"The Healing and Strengthening Power of the Atonement"
Kevin P. Shiley
October 30, 2001
It is an honor to represent the faculty today as I speak with you. They are a wonderful group of people to work with - so caring and supportive. On behalf of all the faculty, may I tell how much we love you? You bring great joy into our lives.
Another great source of joy for me is my family. I am happy to have my two youngest children with me today, Caleb and Sarah. I guess they figured that if Dad goes to their soccer games and band concerts, the least they could do is support him as he gives the most nerve-wracking talk of his life! (Of course the fact that they were able to get out of school to be here today had nothing to do with their eagerness to come)! I'm proud of my oldest son, Spencer, who, like many of you, is struggling to raise a little family while he goes to school and works many hours a week. My wife, Carrie, always supports me in the things that matter most -- that our family be together daily for family prayer and scripture study, and weekly for family home evening, family council and family recreational activities. And she is so good at being both a strict mother and a good friend for our children. But another important part of marriage is that each spouse recognize each other's individual gifts and talents, and support them as they share those talents with others. Carrie is blessed with a gift of working with children one by one to help them improve their learning skills, and that is what she is sacrificing today in order to be here with us.
I am grateful to my parents, who visited here during General Conference. While they were here, I asked my Dad for a Father's Blessing. It made all the difference in helping me prepare for this day.
Finally, I am grateful for the example of my son Aaron. He is now serving a mission in the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission, teaching the gospel in the Spanish language. I would like to begin today by reading 1 Nephi 19:23, which is the scripture that Aaron chose as the theme of the sacrament meeting talk he gave prior to his mission:
"...but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in their Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning" (1 Nephi 19:23).
I would like us to heed Nephi's counsel today, to liken passages of scripture unto us, both in Isaiah and in the Book of Mormon. Let's start with a familiar verse from Isaiah chapter 53, verses 4 and 5. As we read these verses, think about how they apply directly to you.
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with His stripes we are healed."
Has he ever borne your grief or carried your sorrows?
Have you ever felt peace because he strengthened you?
Have you ever been healed through the atonement of Jesus Christ?
How long has it been since you've felt that healing power?
Now, please turn to Isaiah 41, and read with me a passage of scripture that inspired one of the verses of the hymn "How Firm a Foundation".
"Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." When was the last time he strengthened you? (Isaiah 41:10)
Many of the devotional speakers this semester have warned of tough times ahead. How do we cope? How do we handle it? We can't do it alone.
I would like to speak today about how we deal with tough timers in our lives. I would speak of the healing and strengthening power of the atonement of Christ. I don't profess to have a scholarly understanding of the power. But I know an awful lot about it because of the hundreds, perhaps thousands of times that I have sought relief from the spiritual wounds I have received through life. These wounds are often self-inflicted...sins I have committed, or things I should have done that I left undone.
More often they have come about as natural consequences of mistakes made, that perhaps don't technically qualify as sins, but nonetheless hurt me or others in some way. Occasionally, the wounds are inflicted by the words or actions of others, although I have learned that these wounds are often made more or less serious by the way I chose to react to circumstances.
Elder Bruce Hafen , former President of Ricks College, said this in a beautiful article in the April 1990 Ensign:
"The Savior's atonement is thus portrayed as the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just for sinners."
Boy, am I grateful for that! I may not be a telestial being, but I am far from celestial! My family, friends and students can all testify of this! I am especially good at cluelessly making comments that end up hurting someone's feelings. I can imagine the Holy Ghost thinking, " DOH! Shiley, not again! Can't you ever think before you open your mouth!"
But no matter how we try the Lord's patience...If we truly come unto him with a broken heart and contrite spirit...and follow his pattern for healing that we will discuss in a few minutes, the next day, when a friend asks "How are you doing" We can genuinely say, GREAT!
Why does the Lord continue to heal us when it seems that for every step forward we take a half a step back? Simple. He can't help it. He really Loves us. He really cares. He understands what we are going through. He wants to help. But he knows our heart. It must be sincere.
