On Every Wave

I was sitting quietly listening to the music today and the spirit rushed over my entire person. It poured into every broken crevice of my heart, filling every rip, every chasm etched in by this worldly existence thus far. They were all gone--all of them. I felt completely whole, and I realized. This is all so simple-testimony is simple. With every crease in my heart ironed out, I realized that that is what the atonement is all about, that is what the companionship of the Holy Ghost is about. It's about filling the gaps, ironing out the wrinkles, it's about not just becoming whole but staying whole as a person throughout mortality.

From my journal:

Today I am being taught [by the spirit] about the atonement and its relationship to trials. I think that's what Heavenly Father wants me to hear today: be of good cheer and always remember my son. The hymn "How Great Thou Art" has a line that reads, "that on the cross my burden gladly bearing; He bled and died to take away my sin." This one line opened my eyes to the importance of bearing our trials and how to do so. The Savior took up my own mortal existence upon His shoulders, not just my sin but my mortal struggles as well. This made me realize if the Savior could "gladly" bear my mortal existence than why can't I? I don't even have to do it alone as he did. Christ already walked those roads [that I face now]. I can step out to the unknown; I can take roads less traveled; I can bear all things if I take Christ's name upon me and always remember him. I have been ransomed. For this reason the "[Savior's] grace shall be a fountain unto [me]. the important thing to remember is that we are never alone, unless we choose it. The hymn "Reverently and Meekly Now" reads, "Be obedient, I implore, Prayerful, watchful, evermore, and be constant unto me. That thy Savior I may be." The church is true. We do have a Father in Heaven who was willing to give up all, even His son for each of us--that we might never be alone. Never. We can bear burdens with faith, patience, and hope if we turn to our Savior through prayer. He will help us carry ourselves along the way. We never have to carry it all on our own, nor were we ever meant or expected to. It wasn't ever the plan.

The atonement allows us to live in the moment and find our joy in the journey. It provides the comfort and change needed to not just fill in the holes this mortal experience will surely puncture us with, but heal them: completely. Remember after all, everyday is a piece of our eternity. Eternity is now, it isn't something that starts after we shed this mortal shell.

As Henry David Thoreau once wrote, "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this."


All my love. Ride the waves this week and see where they take you. And above all else, trust Him. He's a pretty smart guy I'm finding out.


Song of the day is The Call by Regina Spektor.