Be whole now through the Atonement of Jesus Christ¶

As a youth I loved hearing from Elder Bednar. When first called he was young (noticeably younger than the other Apostles) and I remember straightening up and being more alert when he spoke. Now I’m not old, I’m not young, and I’m not an Apostle like Elder Bednar. I definitely don’t expect the same from all of you.

UNLESS you are a Deacon. You should sit up straighter and be more alert because I’ll see you in our Quorum meeting soon after I finish speaking.

But from Elder Bednar’s talks I did notice he would almost always start by praying for help and praying for the Spirit as he shared what he had prepared.

I’ve offered similar prayers this week. In those prayers my mind has thought about “the one” person that might need to hear something today. That one person may be me. Or it may be my family. But I pray that God can help someone today from what I can share.

A broken goblet¶

With my daughter Hadley's permission I want to share an experience from last week. Last Sunday, we had Easter dinner with our extended family. Each individual family brought different items to compose the entire meal and we ate with china dinnerware and drank from glass goblets. During the meal Hadley accidentally knocked over her goblet and it broke. Hadley felt bad and said she was sorry; her aunt was very understanding. It was easy to pick up the large shards of the goblet and throw them away. I went over to wipe up the spilled water and I noticed there were smaller pieces; so I helped gather those and threw them away. Upon even further inspection, it looked like there were even tinier specks of glass that couldn’t be picked up with fingers. They would have to be taken care of by shaking out the tablecloth.

I can’t glue glass and we were not attempting to fix the broken goblet. But even if I had magic glue I wouldn’t have been able to do it because of those tiny specks that fingers couldn’t hold. I’ve been thinking about that goblet and how it can relate to our own lives.

First: Some broken things in life we can use our own agency to fix (similar to the large shards of the goblet).

Second: Other broken things in life require help from others (like me coming to help pick up the smaller pieces).

Lastly: There are broken things in life that our combined mortal abilities can’t tackle (like the tiny specks of glass in the tablecloth).

We are all broken¶

Like the goblet, we are all broken in some way. The Apostle Paul said, “... all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.¹” Each person who accepted Heavenly Father’s plan is broken because of physical and spiritual death. And as Alma taught: “… it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; … yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement…²”

In addition to a world where we are broken from physical death and spiritual death, we also live in a world where we can be broken from trials such as heartache, bullying, divorce, back pain, loneliness, unemployment, unfairness, and feelings like life is too much.

A year and a half ago I was unexpectedly laid off after being with my company for over a decade and being a top performer. Even with loving support from friends and family my life felt broken. Before the lay-off, there was a long time where I enjoyed the work I did and felt like I had a good balance with non-work life too. It felt like that part of my life was working. It was gut-wrenching to be affected by someone else’s decision where I had no control. Even though time has passed, I’m still trying to adjust my thoughts and find purpose as I go to work each day.

I know that the Atonement is for more than overcoming physical and spiritual death. I’m trying to use it to overcome my own insecurities. I’m trying to use it as I pray and wait for miracles and to not feel broken.

Scripture examples of becoming whole¶

The scriptures teach of Christ’s miracles of healing the broken and making people whole:

• To the woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years He said, “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole³”
• To the leper that had already been healed and who returned giving thanks, Christ said, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.⁴”
• As Enos prayed in the woods he heard the words, “wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole⁵”
• A man waiting for 38 years at the pool of Bethesda heard, “Wilt thou be made whole?...Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.⁶”

There are many times when Rebecca and I pray and wonder why we can’t have a miracle like what Jesus did. It would be great to have a Red Sea miracle or pioneer crossing the plains miracle. We know a family friend that while on his mission was shot and the bullet never touched his skin. Rebecca and I refer to Sister LeAnne Adam’s recounting of the miracle rain that poured on her son’s mission island. I have asked, “Why won’t God fix X or help me with Y or make me whole now?”

Several of the examples I read showed people waiting for years. Each of these miracles took time and may not have been exactly what those individuals originally requested from the Lord. Some of Christ’s commands to be made whole didn’t deal with physical healing because physical healing is not the only way to become whole. Waiting until the next life is not the only way to become whole. President Nelson encouraged us to seek and expect miracles today.

How to become whole today through the Atonement?¶

The question I’ve repeatedly asked myself and thought about this week is: “How do we become whole today through the Atonement?”

