http://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng
Something that I loved is that if we truly understand and use the atonement that it will change my very nature. I will become a while new creature.
" 24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God."
-Mosiah 27
I like 26 and thus they became new creatures. When we truly repent and choose to change and to follow Christ by keeping his commandments and repent of our short comings and work to become better our very personalities change and we become better.
Something that changes my view on things is when Elder Bednar speaks about Nephi being bound he doesn't pray to be removed from his situation or to have the situation become easier but he asks in faith to over come his situation. I know that in my life when things get hard I tend to plea with the Lord first asking him to remove my burdens and to make the things which are troubling me to be removed, and this is because I don't understand the Atonement fully. After pleading with the lord i realize how irrational I am being and when I finally ask the right question and I ask for strength to over come, to be strong enough to pull through, that is when Jesus Christ rescues me.
Life is not always easy. We have trials and they can either make us or break us. Since I have been on my mission I have been struggling with my health. My kidneys want to be a stone factory and produce rocks all day every day. In the MTC i had to get surgery to remove some of them(i had 13) The pain was excruciating and I was getting discouraged with not being able to be in my classes learning Spanish and how to teach the gospel to those who know nothing about it. I felt like I wasn't full filling my purpose as a missionary. I was getting cranky and my faith was stretching thin. It wasn't until i ended up in the emergency room a week before I was scheduled to fly to New York that I realized what a negative Nancy i was becoming. My parents came to visit me at the ER and I was inches from coming home. I told my mom I couldn't do it anymore. I told her my faith was stretching thin and I wasn't sure what more I could take. The time came to head back to the MTC and I knew that if I was to tell my mom I wanted to return home she would have allowed it and thought no less of me. But i boarded the Mtc shuttle and stared my journey back to The Missionary Training Center.
Sunday morning came and I was in excruciating pain. I didn't know what to do or how I could over come it. I had been praying and praying for it to stop. Begging heavenly father to take it from me. That is when I realized how pathetic I had been, I re directed my train of thought and began to ask the Lord how I could remain faithful, strong and endure this problem. My very nature was beginning to change from the temper tantrum to the how can I over come this. Day by day I grow a step closer to over coming these problems with my health. Each day I am in severe pain but each morning I start with a prayer asking God for help to get through.
The atonement doesn't only cover out sins. But it covers our afflictions, our short comings, the moments we try our best but we still feel like nothing is pulling through. When we put our trust in god and tell him "Heavenly Father I have been given this situation, help me become a better person because of this, what am I to learn, and how can I grow closer to thee through these burdens" Trials are not meant to break us, but to define and to reform us. I find comfort also in knowing that when I am giving my best pushing my hardest every single day that when I come up short of my destination that my Savior Jesus Christ is the to push me up the rest of the way. Its a matter of trust. Letting go and letting him take over, guiding me to where he needs me to be. Letting go of my natural woman and striving to be more like Him.
I know with all of my heart that The Savior Jesus Christ did in fact Atone for us, our salvation has been paid for by him, our lives can be eternal because of him. and all he says in return is "If you love me keep my commandments" We are forever in debt to our Savior. We could never repay Him for what he did for us. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Try our best to repent, to change the very creatures we are and to come a step closer to our heavenly father each and every day.
I know that he knows us all by name, that he saw each and every one of our faces in Gethsemane as he suffered for us. He knew what we would have to suffer in this life and so that it wouldn't be so painful he took the burden upon him and over came the struggles and trials for us. What comfort I find in knowing that he know EXACTLY what I am feeling, when I feel like I am alone in the world I am not. He KNOWS EVERY DESIRE EVERY PAIN EVERY FEELING OF MY HEART. He is my best friend. He will never leave you or me. But at times the choices we make lead to us leaving him, BUT he is always waiting with his arms stretched for to wrap up up in his forgiveness and his atonement and everything can be made whole once again. I love my Savior so much. He is my best friend. And I know that he knows us all by name and he loves us infinitely.
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