Elder Hales once said, “When the challenges of mortality come, and they come for all of us, it may seem hard to have faith and hard to believe at these times. Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement can bring us peace, hope and understanding. Only faith that He suffered for our sakes will give us the strength to endure to the end. When we gain this faith, we experience a mighty change of heart, and like Enos, we become stronger and begin to feel a desire for the welfare of our brothers and sisters. We pray for them, that they too will be lifted and strengthen them through faith on the atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
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I was thinking recently about what the atonement means for me in my life and I thought a lot about my nine-year-old son. I’ve done most of my motherhood learning on him. I’m so far from perfect. He has gotten the brunt of my yelling, my frustration, my imperfection and my expectations that are too high.

When I’ve let my temper get the best of me, my son simmers for a few minutes and then forgives me. He puts those negative moments out of his mind. He doesn’t hide away from me. He still wants to be with me and talk and play.

I think this is kind of like Jesus Christ.

He suffered such unimaginable pain for us. For us – for me and for you. Jesus Christ forgives us. Not just once, but over and over again. Each and every time that we make a mistake, He forgives if we take the correct steps and do what we can to repent.
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When I think of the atonement, I think of a night shortly after we moved eight hundred miles from home. I was so lonely. I was stressed out and worried, and I was sitting on the bed and I was crying.

The house was quiet and I suddenly felt a warmth come over me. I felt the arms of the Lord wrap around me. I felt His love for me. I felt his reassurance that we had done the right thing and were where we were supposed to be. I felt the comfort that can only come through the spirit of the Lord.

I know that these feelings I experienced were possible because of the sacrifice of God’s Son for us.
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To sum it up, the atonement is many things to me: Hope, Comfort, Guidance, Peace, Forgiveness, Love, Perspective and Strength.

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By Amanda D

I am a Mormon wife and mother and this is a typical day in my life:

I have three school-aged children so my day starts before the sun rises at this time of year. I get up at 6:15 and start getting kids up and ready for school. I try to serve them a hot breakfast on school days. Some days this is well received and other days they wish they were having cold cereal. Most mornings it seems like I have to prod my daughter to take each bite.

After breakfast, I pester the kids until their teeth are brushed, their faces are washed, their backpacks are ready and their shoes are on. Then they are off to the bus and I take a little while to check my email and read a few blogs. I also try to clean up the breakfast mess.

Next up, my kindergartener wants me to play with him. Lately, we play Legos or cars or we read stories and sometimes we watch TV together. I try to get a workout in a few times a week so my son goes to the gym with me and plays in the daycare. Afterwards, I rush home for a quick shower and then we eat lunch together. After lunch, I get him ready for school and we walk to his bus stop together.

Once he is on his way, I get a few hours to myself. I try to not waste this time, but I admit that I sometimes take a nap or watch a movie. I do laundry, vacuum, and do dishes during this time. I also spend some time writing or scrapbooking or surfing the ‘net. I prepare for this week’s Cub Scout den meeting, and I plan what we are going to have for dinner. I also run errands during this time – the library, the bank, grocery shopping, etc.

Before long, the kids are home from school and we have a snack. Sometimes they rush off to play with friends, or they want turns on the computer. Sometimes we jump right into homework and sometimes we watch TV together. Some days I feel like I have spent the whole afternoon refereeing one fight after another.

At our house, it is a priority for us to eat dinner together so every night, when my husband is done working, we gather around the table for a family prayer and a meal. After dinner, we finish homework, run the kid’s through the tub, go to soccer practice, read books, and sometimes play cards. Once the kids are in bed, my husband and I watch TV together or read. Sometimes we play board games, but that’s not often enough.
I always end the day with reading.

Each week, I try to include a night of Family Home Evening. We don’t always get to it though. We try to end each day with a prayer, but some nights we forget. And that’s okay. We just keep trying to do better.

This is my life as a stay-at-home mother. It’s different from other women, but similar in ways too. Some women work outside the house, some don’t. Some women have several children and some have none. I think that my life is a lot like the lives of my neighbors, meaning that I don’t think my daily life is much different because I am a Mormon woman. We’re all doing the best we can, looking forward with hope and trying our hardest.

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I read a blog post by a friend recently in which the author talked about the different books that have changed her life. My first thought was that I should do a post like that. I am, after all, a big reader. I love to read. I spend time reading everyday without fail. Certainly my list of life-changing books would be long.

So, I sat down and started making a list. Much to my surprise, all I could come up with was:

One.

The Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon has been a spiritual guide for me.  It is a companion to the Holy Bible and has deepened my understanding of all scripture.  It is a testament of Jesus Christ, and I have gained a true testimony of Him in the pages of this book. I’ve learned about His prophets and His life. I’ve found answers to questions in its pages.  I’ve gained peace and comfort from it’s pages. When I’m reading it regularly, I am a better wife and mother.

And that for me is life-changing.

