Something I've noticed throughout my mission--and my whole life, for that matter--is the fact that pretty much all of the opposition I've seen aimed at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comes from a lack of understanding of our core doctrines and practices.
A lot of times, people will find one tiny detail and focus on it so hard that they ignore everything else. I exhort everyone to take the advice of Lawrence E. Corbridge, one of the general authorities of the Church: "Look at the evidence, but look at all of the evidence, the entire mosaic... not just any single piece" ("The Prophet Joseph Smith," Corbridge).
For instance, I have one friend back home (totally--anonymously--calling you out, bro) who told me once that the Book of Mormon has to be false because it references horses when it took place in the American continent, and horses hadn't yet been brought overseas by the Spaniards. Therefore, the single mention of a horse must mean the entire book is contrived and the Church is false. Of course, that viewpoint ignores the position that the people who were referencing horses in the Book of Mormon had recently come over from the Eastern Hemisphere, where there were, in fact, horses, and they were probably describing the wildlife in their new home to the best of their abilities using things they were familiar with. They could have been describing a deer or an antelope or another four-legged, hoofed animal that reminded them of the horses of their home land. You have to take into account the cultural background of the people.
See what I mean by looking at the entire mosaic?
America's population as a whole doesn't understand the LDS faith. A lot of people say it can't be true because they don't know enough about it. My plea is for my friends and loved ones to look at the entire mosaic--the Book of Mormon, the Restoration, the doctrine of eternal families, the purposes of temples, the vital importance of covenants, the doctrine of living prophets, etc.--and to seek understanding.
It doesn't seem like a big deal, but if you see the big picture and gain an understanding of this doctrine, you'll realize that there's a lot here of eternal significance. It's worth a look, at the very least. What could be the harm?
This is a good place to start. One of my favorite articles. It's an address given to students at Harvard Law School by Dallin H. Oaks, another one of our Church's general authorities. He discusses this epidemic of ignorance far better than I am able to, and he lays out some of our basic doctrines in a way that flows and makes logical sense.
Read the article!
I promise, an understanding of God's nature, His eternal plan for us, and the patterns by which He communicates with us will change your life for the better.
And, as always, ask me any questions you may have. Comment. Respond. Just don't tear something down you haven't taken the time to truly understand.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Moments that Matter Most
If there's one thing I've learned on my mission, it's how to cherish a moment. Other missionaries can back me up here when I say that time does strange things while you're on a mission. The days are incredibly long, the weeks fly by, and the months are just a blur. It feels like just a month or two ago that I left home for Oregon, and I'm sitting here with only 9 weeks left of my 18 months.
(Note: a lot of missionaries are really uncomfortable with telling people how long they've been out or how long they have left. Not usually the best question to ask a missionary. I don't care, though, because this could go one of two ways: either I have 9 weeks left and I'm sad about it, or I have 9 weeks left and I'm happy about it. Either way, I have 9 weeks left--that's not going to change--so I might as well be happy.)
Moments are the molecules that make up eternity. I want to have a good eternity, so I should do my best to have some pretty good moments. I'm sure a lot of you other lovely people feel that way, too. So how do we make some good moments for ourselves?
Here are my thoughts:
1. Focus on the things that matter most. For me right now, it's having a good laugh with my companion, watching people change their lives through baptism, feeling the Spirit tell me I'm doing something right. For me later, it will be time with family, time with friends, and moments of quiet introspection that lead to revelation and self-discovery. Basically, the things that matter most are relationships--with family, friends, God, and ourselves.
2. Let go of the things that don't. I frequently need to let go of pride, selfishness, that nagging obsession I have with being on time to things (even though we're always running late), anger/frustration, etc. These moments are no good. I don't want to remember them.
3. Focus on the good. Okay, this one sounds a little cliche. But no matter what situation you find yourself in, there is always some good. Even if the only good thing is that you're still breathing and that God still loves you, that's enough to get you through.
4. Slow down. Don't worry so much about being busy. Business does not equal success. Take a breather. Finally stop and smell those roses. Appreciate the moments while they're happening.
Friends, "we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most"). Don't live for the moment---don't let the here and now be all you're focused on--but live in the moment. Enjoy the time while you have it. Prioritize, simplify, slow down, and enjoy.
