Digital Only: Young Adults
No Greater Love Than His: Learning to Access the Atonement of Jesus Christ Every Day
When I learned one way to access Christ’s Atonement, I started feeling His power daily.
By Jen Tolman
Sometimes when we talk about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, it can be hard to know how to feel His power in our everyday life. It can seem vague and abstract when others admonish us to “use His Atonement.”
The Atonement of Jesus Christ isn’t some currency we draw from a bank account when we need it. The events of His Atonement describe what Jesus Christ did to enable us to overcome physical and spiritual death. Through Him, we access the power that comes from His sacrifice. He offers us ways to find forgiveness, repentance, grace, and strength.
A huge part of this is feeling His love for us.
John 15:13 reads, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus Christ showed us how much He loves us by performing His atoning sacrifice. He made a way for each of us to overcome death and carry His love and strength always. And each one of us needs His power and love every day—and especially when life gets challenging.
So, how can we access the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ daily? In my own experience, I’ve learned how to invite the Savior’s enabling power through prayer.
A Change Within
While on my mission, my mission president encouraged me to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He made a 30-day study program containing talks and scriptures. Each day focused on an aspect of Christ’s Atonement to help the reader understand it better.
As I studied the words of God’s servants, my heart softened. I realized how much my Savior has done for me, and I felt so grateful for His sacrifice. On day 28 of my study, I studied a devotional given by Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I realized that making Jesus Christ part of my day went far beyond my morning studies. I needed to practice intentionally feeling His love and accessing the power of His Atonement.
Elder Bednar taught: “As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of [Jesus Christ’s] Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed. We will become agents who ‘act’ rather than objects that are ‘acted upon’ (2 Nephi 2:14).”
With guidance from the Spirit, I realized I needed to change the way I prayed. I would previously pray for things that I thought would help me—for specific events to occur, others to reach out to me, or some sort of sign that could aid me. But those are all things I couldn’t control. What I could control was myself—I was what needed to change.
One night after a long day of missionary work, I felt particularly exhausted and overwhelmed. I got on my knees and prayed. I poured out all the frustration and sorrow I had pent up. I asked God to give me physical and emotional strength so I could wake up in the morning, motivated.
I intentionally asked for strength, a change within me, not my surroundings.
The next day, I woke right as my alarm sounded. I felt rejuvenated, happy, and ready for the day! It was such a stark change from what I’d felt previously. Focusing on what I could control and asking for Christ’s help completely shifted how I viewed His sacrifice for me.
I realized that Jesus Christ can give me hope, happiness, energy, motivation—any type of strength I could possibly need. I just needed to ask for His help and love to change me. And it did—aid came over time, with practice and patience as I prayed and drew on His power.
This way of praying became a regular habit in my life after that. I have felt His power lifting me. I have seen His love change me.
A Greater Love
We aren’t required to be in dire need before accessing Christ’s Atonement. Our needs can be simple or small—Jesus Christ covers all things. We don’t even need to be struggling to feel His power. You can feel Christ’s love in lots of different ways: ministering, scripture study, temple worship, celebrating Easter, and so much more. Find the ways that you can access Jesus Christ’s Atonement daily, and you will experience lasting joy.
President Russell M. Nelson recently said:
“I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. ...
“Come unto Christ and ‘offer your whole [soul]’ to Him. This is the secret to a life of joy!”
Jesus Christ is my Redeemer and friend, and there truly is no greater love than His.