My husband's church talk on "The Atonement of Jesus Christ"

The Atonement of Jesus Christ: How I can show my faith and trust in His love for me

Brothers and Sisters, I pray and invite the Spirt of the Holy Ghost to be with my words and within your hearts today, that we all may be edified.

The Prophet Joseph Smith declared, ‘The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it’ (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 121).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated: “Jesus’ glorious Atonement is the central act in all of human history! It provides the universal Resurrection; it makes our personal repentance and forgiveness possible. … We are to change our thoughts and then behavior until we are turned away from our sins. … Repentance is thus a continuing process in which each of us needs to draw on the Atonement for real relief, real forgiveness, and real progress. … It remains for us … to claim the blessings of the great Atonement” (“Testifying of the Great and Glorious Atonement,” Liahona, Apr. 2002, 7–8, 13; Ensign, Oct. 2001, 10, 15).

I have been pondering and studying over the years about my children and their wayward choices. I have wondered if I had only done more studying, more praying, or had been more controlling or less controlling with them, things would have been different, then they would have been more involved in the church, as I raised them to be, or maybe even still in the church. Maybe, if I had been a better parent or had better support from my previous wife, things would have been better, and they might not have taken license from her poor example or mine? What had I done wrong?

When we feel hurt by others, particularly by our children, we can see past their weaknesses, use the Atonement of Jesus Christ, find hope, peace, and confidence, and the grace to overcome our fears for them, as well as for ourselves!

I remember growing up, reading and seeing stickers in my youth the statement from a prophet that read: “No other success can compensate for failure in the home”.

Whoa, that’s a lot of guilt to carry. Between Shara and I, we have 12 children, I now understand that because this statement was intended to inspire parents to become, or stay involved with their children, it should not be taken to mean that parents who have indeed put great time, effort, and sacrifice into parenting, and yet who have still not reaped the desired rewards, have failed. 

                                                                                                                When Our Children Go Astray Feb.1997

I have also found solace in a General Conference talk by Elder James E. Faust: “Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered”. In it, he defines what a good parent is, “They are those who have lovingly, prayerfully, and earnestly tried to teach their children by example and precept “to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”4 This is true even though some of their children are disobedient or worldly. Children come into this world with their own distinct spirits and personality traits. Some children “would challenge any set of parents under any set of circumstances. … Perhaps there are others who would bless the lives of, and be a joy to, almost any father or mother.”5 Successful parents are those who have sacrificed and struggled to do the best they can in their own family circumstances.”

But what if the children who have been taught by faithful, loving parents have rebelled or been led astray? Is there hope?

The scriptures do not state that the father of the prodigal son was grieving and moaning because his son had left with his inheritance seeking worldly lusts. When his rebellious son returned home after having squandered his inheritance in riotous living, the father killed the fatted calf and celebrated his return, saying to his obedient, if resentful, son, “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”

I, like Elder Faust, believe, and accept the comforting statement of Elder Orson F. Whitney of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith declared—and he never taught more comforting doctrine—that the eternal sealings of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, the eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return. They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God.”

In the same Conference Report, clear back in 1929, Elder Whitney continued: “You parents of the willful and the wayward! Don’t give them up. Don’t cast them off. They are not utterly lost. The Shepherd will find his sheep. They were his before they were yours—long before he entrusted them to your care; and you cannot begin to love them as he loves them. They have but strayed in ignorance from the Path of Right, and God is merciful to ignorance. Only the fulness of knowledge brings the fulness of accountability. Our Heavenly Father is far more merciful, infinitely more charitable, than even the best of his servants, and the Everlasting Gospel is mightier in power to save than our narrow finite minds can comprehend” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110).

The Prodigal son was welcomed back into the family, but his inheritance was spent. Mercy will not rob justice, and the sealing power of faithful parents will only claim wayward children upon the condition of their repentance and Christ’s Atonement. Repentant, wayward children will enjoy salvation and all the blessings that go with it, but exaltation is much more. It must be fully earned. The question as to who will be exalted must be left to the Lord in His mercy.

Elder Faust continues, “Perhaps in this life we are not given to fully understand how enduring the [temple] sealing cords of righteous parents are to their children. It may very well be that there are more helpful sources at work than we know. I believe there is a strong familial pull as the influence of beloved ancestors continues with us from the other side of the veil.”

