When Mother's Day [Father's Day] is Hard

This was written for Mother's Day, but is very applicable for those who struggle with Father's Day as well.

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Mother’s Day is an interesting day. There are those who could stand and speak of their amazing angel mothers and the wonderful support that they’ve had from them throughout their lives. 

I am not one of those.

There are others who can speak of motherhood and the blessing it has been in their life and the tremendous love that they have felt for their children. Because of my upbringing I have struggled a lot with motherhood. It has opened my eyes to how inadequate, weak, and human I really am.

Today I felt that I should speak to those who need the hope and healing that can only come through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, especially today for some.

When we are young we have hopes, ideas, and dreams for the future. Many of those include having a family. But not everyone is blessed with a spouse or children in this life. There are many who’s hearts weep with sorrow at shattered or unfulfilled dreams.

There are others who may lose a spouse to death or through divorce, or lose their children to poor choices or unforeseen tragedies.

Life is not easy and it can hurt a lot.

I grew up with a mother who was very angry and I was terrified of her. I never wanted to be that kind of a mother. But when my children were young I saw that anger show up in myself, and it scared me.

Many times in life it is our trials that draw us closer to the Lord — if we will allow them to. Other times we may allow our trials to push us away from the Lord as we try to find answers on our own. Throughout my life I have seen examples of both. 

I have had times where the heavens have felt silent, where I’ve cried because I had no idea what to do, and where I have asked others for help, and for some reason or another couldn’t be there for me. Even in those times where I could have felt completely abandoned I have never doubted that the Lord was there. I have seen too many examples of His hand in my life.

One of my favorite scriptures is Mosiah 4:9, “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth”

God our Father is real. He knows of our suffering and He hears our prayers.

I remember one day in particular, when my children were small. I had had a rough night. I think all 3 kids rotated getting up during the night; I would get one down and the other would be up — I guess I should have been grateful that they weren’t all up at the same time — but I didn’t get much sleep. In the morning I was getting breakfast ready and was really grouchy. I felt angry at everything and didn’t want my children to have to suffer from my lack of sleep. I remember standing by the kitchen sink and words from the previous general conference came to my mind. Sister Linda K. Burton had said, “all that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ" (Linda K. Burton, "Is Faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ Written in Our Hearts?", General Conference, October 2012).

Right then I felt that life was very unfair and that a horrendous weight was on my shoulders. I really wasn’t sure what to do, but I chose to test her words. I told the kids that I needed a minute and dropped to my knees right there on the kitchen floor. I prayed to my Father in Heaven for help. I told Him that I didn’t know how accessing the power of the atonement of Christ worked, but I asked that if it were possible, that through the atonement of Jesus Christ the negative feelings that I felt could be taken away so that my children wouldn’t have to suffer.

And, do you know what?

They vanished. 

Completely. 

I stood up, ready to take on the day.

That experience was a testimony to me of the healing and enabling power that can come through the atonement of Jesus Christ. It is something that I have used many times, and that power has never failed to bring the comfort that I need when I have asked for it.

One of my favorite scripture stories is found in the New Testament. The disciples are on the Sea of Galilee and the Savior is asleep in the boat. A big storm comes. Okay, so these are fishermen who live on the water so they wouldn’t be afraid of just any storm. This was much bigger than they felt they could handle.

In life we will encounter storms. Really big storms. We may feel that Jesus has forgotten about us and is sleeping in the back of the boat. We may feel afraid and unsure of how to move forward.

The disciples chose to wake Jesus,

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

I remember lying in bed one night listening to a thunderstorm. It was loud. The lightning was flashing and the thunder was booming and I could hear the rain pouring down. I then imagined the Savior on the waters with His disciples and realized that He is someone who had the power to say “peace” and have that storm cease.

That is the power that Jesus Christ has. 

That is the power that is available to us through His atoning sacrifice. That power can heal our hearts. That power can calm our souls. And that power is real.

President Uchtdorf, testified, “There may be some among you who feel darkness encroaching upon you. You may feel burdened by worry, fear, or doubt. To you and to all of us, I repeat a wonderful and certain truth: God’s light is real. It is available to all! It gives life to all things. It has the power to soften the sting of the deepest wound. It can be a healing balm for the loneliness and sickness of our souls. In the furrows of despair, it can plant the seeds of a brighter hope. It can enlighten the deepest valleys of sorrow. It can illuminate the path before us and lead us through the darkest night into the promise of a new dawn” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Hope of God’s Light", General Conference, April 2013).

