My Personal Story about The Atonement

The day was picturesque; sun high in the sky, breeze coming in off the ocean and waves crashing on the sand.  I was a student at BYU-Hawaii and decided to spend this Saturday, October 31^st 2009, at the beach with some friends.  It was a day when high surf advisory had been issued and at this particular beach the waves were breaking at about 10-12 ft.   There was a steep sandy decline to the water’s edge and every 30 yards or so were signs which read

“Warning: Dangerous conditions include dangerous shore break, strong current, and high surf. Swim at your own risk.  Ocean conditions may cause serious bodily injury, paralysis, or death.” 

These signs were always posted at this beach, high surf advisory or not, and so I did not give them much attention.  A few of the boys were taunting me as we sat on the shore by telling me that boys were naturally better swimmers than girls.  Since I was a talented Varsity swimmer I would not allow them to make such comments if they were not going to back them up.   I looked up and down the beach and saw a few people in the water- not immediately nearby but they seemed to be doing fine and so I determined that I too would be fine in the rough waves.  If I got too tired, I would just get out and rest.  I started down the sandy slope backwards so as to see the expressions on my friends’ faces. I had not planned on getting into the water necessarily. I just wanted to get close enough that they would rescind their sexist remarks.

A friend shouted a warning to me just as I felt water rush up around my ankles and pull me with surprising strength face-first into the sand.  The water dragged me further down to where the waves were crashing and like a huge piece of plywood the water pounded me down.  Sand was filling my suit and fists as I clawed at the ground trying to regain my footing and steady myself.  My mouth filled with hundreds of the grains of sand and water, my nose stung with salt, my eyes were blurry with a combination of them all. The sand was working as a weight that sunk me with my suit.  I gasped for air as my lungs burned and I glimpsed my friends on the beach as they watched me and were completely unable to help. 

They shouted directions to me to “Swim out past the breaking waves” or to “swim parallel to the shore” and I tried to obey.  The water was too strong though and it pulled me again, faster than I could have anticipated back into the waves that threw me violently on the sand but this time I wasn’t washed on shore. I yelled out for help- only succeeding in depleting my air.  I was sucked underneath the water with the receding wave and I hadn’t had time to breathe.  I didn’t know where was up or down and all I could feel were my muscles knotting up as I began to panic. 

It was black all around me and I prayed with all my strength that somehow, someone could help me and save me.

I awoke as I felt strong arms lift me from behind.  I was given directions to run up the hill as fast as I could before the next wave set began.  I knew that this was my only choice though my legs trembled beneath my weight.  His arms pushed me forward, nearly knocking me down again, but still praying, I ran up the sandy shore where my friends helped me cough up water and sand and stop hyperventilating. 

I know that there were many things I did wrong in the situation; I ignored the warning signs, I thought I was an exception to the rules, I imagined myself to be stronger than the ocean currents and waves, I couldn’t see the riptides from the surface, I flirted with danger by getting to close to the edge, I allowed pride to distort my judgment, and I assumed that the others in the water were handling the waves with ease and enjoyment.

But despite my mistakes, I did a few things right; I kept my wits about me, I listened to instructions from the shore, I prayed, I listened to my lifesaver, and I did not give up. 

In life, we all get too close to the edge. Life sucks us in and beats us down. We get used to the warning signs and begin to ignore them or downplay the danger at hand.  We think that we are strong enough or that we are an exception to commandments or prophetic guidance.

That day at the beach, it did not matter that I was a good swimmer in good shape. It didn’t matter that I didn’t mean to get in that deep.  Even though my friends were so near, and wanted to help me, they could not because they would endanger themselves.  If I wanted to get out of the ocean and out of the waves, I needed someone who was already in the water.

We all need the Savior in our lives.  He is the only one who knows or situation and our hearts. He is the only way that we can get back to Heavenly Father.  It doesn’t matter how hard we try on our own. We must do our best and struggle to rise above the waves of life, but after all that we do, no one else can save us except for Jesus Christ.  “Oh how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp.,. of death and hell..” (2 Nephi 9: 10).