Times are tough the world over. COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc in the lives of individuals, families, and countries. Many people are suffering economic or other hardships. Many countries suffer from unrest or war. It can be difficult to stay centered when news headlines remind us of all that is unsettled in our world.

But there are things we can do to invite God into our lives to find more peace. Seeking peace isn’t just a benefit for ourselves; those who are at peace within themselves are more able to help others as well.

One way to do this is to read the word of God in scripture, such as the Bible. Reading from the Old and New Testaments with a desire to have God speak to us can open up insights about His love and nature. Reading the stories of people who went through hard things in scripture and found God’s help and strength can help us find hope for our own lives. Knowing that since the beginning of time, humans have gone through hard things and have been able to learn and grow from them can give us courage to carry on through our own hard times.

There is another book of scripture, called Another Testament of Jesus Christ. This book, the Book of Mormon, spans 1000 years of history, from about 600 B.C. to 400 A.D. It’s a record of a branch of the House of Israel that was guided from the Old World to the New (around the time of Jeremiah). It includes a record of Jesus Christ visiting the descendants of those so guided. He appeared after His resurrection and let the people feel the scars of the nails in His hands and feet — much like He allowed His apostles to do in the New Testament when He appeared to them. This account in the Book of Mormon shows that He allowed 2500 people to do the same! He didn’t reserve this special experience of witnessing His resurrection one by one to only a select few.

Even as I write that, I feel a sense of wonder and peace. Jesus wants us all to have experiences with Him. As we seek to learn about Him in scripture, we can “Come and See” more of who He is, and come to know through the witness of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit) that He is real. He lives.

And students of the Bible know that He will come again. The more we can learn about Him and find Him now in our hard and good times, the more we’ll be ready to receive Him when He comes again.