The Matchless Gift of His Divine Son

One of my favorite Book of Mormon stories is the story of Alma the Younger. I am so grateful that we have his story in Mosiah, and then we have it again in Alma 36. Alma tell his son Helaman about what happened during the 3 days that he was passed out. It was during this time that he was able to reach out to the Savior and really accept the gift of the atonement. Alma remembers the words of his father the prophet and says, "I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me" (Alma 36:17-18). As soon as Alma reaches out to Christ, he is saved from that hell and he is filled with JOY!
This same experience can happen to us. Although we probably wont be visited by an angel for persecuting the church, we can find ourselves feeling very low and distanced from the Lord. Whether we are struggling with physical, mental or emotional trials in our own lives or the lives of those we love, we can turn to the Lord. I recently gave a visiting teaching message about the atonement. One of the questions was, "How can we express our gratitude and love to God and to Jesus Christ for the gift of our Savior’s Atonement?" We can express our gratitude by partaking of the atonement. How can we do this? We can repent of our sins and partake of the saving power of the atonement in that way. We can also partake of the atonement by using the enabling power. What might this look like? For me recently I have been frustrated and stressed. Whatever bad feelings we are feeling, we can give them to the Lord. In my prayers I have said to the Lord that I am feeling all these negative feelings and I don't want to feel them anymore, so I'm giving them to Christ (who already knows what I am feeling) and I ask that my negative feelings may be replaced with feelings of joy, love and comfort. This is just one way to partake of the atonement and let it change you.
But it will be different for everyone. A couple of weeks ago, I attended a different ward for a baby blessing. During the sacrament I was sitting on the front row and the deacon stopped in front of each person individually and allowed them to partake of the bread and water fully before moving on to the next person. This reminded me of how individual the atonement is. Christ suffered for me and for you and He did it one at a time. He went through my whole life and suffered my sins and afflictions, He felt my heart ache and my broken leg. He knows exactly what I am going through because He went through it with me, and He did it for you to.
So during your times of trial and hardship, TURN TOWARDS CHRIST. I testify that He can bring us from the galls of bitterness and feel us with joy. We have to do it with Him. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior. I know He lives and He loves me. In the words of The Living Christ "God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine son."