We All Have Need of the Atonement of Jesus Christ

The following was inspired by LDS Apostle, Boyd K. Packer's October 2012 talk, "The Atonement"

If there is one thing I know about life is that it is not easy. Many a time, life seems cold and indifferent to the suffering of those living it. Any well-experienced person will tell you that life is not with trial, not without pain, and not without struggle. But many of those people will also tell you something else; it's worth it.
Life may give us trouble, but we are not alone in the journey. For a start, we have each other. One of the greatest assets we have been given in this life is our fellow man, whom we can learn from, teach, and give and receive assistance. But more importantly, God has given us what is without a doubt the greatest gift ever given: the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

What is the Atonement?
As mortal human beings, we are imperfect. Try as we might, we are all prone to weakness, and will occasionally slip up, violating the commandments God has given us. But God has said,
"Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence." 
(Moses 6:57)
Being imperfect, we naturally are unclean, and therefore cannot dwell with God without repentance. But then comes the tricky part. Being the creations of a benevolent God, who decided to create us, and give us life, we are eternally in His debt. To repent, we must pay the price for our sins to God. But how can we expect to even begin to pay Him back?
But God is merciful. He knew that the predicament of mankind stood in this cosmic catch-22, and He graciously gave us a solution. He would send His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth, to obtain a body, live as we do, teach us on behalf of the Father and share with us the sacred power of God. He would live a perfect life, performing the impossible (for us) task of never sinning in His entire earthly life. And then, the Son of God would take upon Himself all the pains, afflictions, guilt, and sins of all mankind. He would bleed from every pore, be betrayed by those He called friends, be tortured, beaten and spat upon, and finally suffer the agony of death by crucifixion. Three days later, He would rise from the dead and ascend to His Heavenly Father.
In these actions, Jesus Christ performed what is called the "Atonement." Perfect, pure, and sinless He offered Himself as a sacrifice, a payment to God. Thanks to these selfless acts, we are able to repent, by admitting our faults to God, doing all that we can to fix the problem, and begging forgiveness from God and any we have wronged. Then, as we remember the body of Christ, which was broken for us, His blood, which was shed for us, we are able to lay our sins at the feet of Jesus Christ, and be made clean once more. The Lord, in His infinite mercy, gave us a way to become more than we are, to become clean, and able to once more dwell with our Father.
Is the Atonement just for our sins?
The Atonement covers much more than our sins. Looping back to the introduction, life inevitably holds trial. We all have our obstacles to face, and we all have our own unique challenges in life. In the midst of these times, it can be tempting to think that God does not understand, that this trial is just too much, and that our life isn't fair. But thanks to the atonement, this is not the case. The Savior Jesus Christ felt every pain, disappointment, and hardship we have ever felt, and more. He understands.
"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities."
(Alma 7:11-12)
Armed with the knowledge of how we feel, of the intricacies and nuances of our circumstances, Jesus Christ will advocate with our Heavenly Father on our behalf come Judgement Day. Our judgement will be completely fair, just, and merciful. Through the Atonement, the Lord offers us all things. ensuring our salvation and exaltation if only we obey His commandments and remember His sacrifice with deep gratitude and humility. We are eternally indebted to God, yet He saw fit to give us the ultimate gift in His Son.