Little Moments of Treasure

As I sit down to write this down, I realize that I am not going to be able to find the words to describe what I saw in my mind's eye and felt in my heart this morning as I got ready for church. For some reason--I hadn't actively been pondering this subject (though the Atonement has been the theme of my personal study, my heart, mind, and soul, for the past several months)-- I
had a thought enter my mind about the Savior's last moments on the cross
when He cried out "My God, My God! Why hast Thou forsaken me?"



I have understood the principle of why it was necessary for the Father to
withdraw His Spirit from His Beloved Son--the sacrifice needed to be
totally on His own and He needed to descend below all men. He had
already suffered all of the sins and sorrows of mankind in the Garden of
Gethsemane, bleeding from every pore; He had already suffered denial,
betrayal, mockery, unfair trials, whippings, spittings, scorning; He had
a crown of thorns placed upon His head and was forced to carry His own
cross until He was so exhausted he could no longer stand; He had stakes
driven into his feet, hands, and wrists... He had already willingly
endured more than any of us could ever comprehend, yet still, as He hung
there in agony, His Father had to withdraw His Spirit from Him and
leave Him totally alone. As I said before, I had understood the
principle of this poignant moment on a cognitive level, but this morning
as I pondered, my mind was opened and the Spirit whispered-- "This is
another witness that the Savior understands us in a very real way. There
are times in this life when the Spirit withdraws from us. Unlike the
Savior, it is due to our own unworthy actions--the Spirit of the Lord
cannot dwell in unholy temples. Life is hard. Sorrow and pain are real.
The burden of sin is great. Enduring all of this without the
companionship of the Holy Ghost makes it even harder! Throughout all of
His suffering, the Savior stayed quiet, but at the moment He felt the
Spirit of His Father leave, He cried out "My God, My God! Why hast Thou
forsaken me?!" He knows how it feels to be alone.



The Savior understands us--in EVERY way! In more ways than we understand
ourselves--because He took our individual pains, sorrows, griefs, sins
upon Himself so that He could.  He is waiting with open arms for us to
call out to Him so that He can comfort and sustain us, enable us and
strengthen us. His love is real.



I am grateful for little moments like these when my mind is opened, my heart is changed, and my testimony is forever strengthened.