Les Miserable

I watched the new Les Miserable movie tonight.  It was wonderfully acted. Such raw emotion and tragedy. The personification of mercy and justice.  Here are some great quotes from the book.

“To love or have loved, that is enough. Ask nothing further. There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life."

“Let us study things that are no more. It is necessary to understand them, if only to avoid them.”

“He who despairs is wrong.”

“As for methods of prayer, all are good, as long as they are sincere.”


 

The Enabling Power of the Atonement

I found this talk from Elder Bednar from the most viewed section on speeches.byu.edu.  He gives several examples from the scriptures and church history of how people accessed the power of the Atonement in the difficulties of their lives.

All that I have read thus far is a preparation for the next line from Daniel W. Jones’ journal. It illustrates how those pioneer Saints may have known something about the enabling power of the Atonement that we, in our prosperity and ease, are not as quick to understand: “We asked the Lord to bless our stomachs and adapt them to this food” (Jones, Forty Years, 81; emphasis added). My dear brothers and sisters, I know what I would have prayed for in those circumstances. I would have prayed for something else to eat. “Heavenly Father, please send me a quail or a buffalo.” It never would have occurred to me to pray that my stomach would be strengthened and adapted to what we already had. What did Daniel W. Jones know? He knew about the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He did not pray that his circumstances would be changed. He prayed that he would be strengthened to deal with his circumstances. ("In the Strength of the Lord". David A. Bednar. October 23, 2001. BYU Devotional)

The grace of the Lord can help us in all aspects of our lives,

If I were to emphasize one overarching point this morning, it would be this: I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the Atonement than we are with the enabling power of the Atonement. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us. That is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us. I think most of us know that when we do things wrong, when we need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to be made clean through His redeeming power. Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.