Happiness is the destination, but it is also the journey. My challenge for you: Prioritize. Make a list of the things that matter most to you. If anything you're doing isn't helping you create those good moments--if anything you're doing doesn't match the list you wrote down--take a step back, slow down a little, and refocus. I promise, you'll be much happier.
Try it out! Challenge: Write down your list and post a picture below. :)
(Note: a lot of missionaries are really uncomfortable with telling people how long they've been out or how long they have left. Not usually the best question to ask a missionary. I don't care, though, because this could go one of two ways: either I have 9 weeks left and I'm sad about it, or I have 9 weeks left and I'm happy about it. Either way, I have 9 weeks left--that's not going to change--so I might as well be happy.)
Moments are the molecules that make up eternity. I want to have a good eternity, so I should do my best to have some pretty good moments. I'm sure a lot of you other lovely people feel that way, too. So how do we make some good moments for ourselves?
Here are my thoughts:
1. Focus on the things that matter most. For me right now, it's having a good laugh with my companion, watching people change their lives through baptism, feeling the Spirit tell me I'm doing something right. For me later, it will be time with family, time with friends, and moments of quiet introspection that lead to revelation and self-discovery. Basically, the things that matter most are relationships--with family, friends, God, and ourselves.
2. Let go of the things that don't. I frequently need to let go of pride, selfishness, that nagging obsession I have with being on time to things (even though we're always running late), anger/frustration, etc. These moments are no good. I don't want to remember them.
3. Focus on the good. Okay, this one sounds a little cliche. But no matter what situation you find yourself in, there is always some good. Even if the only good thing is that you're still breathing and that God still loves you, that's enough to get you through.
4. Slow down. Don't worry so much about being busy. Business does not equal success. Take a breather. Finally stop and smell those roses. Appreciate the moments while they're happening.
Friends, "we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most"). Don't live for the moment---don't let the here and now be all you're focused on--but live in the moment. Enjoy the time while you have it. Prioritize, simplify, slow down, and enjoy.
Here is my list. I try to make sure everything I do is contributing to at least one of the things on this list.
Priorities, man. Priorities.
Happiness is the destination, but it is also the journey. My challenge for you: Prioritize. Make a list of the things that matter most to you. If anything you're doing isn't helping you create those good moments--if anything you're doing doesn't match the list you wrote down--take a step back, slow down a little, and refocus. I promise, you'll be much happier.
Try it out! Challenge: Write down your list and post a picture below. :)
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Best Thing I Did All Week
I was super blessed to have the opportunity to go to the temple last week with my lovely companion and our good friend Mary. I love the temple so much. Whenever I go there, I leave feeling ten times better. It calms me down, helps me put things in perspective, and helps me be able to bear the trials of everyday life.
The temple is a sacred place where we make covenants--binding promises--with Heavenly Father. I've recently come to understand just how important it is to make those covenants. Not so God can hold us to a higher standard of judgment (although that does happen), but so that we can yoke ourselves to the Savior. (For those of you who don't know what a yoke is, refer to this article.)
When we make covenants with God, we become connected to Christ, side by side, so He can help us pull our load. The yoke of our covenants puts the weight evenly across our shoulders and His. Essentially, it cuts the weight we have to pull in half, so long as we pull in unison with Him--by keeping those covenants we've made.
"Making and keeping sacred covenants yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, the Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and pull together with Him, even though our best efforts are not equal to and cannot be compared with His. As we trust in and pull our load with Him during the journey of mortality, truly His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
"...Consider the example in the Book of Mormon as Amulon persecuted Alma and his people. The voice of the Lord came to these disciples in their afflictions: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage” (Mosiah 24:13).
"Note the centrality of covenants to the promise of deliverance. Covenants received and honored with integrity and ordinances performed by proper priesthood authority are necessary to receive all of the blessings made available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. For in the ordinances of the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest unto men and women in the flesh, including the blessings of the Atonement (see D&C 84:20–21)."
("Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease," Elder Bednar)
Going to the temple makes me feel so much better because it reminds me of the covenants I have made. It reminds me that I'm not alone, that I need never be alone, and that I always have someone to help me pull my
load. There is no better place than the temple to be reminded of these things.
