Tad R. Callister wrote:
This reconciliation between God and man is figuratively and literally symbolized by an embrace. Lehi alluded to this in his dying sermon to his sons: “The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld His glory, and am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15). The Doctrine and Covenants suggests the same imagery; “Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love” (Doctrine and Covenants 6:20). Amulek preached in like fashion: “Mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety” (Alma 34:16). What a beautiful metaphor. What child does not feel safety in the arms of his kind and loving father? What peace, what warmth, what reassurance, to know that in his arms he is safe from crime, anger, rejection, loneliness, and all the ills of this world.
Isaiah spoke of those tender moments when the Lord would “gather the lambs of his arm, and carry them in his bosom” (Isaiah 40:11). Elder Orson F. Whitney experienced such a glorious moment when he saw a marvelous manifestation of the Savior. In his dream, he said, “I ran [to meet Him] . . . , fell at his feet, clasped Him around the knees, and begged Him to take me with Him. I shall never forget the kind and gentle manner in which He stooped, raised me up, and embraced me. It was so vivid, so real. I felt the very real warmth of his body, as He held me in His arms” (Through Memory’s Halls, Independence, Missouri, 1930, 83; emphasis added). Who would not long for that warmth, that embrace?
Who among us will be safely encircled in those arms of love? Are there a chosen few reserved for this honor? Alma lets us know there is no exclusionary policy: “Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them” (Alma 5:33, see also 2 Nephi 26:24-33). That is what the Savior told the Nephites at the time of his appearance: “Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive” (3 Nephi 9:14). . . .
Contemplate for a moment the magnetic pull when a little child sees her father on bended knee with arms extended. The invitation is irresistible.The reaction to return is automatic. There is no intellectual analysis. It is like reaching for a blanket in cold weather, turning on a light in a darkened room. Some things are not mind-driven, but heart prompted. These are natural yearnings of the soul—the need for warmth, light, and love. He invites us to the day of reconciliation with our primeval family; he invites us to run to his arms and bask in his embrace. This was the Lord’s promise to the children of Israel: “I will redeem you with a stretched out arm . . . . And will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God” (Exodus 6:6-7). ~Tad R. Callister, The Gift of the Atonement (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002), 140-41