About ten years ago, I was on a long flight from New York to Seattle. It was a half-empty flight, and I had nobody sitting next to me...so I saw it as a great chance to catch up on my Book of Mormon reading. I settled in to read the entire book of 3 Nephi.
I had a powerful experience on that long airplane flight. I was totally immersed and involved in the events that occurred. I imagined I was the prophet Nephi, and as a result, gained a whole new appreciation of the Love of God. I began to understand more fully the pattern we must follow to partake of the healing power of the atonement.
So will you go back with me to the meridian of time? In the first chapter of 3rd Nephi, the unbelievers have set a date for all the believers to be executed if the signs are not given that were prophesied by Samuel the Lamanite. Imagine that you are Nephi, the son of Nephi, who was the son of Helaman. You are now the spiritual leader of those who believe in Christ. You love your people. Your faith has been unwavering, and it is unwavering still. You have had numerous witnesses of the spirit that the Savior will indeed come. Yet you seek just one more feeling of comfort and assurance...just one more confirmation that your faith will be made whole.
"And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be slain because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day..." (3 Nephi 1: 11-12)
Now on the other side of the veil, it is time for the great Jehovah to say goodbye. In just a few hours of earthly time, he will enter the body of a baby boy, and will experience the same need to walk by faith as the rest of us. He was leaving to serve his mission.
I can imagine our Savior spending a quiet evening with His Mom and Dad, Our Heavenly Father and Mother. Then the Holy Ghost slips in the room.. "It's Nephi ..... its pretty urgent.....I think you should take this one yourself." The Father nods to the Son, and the great Jehovah takes time out from his farewell to comfort and reassure his prophet.
"...and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
Lift up your head, and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world..." (3 Nephi 1: 12-13)
"Hang in there, Nephi, I'm on my way."
When you and I are at those critical points in our lives, where our faith is put to the test, He is aware. He really loves us. He will respond when we cry unto him with all the energy of heart.
Now, let move ahead almost 34 years. The signs accompanying the death of the Savior have come to the Americas. Terrible destruction in the form of earthquakes, floods, wind and fire have devastated the earth and many of the Nephites and Lamanites have perished. Now it is dark.
Let's read in 3 Nephi chapter 9 what the Savior said to all the survivors in the land round about. They were all hurting, all aching inside, yearning for their lost loved ones, terrified about what the future might bring. They suffered from spiritual wounds and perhaps some physical ones, too. No doubt some of them had lived very righteous lives, yet still suffered.
Nephi, I imagine, was overcome with grief. He had tried so hard to share the gospel with his brethren, but their hearts were hardened. And now, they were destroyed. Nephi knew the signs of destruction meant the Savior of the world had been slain for the sins of the people. His faith in the resurrection and atonement gave him hope, but still he was emotionally and spiritually drained.
3 Nephi 9:13 is a most important passage of scripture, because it gives the pattern to follow if we would like to receive the healing power of the atonement of Jesus Christ...regardless of why we are hurting.
"O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will not ye now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?" (3 Nephi 9:13)
Wait a minute...these people were spared because they were more righteous. Yet the Lord says...Return unto me. Repent of your sins. Be converted. Do you think Nephi needed to be converted?
Well, I would suggest that at a minimum, these three things should happen every week of our lives, in preparation to partake of the sacrament. But it needs to be real, genuine. And honestly, there are many times when I could not bear to wait until the Sabbath to be strengthened or to have my wounds healed.
Do you remember a time you truly repented of something? Do you remember how it felt to be forgiven. Do you understand what Isaiah meant when he said "with his stripes we are healed" ?
I was just finishing my freshman year at BYU, way back in 1975. There were ten days left in the semester when i was called to be a Stake Missionary. My senior companion, Elder Sorenson, and I were asked to teach the gospel to Joseph Abel-Abia, a graduate student from Nigeria. We taught him 7 lessons in 12 days. The Lord truly strengthened me those two weeks. I was somehow able to complete all my term papers and final exams successfully. Fortunately, I had memorized the missionary discussions earlier that year, by spending several hours every Sunday working on them.