By far the best thing I did all week.
If any of you have questions about the temple, what we do there, or how to go, just ask me or your local missionaries. :)
So much joy in the temple!
The temple is a sacred place where we make covenants--binding promises--with Heavenly Father. I've recently come to understand just how important it is to make those covenants. Not so God can hold us to a higher standard of judgment (although that does happen), but so that we can yoke ourselves to the Savior. (For those of you who don't know what a yoke is, refer to this article.)
When we make covenants with God, we become connected to Christ, side by side, so He can help us pull our load. The yoke of our covenants puts the weight evenly across our shoulders and His. Essentially, it cuts the weight we have to pull in half, so long as we pull in unison with Him--by keeping those covenants we've made.
"Making and keeping sacred covenants yokes us to and with the Lord Jesus Christ. In essence, the Savior is beckoning us to rely upon and pull together with Him, even though our best efforts are not equal to and cannot be compared with His. As we trust in and pull our load with Him during the journey of mortality, truly His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
"...Consider the example in the Book of Mormon as Amulon persecuted Alma and his people. The voice of the Lord came to these disciples in their afflictions: “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage” (Mosiah 24:13).
"Note the centrality of covenants to the promise of deliverance. Covenants received and honored with integrity and ordinances performed by proper priesthood authority are necessary to receive all of the blessings made available through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. For in the ordinances of the priesthood, the power of godliness is manifest unto men and women in the flesh, including the blessings of the Atonement (see D&C 84:20–21)."
("Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease," Elder Bednar)
Going to the temple makes me feel so much better because it reminds me of the covenants I have made. It reminds me that I'm not alone, that I need never be alone, and that I always have someone to help me pull my
load. There is no better place than the temple to be reminded of these things.
By far the best thing I did all week.
If any of you have questions about the temple, what we do there, or how to go, just ask me or your local missionaries. :)
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Come Unto Christ
Here's a video of my companion, Sister Adair, and me singing the 2014 Youth theme song, "Come Unto Christ." I'm singing in English, she's singing in ASL. Our friend Mary is playing the piano (she hadn't had much practice, so please excuse the mistakes). Hope you enjoy.
Check out the original music video (which is way better than this one).
Looking for Truth in All the Wrong Places
Throughout my life and my experience as a missionary, I've noticed something that everyone has in common, that's simply fundamental to humanity: a quest for personal fulfillment. Everyone I've ever met is searching for something that will help them reach self-actualization; people want to be happy, and they want their happiness to last.
I've noticed something else in many, many people: a void. People have holes in their lives, in their hearts, that keep them from feeling totally happy or fulfilled. We search to fill those voids in a lot of different places.
I've seen people try to fill their voids will material things. You might buy a new car or a new outfit or a new purse or a new this or that to excite you for a moment. You look at it, you play with it, you try it out. You smile and you're excited about it. But after a few days or weeks or months, your excitement wears off. You take it for granted, it loses its luster, and you get bored again. That's when you go out and buy something else. Material things can bring momentary pleasure, but they don't bring joy. They just can't. Those material things can't become a part of who you are. You don't get to take them with you when you leave this mortal life. They won't leave a legacy.
I've seen people try to fill their voids from within themselves. They theorize and philosophize and try and try again to come to conclusions. But when you come up with your own conclusions, you can always find faults in your thought processes. Your own reasoning can't override your doubts. No human being can come up with logical, infallible explanations or conclusions on his own. Those searching for self-fulfillment and peace of mind within their own minds simply won't be able to do so adequately.
The only things that can bring us the assurance, the perspective, and the joy we seek are the things that are greater than ourselves. Granted, it's not possible for us to understand all things in this existence, and it's not reasonable to assume that we can know everything--or anything, for that matter--completely perfectly in this life. But the only times I've seen true joy and lasting peace of mind are in those people who have come to a knowledge--a very firm, deeply-rooted-in-the-soul belief--of God and His plan for us. Having this perspective on our purposes for eternity really helps to make sense of things.
