Latter-day Saint FAIR-Cast

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

One of the most emotional psalms found in the Old Testament was written by David. He was a king who worshipped and loved the Lord. He rejoiced in the Lord, and because of that, he sometimes found himself with enemies. His enemies were not just foreigners but within his own kingdom. This chapter often speaks of them. Though David pours out his heart over his suffering, it shifts towards the end of the psalm towards praise of the Lord.

Psalms 69:30-31

30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

Before these verses, David is emotionally suffering. He is in deep need. He is flooded by difficulty, overwhelmed by it. It shifts to asking the Lord to protect him from his enemies, but then it takes an interesting detour. Despite his turmoil, David starts to praise God.

There are two parts that I want to talk about.

Part one: Truly pour out your heart to God, but then try ending it with sincere, heartfelt praise. Do this on purpose.

The Lord is not afraid of your strong feelings. Tell Him exactly where you’re at. Tell Him how afraid you are, uncertain, angry, exhausted, depressed. We do not have to muffle our despair to please Him.

But after we’ve been open with Him, can I recommend praising Him? During your prayers, make the same shift that David does. Start to praise the God who has showed up for you a million times before. No matter how much despair you’re holding, it’s not going to change the fact that the Lord has already won and will provide for your eternal happiness. He’s going to do that regardless. Praising Him doesn’t change anything except you; it changes you. When you start to praise Him, you remember. Your eyes are opened. Your problems start to seem small and pathetic because you suddenly remember the character of the God who is on your side.

The tricky part about this recommendation is that it has to be heartfelt. Otherwise, it does more harm than good. If you’re just trying to swallow your pain and “force” yourself into faith, you’re not going to find the peace. That’s not how you arrive at peace.

So tell Him how you feel and then remind yourself of Who is on your side by praising Him on purpose.

Part two: There is a reason David says the Lord appreciates praise more than an extra sacrifice.

In verse 31, he declares that this specific attitude (praising God despite turmoil) will please the Lord more than the ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs. This description is important. It is describing the highest quality sacrifice that one could make. It was a fully-developed, prime animal. It was costly and ritually perfect, but according to David, thanksgiving was more pleasing.

It is important to note that David participated in sacrifice. He believed in obedience. This verse describing the Lord’s approval of thanksgiving doesn’t diminish our need to do what the Lord asks. However, doing what He asks without letting it change you is just a fruitless exercise for everyone involved. This verse is emphasizing the entire purpose of sacrifice in the first place. It’s meant to turn our hearts to the Lord. David understands why he makes sacrifices.

This is very pleasing to the Lord.

When I think about what is pleasing to the Lord, I often think about what would please me as a parent.

Would I love it if my daughter came to me randomly and said that she had vacuumed downstairs? Absolutely. I would be grateful if I asked her to do it, and she complied. I would be even more grateful if she did it before I even asked.

But I think there’s another experience that would mean more to me.

If my daughter felt overwhelmed with persecution and trials, I would be honored if she came to me about it. David’s heart cries out to God in the beginning. This psalm isn’t just about thanksgiving. David also lays out every reason he has that would argue against gratitude. I imagine any of my children coming to me, talking about painful circumstances, but then ending with, “I know things are hard, but thanks for being my mom. Thanks for taking care of me at home and making sure I have what I need. I know I can trust you.”

I can understand why David believes that the Lord appreciates David’s trust and praise more than another sacrifice.

Not only does it please the Lord to have His children love Him for all He’s done for them, this attitude of praise also pleases Him because He gets to watch us find happiness from the practice of praise.

I love when my kids recognize what I do and are grateful. I love it because it feels good on a personal level, but I also love it because I know that attitude of praise and gratitude and trust are going to lead to happy lives. That’s how you get there, and I get so excited when my kids find it.

It is so cleansing and cathartic to do as David does. It feels so good to pour out your heart to God but then step back and truly believe that you’re going to be okay, not because of your own merit but because of the Lord’s. If I could watch my children (or any of my loved ones) find what I’ve found, what David has found, my soul would be satisfied.

Do it. Pour your heart out and then end it with praising Him.

I testify that the Lord has your best interest at heart, and He has all the power and wisdom in the world to bring it about. I testify that praising Him pleases Him because it enables you to be happy. He loves watching you be happy. I testify that as we consciously take time to praise Him, we find peace and joy.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 49–51; 61–66; 69–72; 77–78; 85–86 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

There are different kinds of scripture that reach us through different means. The Book of Mormon is filled with stories that teach us about the dealings of God with His children; it is also filled with sermons that teach doctrine. The Old Testament is likewise filled with stories that highlight our relationship with Christ. The New Testament teaches us about the character of Christ by helping us read about His mortal life. The Doctrine and Covenants show the voice of the Lord as He speaks to His children; He answers questions that they have. There are obviously other kinds of scripture in each book, but there are some general “types” of scripture that teach us in different ways.

