Book of Mormon: Day 173: He shall come to redeem His people

Today’s Reading: Alma 11:5-45

40 And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else.

Raising boys is messy and certainly never boring. I am often stunned at my son’s ability to find dirt in the oddest of places. I am equally amazed at how proficient they are at creating mass quantities of mud from the smallest pile of dirt. In this home, all dirt is created equal, and not even the smallest speck is overlooked or left unused. Where there is dirt, there will be mud, and three muddy boys. Inevitably, the fun fades, the squeals of delight quiet, and three filthy boys remain. Ironically, as much as they enjoy creating messes, they never request to remain in their filth. In fact, they always desire to bathe and be made clean.

I have often felt tainted by sin, figuratively covered with mud. In moments of self-reflection and self-inventory, when it is obvious that I have fallen painfully short, I relate to Nephi’s grieving soul:

O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grievieth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me… And why should I yield to sin because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? [i]

In these moments of defeat, when disappointment and remorse mount, the enemy of our souls would have us retreat, sinking further into hopelessness. But Christ, the author of our hope and the Captain of our souls, stretches forth His redeeming hand. The hands that created “worlds without end” [ii], hands that calmed a raging sea [iii], hands that continually served and healed, and hands that were pierced on our behalf are the very hands that eagerly wait to heal every form of brokenness within us. If in our misguided thoughts we hesitate to accept His invitation, thinking we are too unworthy, let us remember His mission is never to condemn, only to save (John 3:17).

It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. Save those rare sons of perdition, there is no life so shattered that it cannot be restored. [iv]

Love was His motive. Love remains His motive. His love knows no bounds nor does it discriminate. His loves reaches back into premortality and extends into eternity. Weary or grieved, it mattered not; He loved intentionally and gave unconditionally. His grandest gesture of love was His atoning sacrifice, which changed the course of human history.

President Ezra Taft Benson spoke of this unspeakable love:

“We may never understand nor comprehend in mortality how He accomplished what He did, but we must not fail to understand why He did what He did. All that He did was prompted by His unselfish, infinite love for us.”

Although “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” [iv], we can rejoice because Christ’s Atonement made it possible to “shake off the chains by which (we) are bound” [v]. His Atonement provides rehabilitative, miraculous power that can transform our very souls and rid us of the mud that stains our souls. As we approach Him, perhaps uncomfortably, covered in filth and stained with sin, He extends mercy and forgiveness. His grace is, as President Uchtdorf said, “our great and everlasting hope” [vi]. It is given freely, never earned, because “the Holy Messiah…is full of grace” [vii].