The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't just a religion. It's not just a good way to live. It doesn't just contain good guidelines. It is the way to live. It is Truth. It is the way things simply are. The great thing about truth is that even if no one believes it, it's still true. Even when everyone in the world believed the planet was flat, it was still round; that fact was just waiting to be discovered. Eternal Truth is the same way--waiting to be discovered.
The only way to know of truth is to go to the Source of truth--to ask God. In order to do that, we need an understanding of how He works with us (so we can recognize our answers), a belief that He is there, and a desire to act on the answers He gives us. We have to go searching ourselves--truth doesn't just hit you over the head until you believe it. We need to put in the effort. Once we do, it is so rewarding.
If any of you want some company on your quest for truth, let me know. If you have any questions, ask them. I'm on a journey, too. We can help each other out. Journeys are better with company, and I'd love to take it together.
I've noticed something else in many, many people: a void. People have holes in their lives, in their hearts, that keep them from feeling totally happy or fulfilled. We search to fill those voids in a lot of different places.
I've seen people try to fill their voids will material things. You might buy a new car or a new outfit or a new purse or a new this or that to excite you for a moment. You look at it, you play with it, you try it out. You smile and you're excited about it. But after a few days or weeks or months, your excitement wears off. You take it for granted, it loses its luster, and you get bored again. That's when you go out and buy something else. Material things can bring momentary pleasure, but they don't bring joy. They just can't. Those material things can't become a part of who you are. You don't get to take them with you when you leave this mortal life. They won't leave a legacy.
I've seen people try to fill their voids from within themselves. They theorize and philosophize and try and try again to come to conclusions. But when you come up with your own conclusions, you can always find faults in your thought processes. Your own reasoning can't override your doubts. No human being can come up with logical, infallible explanations or conclusions on his own. Those searching for self-fulfillment and peace of mind within their own minds simply won't be able to do so adequately.
The only things that can bring us the assurance, the perspective, and the joy we seek are the things that are greater than ourselves. Granted, it's not possible for us to understand all things in this existence, and it's not reasonable to assume that we can know everything--or anything, for that matter--completely perfectly in this life. But the only times I've seen true joy and lasting peace of mind are in those people who have come to a knowledge--a very firm, deeply-rooted-in-the-soul belief--of God and His plan for us. Having this perspective on our purposes for eternity really helps to make sense of things.
The gospel of Jesus Christ isn't just a religion. It's not just a good way to live. It doesn't just contain good guidelines. It is the way to live. It is Truth. It is the way things simply are. The great thing about truth is that even if no one believes it, it's still true. Even when everyone in the world believed the planet was flat, it was still round; that fact was just waiting to be discovered. Eternal Truth is the same way--waiting to be discovered.
The only way to know of truth is to go to the Source of truth--to ask God. In order to do that, we need an understanding of how He works with us (so we can recognize our answers), a belief that He is there, and a desire to act on the answers He gives us. We have to go searching ourselves--truth doesn't just hit you over the head until you believe it. We need to put in the effort. Once we do, it is so rewarding.
If any of you want some company on your quest for truth, let me know. If you have any questions, ask them. I'm on a journey, too. We can help each other out. Journeys are better with company, and I'd love to take it together.
Embrace Your Inner Child
Sometimes I feel so young. And yes, that is a play on this song.
I frequently have moments when I'll just flash back to some part of my childhood or I'll recall feeling a certain way I did when I was little. Like, we can be sitting in a lesson and I'll suddenly feel all timid and small, reverting back to the shy ways I had as a little kid. Or I'll have moments of discouragement when all I can think of to comfort me is a big hug from my mom or snuggling with my daddy like I used to when I was small.
I frequently feel like a child whenever I notice the influences of the world--harsh language, pornography, offensive music and movies, unkind actions between people. I feel like I'd rather not see those things. Sometimes I don't even understand them and I feel very naive. I think about paying taxes, working full time, managing a household, searching for jobs, worrying about legal matters... it overwhelms me. It's things like that that make me not want to grow up. I imagine that that's the mindset of a child.
Sometimes I look at myself and think, "You're twenty years old. You should be so much more mature. You should be more confident and more independent. You should feel as old as you are." I feel bad for feeling childlike sometimes.
But I shouldn't. Know why?
