"C" is for Christ ~ That's Good Enough For Me

"C" is for Christ~ That's Good Enough For Me
By: Jacob Sok




I have often satirically commented that I pride myself in having been raised in the great artistic classics. My parents understood early on my that exposure to the poignant social themes and the current cultural constructs of a toddler would be crucial for my development. While Shakespeare and Aristotle would come in time,  I however refer to the great works of Jim Henson and the Sesame Street characters. Of these profound contributors to my early education was the ever favorite, Cookie Monster. Cookie Monster and his devote dietary patters famously coined the lyric, "C is for cookie and that's good enough for me".

This week when considering what I could share with you my mind went back to a passage of scripture that really struck home, and offered this train of thought- "C is for Christ, and He is good enough for me.". I truly feel that sometimes we in our limited mortal mindset, forget or tend not to understand how Great and Infinite the Lord of Lords truly is.

As stated in the scriptures, we are to often taunted by the finger of scorn and left to think He is nothing but an idle tale or something of the frenzied mind. Leave it to the adversary who has nothing to want us to feel as if the Gospel of Christ amounts to nothing. While I believe we never blatantly accept this lie directly, I have seen that we can feel at times that the Savior and His plan are limited; in a way as to almost exclude His love and power from reaching ourselves and our personal situations.

One of my favorite religious educators, John Bytheway, has taught: "that while the Lord will guide us  line upon line and precept upon precept, The adversary will try to lead us away lie upon lie and decept upon decept.". My dear friends, I know that this is true and we do not have to fall victims of these lies and deceptions. Satan would want us to think that Christ is not enough; not enough for the type of person we are or things we have done. I pray that something of what I share can help begin to dispel at least some of the seeds of this mental rationalization.

For Christ is enough! Elder Jeffery R Holland has promised, "It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines. There is nothing ...that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity that cannot yet be realized. The Lord of the vineyard stands beckoning."

The prophet Isaiah while sometimes difficult to interpret, is still one of the most beautifully testators of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His messianic mission. Isaiah himself was not only a prophet but one of the great Hebrew poets of his time. One of the most beautiful passages he ever penned is actually quoted in the Book of Mormon. In Mosiah chapter 14 we find a Messianic prophesy called the Suffering Servant, through which Isaiah uses his seer-ship to foretell the atoning mission of Christ.

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and we his as it were our faces from him (see Mosiah 14:3)...Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (see Mosiah 14:4). "

In His mortal sojourn Christ, literally waked the path of mortality to enable Him to be "enough". Enough to not only know our grief and our sorrows, but have personally experienced them, and lived them the way we have lived them. As the price of our mortal limitations and frailties would amount He payed the debt in full not just to fulfill the ends of a law, but to empower us to a path that would bring us back home.

"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. (see Mosiah 14:5)."

Laurel C Day once invited that we should "find comfort in His scars". This is not to say we take satisfaction in the pain and suffering He under went, but rather that we should stand tall and grateful- reassured that for all He went through it was the ultimate sacrifice that would be available to anyone and could be used for anything. When Christ declared from the cross, "It is finished", He was reassuring the world that through His power and divinity that all He had set out to do, was not only done,  but done individually and completely for each one of us (not missing one part, one soul, nor one mortal experience).

The prophet Alma described this power as the "great and last sacrifice...the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal (see Alma 34:14).".  The Lord's sacrifice being both Infinite and Eternal , means that it is endless and limitless.


The Lord knows how I tend to think mathematically and I remember being able to understand this a lot more using a graph I made:

In math one can graph the domain and range of anything using two planes (an X and a Y axis).

On the Y axis, we can see the Infinite power of the Atonement: this means it can cover any sin or problem for any person.

On the X axis, we can see the Eternal domain of the Atonement: this shows that it can be available anytime, and as often as required.

As the blue line (which represents the Lord's power and grace) extends-- it covers all that we could possibly need it to.

While this does not condone sinful conduct, nor suggest we should continue in bad habits-- This means we can take heart in the fact that His power can be crafted to our needs and His grace is sufficient, to help us become who we are meant to become.

Christ truly is enough, and we need not doubt it. God being the author of diversity, constructed a plan of redeeming love not only for all diverse people, but their diverse and individual lives.



My faith has been strengthened in this principle as I have come to know through the scriptures and personal experiences my Savior. God is a god of second- third- fourth-....or as many chances and we need, so long as we continuing to reach for His help. Truly there is no limit on our chances because, Christ did not want to leave our future-- to chance! Rather, He stands ever watchful ready for us to come and follow Him, to be strengthened in Him.

I find it interesting what the prophet Moroni said, "Come and be perfected in Christ"(see Moroni 10:32), he never said "be perfect and then come to Christ".

I love the story in the New Testament of the Lord, who at the Last Super, preforms the service of washing the feet of His apostles. In ancient custom this was considered to be the lowliest of chores, reserved for only the bottom of the social class. The Savior proceeded to gird himself up with a towel and individually wash the feet of his disciples. I imagined only slightly embarrassed by the state of his feet, Peter asks; "Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" (see John 13). Peter could not understand why the Lord would take the time to perform this service, being who He was. Peter expressed how it was unnecessary for Jesus to do that for Him, as if he did not want to put Christ to the trouble.The Savior in return explains, how Peter did not understand why He was doing so, but for Peter to have part with Him it was necessary.

I have seen moments in my life when I mistakenly feel that, I am almost doing the Lord a favor by saying, "you don't need to trouble yourself with me, and my problems"- when in reality it is not trouble for Him at all. I have come to find that part of the process of changing our hearts and coming unto Him, is believing and trusting that we are worthy of His services, His time and grace.

Brad Wilcox said, "We are not here earning heaven, but learning heaven". While we are commanded to repent and come unto Him-- His grace is already available to those who simply call upon Him and try to do better each and everyday. The price of our mistakes was paid for, there is no hidden fee or extra interest we need to pay off-- we are already worthy of rescue and He knows how to help us step by step. In Preach My Gospel, it talks about how the change that comes with repentance means, rethinking how we view God and our selves. We should not see Him as some we need to convince to help us, pitching our candidacy to be recipients of His grace- rather, He asks that we let not our hearts be troubled, and see ourselves as He sees us: "that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves" (see John 17).

I am not a betting man but if I had to put my chips on something it is Christ and His plan of redeeming love. While I many times have never felt adequate or enough for all the Lord offers me, He truly is enough for us. We need not second guess the plan or the payment, that was made on our behalf. I know that He and His angels are around us serving and loving and healing us. We will come to feel this more and more as we embrace His love fully, and personally. I testify today that surely as we come to trust that C is is for Christ, that's good enough for me; we will come to see that He says- C is for you my child, and you are good enough for me!
 I so share with love, in His Holy Name.

For Further study on this topic please consider the following sources:

- The Laborers in the Vineyard, By: Jeffry R Holland (LDS.org)
- Mosiah Chapter 14 (Book of Mormon)
- John Chapter 13/17 (New Testament)

{All Images provided through Google Imaging; Paintings are property of the LDS Gospel Library. Citations remain that of their author's from their respective publishings}