The atonement (and Christ's perfect example) didn't inevitably occur just because Christ was on a steam train bound for being perfect. It was his character traits; his strengths, his maturity of understanding, his approach to the challenges of life that gave him the ability and inclination to perform the atonement and show us the path to follow. Indeed, Neal A. Maxwell has stated, "there would have been no atonement except for the character of Christ."
The converse would be true, then. Without these traits, these strengths, these mature and understanding habits of mind, he would not have desired -- or been able -- to carry out his mission.
That is sobering to consider. And I, for one, feel in awe of his willingness and ability to develop his character with such discipline as to enable him to never once get caught in a snare.
He was never once distracted or deceived. He was never stuck in discouragement, - never gave way to bitterness or hatred. He never saw himself as so superior that he couldn't spend time or relate with others. He never placated or lied to make himself look good, or to baby someone else's comfort. He never once pulled the covers over his head and said, "I just can't do it today."
Sometimes Christ's example can seem so unattainable for us stumbling mortals. But like any long journey, it begins with the first step. We can learn to be like him, one step at a time, accepting ourselves along the way, and taking the long view that we'll be at it well into the next life.
As long as the road is to be like Christ, it seems to me that striving to attain his character traits is an extremely efficient way to improve one's self. After all, it is the only guaranteed path to overcome all things. And that is not something that any other self-improvement program can boast.
And I'm thinking that if Christ's character gave him the ability to complete his mission, it can help us with our mission too. Even though our mission is much simpler than his. Those same traits he achieved can help us do the kind acts we are supposed to do. They will help us have the strength to endure our crosses, like getting through school, or raising kids, or struggling with our marriage, or balancing the budget, or being patient with rejection, or feeling pain for the chaos in the world.
This is because his character is the individual traits of his strength -- it's the components of being "like him" that we can strive for. Its patience, charity, hope, faith, diligence, virtue, knowledge, humility, obedience -- it's these components that can help us overcome the world as he was able to do.
No matter how unique your personality is, or how crazy your past was, you can work on installing the components to become more like the Savior. And as we do this, we will be able, gradually, to overcome all things, as he did.
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