Joseph Abia was full of faith and humility. He accepted the gospel without reservation. When I asked if he understood that he would be unable to receive the priesthood, He replied that If the church were true, who was he to question God? And if it were false, who cared what the church believes? But then he replied that he knew it was true, and that he would just have to be patient and wait upon the Lord. Little did we know...that President Kimball would receive the revelation on the Priesthood just 3 years later.
Joseph set a date to be baptized one week after final exams. I stayed at the apartment of a friend in Salt Lake while I awaited the baptism. I was there all alone all day long. I was reading the Miracle Of Forgiveness by President Kimball...and you know what that means....Guilt trip time!
I wanted to be completely clean and pure when I stood in the circle to help confirm Joseph a member of the church. When the words
"Receive the Holy Ghost" were spoken, I wanted to be sure I was an open conduit for the spirit.
Now lest you think I was some evil, corrupt kid, let me assure you....I lived the word of wisdom. I lived the law of chastity. But there returned to my remembrance a terrible habit I had in junior High and part of High School. I was the only guy who was a completely active member of the Church in my grade. The guys I hung out with had the filthiest language imaginable, and unfortunately, I picked it up. It was a Jekyll and Hyde thing. Never cussed at home, and of course, never at church. I even managed to play church ball without letting too many bad words slip. But at school....it was time for Mr. Hyde. Especially at Basketball games. I sat in the crowd with my friends and let loose the most terrible stream of profanity whenever I disagreed with a referee call. Now I had overcome that bad habit when I became truly converted to the gospel toward the end of my junior year. ( OK, my wife will tell you I still disagree with the referee from time to time, but It's always with clean language!) By the time I was a senior, I had totally eliminated swearing from my vocabulary.
I remember one of the cheerleaders was in the cast "the Fantastiks" with me - a Broadway musical that we did at our High School. During the curtain call on closing night, she turned to me and gave me a little peck on the cheek (Boy, for a guy who was the geek of the week, that put me on cloud nine!)
Then she said, "I can't believe you are the same guy who used to yell those ugly, horrible words at the basketball games...I hope you'll never change" It was like a kick in the stomach. And that scene came back to me as I read the Miracle of Forgiveness. I realized I had never fully repented of the sin of profanity. I had changed my behavior, but had not been healed from the spiritual wounds.
I thought of all the people in the crowd at the basketball games who may have known I was LDS....how could I represent the Lord on a mission having uttered such foul things? I began to ache terribly, and for hours I pled with the Lord for forgiveness. I truly understood what Alma meant when he said in Alma 36:21..."there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains."
But as I wrestled with the Lord, there came to me several things I could and must do to be healed. I won't take the time to explain them all, but it had something to do with some sins of omission, some service, and a few heart to heart talks with some of my old high school classmates that the Lord told me I needed to ask for forgiveness... even those very friends I used to hang around. I began to feel hope....and I cried out those same words that I had memorized as a freshman in seminary.... "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death."
And you know what? Like Alma...I could remember my pains no more! My soul was filled with joy as exquisite as was my pain. I understood why the angels cry "Hosanna" - for I floated about the room crying out, Praise the Lord! And Thank You, Sweet Jesus!"
With His stripes, I was healed. The chastisement of MY peace was upon Him. I will always remember that feeling. When I find myself feeling empty inside, it motivates me to seek the healing power once again
Now in our sojourn on earth, we learn things line upon line. If we are prayerful, the Holy Ghost teaches us when we are in need of the healing power of the atonement. His healing isn't only reserved for things that require a massive dose of repentance.
As Elder Bruce Hafen said, our carelessness and inadequacies can get us into trouble....especially in our relationships with our family and our roommates. In fact, I believe that the only way a family can expect to stay together in today's environment is if they regularly seek the healing and strengthening power in their marriages and families. Face it. Moms and Dads, husbands and wives make mistakes. We aren't all experts at family relationships. But I have learned that if we invite the Savior into our homes, his grace can make up for a lot of our weaknesses. His strengthening power can help us get through trials that might ordinarily break up a home.