The Psalms are different entirely; they are poems set to music. Oftentimes, they are simply filled with praise and worship. When I think of Psalms, I think of the times when I feel very close to God. When I write in my journal about ways that God has shown up for me or saved me, it often evolves into psalms. I tell whatever story has happened in life at that point, but then I shift a bit and simply start to rejoice in Him and praise Him and love Him for helping me.

The principle I want to talk about today was taught to me a few weeks ago as I listened during Relief Society. The Lord whispered a principle to me, and today I saw that principle again in the verses that I read. Here is that verse.

Psalms 20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Upon first reading this verse, we learn that the Lord is more powerful than human technology and resources. Chariots and horses were the epitome of military technology when this psalm was written. Many leaders measured their power by how many chariots they had. Even the most advanced of mankind was negligible compared to the glory of God and the safety that He could offer to us. There is so much comfort and peace to be had when we shift our trust from earthly protections to the Lord.

But as I read this verse, a different principle jumped to mind.

Chariots and horses were tools of war. In our day, we do not use chariots and horses to go into battle. In fact, many of us aren’t going into battle at all.

Or are we?

There is spiritual warfare being waged right and left of course, but this specific verse doesn’t suggest that the Lord is fighting. There is plenty of scripture that teaches how the Lord will fight our battles, but this particular verse doesn’t say that. It specifically teaches that instead of trusting in war, we remember the Lord.

Instead of trusting in anger and defensiveness, we remember the Lord.

Perhaps you will not find yourself on a chariot, but you may find yourself in battle against someone who has hurt you. You feel a deep need to defend yourself and hold desperately to your anger. You are possibly presented with opportunities to fight back with sophisticated technology.

Or you can choose to remember the Lord.

I have heard forgiveness mocked in our day and age. I have heard anger praised and upheld as the savior of victims.

There are appropriate times to be firm and even “battle” for what’s right, but righteous anger and firmness is always accompanied by forgiveness. Forgiveness is what will really save you when you feel that war has been waged against you. Forgiveness may include pursuing justice and standing up for what’s right, but forgiveness is required if we want to truly find healing and be at peace once again.

As mentioned previously, rather than emphasizing the fact that the Lord will fight your battles, this verse simply implores you to remember Him.

As I sat in Relief Society a couple of weeks ago, the Lord whispered to me one of the purposes of a specific part of His atonement. This is a very specific example, but it can be extended to countless examples.

I have never been assaulted.

So I would imagine that giving a TED Talk and starting a speaking circuit about forgiveness addressed to assault victims wouldn’t go far. These women are extremely vulnerable. Their trust has been shattered. Why would they give their trust to me about how to heal? I’ve never been where they’ve been. I have no personal experience in that kind of healing. I have no personal idea of what’s going to make them feel safe again. Honestly, the audacity of me to set myself up as an example to follow would be arrogant.

But then imagine an assault survivor starting a speaking circuit about healing and peace. It’s going to hit really different. If these vulnerable women can look to this speaker who has been where they’ve been and can show them the way out of darkness, they’re going to trust this speaker.

This is part of the reason Christ suffered what we suffered. He wanted to be able to teach us with power. He wanted to be able to stand before us, healed and whole, and show us the way out. He wanted to be able to say, “I know exactly how you feel. You can trust Me and what I teach about healing.”

When Christ asks us to forgive, it’s because He knows the peace that it brings firsthand.

When we are faced with any kind of battle or war or violence against us, it helps to remember the Lord. It helps to approach the situation with the Lord as our teacher and our guide out of darkness. He knows what He’s talking about. When He asks us to forgive and love, it’s because He personally knows what that will do for us.

I testify that the scriptures can teach us how to survive mortality. I testify that they are full of the teachings of Christ that can enable us to come out on top. I testify that remembering Christ and what He went through can help us to trust Him and allow Him to lead us out of whatever pain we may be experiencing. I testify that He suffered on our behalf because He loves us and wanted that extra relatability and power to reach us.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Psalms 1–2; 8; 19–33; 40; 46 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

I love the tangible. I love when Christ takes vast, spiritual concepts and puts them into human parables that help us better understand. Even if those earthly parables are imperfect in comparison to God’s plans for His children, they help me grasp things more solidly.