 For me, one of the hardest things has been respecting my children’s moral agency. Agency has been a governing doctrine of the universe, applicable in all ages including the eternities before God formed this earth. God has preserved our agency—the right to choose between good and evil. Because we have agency, it is fair and just that we account to him for our use of it, whether good or bad. If we had no agency, God would be responsible for us and everything we did (that’s Satan’s plan), which would result in our never really knowing the depth of our personal convictions regarding either good or evil. We do not live in a neutral world. We are bombarded with choices and consequences.

D&C 105:6 reads:  And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer.

While it’s the harder pathway, the Lord is aware of young people who have been caught in addictive behaviors and is watching patiently over them as they learn through their own experience about good and evil.

Satan’s pervasive snares are increasing, and raising children is becoming harder because of this. Therefore, parents need to do the very best they can and to enlist the help that Church service and activity can provide.

Elder John K. Carmack stated: “We can and should expect much of our children, but we cannot force them into the Lord’s mold. Our children will not stay with the Church and live the gospel unless they want to. Once their wayward children grow up, the time may come when the parents will need to adjust their present expectations and approach, accepting things as they are, rather than continuing in turmoil. We should not expect perfection in our children but, rather, adopt in patience and love the Lord’s eternal view of things.”

When Our Children Go Astray February 1997

More recently Elder David Bednar reported: “The “tentacles of Divine Providence” described by Elder Whitney may be considered a type of spiritual power, a heavenly pull or tug that entices a wandering child to return to the fold, eventually. Such an influence cannot override the moral agency of a child, but nonetheless can invite and beckon. Ultimately, a child must exercise his or her moral agency and respond in faith, repent with full purpose of heart, and act in accordance with the teachings of Christ.”

“The influence of parents who honor covenants and obey commandments indeed can have a decisive spiritual impact upon children who stray by activating the tentacles of divine Providence—in ways that have not been revealed fully and are not understood completely. However, righteous parental influence

(1) does not replace in the life of an individual the need for the redeeming and strengthening power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ,

(2) does not overrule the consequences of the unrighteous exercise of moral agency, and

(3) does not negate the responsibility of an individual as an agent “to act … and not to be acted upon” (2 Nephi 2:26).” Faithful Parents and Wayward Children: Sustaining Hope While Overcoming Misunderstanding March 2014

We recently have studied in Come Follow Me, the story of an angel of the Lord appearing to rebellious Alma the Younger. He declared, “The Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith” (Mosiah 27:14, 20-23).

This remarkable experience was due in part to the prayers of Alma—whom the angel twice recognized as a servant of God. Thus, faithful parents can invite the power of heaven to influence their children. Nevertheless, those children remain agents unto themselves, and the choice to repent or not, ultimately, is theirs. Alma the Younger did repent of his sins and was born of the Spirit (see Mosiah 27:24), This is the outcome all parents of wayward children yearn for with all of their hearts.

As parents are patient and persistent in loving their children and in becoming living examples of disciples of Jesus Christ, they most effectively teach the Father’s plan of happiness. The steadfastness of such parents bears powerful witness of the redeeming and strengthening powers of the Savior’s Atonement and invites wayward children to see with new eyes and to hear with new ears (see Matthew 13:43).

Acting in accordance with the teachings of the Savior invites spiritual power into our lives—power to hear and heed, power to discern, and power to persevere. Devoted discipleship is the best and only answer to every question and challenge.

 Lessons I am Learning:

My Testimony

1.)  God hears the prayers of the righteous and fasting adds power to those prayers, not just Alma’s were heard, the prayers of the people collectively were heard as well. When we are united as a ward in fasting and prayer for a righteous cause, that does not ask God to take away anyone’s agency, we can have faith and trust in Him that His will, will be done in His time, maybe even quicker than we expect. This has been the case for a number of my prayers.

2.)  I need to have FAITH and PATIENCE through trials and suffering, not just with myself but with the pain and anxiety that I experience when I know my children are making wrong choices.

3.)  EXAMPLES SET (like righteous living, church service, Temple attendance) and SINCERE PRAYERS along with earnest FASTING offered in behalf of wayward children, speaks louder than my words.

4.)  When I have greater FAITH and TRUST in God’s plans, my anxiety and fears are calmed as I show greater TRUST in His ability to prevail.

5.)  When I LET GOD PREVAIL, the end results are far better than I could have done!

6.)  I don’t understand how the Atonement of Jesus Christ works but I know the results, for those who repent and strive to keep the commandments. I know the results of Jesus’ Atonement and I want and need them in my life.

I bear this testimony in the name of Jeus Christ, Amen