1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.
2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.
My brother has recently hit the 4 month mark for his mission in Comodoro Rivadavia Argentina. My mom has assigned me the task of being in charge of his social media accounts and I have taken that quite seriously.
Elder Robert Christiansen, my brother, is 7 years younger than I am. But, we’ve always been two peas in a pod growing up. I’ve also always been proud beyond belief of him academically and spiritually. I remember him in junior primary getting up to the podium during Fast Sunday to bear his testimony and use analogies. The members in my ward would joke that he was a future general authority. But, Bobby (as we call him), has always thirsted for more knowledge. Maybe that is why we’ve always clicked.
So, when he put in his papers to go on a mission right after he graduated high school, not only was I super excited for him to grow culturally and socially, but also to grow spiritually. I knew he would enjoy every moment of learning and teaching. But, it wasn’t all altruistic–I was also excited for myself to be uplifted through him. I ravenously read his emails every Monday morning (his P-Day) and get a squeal of joy finding the perfect tweets and Instagram stories and quotes to put on his accounts. Bobby has such a passion for the Gospel, and he is such an example to me in willingly lifting up our hearts and receiving all that God is willing to give and tell us.
This is my absolute favorite thing that Bobby has directly told me:
I know that Jesus Christ lives. I bear testimony that He is my Savior and my Redeemer. I know that He loves me, and loves each and every one of us. I know that He yearns for us to be successful. I know that He is constantly praying for us. I know that because of His Sacrifice, we can overcome literally any challenge facing us. I testify that He is your Friend. I promise that as we search for Him, strive to be like Him, that our testimonies will grow of Him, that we will learn about Him, and learn from Him. I testify that if we open our hearts to Him and our minds to Him, He will walk by our side. I know He lives. I promise that. I testify of that. He is my King so come what may! I will see Him one day, in His Resurrected Glory, in this life or in the life to come it matters not to me. I know He lives! I know He has saved me from my imperfections, my sins, my shortcomings, and because of that I say Hallelujah, Hosanna to God on High! I promise that His love can touch you, and can change you. I say these things, in His name, even Jesus Christ, amen.
My brother emailed this to me earlier this week…I was so astounded that it fit perfectly in with Jacob 3:1-2. But, as my wise brother knows, He works in mysterious ways to uplift and edify each of us personally. He is pleasing to us. He will be there for us. He will walk with us. And, when we are afflicted, He will carry us. And, I will never cease my amazement at Him and His words. I love learning more about Him. Besides doing my own personal scripture reading and family scripture reading, I have so many books from Deseret Book. It brings me closer to my God! Once again, “lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God”. He gave it to us, for us!
Hallelujah, Hosanna to God on High, I know He lives!
I am an English and history teacher turned stay-at-home mom to Rhys, the rambunctious toddler. I was blessed to marry my college best friend. I am obsessed with all things medieval, Welsh, historical, and fantasy. I love to read, write, cook, run, and learn. I have recently come to love and appreciate living in the center of Utah and close to both sides of our family.