Gethsemane

What words can I even put together to describe what Christ suffered in Gethsemane.  My New Testament class enlightened my mind so that I understand the Atonement a little bit more than I did before.  If we think about what he suffered what did his suffering cover?

Our sins?  Well if we think about it, quite frankly sins are enjoyable, I mean that is WHY we sin.  It is for our carnal sensual pleasure.  So no he didn't suffer our actual sins, he suffered the consequences of all of our sins.  If we really think about this, we can truly imagine how awful this would be.  Christ had never before experienced guilt or depression or pain or anything like that before in His life.  And he goes into the Garden of Gethsemane utterly alone where he experiences all the guilt and depression and pain of the entire WORLD at one time.  I cannot imagine how utterly horrible that must have felt.

And what else did he suffer, as if that wasn't enough?  In Alma 7 it says that he suffered our pains, sicknesses, temptations and afflictions.  This was the first time that Christ experienced any weakness of any kind in His life.

When I think about this I just imagine all the times when I was nervous about taking a test or something else where I didn't know what to expect.  Then if you multiply that my infinity you can imagine a tiny sliver of what Christ suffered.

What an amazing example that we have to look up to.  We should be studying all his attributes so that we can learn HOW we can be more like Him.

Many times we focus on the fact that Christ died for  us.  That is great and all, however, what is even more amazing is that Christ chose to live for us.  Christ waited until he was on the cross and the Atonement was complete to give up the ghost.  Because He is a God he had that option.  While He was suffering in Gethsemane He could have chosen to die, but He didn't.  He could have chosen to die when He was being tried over and over again, but He didn't.  He could have chosen to die when He was carrying His own cross, but He didn't.  He waited until He KNEW he had saved us all.  Because of Him we are saved.  Because of Him.  And for this I will be forever grateful.