Atonement

Disclaimer: This was originally part of a missionary letter

Last week, I went to see Adam for Thanksgiving. It was absolutely wonderful. I'm going back for the weekend of his farewell, and then I'll see him the night before he goes into the MTC. After that, it's letters. I'm excited for him to be able to serve. I've really been gaining a stronger testimony of missionary work and the gospel in general, and getting to know Heavenly Father a little better lately. Last night, I went to see the play Children of Eden, and it really made me think a ton about Adam and Eve. Seeing them portrayed dramatically like that really helped me to understand that they were real people. They had thoughts and feelings and motivations and pain. They had hard lives after the garden of Eden, too. How must it have felt to them when one of their sons murdered another? I'm sure they loved both of them. And what were Eve's thoughts when she took the forbidden fruit? Did she know about us? What were her motivations? And it must be so hard for God to see so many of His children go astray. Imagine all of the pain we feel when people we love go astray, and then think about how God must feel. There's a lot of pain in the world. But that's why we have the Atonement. God knew what was going to happen and what needed to be done. He had to watch His beloved Son go through soo much. And you get to be out there sharing that message with people. The Atonement is the only reason there is hope in the world. Without it, there would be only death. We wouldn't be able to be forgiven, or be with our loved ones, or be resurrected. We'd have to be under Satan's rule forever. But we don't, because of the Atonement. We get all the 2nd chances we need. It's such wonderful, amazing news, and you get to be out there sharing it with people, helping God to help them get back to Him. It is amazing to me how much He loves us, and how much Christ loved us. It's interesting to think that when the fall and the Atonement took place, we were watching. I'm sure we'll remember those things again. It's so incredible how God has a plan for all of us and knows what's going on in the big picture. That's why it's so important to trust in Him. He loves us and wants what's best for us.