Him Who is Mighty to Save

Once a month, Mormons fast for 24 hours and give the proceeds saved to the poor.  This usually happens on the first Sunday of the month, and it's called Fast Sunday.  The meeting that day is not a group of speakers like most meetings.  We sing a hymn, take care of church business, take the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and then the meeting is opened to the congregation.  Anyone who feels directed by the Holy Spirit is encouraged to go up to the podium, and tell about their experiences with faith.  

Today was such a Sunday.  I felt before I left for church this morning that I should bear testimony, but didn't feel the need so strongly in the meeting.  But I do feel the need to do so here.  

Over the last 6 months, I've had a very good opportunity to understand how the Atonement affects me personally.  I understand now that the Atonement is the answer to all of my problems, if not all of my questions.  There's a difference there I only recently understood.  Many of my questions will be practical, tactical things: how do I write this performance review?  When and how much is appropriate to teach my children about sex?  Should I stay with my current employer, or look elsewhere?  

My problems are usually more metaphysical: I feel depressed.  I feel like I haven't done right by someone else.  I feel that I haven't put as much action into things I care about as I should.  I feel pain because someone I love is going through a tough time.  I have a habit I need to break.  What I understand by the Atonement is that God loves me.  And everyone reading this.  And everyone who doesn't read it.  That's first.  Secondly, when Jesus suffered in the Garden and felt everything a human can feel, he gained understanding of exactly where I am.  That real-ization has changed my life.  When I am faced with a situation that seems too great for me to bear, I can turn it over to Jesus, and know that He will deal with it for me.

Does that sound kooky to humanists?  I really don't care.  I know for a fact that it works.  When I can't concentrate because my brain won't slow down, I have a little prayer time, and I'm back on track.  When I hit writer's block, the same thing.  Just knowing that God can take the weight off my mind allows me to be free, and to be more of the person I thought I was but found it hard to be.  

He who is mighty to save has certainly helped me.  The Atonement means everything to me.  If only I'd understood it sooner.