There are many reasons why Jesus came to earth, and our word Atonement has come to embody them all, but I think, if I had to be specific, I would say that the essence of His life centered on forgiveness. In the great hymn of the Restoration, Joseph Smith caught that spirit when he wrote, “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven” (D&C 128:19). The Savior is the incarnation, the personification, the grand architect of forgiveness and mercy. It is inherent in almost every act of His life. It is the one single most significant quality of the Father that Jesus came to teach us with His words and show us by His example. Indeed, the most beautiful words He spoke during those last agonizing hours of His life are, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Whenever I feel the difficulty of forgiving in my own life, I read those words and the feeling of forgiveness moves into my soul.

After a long battle with cancer, Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye recently passed away. We share this excerpt from her recent book as a tribute to her incredible life of scholarship and discipleship, for which we will be forever grateful.

Here’s a snapshot of what you may have missed on LDS Living this week. You can also subscribe to the LDS Living newsletter for daily inspiration right to your inbox.

Throughout his service in the Church, President Nelson has often spoken of our Savior and the sacred night of His birth. Here are a few of President Nelson's teachings on the topic, excerpted from the new book Teachings of Russell M. Nelson.

Conference Talk:

The first date 23-year-old Laura Faganello remembers having with her husband, Brayden Faganello, 25, was a round of mini-golf. They started the date with some nervous small talk and she made sure to throw in a few jokes “to make him think (she) was funny.” By the third hole, however, they were flirting, laughing, and having a lot of fun.

I often hear that single people want to be married and married people want to be single. Life seems so much easier on the other side of the fence. We often only see the other sides’ finished product or the public appearance, not what really goes on behind the scenes.

MR says: God surrounds us with blessings, so much so that often we begin taking the most important blessings for granted. But here are a few blessings you should never forget.