Tonight in institute we listened to part of a talk by Elder Oaks, and in it he spoke of the atonement and just how far-reaching it is. I think we often forget everything that the atonement entails. Typically when I think of the atonement I think about the fact that Christ experienced my sins. He suffered for them so that I wouldn't have to. As a result, I can fully repent and make my way back to my Heavenly Father. While that is true, appreciated, and impressive in and of itself, I think we tend to forget that the atonement covers more than just sins. The atonement covers EVERY negative feeling, EVERY negative experience that we will have in mortality. Christ genuinely felt our anguish - not just over sins committed, but he also felt our anxiety, our depression, our stress, our doubt and insecurities, our longings, and our loneliness.
This is why Christ had to be half human, so that he could feel all of these human emotions so deeply. The half God part is manifested in His surviving all of those feelings simultaneously. I am so truly grateful for the opportunity that I have to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I love this Gospel. I would be lost without it. I love the knowledge that it gives me of right and wrong, and I am continuously so grateful to know that when I am faced with trials, I am not expected to overcome them by myself. I do not have to do hard things alone. Christ loves each one of us unconditionally, and will always reach out to pull us through the hardest moments of our lives. To whoever is reading: please, always remember this and know that you are loved more than you know. And you can do hard things.
❤, Meagan
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