That is the healing power that is available to each of us through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

In the New Testament we find the story of Jairus. His daughter is sick and dying and he comes to Jesus asking Him to heal her. On the way to Jairus’ house a woman with an issue of blood reaches out, touches the hem of Jesus’ robe, and is healed. In the midst of this miraculous healing Jairus is informed that his daughter has passed away.

Can you imagine the agony of Jairus, watching someone else enjoy what he had been hoping for, and seeing others celebrating while his hopes are dashed to pieces?

I have a nephew who was struggling with a lot of things and ended up committing suicide in 2021. I know where he is now, and I am comforted by that thought, but sometimes I just miss him. 

When dreams are unfulfilled and hearts are broken we can turn to the Savior. It doesn’t make the bad things go away, but we can find peace in Him.

The Savior, true to form, had not forgotten Jairus. He turned to him and said, “Be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36). Sometimes the miracles we pray for won’t come right away. Sometimes they won’t come in this life. But, if we can trust in the Savior we can find the peace we seek.

The trend of the world today is that anything hard, unfair, or even uncomfortable can be seen as an unnatural tragedy. We know, however, that life is a test, and if we did not have the trials how could we grow?

Elder Richard G. Scott enlightened us with this knowledge: “so that the period of mortal testing and growth would yield its greatest benefit, you were taught and prepared for the circumstances you would personally encounter in mortality” (Richard G. Scott, "Truth Restored", General Conference, October 2005).

There is a girl who now lives in Utah named Meg Johnson. When she was younger she was a dancer. In her late teens or early 20s she came out to Utah to visit Saint George with some friends. She was fascinated by all the red rock and leaped from one rock to another until, as she tells the story, “I accidentally jumped off a cliff.” She fell and landed on the ground below — paralyzed from the neck down.

She is one who is blessed with the gift of dreams. In her book, “When Life Gets Hard, Just Keep Rollin’” she relates one dream in particular that has really impressed me. In her dream she knew that she was in the pre-earth life with a man who was wearing all white. He had a white binder and sat down beside her. He explained that during her life she would be paralyzed. She exclaimed, “I am so excited!” She then explained that she didn’t have any idea what being paralyzed would mean, “but” she said, “if that is what it would take for me to become like my Father in Heaven, I would do anything.”

I have not personally dealt with such a tragedy as she has, but others have. However, I have my own personally curated trials and challenges that will help me in my efforts to become more like my Savior and my Heavenly Parents.

But what about those times when we have worked so hard and tried again and again and have been so diligent and kept being obedient despite the obstacles? What happens when we become so worn out and tired and don’t have the strength to keep going on? Sometimes after expending all of our efforts with nothing seeming to work out, we are ready to be done trying.

I’ve been there multiple times.

In the New Testament we read about Jesus teaching a multitude when a man came to him with his son who had been afflicted since he was young. The father explained of the challenges that the family had dealt with:

“[O]fttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but,” he said, “if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us” (Mark 9:22).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland shared, “With no other hope remaining, this father asserts what faith he has and pleads with the Savior of the world, ‘If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.' I can hardly read those words without weeping. The plural pronoun us is obviously used intentionally. This man is saying, in effect, ‘Our whole family is pleading. Our struggle never ceases. We are exhausted. Our son falls into the water. He falls into the fire. He is continually in danger, and we are continually afraid. We don’t know where else to turn. Can you help us? We will be grateful for anything—a partial blessing, a glimmer of hope, some small lifting of the burden carried by this boy’s mother every day of her life.’” (Jeffrey R. Holland, "Lord, I Believe", General Conference, April 2013).

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9:24).

Sometimes when the challenges have gone on for so long and we have lost hope, we have a hard time believing that there might be a light in some distant future where things will work out. In those times we may need to ask for the help to believe.

Joseph Smith taught that, our Father in Heaven is more “boundless in his mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive” (Joseph Smith, History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]). 

Test out these words and promises and come to know for yourself.

