Abound

I really liked Romans chapter 5 - in short it is on the Atonement. The scripture that has the reference is Romans 5:20 which reads:

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

In a lot of ways, this one verse sums up what the Atonement is - it is a message of hope. Earlier in the chapter there is this verse:

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

With the new year coming along, I've thought a lot about the past and have spent a couple of late nights talking to my mother over a mug of hot chocolate about how I should perceive my past. In many ways, I've been through quite a bit of sludge as far as life experiences go, but I've also been through quite a bit of good times that I can't help but smile when I look back on them. Both the good and the bad can be placed under the category of experience, and according to this verse the point of experience is to build up our hope. A hope in ourselves, a hope in our future, a hope in other people, and most importantly a hope in Christ.

Being at home is a good reminder that at one point everything that has happened in my past since I left home was once my future - and you know what? I'm doing ok, even though the future happened. The hope comes in when I realize that five or ten years from now, I can look back to this moment and have the same feelings about what lays in store for me tomorrow that I now have about my first steps out of the comfort zone of my house.

I would like to end with a scripture from Ether chapter 12:

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.