1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,080 STEPHEN ROBINSON: When I was coming home from school one day, 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,260 I was sitting in the chair and reading the newspaper, 3 00:00:06,260 --> 00:00:07,400 and my daughter, Sarah, 4 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:09,040 then seven years old, 5 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:11,660 came in and said, "Dad, can I have a bike? 6 00:00:11,660 --> 00:00:14,540 I'm the only kid on the block who doesn't have a bike." 7 00:00:14,540 --> 00:00:18,680 I didn't have enough money to buy her a bike, so I stalled her. 8 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,285 I said, "Sure, Sarah." She said, "How? 9 00:00:21,285 --> 00:00:26,560 When?" I said, "You save all your pennies, 10 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:31,520 and pretty soon you'll have enough for a bike." She went away. 11 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,980 A couple of weeks later, as I was sitting in the same chair, 12 00:00:35,980 --> 00:00:38,540 I was aware of Sarah doing 13 00:00:38,540 --> 00:00:41,540 something for her mother and getting paid. She went in the other room. 14 00:00:41,540 --> 00:00:43,485 I heard clink, clink. 15 00:00:43,485 --> 00:00:45,580 I said, "Sarah, what are you doing?" 16 00:00:45,580 --> 00:00:47,380 She came out, she had a little jar, 17 00:00:47,380 --> 00:00:50,080 all cleaned up, with a slit cut in the lid, 18 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,340 and a bunch of pennies in the bottom. 19 00:00:52,340 --> 00:00:57,140 She looked at me and she said, "You promised me that if I saved all my pennies, 20 00:00:57,140 --> 00:00:59,700 pretty soon, I'd have enough for a bike and, 21 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:03,150 Daddy, I've saved every single one." 22 00:01:03,150 --> 00:01:06,380 My heart melted. Because I love her, 23 00:01:06,380 --> 00:01:08,410 I said, "Well, let's go downtown and look at bikes." 24 00:01:08,410 --> 00:01:10,620 We did. We went down. 25 00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:12,980 We went to every store in Williamsport, 26 00:01:12,980 --> 00:01:15,120 Pennsylvania, and finally, 27 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:17,935 we found it, the perfect bicycle. 28 00:01:17,935 --> 00:01:19,520 She got up on that bike, 29 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,240 and she was just thrilled, and she saw 30 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:24,960 then the price tag, and she reached down and she turned it over and 31 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:28,705 she saw how much it cost, and her face fell. 32 00:01:28,705 --> 00:01:30,825 She started to cry, and she said, 33 00:01:30,825 --> 00:01:33,915 "Dad, I'll never have enough for a bicycle." 34 00:01:33,915 --> 00:01:37,140 "How much do you have?" She said, "61 cents." 35 00:01:37,140 --> 00:01:42,645 [LAUGHTER] "I tell you what? 36 00:01:42,645 --> 00:01:45,045 You give me everything you've got— 37 00:01:45,045 --> 00:01:50,325 the whole 61 cents and a hug and kiss, and that bike is yours." 38 00:01:50,325 --> 00:01:52,430 She gave me a hug and a kiss. 39 00:01:52,430 --> 00:01:54,090 She gave me 61 cents, 40 00:01:54,090 --> 00:01:57,665 and then I had to drive home very slowly because she wouldn't get off the bike. 41 00:01:57,665 --> 00:02:02,990 [LAUGHTER] She rode home, and as I drove along slowly beside her, 42 00:02:02,990 --> 00:02:07,605 it occurred to me that that was a parable for the Atonement of Christ. 43 00:02:07,605 --> 00:02:10,795 We all want something desperately. 44 00:02:10,795 --> 00:02:15,170 It isn't a bicycle, we want the celestial kingdom. 45 00:02:15,170 --> 00:02:20,170 We want to be with our Father in Heaven, and no matter how hard we try, 46 00:02:20,170 --> 00:02:22,860 we come up short. It's that point. 47 00:02:22,860 --> 00:02:31,390 The sweetness of the gospel covenant comes to our taste, 48 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,200 and the Savior proposes. 49 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:40,260 I'll tell you what. You're not perfect. How much do you have? 50 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,725 Give me all there is, 51 00:02:43,725 --> 00:02:46,295 and I'll pay the rest. 52 00:02:46,295 --> 00:02:51,975 Enter into a personal relationship with me, 53 00:02:51,975 --> 00:02:55,820 and I will do what remains undone. 54 00:02:55,820 --> 00:02:59,960 Many of us are trying to save 55 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:05,910 ourselves and holding the Atonement of Christ at arm's distance and saying, 56 00:03:05,910 --> 00:03:11,380 "When I've done it, when I've perfected myself, when I've made myself more worthy, 57 00:03:11,380 --> 00:03:14,610 then I'll be worthy of the Atonement. 58 00:03:14,610 --> 00:03:19,120 Then I will allow Him in." And we cannot do it. 59 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,700 We must do all that we can. 60 00:03:21,700 --> 00:03:26,640 But having done all, then we must trust in 61 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:35,070 His redeeming blood and in His ability to do for us what we cannot yet accomplish.