I never really understood the atonement until a couple of years ago. I used to think that Heavenly Father expected me to be able to make it back to Him on my own. Imagine how hard it would be to live a perfect life without the atonement--it would be impossible. Despite our best efforts, without the atonement, we would never make it back to live with our Heavenly Father again. We are always going to need the atonement in our lives. There is no sin that Christ’s grace cannot erase. If you have messed up and made a mistake that you feel is not fixable through the atonement, it is because Satan does not want you to feel as though you can repent. Satan would have us believe that whatever sin you have committed makes your salvation out of reach, but it is not. There is no sin that the atonement cannot fix. Satan would have us believe that there is no way we can be forgiven of our sins and it’s easy for us to believe it. But I know we can always be forgiven. Even if you think your sin is too big. One of my favorite stories in the bible is in Matthew 14. Jesus had been teaching a multitude of people on a mountain, when the people began to get hungry. Jesus’ disciples suggested that Jesus take a break from teaching. They said to have the people take a break to go find some food. Rather than sending the people away, Christ asks the multitude to give all that they have, which turns out to be only five loaves of bread and two fish. He then blesses the food that they do have and his disciples pass it out to the multitude. The two fishes and five loaves turn out to be more than enough to feed the five thousand. I alone am not enough. Neither were the five loaves and two fishes. But that is exactly what the atonement is for. Christ looks at what we have and we need and gives us whatever it is we don’t have. Someone once explained it to me this way. We are kind of like a plant, just as the plant cannot grow without water, we can not return to live with Heavenly Father without using the atonement. It is essential that we utilize the atonement. Without it, there is no way we would ever be able to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Don’t ever be ashamed to have to use the atonement either. We all need it. I guarantee that no one but the Redeemer himself has or ever will be able to go through a lifetime without a mistake. We all make mistakes. Everyone that came before us has made them and everyone after us will make them. In fact, the very reason we were sent to this Earth is to make mistakes and learn from them. The atonement isn’t just for correcting our mistakes. Christ not only atoned for our sins, but suffered our afflictions so that we are not alone in our trials. It can be really hard when you’re going through something tough that no one can understand. It’s easy to feel alone. But we aren’t ever truly alone because we have the Savior who understands exactly how we feel at any given moment. Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane so that he could succor us in our trials. He gets it. All of it. Every pain we feel, he has felt. All of frustration, sadness, guilt. He has felt it as well. We never have to walk alone. I know that all these things are true and that the atonement has the power to ease our burdens. I know that we have a loving Savior who died for us and wants us to rely on him. I also know we have a loving Heavenly Father that we can turn to with anything. I testify that the atonement is real and that it is for us to use whenever we need. Feeding the Five Thousand (The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes), by James Tissot (62143); Primary manual 2-47; Primary manual 7-1
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My name is Ellie. I am a sophomore at BYU Idaho. I am excited to live life and to share a small piece of it with you!
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