Book Suggestion: Believing Christ by Stephen E. Robinson

 (image borrowed from Deseret Book)

My husband suggested I read the book Believing Christ. I had read it several years ago, but needed to read it again now - with what I was struggling with and trying to heal from. The book is wonderful but two quotes stood out to me and touched me.

1) "But only at [the] point when we finally realize our inability to perfect and save ourselves, when we finally realize our truly desperate situation here in mortality and our need to be saved from it by some outside intervention - only then can we fully appreciate the One who comes to save." (p33)

My whole life I had aimed to be "perfect". When I did something mostly perfect I considered it a failure, and if by chance I did succeed in perfection I considered it as only acceptable.  A huge lesson I learned was that we are here on this Earth to learn. We are not expected to be perfect. In fact our Heavenly Father knew we couldn't be. That's why Our Savior gave himself as ransom, so we could learn and grow and improve. Through an instantaneous decision to repent, or pray for help, through the Atonement our whole life can change. This is an incredible blessing. I am more grateful for Christ and his love this year then I have ever been.

2) "In mortality, the Spirit and the body are two separate entities forced to coexist in the same person. The mortal connection between them is both recent and temporary, hence the wrestle and fidget with each other. But in the resurrection the become one thing." (p20)

I loved this quote as it made sense to me. I hate how I cannot stop the way my mind and body reacts to a perceived threat - the terror and anxiety I have from my trauma. But I have come to understand it is doing what it feels it has to, in order to protect me. And this "wrestle" between what I want my body to do and what it does is going to happen the whole time I am here on this Earth. It's part of the lesson we are to learn. So instead of hating my body and mind, I need to strive to understand and work with it. It will not be perfect while on this Earth, but I know it can get better.

Have you read this book? What did you learn? What books help you heal?