Waddell - A Pattern for Peace - April 2016

Bishop Waddell speaks to the church about finding peace in our lives.  He is aware of the many things in the world that distract us and make it hard to find true peace.  But he shares a great way for us to find peace as described by the Savior.

• “The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness.” However, our ability to travel this road in peace is, in large part, dependent on whether or not we too have a hard time thinking about Jesus.
  
• In our search for peace amidst the daily challenges of life, we’ve been given a simple pattern to keep our thoughts focused on the Savior, who said: “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. I am Jesus Christ.” Learn, listen, and walk—three steps with a promise.
  

First Step "Learn of Me"
The temple is the place we can find true peace in this life.  Attending the temple will allow us to find peace and give us a clear understanding of how to keep it in our lives.

• Each time we attend the temple—in all that we hear, do, and say; in every ordinance in which we participate; and in every covenant that we make—we are pointed to Jesus Christ. We feel peace as we hear His words and learn from His example. President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “Go to the house of the Lord and there feel of His Spirit and commune with Him and you will know a peace that you will find nowhere else.”
  

Second Step: "Listen to My Words"
A key factor in finding peace is understanding God's plan for us.  Prophets and Apostles clarify the way for us and make it easier for us to know how to apply the teachings of God in our lives.

• Those who choose to listen and give heed to the words of the Lord, as delivered through His prophets, will find safety and peace.
  

We need to be careful to not accept the messages of the world when we are looking for peace as there are lots of counterfeits out there.

• The adversary offers counterfeit solutions that may appear to provide answers but take us even further from the peace we seek. He offers a mirage that has the appearance of legitimacy and safety but ultimately, like the great and spacious building, will collapse, destroying all who seek peace within its walls. Truth is found in the simplicity of a Primary song: “Words of a prophet: Keep the commandments. In this there is safety and peace.”
  

Third Step: "Walk in the Meekness of My Spirit"

• We have all felt, at some time in our lives, the pain and heartache associated with sin and transgression, for “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” However, “though [our] sins be as scarlet,” as we apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ and walk with Him through sincere repentance, “they shall be as white as snow.” Though we have been weighed down with guilt, we shall obtain peace.
  

He uses Alma as an example of someone that was not following Christ but after his awakening, was able to find peace through the Atonement.

• Like Alma, we too will find peace to our souls as we walk with Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, and apply His healing power in our lives.
  

He concludes with a summary of his message.

• The peace we all seek requires more than a desire. It requires us to act—by learning of Him, by listening to His words, and by walking with Him. We may not have the ability to control all that happens around us, but we can control how we apply the pattern for peace that the Lord has provided—a pattern that makes it easy to think often about Jesus.
  

We can find peace in our lives as we attend the temple, listen and apply the words of the prophets in our lives, and repent of our sins and follow Christ.  As we do this, peace will be something that will be found in our hearts and minds and will be found in our souls.  Christ is the true deliverer of peace and it is through Him that we find it and keep it.