From Dr. John L. and Bonnie Lund and their book “Take Your Love to Your Family and Your Frustration to the Lord “
Elder Boyd K. Packer acknowledged the difficulty of raising children in an immoral society: It I a great challenge to raise a family in the darkening mists of our immoral memorial environment. . . . It is not uncommon for responsible parents to lose one of their children, for a time, to influences over which they have no control. They agonize over rebellious sons and daughters. They are puzzled over why they are so helpless when they have tried so hard to do what they should. It is my conviction that those wicked influences will one day be overruled. . . .
We cannot overemphasize of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required by them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them.
There is always accountability before the Lord. Elder David A. Bednar underscored the importance accountability in say that wayward children will not be automatically saved. They will have to repent and account for their sins at some point in time. Nevertheless, says Elder Bednar, faithful parents can invite the powers of heaven to influence their children.7 This means all that are responsible for the consequences of their poor choices. No one will escape the need to repent, to appeal for the Lord for forgiveness, and to harmonize their life with the principles of the gospel.
The Prophet Joseph taught: There is never a time when the spirit is too old to approach God. All are within the reach of the pardoning mercy, who have not committed the unpardonable sin. . . .This doctrine appears glorious, inasmuch as it exhibits the greatness of divine compassion and benevolence in the extent of plan of human salvation.8
One by One
It is important to understand that Heavenly Father loves our children more than we do. In general, we refer to the plan of salvation and happiness for all of God’s children.
The doctrine of “one by one” is of paramount importance. Our Heavenly Father has the ability to deal with us as if were an only child. Jesus is the Only Begotten of the Father, but He is not the only “beloved” child of the Father. “All things are present before me, for I know them all” (Moses 1:6). We are often guilty of discounting our Heavenly Father’s ability to deal with us as individuals. He knows us all. Jesus knows us all” (Moses 1:6). We are often guilty of discounting our Heavenly Father’s ability to deal with us as individuals. He knows us all. Jesus also knows us all. When visiting the people of the American continent, Jesus picked up the children and blessed the m one by one (see 3 Nephi 17:21).
We partake of the sacrament one by one. We carefully perform each ordinance of the gospel for each and every person in the temples of the Lord. These priesthood ordinances are carried out for one individual at a time. In harmony with the one-by-one principle, the Savior’s sacrifice suffering for us and our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane was done one by one. The doctrine of the Savior’s atoning for our sins one by one was taught by President Heber J. Grant and other General Authorities. C. S. Lewis is among the most quoted authors in general conference talks. Here is what he said about the Atonement: He, [Christ], has infinite attention to spare for each one of us. He does not have to deal with us in the mass. You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created. When Christ dies, he died for you individually just as much as you had been the only man in the world. 9
Elder Calister concluded by saying. “The Atonement was ultimately offered for each one of us.”10 As we pondered on and individual Atonement for each one our Heavenly Father’s children, several scriptures came to our minds. Among them was Alma’s declaration, “time only is measured unto men” (Alma 40:8). The Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane was not bound by mortal time when He exercised His divine nature and atoned for all our sins, one child of God at a time. It is something to think about when you partake of the sacrament.
“God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform” is not a phrase found in the Bible. It comes a poem by William. It comes from a poem by William Cowper, but it is true.11 It was the angel Gabriel that informed Mary, “for with God, nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). The words of the prophet Isaiah state, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). ~~~ Dr. John L. Lund and Bonnie Lund and their book Take Your Love to Your Family and Your Frustration to the Lord (American Fork, Utah, Covenant Communications, Inc., 2020) p.18-20
