Welcome to Closer to Christ, the General Conference,
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent General
Conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. We're diving into Elder Garrett
W. Gong's beautiful conference message, Eternity's
Great Gifts, Jesus Christ's Atonement. Resurrection,
restoration. Elder Gong reminds us that through
Jesus Christ, Easter brings us three gifts that
are enduringly real and joyful, happy and forever.
Those are peace, becoming and belonging. I feel
like he did such a great job of this talk and
I've already listened to it like multiple times.
Such a good one. I think it's one I'm going to
want to go back to again and again for Easter
because like the things that he brought to my
heart when I read it, I was like. He did a great
job summarizing a lot of important things. His
opening, he loves to tell little jokes. I know
he does. So he does another joke here. And he
says, as a youth, when asked to memorize scripture
passages, he chose one that was the shortest.
It was John 11, 35, which is Jesus slept. And
then right after, we all know that he's just
being funny. But immediately after, he testifies
that with more years of time, more years of study,
that that passage has come to mean so much more
to him. It's taught a profound truth. He said,
for me now that Jesus weeps in sorrow and joy
testifies of the miraculous reality. This divine
son of God came into physical mortality and learned
according to the flesh how always to be with
and bless us. So good. Then he also goes on and
he shares several moments where Jesus wept. He
talks about at Lazarus's tomb. We sort of touched
on that last week. Over Jerusalem, he wept while
blessing little children in the Book of Mormon
lands. And his tears reveal something powerful.
The divine Son of God didn't just teach us how
to live. He chose to... to feel what we feel,
to understand joy and sorrow perfectly. It's
true, he didn't have to do that, right? He was
moments away from raising Lazarus from the grave,
and he still took the time to mourn with his
friends over their loss. They were sorrowing
for the loss of the memories and their experiences
that would have been, but never would. He let
them mourn. He gave them the experience of what
it feels like to have loss. And then they gained
the experience of saying, why didn't you get
here sooner? Things would have been so much different
if you'd been here. And in the next moment, he
showed us all that these experiences are for
our growth. Sorrow is just as important as joy
when considering the things we came to earth
to learn. What do these tears teach us about
his love and understanding of our personal joys
and sorrows? When tears flow, we sometimes apologize.
Embarrassed is what he says in the talk. But
knowing that Jesus Christ understands life's
pains and joys can give us strength beyond our
own as we navigate bitter and sweet. He didn't
immediately take the pain of their brother's
death from them. He let them feel that pain,
and he felt that pain. And then he raised Lazarus
from the dead. Can you just feel the joy that
these sisters would have had and others? that
we're around as they witnessed the power of God
to raise someone from the dead. Amazing, right?
Yeah. And then it's Lazarus in this moment, but
it signals to the world that this is a possibility,
that the death isn't the end and that he does
have the power to, the power is there that we
can be raised again. So when we lose our own
loved ones, like in 2025, when we lose friends,
when we lose loved ones, we have that same promise
because we've seen him do it before. So let the
tears flow and know that they will be replaced
with tears of joy because Jesus Christ did fulfill
his covenant and he will have all power over
the grave because of him. Maybe you could share
with us a time when you felt Christ's presence
most deeply in your own grief or happiness. Yeah,
so mine was in my grief and despair and it was
on my mission. It was the first time that in
my adult life that I remember feeling Jesus like.
Jesus Christ personally with me. Before I had
felt the Spirit, before I'd had, you know, different
circumstances and experiences, but I was a missionary
and I had a major surgery on my mission. So I
was in a different country. They spoke a different
language. I'd only been there for like two months,
so I didn't really know even what they were saying.
