IN HIS EMBRACE

 

“He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom…..” – Isaiah 40:11

“I ran to meet Him….fell at his feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with Him. I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped, raised me up, and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real. I felt the very warmth of His body, as He held me in His arms” (Manifestation of Christ by Elder Orson F. Whitney, Through Memory’s Halls, 83)

 

I will follow Thee my God and My All

When I can see no more;

I will trust in Thee

When all hope flees;

I will praise Thy name

When I am left without ease;

I will nurture the seeds of my faith

With tears of my affliction;

Yet will I look up to heaven

And believe in Thy throne;

I will trust in the strength of Thine arms

To lift me and carry me home.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Pastoral Solace by Ivan Guaderrama)

CONTRITION

 

I offered You my soul today

And laid it at Your holy feet;

I promised I would do much better

Until at last in joy we meet.

I sought forgiveness with contrition

And saw the tender heart in Thee;

How graciously You accepted

All that You found in me! 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Ivan Guaderrama)

HEAVEN'S GATE

 

I wept today to feel Your touch

As You lifted me on wings of faith

And brought my soul to heaven's gate.

My grateful heart burnt within

When I felt, that for me,

You rose above Gethsemane.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Dawn's Gentle Embrace by Ivan Guaderrama)

SUFFERING

 

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls, the most massive characters are seared with scars." 

- Kahlil Gibran

"......If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

- Matthew 16:24

(Art: Shepherd's Embrace by Yongsung Kim)

RETURN UNTO ME

 

Return unto me you heavy laden

And I will give you rest.

Return unto me you who are oppressed

And I will give you peace.

Return unto me if scarred by sin

And I will make you free.

Return unto me you who are dejected

And I will gather you

Under the shadow of my wings.

Return unto me you who sorrow

And I will give you a brighter tomorrow.

Return unto me you who have forsaken me.....

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Return Unto Me by Annie Henrie Nader)

SACRED PROMISE

 

You took my soul and wiped it clean

Of the ruin of my life in agony.

You promised I'll be more than I could be

If I look toward eternity.

I look to You and feel Your joy

As one by one I surrender all my fears; 

Your sacred promise like a flame

Locked in my heart these many years.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: I Am The Way by Chris Brazelton)

GOD'S BOXES

 

 

I have in my hands two boxes

Which God gave me to hold.

He said: “Put all your sorrows in the black

And all your joys in the gold.”

 

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes

Both my joys and sorrows I stored.

But though the gold became heavier each day,

The black was as light as before.

 

With curiosity, I opened the black.

I wanted to find out why,

And I saw, in the base of the box

A hole which my sorrows had fallen out by.

 

I showed the hole to God,

And mused aloud: “I wonder where my sorrows could be?”

He smiled a gentle smile and said:

“My child, they are all here with me…”

 

I asked God why He gave me the boxes,

Why the gold, and the black with the hole?

He said: “The gold is for you to count your blessings,

The black is for you to let go.”

 

-        Arielle Perkins

(Art: Lord of Light by Chris Brazelton)

DIVINE MOTHERHOOD

 

“Motherhood is near to divinity.

It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind.

It places her who honours its holy calling and service next to the angels.”

 

-        The First Presidency: Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, David O McKay

-        (1918-1945)

What are children to a mother

If not gifts from heaven’s door;

As jewels from God’s own bosom

Gifted to her heart forever more.

Entrusted with the greatest charge

Sealed with hope of tender care;

From His hands

To mothers given

As gifts of worth beyond compare.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

ART: Mercy’s Light by Annie Henrie Nader

THE MEDIATOR

 

“Each of us lives on a kind of spiritual credit. One day the account will be closed, a settlement demanded. However casually we may view it now, when that day comes and the foreclosure is imminent, we will look around in restless agony for someone, anyone, to help us….

Unless there is a mediator, unless we have a friend, the full weight of justice untampered, unsympathetic, must, positively must, fall on us. The full recompense for every transgression, however minor or however deep, will be exacted from us to the uttermost farthing.

But know this: truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is such a Mediator.

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:5)

Through Him mercy can be fully extended to each of us without offending the eternal law of justice. This truth is the very root of Christian doctrine.”

(Boyd K. Packer, The Mediator, General Conference April 1977

 

Be still my soul

And know that He leads you

By the voice of His heart.

He beckons and He calls

Your spirit to ignite

To truth and godly path.

 

His love will find you,

He will lead you and save your soul,

He is the Shepherd

Who will answer your call.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: AI Generated)