Because I am a child. I'm a child of God.
He looks at me--at all of us--as His children. I like to think He sees us as toddlers, learning to walk on our own and avoid stumbling. Some of us stumble a lot, but He loves us enough to let us pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and carry on, skinned knees and all (you know, metaphorically speaking).
He wants us to be childlike. Christ teaches us, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4). We need to become "as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, [and] full of love" (Mosiah 3:19).
It's a new take on "embracing your inner child." We should avoid being childish--immature, petty, irreverent--but we should strive to become childlike. Maybe feeling young isn't so bad.
I frequently have moments when I'll just flash back to some part of my childhood or I'll recall feeling a certain way I did when I was little. Like, we can be sitting in a lesson and I'll suddenly feel all timid and small, reverting back to the shy ways I had as a little kid. Or I'll have moments of discouragement when all I can think of to comfort me is a big hug from my mom or snuggling with my daddy like I used to when I was small.
I frequently feel like a child whenever I notice the influences of the world--harsh language, pornography, offensive music and movies, unkind actions between people. I feel like I'd rather not see those things. Sometimes I don't even understand them and I feel very naive. I think about paying taxes, working full time, managing a household, searching for jobs, worrying about legal matters... it overwhelms me. It's things like that that make me not want to grow up. I imagine that that's the mindset of a child.
Sometimes I look at myself and think, "You're twenty years old. You should be so much more mature. You should be more confident and more independent. You should feel as old as you are." I feel bad for feeling childlike sometimes.
But I shouldn't. Know why?
Because I am a child. I'm a child of God.
He looks at me--at all of us--as His children. I like to think He sees us as toddlers, learning to walk on our own and avoid stumbling. Some of us stumble a lot, but He loves us enough to let us pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and carry on, skinned knees and all (you know, metaphorically speaking).
He wants us to be childlike. Christ teaches us, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3-4). We need to become "as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, [and] full of love" (Mosiah 3:19).
It's a new take on "embracing your inner child." We should avoid being childish--immature, petty, irreverent--but we should strive to become childlike. Maybe feeling young isn't so bad.
Putting Off the Natural Man
Growing up in the Church, I've heard about the Atonement again and again. How Christ suffered for not only my sins, but also my pains and sicknesses (Alma 7:11-13). How He did so as an act of love. How it caused Him unbearable anguish of body and mind. How this somehow makes it possible for me to live with Heavenly Father again. I've heard it all before, but I've never really understood what all of this means. I grew up knowing that "the Atonement" was the answer to every question in Sunday school and believing that it was somehow a magic cure-all to all of my ails. My understanding has always been limited, and even after extensive studies, it still is limited. But If I've learned anything about the Atonement, it's that it has the power to make us better.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19).
At the beginning of my mission, I was very shy. I had a hard time speaking to people, and I had a hard time loving people. My understanding of the gospel and of the Atonement of Christ was very limited. I didn't fully understand my purpose here, and I was very hesitant to change. The natural Sister Nealy is very stubborn and a little bit cynical.
Being a missionary and being under the constant influence of the Holy Ghost has helped me to become better. I have become more patient, more positive, more loving, more outgoing and out-reaching, more humble, and more willing to submit to the will of my Father. I've gained strength in the face of discouragement and temptation by turning to my Heavenly Father in prayer and by remembering the example of the Savior. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has helped me to put off my "natural man" tendencies.
Even still, I find myself wanting to repent a lot; sometimes I feel like I'm doing things wrong and that I just need to be better. I can take that one of two ways: I can believe Satan's lies and think that I really am doing everything wrong, or I can understand that this means the Atonement is taking effect in my life. I can believe that I am inadequate, or I can be humble and repent, finding strength in the power of Him whom I serve. To repent means to change or improve oneself in order to become what God wants one to be; the desire to do so is an effect of the Atonement that was fully intended.
In Alma 42, we read:
"Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a
punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be,
affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also
as the life of the soul. Now, how could a man repent except he should
sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law
save there was a punishment? Now, there was a punishment affixed, and
a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man." (Alma
42:16-18)
God has established a law of guilt to motivate us to repentance. When I do something wrong or fall short on doing what's right, this eternal principle causes me to feel a remorse of conscience. I know that I am striving to keep the commandments, so the desires I have to repent are, in reality, my desires to become more like the Savior. This law of guilt shows me my potential to be more Christlike, which is a direct result of the Atonement. My desires to repent and improve tell me that the Atonement is taking effect in my life. I always tell myself, "If you want to repent, you're doing it right."
