Our Path Is As Straight As We Make It!!!

To go along with yesterday's entry about agency, I was reading in Alma 7 today, which is an amazing chapter about the Atonement and the healing that can come as we choose to partake of it in our own lives. In verses 11 and 12, he says: "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." No matter what sins or hardships we go through in this life, HE CAN HEAL US! This is because he suffered for us and died and rose again that we might live again with our Heavenly Father. Because Christ did this for us, he does not judge us. There is a quote by an apostle, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, that says it perfectly: "We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today; Heavenly Father see us in terms of forever." He doesn't judge us by our mistakes, but holds out the hand of redemption for us to grasp. But it is all up to us! He will not force us to hold on to Him, but we must choose to do so. Alma, in talking about the people, said, "For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight." We make the path straight by following him and keeping his commandments. My prayer is that we as his children recognize the path to eternal life through Jesus Christ and allow Him to heal us. May we always make his paths straight.