Children & Christ's Atonement

Today I had the awesome opportunity to attend my cousin's mission homecoming.  Now normally I attend a Single's Ward (individuals aged 18-30 who are not married).  But today, I attended a home ward where young families abound.

What struck me, and the thought I wish to share with you today, is the love I felt as I looked around the room at the little children (some of which belong to my cousins not much older than myself, I might add).  I looked at those little children and was thinking about the Atonement as the Sacrament was being passed.  I realized the Jesus Christ Atoned for everyone, including the innocent three-year-old two benches in front of me.  Now, children are innocent and I (as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) firmly believe that if a child dies prior to the age of accountability (age 8), they have a freeway pass to Heaven.  So, knowing the Atonement takes away sin, I asked myself, "How would this innocent child utilize the Atonement when they haven't sinned?"  Well, I was quickly reminded that the Atonement is not only for the sinner, but also for the saint.  Christ Atoned for us so that we have the opportunity to return to our loving Father in Heaven.

Jesus Christ Atoned for everyone no matter their age, race, gender, or lifestyle.

On top of that, I think about the love the father has of this three-year-old sitting in front of me.  I think about the cousins closest to me in age, who now have children of their own, and I can imagine the love and pride (the good kind) they experience when they look at their child.  Take that warm fuzzy feeling of love and magnify it by infinity.  That is the love that Heavenly Father experiences as He looks down upon us.

This love is why Jesus Christ came down to this Earth and died for our sins; so Heavenly Father has the chance to be reunited with the children He loves so very much.

As I continue to look around at the children, and feel the warmth of love, the Spirit quietly whispers to me: "He doesn't love them more than you.  You are loved just as much as that small, innocent child."

The Lord loves all of us unconditionally: the sinner and the saint, the poor and the rich, the mean and the kind.  But I think He has varying degrees of (wholesome) pride when we choose to follow Him and when we think of Him and His Son.  It is similar to when a parent sees their child succeed in life.  Obviously they are going to feel a sense of pride from that child and rejoice in their successes.  How much greater could that feeling be from our Infinite Eternal Father in Heaven?  How much more are you willing to do to please Him?

When I was a child, I made mistakes.  Some of these mistakes hurt my parents dearly and I still remember the shame I felt at seeing them disappointed with me.  How is our relationship with Heavenly Father any different?  Likewise, I think when we choose a different path, stray away from Him, He feels sad and wishes we would choose differently.  But He knows it is ultimately our decision (that's why He gave us agency), but He still feels sad.

Think of the loss He would have felt during the War in Heaven, when he lost a third of children!  That's billions of children!  I easily can see Him upset at the loss (yet, having the infinite knowledge He does, He realizes the power of agency in His children).  I cannot fathom a parent who loses even one child not to experience some sort of great loss.

But that is why we are in this life.  We are here to learn and prove ourselves to Him, so that we may return to live with Him someday.

Christ sacrificed His perfect life so that all may be given the chance to succeed.  Some may not partake of His gift, others will abuse it, and yet there are many others who will cherish the gift we cannot fathom, and return gratefully into His loving arms as we fall down at His feet.

I long for that day.