I had to kind of translate it in my mind. It
was a very sad time. And I woke up and I remember
thinking, I felt like I got hit by a tractor,
like run over by one because it was abdominal
surgery and all this stuff. And I remember thinking,
if I can make it through tonight, then I'm going
to live because I really thought I was going
to die. And I was also alone. Like it was the
first time I'd ever been absolutely alone. No
companion, no nobody, someone moaning in the
bed next to me with a curtain or whatever. And
I just like prayed all night long. I couldn't
sleep at all. And I remember like through the
wee, through the wee like hours of the morning
that i just felt very um comforted and like jesus
christ himself was keenly aware of me and that
like humbled me to tears and i after i kind of
caught hold of that thought, you could say. I
was able to make it. I remember looking out the
window and the sun came up and I was like, all
right, I'm going to make it. But I just, I really
do feel like it was the first time in my life
that I was utterly alone on earth. So it made
it very possible for me to reach out to Jesus
Christ and know that it was Him that pulled me
through. Excellent. Maybe an action item to consider
from that list that you read of different times
that we have recorded in scripture of where Jesus
did weep. As we're studying the scriptures, we
can reflect on what this reveals about his love
for us, how he can understand our weeping in
the happy moments, in the sad moments. And I
don't know. I just think it shows another layer,
a depth to the love that he has for us. I like
that, Abby. Elder Gong also teaches that Easter
isn't just about the past. It's about what can
yet be. Christ's atonement and resurrection doesn't
just return what we've lost. They restore us
and help us become something greater. The restoration
of the gospel brought priesthood keys and covenants
that can heal families, mend regrets, and unite
generations across time. His life experiences
have taken him across the world, and he's been
part of people's stories. He's met. He's met
people in every land and place, let's say. And
the section of the talk that he goes into next
is kind of a recap of some of those years of
sorrow and joy that he has been able to hear
from members, what their experiences have been
as he's talked to them. And for him in this message
about how Easter with Jesus Christ helps us mend
and reconcile and make right our relationships
on both sides of the veil. He says Jesus can
heal grief. He can enable forgiveness. He can
free us and others from things. we or they have
said or done that otherwise bind us captive.
I like that mental picture. How can the restoration
help heal regrets or strained relationships in
our lives? Did you remember the little examples
that he gave just time after time of things that
people were carrying with them so long? And so
I have a lot of thoughts when you mentioned that
question. Let me just... Sure. A couple I can
think of. Sometimes relationships, they're too
important to let go, meaning that we know that
they're eternal relationships. And because we
know that because of the restoration of the gospel
of Jesus Christ, I think we view those relationships
with the lens that you're not trying to intentionally
damage them. You're trying your hardest to preserve
them. But I've also learned from my Savior's
example that even those who hurt you the most,
they're in the greatest need of forgiveness,
of Father's forgiveness. Like when He's on the
cross, He says just before His death, one of
His last requests, Father, forgive them for they
know not what they do. And does that mean that
you let offenders tear you down time after time?
No. But holding on to ill -feeling towards people
that do try to hurt us, I think prevents us from
feeling the greater joy that comes. As we heal
those wounds and we set those offenses aside.
Agreed. And I don't know. I think you get a bad
rap for it. When somebody hurts you and you forgive
them, that it's like you're not standing up for
yourself, like it's a bad thing. But it doesn't
necessarily mean that the relationship is totally
restored. It means that you're forgiving them
for the things that they're doing. That there
is no more bitterness in your heart. Right. That
is all. I guess the way to judge if you're at
that point is that if you want what's best for
them. Even if that friendship is severed or whatever,
that you still want the best for them. You're
thinking the best things for them. You know,
maybe they continue to hurt and offend you, but
it's just another opportunity to be as the Savior
would. Turn the other cheek and again, hope for
the best for the way things are going for them.
We don't have the right to take away their agency,
so we can't really choose how they're reacting
in the situation. So sometimes the healing feels
one -sided in those scenarios. Definitely happens
at different paces, right? I love this part of
the talk, Gabby. This is a direct quote. Jesus
Christ atonement also restores us spiritually.
He bled from every poor weeping blood, as it
were, to provide us escape from sin and separation.
He reunites us whole and holy with each other
and with God. In all good things, Jesus Christ
restores abundantly, not only what was, but what
also can be. What does it mean to you that God
not only restores what was lost, but also what
can yet be. I really like how he asked this question.
I really like how it's both of them. Yeah, I
agree. Not or. No, that's great. I think it's
very fitting, like when we were just talking
about the strained relationships or like trying
to repair some of these things that have happened
once we've done all that we can. And you kind
of just have to turn the rest over to the Savior,
maybe on the other side of the veil, even with
all the details when they come to light. And,
you know, both sides of the scenario can see
the situation without prejudice. You can kind
of see to the heart of the matter. maybe where
things weren't resolved here, they can be in
the next life. And I'll say when you attempt
to repair a relationship and it does feel one
-sided, that it's amazing that you can rely on
the peace that comes as you heal spiritually
from something that's kind of a physical problem.
