Experiencing the Atonement

We went in for tithing settlements today. It was in the middle of primary sharing time, so I knew it wouldn't be long (how could those things be long anyway) but I was caught a little off-guard when the bishop started talking to us about the atonement. He told us about David B. Haight's talk where he talks about his experience with the Atonement. He said that the reason why a lot of people can't get past their addictions or their sins is because they don't "experience the Atonement" the way that they should. He talked about how we can pray to the Lord to experience it to understand how it can help us in our lives. He also challenged us to pray and ask the Lord how he can better use us and to ask him to give us opportunities to do what he needs us to do.

Now, it's been a lot of years since I have "experienced the Atonement" in my life because of sins that have brought turmoil and emotional struggle but it struck me today as I was sitting there, listening to him talk slowly and deliberately that it's not just about the pain of sin. I have felt the power of the Atonement in my life and the cleansing, liberating and peaceful feelings that it has brought to me as it has helped me to get past those things I had chosen to do wrong.

But what about the pain that comes from daily life - from difficult decisions as parents, frustrating discipline problems, worrying about the economy and how we're going to have enough money to buy groceries for the month, disagreeing with friends or family, struggling with the decisions of career and motherhood, dealing with the fatigue and frustration of being a mom with housework and the extra responsibilities of being a single parent 90% of the time and just trying to solve everyday problems of life as a parent, wife, daughter, friend, member, neighbor, teacher - whatever.

Just living can bring on sorrows that could use the power of the Atonement.

And has he felt those pains for me? Has he gone through those feelings that I have as a mother and a parent and with the little things that are sometimes not so little when they are personal in your life?

Yes, I suppose he has but I had never thought about it that way until today as I was sitting across from the bishop, listening intently. I don't know why he started talking about it except that the Lord knew that I needed a little catching up in my way of thinking about it.
I'm a little slow, here.
I think I have been too complacent in the security of not needing to "repent" for any major sins. I haven't thought that I needed the power of the Atonement in my life as I have in the past but it made me realize that I really still do, but in a very different way.

So Rhett and I are going to read the talk together and try to experience it more. I'm so glad the Bishop felt inspired to share that with us. He is a good man.