The Power of the Atonement

While at Especially For Youth* (EFY) I was taught a lesson by Ben Bernard called Burned Out. In it he talked about Derek Redmond, an Olympic athlete, who during the final stretch of his race torn his hamstring. Slowly he dropped to the ground and then when the stretchers came to get him he refused to get on them and decided to finish his race. His father pushed past security and came to help his son finish the race. The message was that all you have to do to win is to rise when you fall. This applies to the gospel in so many ways. I can think of no greater message than repentance. Each time we "fall" all we have to do to "rise" is to ask for forgiveness through the power of the atonement. It is impossible to go through life without "falling". Without the power of the atonement there is no way we can return to our father in heaven. Nobody is perfect. However in the scriptures it says the word perfect all the time. Such as in Matthew 5:48:

 

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect."

 

Or in Moroni 10:32:

 

“Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.”

How can we possibly fulfill this impossible task of being perfect. The answer is simple. Pray and ask for forgiveness through the power of the atonement. In hebrew the definition of “perfect” doesn’t mean to be flawless or of the highest value, but rather it means to be mature and developed? How can I become mature and developed you might ask. As we go through the trials and tribulations that we go through we grow our testimonies stronger and stronger becoming mature and developed. Another wise phrase is:

 

"Smart people learn from their own mistakes.Wise people learn from others mistakes."--Unknown

 

Sometimes you can avoid trials by seeing what someone else has gone through and then choosing a different path to go down.  

A great scripture that goes along those lines is mormon 9:31:

 

“Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been.”

 

 

 

Through the power of the atonement you can fix your imperfections. In Japan there is a method called kintsukuroi, which is the art of repairing pottery with gold lacquer. Most people understand that this piece of pottery is more beautiful and valuable for having been broken. We, like the pottery, are more valuable with our mistakes fixed than we would be if we never were “broken.” As we go through our trials we become more and more valuable to our Heavenly Father.

I would like bear my testimony on the power of the atonement. I am so grateful for the atonement and being allowed to repent and have my sins washed away. I am so grateful for the suffering that Christ went through in the Garden of Gethsemane. I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and his endless love and forgiveness. I believe in Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. What are your thoughts on this topic?

Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/nov/30/50-stunning-olympic-moments-derek-Redmond
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10.32?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/morm/9.31?lang=eng
http://simplyblessed.heartsdeesire.com/2013/11/07/kintsukuroi/

* EFY is a summer camp where youth from the age 14-18  receive religious instruction in a fun environment.