Opposition and the Atonement

     Why do I have to experience bad days? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why can't life be easy? How come life is so unfair? Why cant I ever get a break? These are all questions I have asked myself along with many others. The answer I might suggest is opposition, and the solution is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Now let me explain using two scriptures, in the Book of Mormon, that have helped me to understand this principle.
     The first states, "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one;" (2 Nephi 2:11.) If every day was happy and perfect then that would be "normal." There would be no pleasure behind happiness because there is no reason for there to be. It would just be what we expect, with nothing special about it. How lame would that be! In order to really have a good day, sometimes we are going to have bad days. In order to really appreciate our health we need to experience sickness. There must be opposition so we can understand the difference.
     The second states, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind... He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people... He will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12.) The word "succor" more or less means to run to the aid. So, this scripture is telling us that Christ not only suffered to redeem us from our sins, but He suffered so that He could be there for us as we go through the hard times in life. He did it so that He could run to our aid when we are struggling. He did it because He loves us and wants us to find happiness in life.
     I know that my Father in Heaven knows and loves me and will not let me go through anything that I can't handle, at least not on my own. In a time of need my Savior is there waiting and ready to help me along as I feel I can't go any further. So, when you are going through a hard time, just remember, someone has been there before and is ready to help you through it. "All that seems unfair in life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ..." (The Plan of Salvation.) I testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Resurrection

     Why do we celebrate Easter? Easter to me is a time where I can remember the sacrifice that Jesus Christ did for me and especially His resurrection. Even though I try to remember Christ in all that I do and live my life in a way that shows I love Him, this time of year is especially special. We celebrate Easter to remember Christ's resurrection. Christ did die for us and suffer all of our pains so we could all be saved and now He lives. He conquered death so that we could all be saved from physical death.
     When our prophet, Gordon B Hinckley, was asked why in all of our buildings and elsewhere do we not have any crosses to denote our belief in Christ, he replied, "The cross is the symbol of the dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ.” He was then asked, “If you do not use the cross, what is the symbol of your religion?” He then replied "The lives of our people must become the only meaningful expression of our faith and, in fact, therefore, the symbol of our worship." (Apr. 1990 New Era, The Symbol of Christ.) I truly believe that the perfect symbol of faith in Christ is by the way you live your life. It is one thing to claim belief in Christ and another thing to live it.
     I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and cannot imagine what my life would be like without Him in it. I am so grateful for His sacrifice for me of which I could not do myself. I know that because of Him I can return again to my Heavenly Father. I am so grateful that I can serve Him and teach people all over about Him and help them to build or strengthen their relationship with Him that they may have not had before. He lives and loves us still the same. He is my Redeemer, my Savior, Lord, and King. I know that my Redeemer lives!

Scourged and Crucified

     Continuing with my Easter theme on this "Good Friday", I am brought to the Savior being scourged and crucified. Jesus Christ had the power to stop everything that happened to Him at any time he very well pleased, but He knew that this sacrifice of Himself was essential for the rest of us. I can't emphasize this enough, Christ was so selfless that He gave His life for us. He loves us so much to suffer the pains of death. His life was made short in order for us to be saved.
     "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
     Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
     But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:3-5.)
     The Savior continued to suffer for our sins when He allowed Himself to be crucified. On the cross, He allowed Himself to die, and His body was then laid in a tomb. I love my Savior so very much and know that I could not make it through life without his redeeming power. I ask y'all to remember the Savior in your lives especially during this Easter season.

Suffering in Gethsemane

     How much do you appreciate Jesus Christ? Do you love Him as much as He loves you? Does your life show it? With Easter approaching, I though I would focus my next few posts on what the Savior, Jesus Christ, did for us the few days preceding His resurrection. These questions I asked are questions that I think are very important for us to think about each and every day, multiple times a day even. How we answer these questions will tell us how much we need to change in order for Christ's Atonement to have any real effect on us.
     Jesus Christ atoned for our sins. To atone means to suffer the penalty for sins, thereby removing the effects of sin from the repentant sinner and allowing him or her to be reconciled to God. We know that Jesus was the only one capable of doing this and because He did so, we are able to enjoy the benefits that come from it. His sacrifice is free to all who accept him as their Savior. All he asks of us is to have faith in Him, repent and try our best to live worthy lives. We do not need to ask him to be our Savior, because He has already suffered for us; we just have to accept Him and His suffering for us. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible describes His suffering:
     "And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
     Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
     And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
     And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." (Luke 22:41-44.)

     I know that Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for me. I know that through him and his sacrifice I can be saved for the things I do wrong. I know that if each man was the only man to walk the Earth, Christ still would have done what He did. I love my Savior so much. I ask you to ponder those questions I asked before, and if Christ is not in your life as much as you would like I invite you to change that. Let Christ change your life forever.