Biblical scholars argue whether Job was a real man or whether he is a piece of literature simply meant to teach us. Job may be a person who truly lived upon the earth, or he may be a parable. I have no idea whether Job was real, but I do know that the Lord uses physical things to help us better understand. All things are spiritual unto the Lord. The book of Job is no different. There are beautiful spiritual parallels to be drawn from Job.

Here is one of those spiritual parallels.

Job’s story begins with abundance. He has 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke (1,000 oxen), and 500 female donkeys. He has 7 sons and 3 daughters. His life implodes with a series of horrible trials, and he loses everything including his children.

Job remains faithful, and this is the end of his story:

Job 42:12-13

12 So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

His material blessings from the Lord are doubled by the end. He also ends up with the same amount of children that he had before, 7 sons and 3 daughters.

I found myself asking, “If I knew the end from the beginning, would I voluntarily choose to experience what he experienced to double what I had?” My knee-jerk reaction is “HECK NO.” Not only would I never give up my current children, but I’m also a total wuss when it comes to pain. So no thank you. I’m happy with half of my potential riches. Seems plenty sufficient to me. I don’t know what to do with 1 sheep let alone 7,000, but I digress.

Interestingly enough, all things are spiritual to the Lord, and that’s actually exactly what we volunteered to do.

Before we came to earth, we lived in a beautiful place with a loving family. We were safe. It was wonderful, but Heavenly Father wanted to give us more. In order to give us more, we would need to choose to go down to earth and experience opposition. We would have to walk away from all of that goodness, but Heavenly Father also had some promises for us. He would give us a double portion, and we wouldn’t have to actually lose anything important (i.e. children) because we had a perfect older Brother who would take care of us.

And so we volunteered to experience pain in order to receive that double portion, and we held on to the promises that the most important things would be restored to us.

It is significant that Job had the same number of children. I don’t know if Job was real and if he truly lost 10 children, but the spiritual lesson is poignant. Heavenly Father can double all of these other wonderful resources, AND we don’t need to truly lose anything valuable. He didn’t double Job’s children like the first round was unimportant; the Lord restored what Job originally had.

A double portion of resources was likewise significant. It describes the Lord’s generosity and His willingness to overcompensate for anything we might have lost during our period of opposition. I truly believe that. I believe that anything I suffer here will pale in comparison to what He plans on giving me there, and I hold tightly to those promises. They fill me with peace.

Honestly, part of that double portion is peace, but it’s so much more than that as well.

Sure, the Lord is going to give us a heavenly place with all that we need. We will have resurrected bodies that never grow old and die, but we will have more than that. Job was given double the resources, but he was given something much better as well. He became the blessing. He levelled up. He became more like his Savior. This is a parable for us. We can be someone worth being. We can be resilient, wise, and strong. We can be powerful. We can know the truth deeply because we were given an opportunity to live the truth.

We can be prepared to serve as our Heavenly Father serves, which actually leads to another insight surrounding the idea of “double portions.”

A biblical double portion refers back to inheritance laws and traditions. The firstborn son always received a double portion. This was both an honor and a responsibility. That double portion was given so that the firstborn son could take care of the vulnerable members of the family.

When I picture heaven, I see a beautiful place with everything we could possibly ask for. I also see good people who take care of each other. It feels heavenly because we’re all friends and build a community. Heavenly Father is actually trying to give us more than a beautiful place. He is trying to give us eternal purpose so that our forever doesn’t feel meaningless and empty. He wants to give us responsibilities to serve the vulnerable who come after us. He wants to give us a double portion to serve, but He needs to know that He can trust us to stay strong through opposition just as He does.

There are far more layers and parallels to study in the book of Job, but one of those layers echoes the Plan of Salvation itself. Job began with abundance. He experienced opposition. He had his abundance restored and doubled, and he likewise came out of the experience as a better man.

I testify of a Heavenly Father who has a plan. I testify that He teaches His plans over and over and over throughout His word. We just have to find the patterns. I testify that He loves each of us and has the power to restore what’s most important as well as offering a double portion. He is good and wise and powerful, and He adores us. We can trust Him as we wait to get to the other side of the opposition.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Job is a profound biblical exploration of faith and loyalty to God. Job loved the Lord, and he stayed true to Him. In the midst of great tribulation as well as riches, Job kept himself close to the Lord. Here is a verse that tells us a bit about Job.

Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

By this point in time, Job has lost all of his property and riches. Worse than that, he has also lost his children. Despite this being the case, Job remained an upright man. There is one phrase in particular that I want to talk about, namely, “he holdeth fast his integrity.”

What does it really mean to have the Christlike attribute of integrity?

The more I try to write about integrity, the more difficult it becomes. Integrity is a mixture of things.

Preach My Gospel gives us a great definition that I want to paraphrase. Integrity is when you love God and stay true to Him because of that love. Integrity means that you know there are absolute truths and you align your life with those absolute truths no matter what comes along. It includes deep honesty, and what you choose to do when you’re alone is a good measure of your integrity.

In order to develop integrity, you need two ingredients: a knowledge of absolute truth and then alignment with that knowledge.

Ingredient one: a knowledge of absolute truth.

There are different types of integrity. There is a general sense of integrity where you hold fast to your principles, and then there is a religious integrity where you hold fast to God’s principles. It doesn’t matter how much general integrity you have if your principles are weak. Creating a house entirely made of straw may be consistent. It may be honest in the sense that you’re not pretending your house is anything other than what it is, but at the end of the day, it’s still straw. It won’t be able to withstand load or protect you.

We have to start with strong principles, God’s principles, in order to build something that will protect us and stand strong under the weight of adversity.

It is worth starting with the right materials if you’re going to build something. Starting with the right materials means understanding reality. If you understand that you’re a child of God and that there is an eternity waiting for you on the other side, it’s (hopefully) going to change your choices.

Ingredient two: aligning with that knowledge.

You would think that if you’ve got a solid foundation of truth, you would want to stay true to it. You would assume that if you could see that there are eternal realities, you would see the long game and hold on. Unfortunately, it’s simply not always true.

For example, King Zedekiah knew Jeremiah was a prophet. He protected and consulted Jeremiah. He even admits that he believes Jeremiah, and yet, he ignored Jeremiah’s warnings. He didn’t align himself with the truth that he knew, and tragedy struck because of it. In the face of fear and rejection, Zedekiah crumbled. And because he crumbled, his kingdom fell and the Jews were scattered.

So in order to reach integrity (the ability to withstand pressure), we need knowledge of truth and we have to align ourselves with that truth. It’s not enough to have one ingredient or the other; they have to come together in order to stand strong.

Action without knowledge of eternal realities stops when pressure builds. Knowledge without aligning yourself is moot; it doesn’t affect you or save you or bring you joy.

I’m going to make up a ridiculous parable, but it teaches my point.

A stranger comes to you, sets down a stool, and convinces you to step onto it. The stranger warns you that if you get down, you’ll die. It’s easy enough to stay standing on the stool for a little while, but then your legs get tired. You need to go to the bathroom. You’re hungry and cold. Why on earth are you standing on a stool because a stranger told you to do so?

Now imagine someone you deeply love and trust doing the same exercise. They warn you. You know they have your best interest at heart. You trust their wisdom and knowledge of reality. Despite mounting discomfort, you choose to hold on because you trust your loved one. Integrity is what you find when you keep standing on the stool even when it’s difficult.

It’s a mixture of trust in eternal principles and resilience.

And then there is the happy ending. Job is blessed with even more than he had previously. Even beyond the physical blessings, Job comes out a stronger man with a deeper appreciation of salvation and heaven. Integrity allowed him to conquer and come through on the other side.

Recap.

Ingredient one. Knowledge of God and eternal principles.

Integrity is powerful because it takes our acts of faith and turns them meaningful. No longer are we reading scriptures because a stranger asked us to. We read them to get closer to our Father in Heaven. And because we know Him, we seek Him out in times of trouble and need. Rather than turning our back on Him in anger, we find all the solace we need. It helps us to escape bitterness.

Ingredient two. Aligning ourselves with that knowledge.

Resilience gives us personal power as we grow into what our Father would have us become. It forges strength of character. We come out refined on the other end, seeing more clearly and that much more convinced of the truthfulness of gospel principles.

Integrity is powerful. It makes the gospel pathway worth it. We can see the blessings, and we stay on track to receive them. I testify that Heavenly Father is seeking to teach you truth. He wants you to see things as they are, and He wants you to choose to change your life according to that truth so you can experience the same joy He has experienced.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Job 1–3; 12–14; 19; 21–24; 38–40; 42 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Esther’s story is one of courage. She is a remarkable woman who was placed in humble circumstances and rose to save her people. In a land that often looked down upon Jews, Esther’s heritage should have prevented her from being able to save her people. And yet, she rose to prominence was guided by the hand of the Lord. Here is one verse that introduces Esther and sets the foundation for what I want to talk about.

Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

In this verse, we learn that Esther’s given Hebrew name was “Hadassah.” In an effort to protect her, her name was changed to “Esther,” a Persian name. Jews were often looked down upon, discredited, and hated. Having a Persian name would have protected Esther from some of the prejudice she would face in court.

There is beautiful significance in the fact that Esther changed her name.

“Hadassah” means “myrtle.” The myrtle was a fragrant, humble evergreen plant often symbolizing righteousness, peace, beauty, or God’s people in biblical imagery. Esther was many of these things, and she rose to represent all of her people. The name “Esther” was also significant. Its Persian roots connect it to the word “star” which she certainly rose to be. Interestingly enough, the name “Esther” also has Hebrew roots, but those Hebrew roots mean “hidden.”

Esther’s names, with their many meanings, all tell her story very well. It also connects her back to Christ.

Esther was placed in a position to save her people. So much of her identity was “hidden” so that she could fulfill her role to save her people. Had her true identity been known, she may have been barred from being queen due to prejudice.

In the Old Testament, Christ is known as Jehovah, a latinized version of “YHWH.” This means, “I am.” It is a powerful statement of our Creator. It emphasizes self-existence, sovereignty, and eternal nature. When He comes to the earth, His name is revealed to Mary as “Jesus.” Jesus is the English version of Yeshua, which is a shortened version of Yehoshua. Yehoshua means “YHWH saves.”

When Christ came to earth, He did so quietly. Much of His identity was hidden. It was so hidden that the people in Nazareth, who knew Him while He was growing up, rejected Him thoroughly. They were angry when He claimed divine authority and purpose, and they tried to kill Him. If He had come in all of His glory, would things have been different? How would they have felt about Him then?

If He had come in all of His glory, He might not have been rejected and put in a position to save us.

On a broader note than Nazareth, many of the Jews didn’t recognize Him. They were looking for a powerful rebel who would throw off the Roman empire. They did not understand that Jesus was coming to save them in a more important way. Because He didn’t come in all of the glory that was due to Him, He was betrayed and rejected.

And though He didn’t deserve it, we needed it. We needed His true identity to be rejected so that He would be able to fulfill His atonement on our behalf. His “hidden” identity placed Him in a position to save the entirety of the human family.

Let’s take it a step further.

Esther’s hidden identity placed her in a position to save her people, but it wasn’t just her hidden identity. It was also her humility. Because of her docile and peaceful nature, the king really liked her. When she entered the throne room, the king extended his scepter towards her, sparing her life. Even after being spared, her humility continued. Rather than making a big fuss in the middle of court, she invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet, her request on behalf of her people was not widely viewed.

This likewise ties her to Christ.

When Christ saved the world, He did it quietly and without fanfare. As He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, He may have had an audience on the other side of the veil, but they were likewise hidden. His only companions fell asleep, and Christ accomplished His mission humbly. When it was all over, His success remained quiet as He was betrayed and taken to die. Not even His apostles seemed to understand just what He accomplished in that garden.

Both Esther and Christ had identities that were hidden that placed them in a position to save. Both Esther and Christ did so quietly and humbly, and this likewise enabled them to fulfill their missions.

What does this mean for us?

Each of us has a mission given to us by the Lord. We made promises before we came here. The Lord can place us in the position we need to be in to set us up for our mission. Regardless of whether we are born as an exiled, lowly orphan or born in a stable, He has the power to place us exactly where we need to be. Though it is counterintuitive, sometimes it is the very humble circumstances we are given that enables us to fulfill our own personal missions. Christ utilized kings like Cyrus and Hezekiah to save His people, but He also used those in the humblest circumstances to save His people. None of your circumstances matter; those are easy enough for the Lord to manipulate. What truly matters is whether you’re following the Savior.

Your mission may be quiet and humble, but if that is the case, then you are in good company. We don’t have to go over a loudspeaker to save His people. It doesn’t have to look outwardly dramatic. It doesn’t have to be filmed or livestreamed or hold a huge audience. We simply have to be willing to follow the Savior, and He will lead us to do good.

I testify that we can learn about Christ when we study the scriptures. I testify that everything was set up perfectly for Him to save us, not just with the alignment of circumstances in the New Testament, but also in your own personal life. There is a Plan of Salvation at large, and it has been successfully won. There is also a Plan of Salvation for you, and through the power of God, the circumstances can align for Him to save you too. We can trust Him.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

The book of Esther is generally well-known. A Jewish orphan finds herself in the harem of the king, and she becomes queen after winning his favor. A plot against the Jews unfolds, and all of them are going to be destroyed. At the peril of her life, she stands before the king and invites him to the banquet to plead on behalf of her people.