My heart is in the process of undergoing a mighty change. However, I need to beware of the natural man--my natural tendencies to doubt, become casual, disbelieve, or think negatively. I need to continue to strive each day to align my thoughts and actions with my Heavenly Father's will. I need to endure to the end.
"Enduring to the end can be challenging because the tendency of the natural man is to reject the spiritually changed heart and allow it to harden. No wonder the Lord cautioned to 'even let those who are sanctified take heed.' ...
"To endure to the end, we need to be eager to please God and worship Him with fervor and passion. This means that we maintain faith in Jesus Christ by praying, studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament each week, and having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. We need to actively help and serve others and share the gospel with them. We need to be perfectly upright and honest in all things, never compromising our covenants with God or our commitments to men, regardless of circumstances. In our homes we need to talk of, rejoice in, and preach of Christ so that our children--and we ourselves--will desire to apply the Atonement in our lives.We must identify temptations that easily beset us and put them out of reach--way out of reach. Finally, we need to frequently biopsy our mightily changed hearts and reverse any signs of early rejection"
(Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change, Dale G. Renlund, 2009).
I've learned that I need to continually rely on the Atonement--to constantly be trying to improve and to maintain the changes that I have undergone. It is for this reason that the Atonement is infinite and eternal; we need to use it constantly.
Christ's Atonement makes it possible for me to repent and improve, and His example shows me the improvements I should strive for.
The best example He gives me is that of the perfect love He shows everyone. I love the stories in the New Testament; I love to picture the Savior's face and imagine His voice. I imagine His eyes filling with tears as He be holds Jairus' daughter, lying small and still on her little bed; I imagine the calm assurance in His voice as He tells Jairus not to be afraid (Mark 5:36). I picture the tenderness with which He took her hand and helped her to rise from her bed. He is filled with joy as she rises, and He glorifies His God for the miracle which He performed. The love He showed for Jairus and his daughter is so pure and unselfish; these are qualities I strive for.
The act of the Atonement itself was a "supreme expression of love for His Father and for us" (Preach My Gospel, 52). I can't even begin to imagine the agony He felt in the garden and the immense love that must have motivated Him to do it. What is even more amazing to me is what
He did immediately after he had suffered so much. I love Luke's accounting of the story:
"And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled
down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup
from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there
appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being
in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
"And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he
found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise
and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
"And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was
called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto
Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the
Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would
follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
"And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off
his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he
touched his ear, and healed him." (Luke 22:41-51)
After Jesus Christ had suffered unfathomable pain for what must have seemed like an eternity, He wiped off the blood from his body and began to carry on as if He hadn't just taken the entire world upon His shoulders. Then an angry mob came to condemn Him, and He healed one of the very men who wanted to kill Him. He knew what they were going to do to Him--He had just suffered the pain and the consequences for that very act of injustice--and He still stretched forth His hand out of love for this stranger to heal him.
I asked my dear friend, Elder Amaya of the France Paris mission, for his thoughts on the Savior. His answer rung so true to me that his words have become my own: "Why do we call him the Master? He was a great teacher of course, but he completely mastered the flesh as well. Because he did that, he was able to be perfect and never sin. ... Because he has perfect control of himself, he can be perfectly charitable and extends an open arm to us always no matter what we've done. How else could he be able to forgive us if he couldn't cleanse himself of all unclean and contentious feelings, displayed or hidden? Isn't it the natural man that always keeps us from forgiving others, while our free spirits cry that we gladly we'll forgive our fellow spirit brothers and sisters? ... He's the Master in both teaching and discipline, and, especially as missionaries, we have no better role model than him."
One of the main purposes of mortality is to develop self-mastery and become temperate in all things. Christ is the perfect example of that. He mastered the flesh enough to fast for forty days. He was disciplined enough to resist the temptations of Satan in his weakest mortal state; He relied on His Father for support, saying, "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4).
