The Atonement

So, here's another guilty pleasure. I'm a big fan of reading LDS romance novels. Despite the extreme cheesiness that these classics sometimes contain, I really like the spiritual aspect intertwined with the stories. A few years ago, a passage from a novel called "When the Bough Breaks" really put things into an enlightened frame of mind for me. In the story, the character Rachel is talking to her step-brother Dallin about how to deal with her dad's death and he says,

"You know, Rachel, no one in the world has gone through what you have. Sure, you're not the only person who's lost a parent, but no one experienced the exact circumstances of your dad's death exactly as you did. Not even your brothers. Everything about you and your relationship with your dad makes your situation unique. That's why Christ is the only one who can help you get through this or any of your trials. He experienced the exact trials and the exact pain you're going through when He was in Gethsemane, in the exact way you're experiencing it and going through it every day. You don't have to explain why and how you hurt to Him. He already knows. That's why He's the one who knows how to heal and comfort you, if you'll go to Him for help. Sometimes He sends that comfort and help through other people, and sometimes it comes in pretty unexpected and unique ways. that's why it's important not to push people away who want to help. And that's why understanding and using Christ's atonement can help so much."

This really put things into perspective for me about Christ's atonement. I'd always heard it said a million times that "Christ knows exactly what you're going through." But suddenly after reading this passage, I had a light bulb moment. Suddenly those words made complete sense. Sure, Christ knows what it's like to have a bad day. But he suffered to know what it was like to go through one of my bad days. That excerpt from the book brought a lot of comfort and understanding, and I'm glad I was able to comprehend a little bit more about the atonement. It made me appreciate Christ so much more, and gave me a feeling and sense of duty of how I need to shape up and be better to not make Christ's cause and atoning sacrifice all for nothing. It was also interesting for me to read this passage, gain this understanding, and then have my own mother pass away just two months later.

All in all, I know such ironic happenings were not random. The Lord is extremely aware of each of us, and sometimes sends comfort and help in "pretty unexpected and unique ways." Even through an LDS romance novel. :)