The Peacegiver

This week I read the book the Peacegiver.  I was looking for peace in my life and the title of this book spoke to me.  It taught me several principles.  Mostly about the atonement.  For me, the atonement brings me the desired peace I am looking for.

There were three things that really hit me.  The first one was that Christ took all sins already.  I don't need to be offended or angry with someone because of what they have done to me, because that sin was already taken by Christ, just as all my sins are already taken by Christ.  I don't need to forgive that person, because that person no longer carries that sin, Christ does.  

The second thing that really hit me was from the story of Jonah.  He didn't want to go to Nineveh to teach the people, he felt they didn't deserve it because they were his enemies.  This helped me understand that we all deserve nothing, we are completely in the Lords mercy.  We cannot condemn another man unless we to want to be condemned.  The scales of justice are for all of us, and we can't pick and choose.  All of us require his mercy, and we need to extend that same mercy to others no matter the circumstance.  

Thirdly, and lastly, I learned that we all have been blessed with agency.  With agency comes sins.  With sins comes the chains of hell.  They begin as smooth gentle flaxen cords that bind us and lead us slowly further and further into the depths of hell.  We need the atonement, forgiveness, and true sorrow to call upon the name of Christ and only through him can we be saved from the chains that bind us. 

Because of this book, I’ve learned to look to the atonement in a new way, and a new light.  It has opened the gate of forgiveness, mercy, and justice.  It has helped me to see things differently, look at things from new eyes, and with more compassion, understanding, and love for all that the Lord has done for me.

Reading this book has truly brought the peace I was looking for into my life.