Eye Opener

Hey, guys. I want to tell you about an experience I had recently that really made me think. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this doctrine, here’s a short explanation.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe that Christ suffered for the sins of the world, thereby redeeming us from our sins and making it possible for us to repent and return to our Father in Heaven. He didn’t only suffer for our sins, though. He also experienced every pain and weakness and temptation and illness and sadness, and pretty much everything else you and I have ever gone through. So whenever you feel down, He knows exactly how you feel because He’s felt it too. (A really good scripture for understanding the Atonement is Alma 7:11-13.)

So I’ve been learning a lot about the Atonement in my Book of Mormon class recently, and it’s amazing to me how perfect and selfless the Savior’s sacrifice is. I always had a testimony of the Atonement, but until my recent experience I never really realized just how much I personally need it in my life.

I made a pretty big mistake. Not a huge, life-changing, irreversible mistake; just a pretty dumb decision. I had a lot of advice from friends and family to stay away from the problem, but I thought I knew better and went ahead anyway. I felt pretty good about my choice for a short while, but as time went on I realized just how wrong I had been. At first, I tried to hide my mistake from the people around me. I thought I could handle the problem on my own, but I wished so badly that I had just made the right decision in the first place and avoided all the regret and shame I caused myself. Just when I was about to give up hope of ever making things right, I got a phone call from my dad. He was the person who had most strongly advised me to walk away and not get involved, and consequently he was the person I was most afraid to tell. He asked me if I was doing okay, and then he simply asked me if I had disregarded his advice. For a split second, I considered lying and telling him everything was fine. I dreaded knowing how disappointed he would be if he found out, but at that moment I realized that I couldn’t take care of the problem myself, and I needed help.

Telling my dad that I had ignored his advice was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. He’s one of the smartest people I know, and to think that I knew better than him was pretty stupid. I thought he would be angry with me, but his response was far from angry. He told me everything would be okay, and that we would do whatever we needed to to fix the problem. He told me to call my sister and ask her for help. She and her husband are lawyers, and had also advised me against my decision. I was embarrassed to tell them I’d goofed, but I realized I needed their help. Long story short, they were able to get me out of my bad situation and assured me that if I ever needed anything else they would be there for me.

Guys, I have never felt so much love as I did during this ordeal. My family reached out to me with so much support and understanding. It was so hard to admit to them that I’d messed up, but the feeling of relief I have now that it’s over is so much better than the regret and shame I had before. I could never have done it on my own, and I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who love me enough to do anything for me.

This experience opened my eyes as well as my heart to understand the true meaning of the Atonement. We all make mistakes; we all have regrets. Sometimes we feel like we’d rather hide from the Lord and try and take care of our problems on our own. But He knows better. Just like my earthly dad, my Heavenly Father knows when I am in trouble and need help. That’s why the Savior, or my sister in this case, are there to do what needs to be done to fix the problem and make our shame go away. Without the ability to repent, we would all be lost. And without the Atonement, we wouldn’t be able to repent. I am so grateful for my family and their unconditional love for me, and words cannot express the gratitude I have for my savior and redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Atonement is real. I know it with all my heart. It is not only infinite in its nature, but also incredibly intimate. The Savior atoned for the whole world, but he also atoned for me, and you, and your neighbor, and that guy standing in line behind you at the grocery store. Christ lives and loves you.

Now a Happy List :)

1. Pie. And Pi day. 

2. Having a place to live

3. Something to look forward to

4. Netflix

5. Plasma!

6. Awesome roommates

7. Strobe light dance parties with said awesome roommates

8. A plethora of DVDs :)