Not-so-Fictional Story: Moroni 8:16

As I pondered what to write in relation to Tuesday's scripture, I really struggled to come up with an appropriate story. My original plan was to direct my readers to a story I heard as a child that illustrated the Savior's love for us, but I didn't feel right about this option. This morning I visited a blog put together by a friend of mine from college. She and her husband were unable to have children of their own, so they chose to adopt. They currently have two beautiful boys and are looking to adopt a third child. Reading through their adoption story, I found tears in my eyes--I'm not one to break down and cry very easily--as I considered the sacrifice of a birth mother who gives her child up for adoption. The love these mothers have for their children is greater than the fear and sorrow they must face when they hand their babies over to a new family. They realize that their sacrifice will bring a chance for a better future, not just for their children, but for the families that are formed through their loss. How like the Lord's love for us! Our Heavenly Father ached for His First Born Son as he suffered in Gethsemane and then upon the cross. But Father knew that through Jesus' sacrifice, each of us gained a chance for a better life and an eternal family. So He gave up His son.