It is very easy to see how Esther is a type of Christ. She intercedes on behalf of her people. She is willing to die in order to do it. She delivers the Jews from death; she gives them a fighting chance. She “rises” on the third day of fasting to go to the king on behalf of delivering her people. There are many parallels that we could talk about.

But after pondering on the fact that Esther is a type of Christ, it occurred to me that Mordecai is a type of Heavenly Father. It’s not a perfect parallel, but there are two details that point to Mordecai being a type of the Father.

Esther 2:7 And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.

Esther was an orphan, and Mordecai raised her. He loved her. After Esther was taken by Persian soldiers, he walks in front of harem court to check on her everyday. In all the important ways, he was her father.

And then, of course, there was this parallel.

Mordecai asks Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jewish people. She responds that it might kill her. He responds with this verse.

Esther 4:14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Mordecai warns that deliverance will come from elsewhere, but that she might not escape in the king’s court. He encourages her to risk herself, and we get his famous line that suggests she had been placed in a very specific place where she was capable of saving the kingdom.

I love this little parallel too. Christ likewise asked for the cup to be passed by Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He willingly took it when it was presented before Him.

But it’s actually Mordecai that I want to talk about.

As Latter-day Saints, we believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate Beings. If it is true, then this is actually a very important theology. Combining them into one Personage, completely eliminates the sacrifice of the Father. There is great love in sacrificing yourself; there is also immense love in allowing your loved one to be sacrificed.

But unlike with Esther, where deliverance would have risen from elsewhere, there was no one else to save us but Christ.

Heavenly Father could have stopped the atonement of Jesus Christ because of His great love for His Son, but He didn’t. He allowed Him to be sacrificed. This is no small thing, and we can’t afford to look over Heavenly Father’s sacrifice.

Mordecai understood what it meant to sacrifice a child. Despite the fact that he had likely been moved upon by the spirit to help him see that Esther had been set up to save her people, I can’t imagine that there weren’t nagging little feelings. Did Mordecai ever think, “What if I ask her to do this and I’m simply sending her to her death for nothing? What if the Lord has a different means of deliverance but Esther is simply killed because I asked her to approach the king? What if her death is my fault?”

Obviously, Heavenly Father knew what the sacrifice of Christ was really going to entail. However, Mordecai’s experience of worrying over Esther helped him get a better taste of what Heavenly Father experienced as He watched His Son suffer.

I’ve never been asked to sacrifice a child on behalf of the world or even a nation (or at all). Because I’ve never been asked to sacrifice in this manner, I can only imagine what Heavenly Father felt when He allowed the Savior to take on the sins and pains of the rest of us. Mordecai has a better understanding of what Heavenly Father went through.

Esther was separated from her family and taken into the Persian court, a place of danger and intrigue. When Mordecai asked her to go walk into that court and face death, he was asking her to do it alone. Her handmaidens fast with her, but when she truly goes in to face her death, there is no mention of anyone standing with her.

Heavenly Father likewise had to completely withdraw from His Son in order to complete the atonement. Christ had to understand what it meant to be truly rejected by God in order to fulfil the atonement completely. Not only did Heavenly Father have to ask the Savior to suffer what He did, Heavenly Father had to leave His Son to do it alone.

We cannot overlook what Heavenly Father did for us without robbing ourselves of the chance to be grateful. We cannot combine them into one Personage without running the risk of completely disregarding the sacrifice of our Heavenly Father. The story of the atonement of Jesus Christ is a story of sacrifice. Christ willingly laid Himself upon the altar, but there is One who loved Christ who also allowed it to happen.

And honestly, I rather lay down on the altar than ask my child to do it. But in the case of Heavenly Father, He couldn’t. He simply had to let Christ do it.

The atonement of Jesus Christ preaches great love in the form of self-sacrifice. It preaches love in the form of watching a loved one suffer. Is there any greater love than that?

I testify that Christ loves us and volunteered to do what He did. I testify that when Heavenly Father asked who He could send down to the earth to perform the atonement, He knew that only Christ could do so. Christ 100% volunteered, but Heavenly Father knew what He was asking for. I testify that Heavenly Father loved us enough to ask His perfect Son to do that. Between the two of Them, I can think of no greater love that has been offered to us.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Esther – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.