Dale G. Renlund · Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
1Years ago our family had a little black dog, a toy poodle named Lady. Lady was smart, energetic, and great at fetching a ball. She was willing to retrieve a ball anytime, anyplace, and for as long as anyone was willing to throw one.
2One day, after repeatedly throwing a ball for her to fetch, I decided to throw two balls at the same time, one blue and one yellow. Lady chased after the blue ball, picked it up, began running back to me, and then saw the yellow ball. She dropped the blue ball, dashed to the yellow ball, picked it up, and started back to me. Then she seemed to think of the blue ball, dropped the yellow ball, turned around, ran back to the blue ball, picked it up, and began returning. As she was passing the yellow ball, she stopped, dropped the blue ball, picked up the yellow ball, and resumed running back. Then she dropped the yellow ball, turned around, scampered back to the blue ball, picked it up, and began running to me. As Lady passed the yellow ball again, she came to a screeching halt. She dropped the blue ball, looked back and forth from the blue ball to the yellow ball. Then she gave up, walked to her basket, and lay down. For Lady, two balls were too many. She became confused, overwhelmed, and discouraged.
3In our lives, we need to deal not just with blue and yellow concerns but also with red and green, orange and purple, polka dots and stripes, and every possible combination. We may feel like Lady—overwhelmed and discouraged—and just want to crawl back into bed.
4I cannot add more time to your days or eliminate the many concerns modern life brings. But I can offer this counsel: Not all matters are of equal value, and maintaining an eternal perspective helps us prioritize the things that are of greatest value. On this Easter Sunday, let us consider why focusing on Jesus Christ and the “infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice” is of greatest value and helps us no matter how many other concerns we must manage. His life, His mission, and the fruits of His Atonement bless us infinitely and daily.
5Jesus lived and died to do His Father’s will. His infinite Atonement—the series of events He experienced from Gethsemane through His death on the cross and on to His glorious Resurrection—is central to Heavenly Father’s plan for our salvation. The plan depended on Jesus Christ; there was no alternative. He completed the Atonement and thereby received “all power … in heaven and in earth.”
6Because of the merits, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ, we can return home to our Heavenly Father and live in His presence. This is only possible through Jesus Christ. The Savior Himself said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus, who leads us to salvation, has the power to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves because He completed His Atonement.
7Reflect on these reasons we celebrate Easter. First, Jesus Christ conquered death; He literally rose from the tomb. Because of Him, resurrection is a universal and unconditional gift for everyone who comes to earth. Death is not the end because the spirit and the body will be reunited, never again to be divided.
8Second, Jesus Christ has both the power and the desire to save us from our sins. Because of Jesus Christ, when we repent and follow Him, “immediately [will] the great plan of redemption be brought about unto [us].” The Redeemer suffered the punishment for everyone’s sins, transgressions, and mistakes. He can and will declare guiltless all who believe on His name, repent, follow the covenant path, and strive to endure to the end. “All mankind may be saved” because of Him and His atoning sacrifice. All means everyone. If everyone, then anyone. If anyone, then even one. And if even one, then even you.
9Jesus Christ has infinite capacity to forgive, promising that “as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.” Because of Jesus Christ, sins for which we have sincerely repented leave no spiritual scar, track, or trace. There is no scarlet letter to wear, now or in the eternities. When we repent with real intent, the entirety of our sin, not just a part, is figuratively nailed to the cross and we no longer bear its spiritual consequences. After we have repented, we owe no more to justice because Jesus has paid the debt; He pardons us from deserved punishment. We are forgiven, our hearts and hands are made clean, and the Lord remembers our sins no more. The Lord our God “is mighty; he will save, [and] he will rejoice over [us].”
10Third, Jesus Christ understands our challenges, having taken on not only our sins but also our griefs, sicknesses, and frailties. Because He endured and completed the infinite atoning sacrifice, He empathizes perfectly with us. He can “calm [our] anguish” and offers “gentle … peace … for [our] beseeching.” He, and only He, can consider every factor that shapes who we are: our genetics, intellectual abilities, traditions, experiences, mental and emotional conditions, and every other circumstance that affects who we are. He, and only He, will eventually judge us “according to [our] works, according to the desire of [our] hearts.”
11Because of Jesus Christ, all that is unfair in life can and will be made right. He will consecrate our afflictions for our gain. He will sanctify to us our deepest distress. He will fill with sweet a bitter cup. He will dependably and consistently make us whole. If we let Him, we will “suffer no manner of afflictions, save it [is] swallowed up in the joy of Christ.”
12Focusing on the Savior, His infinite Atonement, and what He has done for us will bring joy and clarity into our lives, no matter how many other concerns we have. This is why ancient and modern prophets have and always will direct us to Christ. You may remember that President Russell M. Nelson taught, “Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.” And President Dallin H. Oaks, the Lord’s living prophet today, simply declared, “Jesus Christ is the way.”
13You need not be like our little dog, Lady—confused, discouraged, and overwhelmed—when facing too many balls; you do not need to crawl back to bed and cower. Instead, keep your eye on the ball. Focus on the Savior. Seek for the “precious gifts His Atonement can impart.” Then you can joyfully and confidently sing with the children:
14I will trust in Jesus. I will hear His call.
15He will never leave me, even when I fall.
16Jesus gives me power, lifts and comforts me,
17Helping me to live and grow eternally.
18Because Jesus Christ completed the Atonement, He has the power to help you along your earthly journey and to redeem you from death, both physical and spiritual. Celebrate the joyous message of Easter every day by reflecting every day on the blessings you receive because of Him. “Open wide your broken heart and let your Savior in!”
19On this Easter morning, I add my witness of “the great and wonderful love made manifest by the Father and the Son in the coming of the Redeemer into the world.” Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, the Only Begotten of the Father, the Worthy Lamb who was slain, our Redeemer, our Savior, our Advocate, and most assuredly the Risen Lord. “He lives, who once was dead.” In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.