Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on Christ's constant support for us

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (born December 3, 1940) served as Church Commissioner of Education from 1976-1980, as the president of BYU from 1980-1989, as a Seventy from 1989-1994, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1994.

"Christ walked the path every mortal is called to walk so that he would know how to succor and strengthen us in our most difficult times. He knows the deepest and most personal burdens we carry. He knows the most public and poignant pains we bear. He descended below all such grief in order that he might lift us above it. There is no anguish or sorrow or sadness in life that he has not suffered in our behalf and borne away upon his own valiant and compassionate shoulders (see Luke 15:5)....

"That aspect of the Atonement brings an additional kind of rebirth, something of immediate renewal, help, and hope that allow us to rise above sorrows and sickness, misfortunes and mistakes of every kind. With his mighty arm around us and lifting us, we face life more joyfully even as we face death more triumphantly.

"Only on the strong shoulders of the Master can we 'fear not.' Only in his embrace is there safety. Only in covenant with him is there freedom from death and 'every sin, which easily doth beset you' (Alma 7:15; Matt 11:28-29). Only in him is there peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come."

- Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant [1997], pp. 223-224

Elder Holland's book Christ and the New Covenant is packed with insights and testimonies of the Savior, His love for us, and His mission for us. This example testifies of that sweet love and the power of His atonement. When we truly come to know and believe that "He knows the deepest and most personal burdens we carry" as well as "the most public and poignant pains we bear," our ability to draw on the power of His love becomes magnified. Coming to that appreciation constitutes a rebirth in itself, according to Elder Holland, as we feel the immediate help and hope of His powerful love.

Truly, "With his mighty arm around us and lifting us, we face life more joyfully even as we face death more triumphantly." What a sweet and powerful testimony from Elder Holland, and what a treasured blessing for each of us who comes to understand and appreciate the sacred gift of love offered to us.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2017)