Rejected of Men

     This last weekend we had one of Heavenly Father's precious daughters enter the waters of baptism. Her name is Ruth. Ruth had been visiting the church earlier and the missionaries had been teaching her about a year ago but she didn't want to stop drinking coffee and working on Sundays so they dropped her. Now, one year later one of the same missionaries who had been teaching her one year ago came back to the area and found her again and this time she seemed to be ready to receive the gospel with full heart. This woman has come directly from the great and spacious building known as the world, taken hold of the rod of iron and has held fast until these moments. 

     Even though many of her family members taunt her and curse her for being what she was, I know that through baptism the Lord has cleansed her and wiped away all sin. She is a true example of a disciple of Jesus Christ and I know that Christ descended from heaven to suffer and die for people like her. I know the power of the atonement is real, that it heals and sanctifies. The other day we came to her house and in tears told us of all the cruel things her family would tell her and call her. As I prayed to know what to tell her and how to comfort her, this one scripture came to mind-

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Mosiah 14:3-5

My hope and prayer is that all people I teach come to know and understand the reason for the atonement and the blessings it brings upon us as we act according to the great plan of redemption. I know that Christ did not come to the earth for the righteous, but came for the afflicted, the bruised, the rejected, the sinner. We are all sinners, thus we all have need of an atonement, a reconciliation before God. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Eternal Head, the Author of our redemption.