I don’t have a perfect answer, but I’d like to share my own experiences and three phrases that are direct invitations from the Savior on how to be made whole—to be complete or become healed:

1- Come follow Me¶

Christ’s invitation of “Come, follow me⁷” invites us to leave behind the old life and worldly desires and become a new creature where “old things are passed away [and] all things are become new⁸.” This is an invitation to change. Rather than focusing on how we are broken, we can focus on how to better follow Him.

An application in our own lives could be giving up time spent in books or shows so we can read the scriptures more. It could also look like turning off our phone or our brains a little sooner each night to spend more time on our knees in prayer. For me, I’m trying to remove distractions.

I personally love learning new things; from computer automated design, DIY home projects, woodworking practices, life organization skills, etc. I often use YouTube to learn more and what I watch doesn't drive away the Spirit. But I have seen that it distracts me from the Spirit. Several weeks ago, I started an informal “fast” from YouTube. I still have a habit of picking up my phone or a thought to look something up, but I’ve stopped seeking for more temporal knowledge. Instead I’ve listened to more conference talks. I’ve dedicated a time at night to study the scriptures. I find myself sharing my thoughts more with Rebecca which in turn has strengthened our marriage.

I still have the same problems and can feel broken, but I feel more complete knowing that I am trying to use my time by following Him.

2- Draw near unto Me¶

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you⁹”.

As we draw near to Jesus, we realize that mortality is meant to be difficult and that “opposition in all things” is a key part of God’s plan. Opposition teaches us to be humble and to be like a little child that is dependent upon his parents. This is personally hard for me. I like to feel competent. I like to figure things out. And I don’t always ask for help.

To help us envision what drawing near unto Christ could look like I’d like to share something about my son Clark. Clark is 5.5 years old and has a loving older brother Cooper who is 11.5 years old; and Cooper is also a tease. Teasing is something that Cooper learned from me and there are many fun-filled moments in our home of playful teasing. Whether Cooper jumps out from around the corner trying to surprise or pretends to be an imaginary creature on the chase, Clark will often come running to his Mom. He speeds into her almost crashing, tucks himself between her legs, holds onto her with a vise-like grip, and says, “Save me.”

What if our first reaction to feeling scared, broken, frustrated, or uncertain was to speed to our Savior, tuck ourselves into His always open embrace, cling to His words and teachings with a vise-like grip, and pray “Save me” or “help me”? I know I don’t always do that, but Clark’s childlike behavior is a good reminder. The next time you feel broken, I hope you remember Clark.

3- This do in remembrance of Me¶

“This do in remembrance of me¹⁰” is what our Savior asked when He instituted the sacrament. As we take the bread and water, we renew sacred covenants we have made with God and invite the power of the Atonement into our lives.

For multi-taskers like me, my brain is always thinking about the next thing. My family teases me because of how often I set a timer so I don’t forget something or how I add everything to my TODO list because I know I’ll forget. Remembering is hard for me. Remembering the Savior is hard for me.

To help me remember I’ve tried a couple things. First I try to always walk around with a penny in my shoe. Yes, I have a penny in my shoe right now and if I move my foot or wiggle my toes I can feel it. During my day-to-day activities I will feel that penny. When I feel it, I try to pause and say a mental prayer or recently Rebecca has taught me to pause and envision Jesus with me. What would I say or think about? How can I remember Him?
Remembering what the Savior suffered for and felt in the garden of Gethsemane helps me feel less broken and less alone. Striving to remember invites the Holy Ghost who has given me feelings of hope that what is broken today will be made whole.

For those that find remembering hard, I invite you to put a penny in your shoe and pause to envision Jesus with you. Remember his life, teachings, sacrifice, and the covenants you have made __________________

Our own broken goblet¶

This week I’ve developed a greater appreciation for those three invitations from our Savior. I’m still waiting for miracles and still experiencing trials, but I feel more whole. By trying to include Jesus more in my life, I have better perspective, I’m filled with more love, and I want to keep developing my relationship with my Heavenly Father and Savior.

• I am grateful for what I now call “The parable of the broken Easter goblet.”
• It is a personal reminder that we will all feel broken and the tiny specks will be impossible to pick up alone.
• It is a reminder that I can associate with Easter and the entirety of what Christ’s Atonement can cover and heal.
• I know we have a Loving Heavenly Father who is aware of us and our broken pieces.
• I know we are not alone.
• We have a loving Brother who invites us to “Come unto Him”, “Draw near unto Him”, and “This do in remembrance of [Him].”
• As we strive to follow His invitations, I know we can be made whole through His Atonement.