In closing, I want to wish all of you a happy Mother’s Day. For those who have been fortunate enough to have wonderful amazing mothers, be grateful. For those who have the chance in this life to be mothers, be grateful. For those who don’t have either, remember that you have a Father and a Mother in Heaven who both love you dearly and long to have you back home with them again. 

I testify that it is through the prophet Joseph Smith that the plan of our Heavenly Father has been restored to the earth. This plan provided a way through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ to give us the comfort and help that we will need as we struggle throughout our lives. As we turn to our Savior we can find the strength and capacity to continue on through the difficulties we will face.

I know God lives. I know He loves all of us. He really is there.

Jesus Christ: Law-giver

In the October 2014 General Conference I was struck by something in President Boyd K. Packer’s talk. He spoke of one subject in the Topical Guide, “18 pages, very fine print, single-spaced, listing references to the subject of ‘Jesus Christ.’ It is one of the most comprehensive compilations of scriptural references on the subject of the Savior that has ever been assembled in the history of the world” (link to talk). This year we are studying the New Testament in Sunday School. I also have a personal goal to read the book Jesus the Christ, by James E. Talmage (something I have started several times, but never completed). For my blog this year I would like to draw upon all of these (and other) resources and delve more into the life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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Prior to the creation of this world we (all individuals past, present, and future to live on this earth) lived with our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ progressed in this pre mortal realm to a state of godhood. Abraham recorded, “And there stood one among them that was like unto God” (Abraham 3:24). Thinking of the many billions of spirit children that were in the pre mortal world, it is possible that there was one, and seems to be only one, that attained godhood through completely perfect obedience from the beginning. 

All of us had the same laws to follow, and each of us had our own agency to choose our path. Tad R. Callister stated,

“Alma described a pre mortal spirit as ‘being left to choose good or evil’, and thus possessing the power to sin….One-third of the pre mortal spirits committed such a serious sin in giving allegiance to Lucifer that they were cast out from the presence of God….This third part of the heavenly hosts chose Satan over God ‘because of their agency’. The two-thirds that remained were not all equal in their allegiance and obedience to God. At their spiritual birth they were ‘on the same standing with their brethren’, but through the laws of agency each spirit advanced at his own rate so that only some became ‘noble and great ones’.

“All premortal spirits commenced their spirit sojourn innocent (i.e., meaning free from sin), but all such spirits lost their innocence through individual sin….

“Such concepts as agency, expulsion, and foreordination, all of which were present in the pre mortal life, imply a choice and opportunity to obey or to sin” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p76-77).

Jesus Christ was the only perfect one in this pre mortal state, and was “chosen and ordained [as] the one and only Savior and Redeemer of the human race” (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, p6). In Moses we read that Jesus Christ was and is “the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men” (Moses 6:52). 

There is and was no other way.

Our Savior reached godhood through His unwavering obedience to the laws of God. Tad R. Callister shed a little insight into the concept of laws which I found quite interesting.

“The scriptures frequently refer to ‘justice’ and the demand for its satisfaction. What, then, is justice, and who requires it?…[W]ho determines what justice is?...

“There are certain laws of the universe that are immutable, that are without beginning of days or end of years. They are not created by an intelligent being, nor are they the product of moral thought, rather they are eternal, co-existent realities with the intelligences of the universe. These laws are immutable in that they cannot be altered or modified in any form….

“Certain of these immutable laws affect the physical or natural world….

“In and of themselves, the laws of the physical or natural world seem to have no moral implications. They do not affect our spiritual growth. we cannot sin by breaking these laws, because it is not possible to break them. We would not drop a ball from a tower and deduce, ‘This ball will always fall in this way, because the laws of gravity are just.’ Justice and mercy have no meaning in these circumstances; fairness or rightness are not issues when it comes to the physical, natural laws; they do not allow for obedience by choice, but rather require uncompromising, involuntary compliance” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p300-301).

There are laws that we do not have a choice in obeying, as he indicated above. But, there are  other laws that we have within us the full control to obey or disobey. He continues,

“There appear to be other immutable laws in the universe, however, that offer both a choice and a consequence, and hence, in this sense, they are spiritual laws. These spiritual laws governs all intelligent beings in the universe—and also govern their progress. For these purposes, progress means an increase in eternal power….

