The Greatest Gift

The Greatest Gift

I wish that it wasn't almost midnight so I could spend the kind of time on this topic that I want, but I just couldn't go any longer without getting this out there.

I've always known that the greatest thing to ever exist is Jesus Christ. His birth, life, atonement, death, and resurrection are just a microscopic blip of time in the grand scheme of things, but they are the crux of everything that is good in this world. I definitely stand "all amazed at the love Jesus offers me."

And yet, as I sit pondering on my experiences during the past few weeks and months, I find myself feeling more blessed than before. I know that it is because of my Savior, but that hasn't stopped me from wondering what about these feelings and experiences is so different—so all-encompassing.

When contemplating the majesty that is Christ Jesus, it's hard to pinpoint just one gift or blessing as being the ultimate or sine qua non of His life and doings. The knee jerk response is typically The Atonement, as well it probably should be – for without which we would be lost forever.

But as I've been thinking about the atonement and what makes it so special, I've settled on one key gift that stands out to me like a desert oasis. The Savior himself said it best, and so I quote His words as found in the Gospel of John:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

And again to Oliver Cowdery, "Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?" (D&C 6:23)

Peace is everything. It is what this world lacks. It is what comes to the mind and heart of an individual who truly repents and learns their status with God. It is the sweetest fruit of the atonement. Knowing that we will not only live with God again in glory and love, but that we can have joy and love now because of the atonement brings a peace that cannot be described.

Peace is what is first to leave us when we sin. Peace is the most treasured of gifts because it is the one thing that cannot be obtained by our works alone, but is a product of our faith and the grace of God. That is why it is possible to have even in times when all around us is chaos.

I know that I am doing all I can with what I have when I am blessed with peace. That is a gift that I've been missing far too often in recent years, and one that I'm so thankful to be experiencing again right now.