Who Is Christ to You?

"Wherefore, beloved brethren, be ^areconciled unto him through the ^batonement of Christ, his ^cOnly Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a ^dresurrection, according to the ^epower of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the ^ffirst-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh."
Jacob 4:11

The question of "Who is Christ to you?" has been running through my mind over and over the past couple of weeks as I've really studied in depth of Him, prayed, and as I have asked the people I teach about their own faith in Christ. Christ, in His day, was a great leader, a great teacher, and the ultimate example for how I should be living my life. But that still doesn't answer that question; I need more. Christ didn't just set an example; He suffered and died for me and my sins, and overcame death so I too could return to my Heavenly Father someday. And I thought, "This is all great, but that was centuries ago. What should that mean to me today?"
Then my mind directs me to the Garden of Gethsemane, with the Savior, my Savior, suffering beyond my comprehension and bleeding from every pore. In His most agonizing moments, when I most likely would have given up, He endures. Not only does He endure, but He is thinking of me and the things I would be going through. Wow.
After His suffering in the Garden, He comes to His disciples, still drenched in blood, and finds them sleeping. They didn't realize what He had just suffered. Immediately after, as they are walking, Judas Iscariot, who was one of the 12 apostles, betrayed His Savior for some silver. How hurt I would have been if a beloved friend had done so to me.
Christ was then led to various places where He would be beaten, mocked, spit upon, and eventually crucified. Again, through all of this, did He think of Himself for even one moment. No. Not one word or complaint. Again He was thinking of you and I, and our moments of trial. Suddenly this great Atonement becomes a lot more personal. The question "Who is Christ to you?" repeats once more in my mind.
I could continue to go on about my love for Christ and His Atonement, but words cannot describe my feelings. I love my Savior and strive to become more like Him every day. As you do your own study and as you pray, I challenge you to answer this question for yourself: Who is Christ to you?