tried on my own. now I fell, you have no idea how bad this hurts!"
 He then explained to me that he did know what it felt like to fall, harder then I did. You see, when Caleb learned to ride a bike, NO JOKE, He just hopped on the thing and went. Rode perfectly the first time, as with most things he attempts. The only problem is, he didn't know how to stop. So, at the very end of his ride, he would run into a a tree. And, needless to say, that would stop him. But He did crash, and fall, harder then I did. He knew how it felt. He knew it hurt. But he now was a pro at riding a bike, he was able to teach me how, and he could relate to me when I fell and pick me back up, and tell me to do it again. I don't think I ever fell again after he helped me back up and made me try again. THIS IS A TRUE STORY. And thank you Caleb, for making me try again. Cause we all know I cried and I didn't want too.

Do you get my analogy? Christ, by suffering our sins can provide us that comfort we need to try again when we fall. He, just like Caleb did when teaching me to ride my bike. Shows us, helps us, guides us, and then lets us try it on our own. With our agency so we can learn.

AGENCY. A scary, scary thing for me. Especially realizing how GREAT Heavenly Father and Jesus are. It's like "Yeah okay, homie. ME?! You want me to choose? But I keep messing up! You'd be way better at choosing for me, can't you choose? I don't wanna." I feel so inadequate sometimes, but then, the words of Elder Holland come to my mind when he spoke at my little sisters graduation from BYU-H. He said if you ever feel inadequate, I have three words for you. "GET OVER IT!" ....okay! geez, fine, I will. okay! Mr. Sensitive over here...get over it! okay, i will!

God is perfect. He created YOU. He knows what He was doing. He's never made a mistake, hence the perfect word. So don't flatter yourself, He's not about to start making mistakes with you, k? He knew exactly what He was doing when He created us and sent us here at this time. WE WERE NOT A MISTAKE. We can never do anything too "BAD." He knows our weaknesses, faults, and mistakes better then any and He still loves us, wants us to get up when we fall, and come home. He sent Christ here to suffer those for us to enable us to come home when we do make our own mistakes.

He even gave us a special gift to help guide us HOME, the Holy Ghost...