Jun 19, 2023

“It is a startling idea to think we are worshiping a God that once was in the situation that we are in ourselves,” Brigham Young stated in June of 1851. In this sermon recorded by Wilford Woodruff, President Young continued, “[He] had to pass through a probation of pain, suffering and the fall like ourselves.”¹

Jesus Christ understands what it’s like to feel pain, to feel alone, forgotten, and scared, because He has walked the path we’re on now. In spite of what He knew He would endure, Christ suffered and died for us. All because of His perfect love for us. As Nephi wrote, “And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men.”²

How blessed we are to have a Savior who came to earth and fulfilled His mission so we could return to live with Him and our families forever. “All our sufferings will exalt us in the presence of God if we endure them patiently.”³ I know that because of Him, we are never alone or forgotten. Because of Him, we can have comfort in times of trouble. Because of Him, our sufferings will be nothing compared to the joy that awaits us.

With absolutely no background in history whatsoever, no college degree to speak of, and no ancestral ties to Wilford Woodruff, Emma has enjoyed being a part of the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project and getting to read the words of a prophet of the Lord. Emma is grateful for the small part she gets to play in this effort. In her spare time, Emma enjoys gardening and spending time with her family.