“The Savior observed every spiritual law with undeviating exactness. Apparently because of his complacence with each one, he received power upon power until he acquired the attributes of God, even in pre mortal times….His godhood thus seemed to result not from a creation of these laws, but rather from compliance with them. But what of the rest of us, who do not comply with each and every immutable law? Could we not just try and try and try again until we finally got it right, and then become gods, even though it might be on a delayed timetable? The answer is no. Evidently these immutable spiritual laws offer no leniency or mercy or second chances. If we do not comply, we have lost forever that opportunity for increased power that naturally flows from compliance” (ibid., p 301-302).

There must have come a time in His pre-mortal life when the Savior realized that none of His myriad spirit siblings would be able to progress to godhood with Him—for we had all sinned. I wonder if this was the beginning of the inception of the Plan in His mind. Out of His love for us He must have felt a desire to do something to help—He must have wanted to find a way to help us progress. 

Through his perfect obedience he was not subject to the demands of justice, and therefore “having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; [and at a later day breaking] the bands of death, [taking] upon himself [our] iniquity and [our] transgressions, having redeemed [us], and satisfied the demands of justice” (Mosiah 15:9) He would give His life to save ours. 

Through His never-ending obedience He is able to stand between us and the demands of justice. He then becomes our lawgiver, and can extend His arms of mercy if we will comply with the laws and demands He sets. 

“And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles [us] in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption” (Alma 34:16).

Bruce R. McConkie taught,

“We know that the plan of salvation is always and everlastingly the same; that obedience to the same laws always brings the same reward; that the gospel laws have not changed from the day of Adam to the present; and that always and everlastingly all things pertaining to salvation center in Christ” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, p 4-5).

Everyone who has ever lived, or ever will live, on this earth must comply with these laws if they want to return to live with our Fatehr in Heaven again. Elder McConkie continued, “and we…know that these same laws and doctrines will guide us, as they guided the saints of old, to that eternal life which we and they so devoutly desire” (ibid., p5).

As we continue on our journey of life we can comply with the eternal laws of God, and reap eternal blessings, or we can choose our own path, and receive the consequences of our choices. The only sure way to find peace and happiness in the eternities, is to follow the plan outlined by the Savior.

“But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come” (Doctrine & Covenants 59:23).

President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. expressed his sentiments this way,

“The mystery of it all is beyond me. I can only take the record as it stands, and that record tells me that if I obey his commandments, if I live as he would have me live, then I shall fulfill and reach the destiny which he prescribed for me, a destiny of eternal progression, a destiny of a life in his presence, so far as my work there will permit, a destiny that knows no limit to the power which I may receive if I live for it” (J. Reuben Clark, Jr, Behold the Lamb of God, as quoted in “The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles”, p13)

Somehow by living the laws of God, in this ever increasingly wicked world, we will be blessed in the eternities. And it is only through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ that this is possible. Tad R. Callister said,

“There are a number of spiritual truths that must seem like irreconcilable ironies to the secular world—humility breeds strength, faith nurtures vision, and obedience brings freedom. There is a simple test, however, by which we can learn the veracity of those spiritual precepts for ourselves. The Lord revealed it. ‘If any many will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself’ (John 7:17). Simply put, if we are obedient to God’s will, we will experience newfound freedoms in our life; if we are disobedient, freedom will be the star we can never reach” (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p259).

Perhaps it would be well for all of us, at the beginning of this new year, to try again to be obedient to His laws; to try a little hard to repent a little sooner; to try to be kinder and more Christlike; to try to remember Him more often. There is no limit to His mercy. There is no limit to the love He extends to each of us. As we turn our lives over to Him and choose obedience to His laws, we will find no limit to our eternal joy.

Finding Peace in a Troubled World

One of the basic truths that I have been taught ever since I was a little girl is that I am a child of God. We are all spirit children of a Heavenly Father. He knows us intimately and loves us more than we can comprehend. He wants what is best for us not only in this life but also in the life to come. President Dieter F. Uchdorf said,

“God sees you not only as a mortal being on a small planet who lives for a brief season—He sees you as His child. He sees you as the being you are capable and designed to become.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Matter to Him”, Ensign, Nov 2011)

Before we came to earth all of us lived with our Heavenly Father as His spirit children. We loved Him and associated with Him. We wanted to become like Him. He presented a plan to us in which we would be able to do just that. It would be difficult, but we “shouted for joy” (Job 38:7) when we heard it. We would be able to come down to earth, and obtain a body. We would have to learn to overcome the challenges we would face on earth, but knowing it would lead us to become like our Heavenly Father we were willing to face whatever hardships were required. Heavenly Father knew that we would sin so He prepared a Savior for us, even Jesus Christ our Elder Brother, to atone for us so that we could return to live with them after this life, if we would be true and faithful.

