Digital Only: Young Adults
Was I Worth the Savior’s Sacrifice?
When I’m stuck in feelings of self-loathing, I remind myself of God’s promises.
I recently decided to try a new recipe: a bûche de Noël. A beautiful, swirly chocolate cake.
During the first few minutes of mixing, my lump of dough looked nothing like the example I was following. “This is not working out,” I said. And as the tedious task of mixing wore on, I also wondered, “Is all this work even worth it?”
My experience trying a new recipe was surprisingly similar to my recent experience with setting goals.
Normally I love making goals. But this time I felt discouraged as I realized I was, once again, setting the same goal I’d been setting for years. I’d been wanting to change a habit but hadn’t made any progress. I felt like a failure.
Similar to how I felt about that bûche de Noël recipe, I felt like I wasn’t turning into who I wanted to be.
Jesus Christ, through His Atonement, is there to help me with my weaknesses, right? I found myself wondering why I was still the same, even though I was striving to turn to Him.
My thoughts continued to spiral in discouragement. And then I had a disheartening thought: “If I’m still the same weak, imperfect human I was five years ago, am I even worth the sacrifice He made?”
Recognizing My Worth
The Lord told His servants that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10). In Matthew, Jesus said: “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29–31).
God knows every creature. If He cares about the number of hairs on our head, He definitely cares about our efforts and desires to overcome our weaknesses.
Pondering this, I realized, “Yes, I am worth it. We are all worth it.”
Jesus went after the one lost sheep because He cares about each of us—individually (see Luke 15:4–7).
Recognizing the perfect love that He and Heavenly Father have for us reminded me that though it takes work to improve, I am worth the sacrifice the Savior made.
Being Humble and Patient
Jesus Christ promised, “If they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).
The Savior helped several people in the scriptures turn their weaknesses into strengths—Moses with his words, even Esther with her bravery.
If I want my sins and weaknesses to be made into strengths, I need to be humble and patient. I need to turn to Heavenly Father in prayer and ask for His help—even if it’s multiple times a day. And I need to be patient about my improvements that may come slower than I would like them to.
As Elder Paul V. Johnson of the Seventy said:
“There is no question that this process of change takes time and will not be completed until after this life, but the promise is sure. …
“Our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, love us and have graciously offered to change us and perfect us. They want to do this. It is central to Their work and glory [see Moses 1:39]. I testify They have power to do this as we come to Them in faith.”1
I also testify that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have power to change and perfect us. They have helped me before. Even though it’s taking longer than I expected to overcome some of my weaknesses, I feel hope knowing that it is possible for me to change.
Trying Again
After some redoes and a lot of patience, I tried a new bûche de Noël recipe. There were several moments when I thought it was going to fail, but in the end, it turned out fantastic!
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said: “The Lord blesses those who want to improve. ... If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going. If you fall, summon His strength. … Soon enough you will have the success you seek.”2
These words are a comforting reminder to me that the Lord sees that I am trying. And He is blessing me in my efforts more than I realize! As I continue to summon His strength, I will someday be successful.
We might have moments in life when we think we are failing. But I know that this is the very reason Jesus Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane—so that with His power we could overcome our weaknesses and become like Him. He and our Heavenly Father are patient. They know our potential. And the efforts we make to become like Them are worth it.
We are worth it.