I recently attended the funeral of my beloved father in Astoria
Oregon. He was a great husband, father, friend and WWII Veteran. I
loved him and will miss him dearly but felt complete peace at his
passing because of the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I was
happy to read a recent article in the March 2016 Ensign by Elder
Russell M. Ballard on our Saviors Atonement. It helped reassure my
feelings of peace and hope. I would like to share some of what he said.
"There
is no greater expression of love than the heroic Atonement performed by
the Son of God. Were it not for the plan of our Heavenly Father,
established before the world began, in a very real sense, all mankind--
past, present, and future--would have been left without the hope of
eternal progression. As a result of Adam's transgression, mortals were
separated from God (see Romans 6:23)
and would be forever unless a way was found to break the bands of
death. This would not be easy, as it required the vicarious sacrifice of
one who was sinless and who could therefore take upon Himself the sins
of all mankind."
"Thankfully, Jesus Christ
courageously fulfilled this sacrifice in ancient Jerusalem. There in the
quiet isolation of the Garden of Gethsemane, He knelt among the gnarled
olive trees, and in some incredible way that none of us can fully
comprehend, the Savior took upon Himself the sins of the world. Even
though His life was pure and free of sin, He paid the ultimate penalty
for sin--yours, mine, and everyone who has ever lived. His mental,
emotional, and spiritual anguish were so great they caused Him to bleed
from every pore (see Luke 22:44, D&C 19:18).
And yet Jesus suffered willingly so that we might have all the
opportunity to be washed clean--through having =faith in Him, repenting
of our sins, being baptized by proper priesthood authority, receiving
the purifying gift of the Holy Ghost by confirmation, and accepting all
other essential ordinances. Without the Atonement of the Lord, none of
these blessings would be available to us, and we could not become worthy
and prepared to return to dwell in the presence of God."
How
grateful I am for the Savior. As we celebrate this Easter Season, let
us show gratitude to Him who has made our journey home possible by
pledging to do our best and trying harder to be the BEST kind of Relief
Society Sisters we can be.
Sister LaVerne Norton
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