One thing that I really began to understand more while on my mission is best explained through a story, and it is one that we are all familiar with. 

         Once there were three little pigs.  The three pigs were brothers and were building their houses together.  The youngest pig, not that smart, built his out of hay.  The middle brother, slightly smarter, built his house out of sticks.  He had a firmer foundation than his brother, but it still wasn’t strong enough.  The third brother, the oldest, wisest, and most caring out of the three built a house of bricks.  Big enough to house his brothers, and strong enough too.  As the young story goes, the wolf came.  A big ravenous wolf.  He attacked that of the younger pig’s house.  Feeling scared, he ran to his older brother’s house.  The wolf followed them.  He attacked the older brother’s house too.  Neither of them had a strong enough foundation.  The two young pigs ran to the house of their older brother.  He was prepared for them.  The wolf came and was unable to destroy the oldest brother’s house.  He had a strong foundation.  The oldest pig is compared to Christ.  He is our foundation, he has a place prepared for us so when we need it, we can run to Him.  Through his sacrifice can we return to live with our Father in Heaven again.  Christ’s Atonement is everything, we can’t continue on without it.  We are dependent on the Atonement for our salvation.

                 Words from a well-loved hymn remind me of this beautiful sacrifice, “Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed, For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.  I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous, Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”  No matter what state we are currently in, despair, sadness, anger, happiness, contention or any other, God is by our sides.  He will give us aid, it is His promise.  He will lift us up and carry us on and strengthen us while we are down.  We need only ask.  “And whoso recieveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before thy face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (DC 84:88). 

                 So when we feel we are at the end.  When we can only feel despair and sadness we must remember Christ.  We must remember what he did for us so we don’t have to stay in that depressed state.  God doesn’t want us to be upset.  He gave us life and a beautiful place to live it in.  As thanks we must call on the power of the Atonement and look at everyday as the best one.