Uchtdorf - Behold the Man! - April 2018

Elder Uchtdorf begins his talk by wondering what was the most significant day in earth's history. He shares with us that the most significant day has to do with the atonement and what the Savior did for us so many years ago.

• To find the most important day in history, we must go back to that evening almost 2,000 years ago in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus Christ knelt in intense prayer and offered Himself as a ransom for our sins. It was during this great and infinite sacrifice of unparalleled suffering in both body and spirit that Jesus Christ, even God, bled at every pore. Out of perfect love, He gave all that we might receive all. His supernal sacrifice, difficult to comprehend, to be felt only with all our heart and mind, reminds us of the universal debt of gratitude we owe Christ for His divine gift.
  
• Later that night, Jesus was brought before religious and political authorities who mocked Him, beat Him, and sentenced Him to a shameful death. He hung in agony upon the cross until, finally, “it [was] finished.” His lifeless body was laid in a borrowed tomb. And then, on the morning of the third day, Jesus Christ, the Son of Almighty God, emerged from the tomb as a glorious, resurrected being of splendor, light, and majesty.
  
• On that most important day in history, Jesus the Christ opened the gates of death and cast aside the barriers that prevented us from passing into the holy and hallowed halls of everlasting life. Because of our Lord and Savior, you and I are granted a most precious and priceless gift—regardless of our past, we can repent and follow the path that leads to celestial light and glory, surrounded by the faithful children of Heavenly Father.
  

Elder Uchtdorf goes through a series of things that have resulted because of what Jesus Christ did for us on that significant day many years ago.

• Because of Jesus Christ, we will rise from the despair of death and embrace those we love, shedding tears of overwhelming joy and overflowing gratitude.
  
• Because of Jesus Christ, we will exist as eternal beings, worlds without end.
  
• Because of Jesus the Christ, our sins can not only be erased; they can be forgotten.
  
• Because of our beloved Savior, we can forever drink from the fountain of water that springs up into eternal life. We can dwell forever in the mansions of our eternal King, in unimaginable glory and perfect happiness.
  

In order for us to make this day significant in our lives, Elder Uchtdorf encourages us to "Behold The Man!" meaning that we need to see for ourselves, the impact that He has made on our personal lives.

• Those who find a way to truly behold the Man find the doorway to life’s greatest joys and the balm to life’s most demanding despairs.
• So, when you are encompassed by sorrows and grief, behold the Man.
  
• When you feel lost or forgotten, behold the Man.
  
• When you are despairing, deserted, doubting, damaged, or defeated, behold the Man.
  
• When we truly behold the Man, we learn of Him and seek to align our lives with Him. We repent and strive to refine our natures and daily grow a little closer to Him. We trust Him. We show our love for Him by keeping His commandments and by living up to our sacred covenants.  In other words, we become His disciples.
  

When we have completed our life's mission and return to meet the Savior, Elder Uchtdorf assures us that Christ will truly become our Savior, removing all remembrances of our earthly transgressions, making us free from the world and able to return to our Heavenly Father.

• As you accept His sacrifice, become His disciple, and finally reach the end of your earthly journey, what will become of the sorrows you have endured in this life?  They will be gone.  The disappointments, betrayals, persecutions you have faced?  Gone.  The suffering, heartache, guilt, shame, and anguish you have passed through?  Gone.  Forgotten.
  

Elder Uchtdorf concludes with his testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ. He encourages us to turn to Him and accept Him into our lives.  When we truly "Behold The Man!" we will find peace and accept His atonement in our lives.

• My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify that the most important day in the history of mankind was the day when Jesus Christ, the living Son of God, won the victory over death and sin for all of God’s children. And the most important day in your life and mine is the day when we learn to “behold the man”; when we see Him for who He truly is; when we partake with all our heart and mind of His atoning power; when with renewed enthusiasm and strength, we commit to follow Him. May that be a day that recurs over and over again throughout our lives.

Focusing on the Savior and the things that He has made possible bring us closer to becoming more like Him. When we accept that He did something that no other person could do, we begin to recognize the love that He has for us and the sacrifice that He made on our behalf. In my quest to become a better disciple, I could use a little more attention in my daily life to acknowledging the daily blessings that I have as a result of the Saviors sacrifice. I could "Behold The Man!" more in my daily life so that I am able to focus more on following Him in every aspect of my life. The good thing is that I am not lost and without hope and that because of Him, I get to continue to try each day to be a better disciple of Jesus Christ.