The Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Atonement

As finals week is winding down (well...sort of...) I wanted to share some things I've learned this semester.  It's been one of the hardest semesters of my life.  Just in case any of you were wondering, trying to pass differential equations and physical chemistry after not doing any math or chemistry for more than a year and a half is not very easy.  I've been stretched, pushed, and pulled all over the place.
Here's a little rundown of my learning:


1. There is no reason not to be happy with where you are, who you are, and how you are. If you can't be happy now, when will you ever be?

2. Let go of the things you can't control. God knows what He's doing, and everything will work out in His time.

3. Never stop striving toward something.  Set little, simple goals and fight for them.

4. Be vulnerable. Open yourself up and let others see you as you really are.  Vulnerability is the hardest thing but also the biggest blessing.

5. Always put others before yourself.  Turn outward.  That is the ultimate key to happiness, and the ultimate challenge of this life.


And now a little story.  I am blessed to attend a university where we can discuss religion openly and freely.  So on the last day of physical chemistry, the professor gave a lecture relating everything we had learned to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We talked about a talk by Hugh Nibley explaining how the Atonement counteracts entropy--the ultimate fate of the universe, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, is to break down completely, but the Atonement renews, resurrects, and restores, offering a "greater sacrifice" to overcome the effects of entropy.  We also applied this to our individual selves: in our own lives, the Spirit is that anti-entropy agent.  If we become an "isolated system" (if we close ourselves off to others and to the Spirit) we are doomed to break down spiritually and emotionally.  But if we open ourselves, to the Spirit and to the service of others, we will be renewed and that natural process of disintegration will be stopped.
As my professor spoke, I felt in my heart that what he was saying was true.  I have struggled my way through that class, and I still don't perfectly understand a lot of the concepts we have learned.  But as we learned about the Atonement that day, a thought came clearly and powerfully into my mind.  "It doesn't matter how well you understand physical chemistry and thermodynamics and all of that--you are striving to perfectly understand the Atonement, and that is ultimately all that matters."


6. The best knowledge we can hope to attain in this life is a knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His infinite Atonement.

Merry Christmas all!