source of true power

I have sweet assurance because I know that by the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I have the power to overcome anything, including myself. In Isaiah 55:8 - we read, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." The idea and source of power for the world are completely at odds with that of Our Father. The world is confused with the idea that true power comes not from superiority, aggression and dominance, but from humility, submission and love. The ultimate source of power that we as mortal humans can experience comes from the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As members of any Christian religion, the term "power of Atonement is often heard. Do we understand what that really means? The Atonement is the perfect example of humility, submission and love there has ever been and therefore the most perfect source of pure power there will ever be. Jesus Christ had both mortal and immortal qualities. This gave Him the ability to live here on earth as a mortal and also the immortal ability to take upon Him all manner of human suffering that keeps us stained and separated from Our Father. This immortal ability to overcome the world on our behalf, also allowed the sacrifice of His mortal body to be the vehicle necessary to pay the price for our sins, cleanse us and then give Heavenly Father the opportunity to allow us back into His perfectly pure presence. The fact that Jesus had these abilities to atone for us is of course extraordinary. What makes the Atonement perfect is the fact that He humbly, submissively and lovingly chose to do it. Though I don't have the immortal power to atone for myself, I do have the mortal opportunity to have the spiritual power needed to overcome myself. This comes from following the example of the Savior by choosing humility, submissiveness and love.

Christ showed perfect humility by leaving His heavenly throne and condescending to live as a mortal on the earth to be our exemplar and Redeemer. My show of humility has come when I have chosen to acknowledge my sins and weaknesses, take responsibility for them and recognize the need to repent of them. According to Doctrine and Covenants 1:28, 19:23, 112:10, and 124:97 the blessings and power that come from humility are strength, knowledge, peace, guidance, answers to prayers, comfort, and be given, in the very hour what we should say. As often as I have felt the need to repent, and then humbled myself, I have experienced many of these blessings. As a woman that occasionally feels inadequate as a mother, wife, fill-in-the-blank, these blessings have given me power to overcome these feelings. I have been given knowledge to understand that what seem like inadequacies are just normal, human attributes. I have been given in that very hour to know what to say to those whom my normal, human attributes effect, to ask forgiveness and help them feel loved despite my human failings. I have been given peace as I have felt forgiven, strength to forgive myself and others, courage to move forward and not dwell on the past, and power to surrender my will to the Father's

Jesus displayed the ultimate act of submission in the Garden of Gethsemane when he said "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. The need for me to submit comes when I have unfortunately displayed the opposite attitude, that of pride and fear. Pride and fear have always led to painful ends. Usually the pain ends up being extensive enough that I have no choice but to let go of my false sense of control and surrender. The choice though, is not just to submit, but submit to what or whom? There are a myriad of choices; some are sinister and addictive like, drugs, pornography and eating disorders, others are just distractions, like TV, a novel or just a Diet Coke. Too often I have chosen to surrender to worldly (read easier) things that have given me something that disguises itself as peace: relief. Relief is lovely, but limited. It brings a temporary deadening of pain and only lasts as long as it takes the next difficult circumstance to arise. When I have chosen to sacrifice my pride and my will on the altar in subjection to my Heavenly Father's will, I have put myself in a position of being connected to divinity, holiness, knowledge and light. This connection has provided me with understanding and ability beyond what I had before. I find that Christ's grace is indeed sufficient for me and that my weak things have been made strong unto me (Ether 12:27). I have discovered that my pride and fear have been replaced with peace and power, the power necessary to overcome the obstacles and pain that seemed to previously break me. This divine connection also opens me up to the greatest power of all - love.

The Savior's unconditional and pure love is proven by His atonement. John 15:13 tells us "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Again, through the power of the atonement along with my attitudes of humility and submission, I have the ability to develop this pure love, or charity. I can see that the apostle Paul was right when he said "Charity never faileth" (1 Cor. 12:8). I have been able to love myself beyond my faults and weaknesses and see myself anew because I am new. I can now love my neighbor as myself. I can love a rebellious child, and indifferent husband, an exhausting extended family member, a difficult neighbor, an enemy. With this power of love comes the ability to free myself from feeling responsible for anyone else's choices and the conflicting emotions those choices can harbor. This power not only gives me the opportunity to make covenants, but the desire to keep them. The commandments are not longer on the "must do" list, but on the "can't wait" to do list. Service becomes natural instead of inconvenient.

If I follow the perfect example of Jesus Christ by choosing humility, submission to the Father, and love, I have the sweet assurance that I will have the strength necessary to overcome myself and any circumstance. As I practice these choices, have faith in the real power of the Atonement and endure to the end, I have the sweetest assurance of all - the eternal power to be in the infinitely loving and pure presence of God.