About our premortal life, Joseph Fielding Smith said,

“At one time we were in the presence of our Eternal Father. There is not a soul in this room, not one, that has not seen him. You do not remember it, I do not remember it, but nevertheless there was a time before we ever came into this world when we dwelt in his presence. We knew what kind of a being he is. One thing we saw was how glorious he is. Another thing, how great was his wisdom, his understanding, how wonderful was his power and his inspiration. And we wanted to be like him. And because we wanted to be like him, we are here. We could not be like him and stay in his presence, because we did not have glorious bodies of flesh and bones. We were just spirits, and the spirit does not have flesh and bones. But we saw him in his glory and it was made known to us that by keeping his commandments and observing every covenant that would be given to us on this earth, we could come back again into his presence, receiving our bodies in the resurrection from the dead—our spirits and bodies being united again, inseparably, never again to be divided.

“If we will just be true and faithful to every covenant, to every principle of truth that he has given us, then after the resurrection we would come back into his presence and we would be just like he is. We would have the same kind of bodies—bodies that would shine like the sun” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Take Heed to Yourselves!” p 345).

In the premortal realm not everyone chose to follow our Heavenly Father’s plan. Lucifer, later to be known as Satan, wanted to take away man’s agency. He wanted to force all of God’s children to obey so that they would return back to our Heavenly Father - but his asking price was the honor (or power) of God. In the book of Moses we read,

“And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

"But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.

"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

"And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.” (Moses 4:1-4)

Satan, and one-third part of the hosts of heaven who chose to follow him, were cast out of the presence of God down to this earth. They are here to tempt and to try us, but if we are true and faithful to the plan of our Father in Heaven, relying on the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can return to live with our Father again.

Life, at times, may be difficult. It may be full of challenges, disappointment, heartache, and sorrow. At times it may also be difficult to understand the “why” of our challenges. And we may long for peace to our soul.

President Spencer W. Kimball explains a little about what we knew before we came here,

“We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth for bodies and experience and that we would have joys and sorrows, ease and pain, comforts and hardships, health and sickness, successes and disappointments, and we knew also that after a period of life we would die. We accepted all these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable and unfavorable. We eagerly accepted the chance to come earthward even though it might be for only a day or a year. Perhaps we were not so much concerned whether we should die of disease, of accident, or of senility. We were willing to take life as it came and as we might organize and control it, and this without murmur, complaint, or unreasonable demands” (Spencer W. Kimball, “Faith Precedes the Miracle”, p 106).

We are here on earth to be tried and tested, to see if we will do what the Lord asks of us. Some may be tried with wealth and others with poverty; some with health and some with physical challenges. We will each be tested in the ways that will help us, each of us individually, prepare to return to our Heavenly Father again.

I love the words of President Uctdorf, as he reassures us:

“…please understand that what you see and experience now is not what forever will be. You will not feel loneliness, sorrow, pain, or discouragement forever. We have the faithful promise of God that He will neither forget nor forsake those who incline their hearts to Him. Have hope and faith in that promise.” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Matter to Him”, Ensign, Nov 2011)

Understanding the plan of our Heavenly Father gives us greater insight into the suffering, hardship, trials, temptations and other challenges that we all face on this earth. Through understanding this Plan of Happiness we also know where we can turn to find peace.

I am reminded of the story of Jesus, when on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. There was a huge storm, and Jesus was asleep. The disciples were afraid and turned to the Savior for help. I want to read from the account in the Gospel of Mark:

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

"And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

"And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:37-39)

When we feel like our lives are being beaten upon and tossed about we need to remember that He can bring the same peace to our souls, if we but turn to him. We are reminded of coming to Him through the words of one of our Hymns,

“Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden,

Careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed. 

He'll safely guide you unto that haven

Where all who trust him may rest.