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(Me with my dad at a petting zoo, circa 1982 or 1983)

One of my favorite memories is from when I was a little girl – I’m wearing a dress that my mom made me, my hair is curly and I’m standing on my dad’s toes. He’s wearing jeans and tee-shirt (a red one with a fish on it that reads “Every man must believe in something, I believe I’ll go fishing.”) and he is dancing me around the kitchen while singing the alphabet song. This is the way that I learned my ABC’s. We danced and he sang over and over again.

Looking back, I see how much I learned from my father. He’s an attorney by trade. He taught me how important education is. He taught me how to work hard and how to play hard. He taught me the importance of being together as a family, too. People always assumed that since he was an attorney, we were well off financially. My dad worked in his own practice, going to work at eight in the morning and coming home at five. His evenings and weekends were always available for family time. Looking back I see that he could have worked for a different law firm and potentially made more money, but that wasn’t as important to him as having time to spend with the family.

My dad is not a practicing member of the LDS church, but he was (and is) supportive of us. He would help my mom to get the five of us kids ready for church. He would lead us in prayers over the food at the supper table. He presided over Family Home Evening. He came to church if one of us was speaking or if it was the Father’s Day program in sacrament meeting. In my teen years, my faith wavered because of this – in my mind, I didn’t understand how my dad, the smartest man I knew, didn’t believe. With time, I’ve come to understand that it’s okay that we don’t believe the same things. He respects what I believe, and I respect what he believes.

There were a few things that my dad did while I was growing up that really showed me that he loves me. One was always coming to watch me perform – whether it was the play I wrote and directed with my best friend in junior high school, church basketball games, or recreation league softball games. He and my mom even came to watch once when I was on a bowling league after high school. Another thing he did was read the books that I was reading. He didn’t always comment on them (whether he liked them or not), but it was something that bonded us together.

My dad expected a lot out of us – responsibility, honesty, respect, kindness, and more. But he always gave us the same in return.  I could not ask for more in a father.  I love him.

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We believe that “He divided the light from darkness to make day and night. He formed the sun, moon and stars. He divided the waters from the dry land to make seas, rivers and lakes. He made the earth beautiful and productive. He made grass, trees, flowers, and other plants of all kinds. These plants contained seeds from which new plants could grow. Then He created the animals-fish, cattle, insects, and birds of all kinds.” Because of this creation, the earth was “ready for the greatest creation of all – mankind.” (Gospel Principles, by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 1978, 2009; page 24)

Looking at the things that the Lord has created for us is further evidence to me that He loves us. He has given us the ability to see and enjoy the stars and flowers. We are able to hear birds seeing and children laughing. We have animals to comfort us and help us. We have sunlight to keep us warm, water to keep us healthy.

In Doctrine & Covenants 59:18-19 it reads “Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.”

Seeing flowers in bloom sends a little flutter through me (which is why I take so many photographs of flowers). I know that they gladden my heart, and add life to my soul. I am so grateful for the knowledge that there is a God that created this world for us.

What are some of God’s creations that you appreciate?

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Over the years I have been taught the story of Easter time and time again. As years pass, my understanding deepens. I have pondered it, and prayed about it.  I have read it, and listened to prophets and apostles speak about it.  I have taught lessons to young women about it. I know about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. I know about His time in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the betrayal of His friends. I continue to be amazed at Christ’s ability to say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I understand that His sacrifice makes it possible for us all to be resurrected and to live with our families again after death.

Each year, as Easter approaches, I do different things to help me remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.  I like to read the story of His death and resurrection in the Bible.  We own a couple of children’s books that I read with my children.  We have an animated DVD that we watch with the kids.  I like to watch this video featuring Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, An Apostle’s Easter Thoughts on Christ:

This year, as Easter comes closer, I am thinking about my children.  Am I doing enough to teach them? Do they understand the story? How can I better teach them the meaning of Jesus’ death?  Through the Holy Ghost, I am reminded that they learn through repetition.  Each year, their understand will deepen just as mine has over the years.

Years ago my mother gave me a kit to use at Easter time to help the kids understand.  I plan to spend a few quiet minutes with them reading through the text and sharing what I believe. The kit contains twelve plastic eggs and inside each egg is an important part of the story – a sacrament cup to signify when Jesus prayed and asked, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass by me”; a nail to signify the nails that were pounded through His hands and feet; a piece of white cloth to signify the cloth that was placed in the tomb with the body of Christ, and a stone to represent the boulder placed over the opening of the tomb.

The final egg is empty. It is to remind us of when the angel told Mary Magdalene and another Mary to look inside the tomb, where they would see that it was empty. For Jesus had been resurrected, He was alive again. He walked and talked with His friends once more.

I have a testimony of this. I know that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was crucified for us. I know that He gave His life, so that we may live again. I know that He paid the price for our sins. I know that He was resurrected on that third day.

If you would like a copy of the words and a list of things to fill your own plastic eggs with, please go to this Google Doc.

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