A physical relationship, it's not healed. You
can find that spiritual healing and in that way,
that way it feels like it's healed. Is that making
any sense? I have to say yes. I have experienced
very similar things, so I can testify that navigating
difficult relationships and restoring what was
where you can and leaving into the possibility
of what can be in the future, even the eternities,
brings a peace that surpasses understanding.
All I can say is that it's a promise the Savior
has made, and it is one that has blessed me in
my own life. So a final point of this profound
message, and I have to say, Abby, I listened
to this while I was making dinner, and I definitely
stopped and rewound a few things and was like,
that was so profound. It really hit me. And this
is something that I'm going to share. Elder Gong
shares that... It is the Savior that frees us
from the world's constant messages that we're
not enough, not spiritual enough, not successful
enough, not worthy enough. Through His grace,
we can escape perfectionism and instead discover
peace and belonging. And then here's a question
that, you know, each of us can ask ourselves.
How can truly accepting Christ's atonement help
us feel peace rather than constant pressure to
be perfect? God's plan of mortal... Agency or
mortality allows us to learn by experience. And
some of our greatest lessons come from things
that we would never choose to happen to us, right?
Jesus descended below and ascended above all
things. He rejoices in our divine capacities
for creativity and delight, kindness without
hope for reward, faith under repentance and forgiveness.
And he weeps in sorrow at the enormity of human
suffering, cruelty, unfairness, often brought
by human choice, as do the heavens and God of
heaven with them. Elder Gong said this, when
we understand this about his nature, we learn
that we don't have to be perfect because he was
perfect for us. And we're inclined to rely on
him more when we don't have the strength and
ability to do something on our own. Like that
feeling and emotions you felt like in your hospital
bed by yourself. We tend to turn to him more
when we reach. like a certain point when he's
the best person to turn to in our need. Very
good point. He really only asks us to do what
we can and he'll make it the rest perfect with
whatever we're able to offer him. I totally agree.
So each Easter season, we celebrate as a symbolic
whole eternity's great gifts through Jesus Christ,
which are his atonement, his literal resurrection,
restoration of his latter day church with priesthood
keys and authority to bless all of God's children.
So in the spirit of the Easter season, another
action item that we might consider here would
be to identify one relationship or regret to
bring to Christ for healing this week or in advance
for the next general conference. This also brings
to mind something that President Nelson said
years ago, which was to heal personal conflict
in your life. Sometimes it's as simple as asking
in prayer to see that person through the Savior's
eyes. If we saw our offenders as He sees them,
would it be easier to extend kindness or forgiveness?
I love this because this was obviously spoken
in the Easter season, but this message is so
profound and we're trying to find ways to bring
Easter more fully into like all aspects of our
life. Sure. Not just the day of the year, but
like the season itself to extend that. And then
this message is great. What if each month we
picked up another burden that we've been carrying
around and wanted to give it to him? So it would
require us to identify the things that's making
us feel burdened or the relationship that's feeling
a little bit heavy. And I think the one that
comes to top of mind is the one you should grab
off. Maybe there's multiple areas that you could
heal from, but I love that idea. You take the
one and you say, like, what can you and I do
together to heal this? And you may be prompted
with the words to say to the person or open the
conversation, or you may be blessed with the
ability to say you've done everything you can
in that relationship. Exactly. And it's time
to leave the rest to Jesus on that one. Yeah.
He doesn't want us to endlessly suffer. One -sided
pursuit. Totally. Yeah. It's not the point. I
think that's a great suggestion. Thank you for
bringing it up. Anyway, we can make Easter a
year -long celebration doing this, just letting
go of things that can't bring us any joy, things
that can't be restored on this side of the veil,
and trust that that restoration will come at
some point. Yeah. A quote from the talk, For
God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have everlasting life.
May we each find in Jesus Christ's atonement,
resurrection and restoration, peace, becoming
and belonging, that which is enduringly real
and joyful, happy and forever. I pray in his
holy name, Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Thank you
for joining us. Until next time, may you feel
his love in both your tears and your triumphs.