We need the atonement to help us overcome our mistakes and inadequacies. Now and then, you might get an ache in your heart that tells you that you need to be healed. You may have no idea what's wrong. When you feel that void, that hollowness, get on your knees, perhaps for a very long time. And the Lord, if you are sincere, will reveal unto you the source of the wound in your heart. If you seek to understand, the spirit will teach you what led you to make the mistake you made, and teach you of changes you need to make in your life to reduce the chances of making the same mistake again. As you receive this revelation....you are once again converted. The Holy Ghost testifies to you of the great love God has for you, ...and you will desire to do good continually. If you follow through, you will feel his healing power. You are, at that moment, truly a disciple of Christ.
The same process of Returning to Christ applies when we have cause to mourn, or are in need of His peace due to turmoil in our lives. I know many of you are struggling right now...(or will be tomorrow when you get your mid-term grades)! Maybe you are hurting because you just split with your boyfriend or girlfriend. I know some of you have endured family tragedies recently. A loved one just passed on to the other side. A brother or sister is in trouble or has gone astray. When these things come our way, there is an aching in our hearts. We get on our knees, we plead for guidance from the Holy Ghost, and we allow the Holy Ghost to teach us what we should do.
Maybe we are instructed to read certain passages of scripture, and liken them unto ourselves. Maybe we are counseled to talk to a friend. Maybe we are told to give service to another. Maybe we are told to forgive someone. Maybe..... we are simply held in the arms of the comforter.
I saw a wonderful example of the healing power of the atonement in the life of a fellow American a few weeks ago on TV. One of the TV news magazines was interviewing the wife of one of the heroes who stormed the cockpit of United flight 93, which was apparently intended to crash into our nation's capital. As I watched and listened to her speak of her beloved husband, I marveled at how she could maintain her composure. There was obviously a lot of love in her heart. I could see the light of Christ in her countenance, even through the television airwaves. I knew her wounds had been healed through the atonement of Christ. I just knew He had borne her grief and carried her sorrows. And uttered a prayer of thanks to Him for consoling her.
Now there is one last blessing of the atonement that I would like to address...it is the strengthening power of the atonement.
President Bednar has spoken to the faculty and staff about the need for us to call upon that strengthening power...so that by the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we can fulfill the great responsibilities placed upon us by his prophet as we re-think education here at BYU–Idaho.
If you take a look at the teachers in our department for example...we are just a bunch of regular people who love our students. None of us has ever taught at a University before! We are all humbled by the call we have received to create learning opportunities that will give our graduates an advantage as they enter the workforce and society.
It is a great weight that has been placed upon us. It is as if we have been called upon to bench press significantly more than we have ever attempted before. We try our best to prepare ourselves before the lift with proper training habits, and we call upon the Lord for his help. Yet when we attempt the lift, we find ourselves struggling, struggling with the weight only partway up. It seems clear that we can't do it...that the weight will come crashing down around us. But just then, the Lord extends his littlest finger, and gently, imperceptibly gives us just enough help to break through and complete the press.
As long as we continue to recognize the source of that strength....it will come to us again and again when we need it the most.
"I will strengthen thee. I will help thee...I will uphold thee by the right hand of my righteousness"...or maybe the right pinky!
As Elder Bruce Hafen said,
"The Savior desires to save us from our inadequacies as well as from our sins.... The Lord will not save us in our sins, but from them. However, he can save us in our inadequacies as well as from them. A sense of falling short or falling down is not only natural, but essential to the mortal experience. But, "after all we can do," the Atonement can fill that which is empty, straighten our bent parts, and make strong that which is weak."
Dear brothers and sisters...I testify to you that he will bear your grief. He will carry your sorrows. You can have peace, because he will bear the burden with you. With his stripes, you can be healed. And He will strengthen you, help you and cause you to stand, upheld by his righteous, omnipotent hand.
I bear witness of Jesus Christ. That he lives. That the healing and strengthening power of his atonement are very real.
Brothers and Sisters, I have not seen Him, for I am not worthy. But, by likening the scriptures unto myself, I have truly bathed his feet with my tears. I have felt the marks of the nails in his hands and in his feet. I have tasted of that most precious fruit, and I know how much He loves me. And I know how much he loves you.
Please.. I beg of you. Return unto him, again and again., that he may heal and strengthen you.
In the name of Jesus Christ...Amen.