"Come unto Jesus; He'll ever heed you,

Though in the darkness you've gone astray.

His love will find you and gently lead you

From darkest night into day.

"Come unto Jesus; He'll surely hear you, 

If you in meekness plead for his love. 

Oh, know you not that angels are near you

From brightest mansions above?

"Come unto Jesus from ev'ry nation, 

From ev'ry land and isle of the sea.

Unto the high and lowly in station,

Ever he calls, ‘Come to me.’"
(Hymns, "Come Unto Jesus")

As we learn more about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can better understand how to find the peace that we so desperately need. In the March 2013 Ensign there is an article about the enabling power of the Atonement. A few of the quotes talk about turning to the Lord and allowing Him to carry our burdens, even day-to-day ones. "Although the trial may be hard and the relief may not be immediate, we need to learn to allow God to help carry our burdens. We can do this by turning to Him regularly to seek His enabling power" (Carolyn J. Rasmus, "The Enabling Power of the Atonement”, Ensign, Mar 2013).

I have actually tried this, and was amazed at the results. I was having a rough morning. It had been a long night, and my husband was still asleep, and I felt it was unfair that he got to sleep in while I was taking care of the kids. I felt really grouchy, and I remember realizing it. I didn't want to start the day off like that, nor make my kids have to deal with my grouchiness. So, I knelt down and asked the Lord if there was some way that through the atonement the negative feelings could be taken away, so that I could not be so grouchy, and for the sake of my kids. I remember a peace coming to my heart and mind, the feelings of unfairness and grouchiness were gone, and I remember being surprised at how immediate the response was!

Another part of the article talks about "relying" on the Atonement - not just for taking care of our sins, but actually giving us the power to do more than we are able to do. It tells about a lady who had to care for her husband with Alzheimer's. "There are times when the sadness is overwhelming. I get on my knees and plead, 'Please carry this for a while. I can't do this alone.' And I feel God's strength-strength enough to allow me to move forward one day at a time."

The Atonement is a gift available for all of us. Elder David A. Bednar said this about the power of the Atonement:

“Not only does the Atonement of Jesus Christ overcome the effects of the Fall of Adam and make possible the remission of our individual sins and transgressions, but His Atonement also enables us to do good and become better in ways that stretch far beyond our mortal capacities.

"…the Savior has suffered not just for our sins and iniquities—but also for our physical pains and anguish, our weaknesses and shortcomings, our fears and frustrations, our disappointments and discouragement, our regrets and remorse, our despair and desperation, the injustices and inequities we experience, and the emotional distresses that beset us.

"There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, “No one knows what it is like. No one understands.” But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.” (David A. Bednar, "Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease”, Ensign, May 2014).

Jesus Christ paid the price for all of our sins. He therefore has “bought” our ever-accruing debt. As we do our best to keep his commandments, we come to learn that through our faith (shown by our obedience) and through our works (shown by our efforts) his grace is activated in our lives. And through his grace, the peace of the Savior can enter into our hearts.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27, emphasis added)

The Savior’s peace doesn’t mean that we will have an untroubled life. From the scriptures we know that the Savior did not. His peace means that we can have an inner peace, an inner assurance, despite the troubled world that surrounds us. His peace came from knowing who he was and why he was on this earth. He knew his purpose, and strived with everything he had to achieve it.

The Savior has said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) Through our obedience we show our appreciation to the Savior for his atonement. As we “always remember Him”, shown through our obedience, we can “have His spirit to be with [us].” (Doctrine & Covenants 20:77) We can have clarity and peace of mind – despite the turbulent world that surrounds us; comfort within our soul that we are on the right path, and a deep abiding feeling in our heart that we are children of God and He knows the challenges we are facing, and will help us in his own time and in his own perfect way.

It is against the nature of God to force, and he will not force us to follow Him. He waits patiently for us to make the choice whether we will, or will not. The choice is ultimately up to us.

Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven of our sins, and it is through the cleansing power of the Holy Ghost that we can receive the promised peace of the Savior. Peace comes through trusting in our Heavenly Father and the plan He has for each of us. It comes through trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer who accomplished the grueling atonement to give us the chance to turn to Him and be healed. May we live in such a way that the peace of the Spirit can always abide in our hearts.