I recently read a story which had a profound impact on me and my faith. I wanted to share this story with you all, along with my thoughts and testimony.
Here is the story, as shared by Elder Tad R. Callister in his book, The Infinite Atonement:
"Stephen E. Robinson tells of his little daughter, who anxiously pled for a bicycle. He promised her that id she saved all her pennies, she could one day have one. Motivated by her father;s promise, she anxiously engaged in chores around the house, carefully saving every penny she earned. One day she returned to him with a far fill of pennies, anxious to now but her bicycle. Good to his word, Brother Robinson took his elated daughter to the store where she soon found the perfect bike. Then came the moment of truth-- the price tag was more than one hundred dollars. Despondent, she counted her sixty-one pennies. She quickly realized that at this rate she would never have enough to buy her dream. Then Brother Robinson lovingly came to the rescue. 'I'll tell you what, dear. Let's try a different arrangement. You give me everything you've got, the whole sixty-onecents, and a hug and a kiss, and this bike is yours." The bicycle was certainly not totally earned by the young girl, but nonetheless, it was gladly given by a father who recognized she had given her all."
As I reflected on this story, my heart was touched. This little girl had given her all, she had saved every last cent, and put every effort into reaching her dream, but it was still, quite obviously, not enough. This story is clearly a parable for the Atonement and the love and gift that Jesus Christ extends to each one of us.
No matter how hard we try, how much we have done, and how much effort we expend, we will always fall painfully short. What we have to offer is only mere pennies in comparison with the priceless gift that Jesus Christ gives to us. In the end, our offerings cannot, and will not, ever be enough to cover the cost of what Christ has paid for us.
But, make no mistake, it still requires all that we can give. We cannot expect Christ to help us, if we only give 15 pennies, when we could have given 60. In the Book of Mormon, Omni 1:26 says, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."
We must offer everything that we have! This reminds me of the example given in the New Testament, of the widow's mite. In this story, a poor widow comes to the treasury, where many of the rich are donating many riches and lots of money, and this widow contributes two mites, a seemingly negligible amount in comparison with the money these others are giving. Yet Christ says, "This poor widow hath cast more in, than all hey which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."
In giving all that she hath, this widow may not have donated more monetarily, but she has sacrificed the greater part, because it was all that she had. The same is with us. We must sacrifice and offer all that we have to Christ to receive His gift.
In the Book of Mormon, the king of the Lamanites is converted by Aaron's teachings and prays for forgiveness. In his prayer, he tells the Lord "I will give away all my sins to know thee."
The price that Christ requires from us may seem small in comparison to the infinite blessings His Atonement offers is, and that conclusion would be correct. However, though our offering may be small, it still requires that we give our all.
And it is so worth it!!!
We may be broken, fragmented, lost, and weak, but when we offer our souls unto Him, He will make us so much more that we ever imagined! He doesn't just pay the debt, He goes above and beyond, taking us higher than we could have ever gone on our own!!!
It doesn't matter who far gone we think we are! We are never out of His reach, never can we reach the limits of His grace! The Mormon Tabernacle Choir illustrates this perfectly in their new music video for Christmas. (Watch it here) They depict a man in prison, being released and reunited with his family. It is evident that this man has come to know Christ and has partaken of the redeeming power of His Atonement. It shows that no one, no matter who they are, is beyond His power and love. He descended below it all, because of the infinite and perfect love that He has for each and every one.
As we enter into the Christmas season, a question we are often asked to ponder is what gift we will give to Christ this year. We are encouraged to think of something that we can improve upon in our lives to demonstrate our love for and commitment to Christ. Although our offering may seem small, it is in the nature of our heart that our devotion to Him is evident. My challenge to you this Christmas season is to ask yourself: What will I give, how will I show Him my loyalty and love?
For me, I will forever be grateful for the priceless and infinite gift that my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ has offered me. I know I can never repay that debt, yet I also know that I will do all that I can to show my love, gratitude and devotion to Him. So I will give Him my heart, I will give Him my will, and although I have only pennies to give, I will give Him my all.