Even in the face of ultimate agony, Christ showed mastery of the flesh. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ plead to His Father with these words: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). He had all power, and He could have stopped the suffering right then. But He forsook his natural tendencies to fulfill His Father's will in atoning for everything--not just our sins, but our pains and our trials. He could have called upon legions of angels to take Him down from the cross at Golgotha, but He did not. He showed ultimate discipline in allowing Himself to suffer in body and spirit without being moved.
Sometimes, when I am struggling through a hard day, all I want is to quit. I want to curl up and go to sleep, completely ignoring my problems and just escape consciousness for a while. The natural man in me uses sleep as a defense mechanism to deal with hard things. But when I remember the Atonement of the Master of self-discipline, I receive strength. If Christ can endure ultimate agony in the garden and on the cross without succumbing to His "easy way out," I can be strong enough to finish the day without trying to escape. His perfect example brings me strength in my endeavors to overcome the weaknesses I face in mortality.
I can't say that I know much for sure, but this much I do know: Because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I want to be better, and I know I can be. He is the perfect Example to me in all I do each day. I am grateful for the love I can feel from Him as I read about His life and as I pray to my Father in His name. I hope that one day, through the grace of his Atonement, I can become a worthy servant of my Father and His Son.
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19).
At the beginning of my mission, I was very shy. I had a hard time speaking to people, and I had a hard time loving people. My understanding of the gospel and of the Atonement of Christ was very limited. I didn't fully understand my purpose here, and I was very hesitant to change. The natural Sister Nealy is very stubborn and a little bit cynical.
Being a missionary and being under the constant influence of the Holy Ghost has helped me to become better. I have become more patient, more positive, more loving, more outgoing and out-reaching, more humble, and more willing to submit to the will of my Father. I've gained strength in the face of discouragement and temptation by turning to my Heavenly Father in prayer and by remembering the example of the Savior. The Atonement of Jesus Christ has helped me to put off my "natural man" tendencies.
Even still, I find myself wanting to repent a lot; sometimes I feel like I'm doing things wrong and that I just need to be better. I can take that one of two ways: I can believe Satan's lies and think that I really am doing everything wrong, or I can understand that this means the Atonement is taking effect in my life. I can believe that I am inadequate, or I can be humble and repent, finding strength in the power of Him whom I serve. To repent means to change or improve oneself in order to become what God wants one to be; the desire to do so is an effect of the Atonement that was fully intended.
In Alma 42, we read:
"Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a
punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be,
affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also
as the life of the soul. Now, how could a man repent except he should
sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law
save there was a punishment? Now, there was a punishment affixed, and
a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man." (Alma
42:16-18)
God has established a law of guilt to motivate us to repentance. When I do something wrong or fall short on doing what's right, this eternal principle causes me to feel a remorse of conscience. I know that I am striving to keep the commandments, so the desires I have to repent are, in reality, my desires to become more like the Savior. This law of guilt shows me my potential to be more Christlike, which is a direct result of the Atonement. My desires to repent and improve tell me that the Atonement is taking effect in my life. I always tell myself, "If you want to repent, you're doing it right."
My heart is in the process of undergoing a mighty change. However, I need to beware of the natural man--my natural tendencies to doubt, become casual, disbelieve, or think negatively. I need to continue to strive each day to align my thoughts and actions with my Heavenly Father's will. I need to endure to the end.
"Enduring to the end can be challenging because the tendency of the natural man is to reject the spiritually changed heart and allow it to harden. No wonder the Lord cautioned to 'even let those who are sanctified take heed.' ...
"To endure to the end, we need to be eager to please God and worship Him with fervor and passion. This means that we maintain faith in Jesus Christ by praying, studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament each week, and having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. We need to actively help and serve others and share the gospel with them. We need to be perfectly upright and honest in all things, never compromising our covenants with God or our commitments to men, regardless of circumstances. In our homes we need to talk of, rejoice in, and preach of Christ so that our children--and we ourselves--will desire to apply the Atonement in our lives.We must identify temptations that easily beset us and put them out of reach--way out of reach. Finally, we need to frequently biopsy our mightily changed hearts and reverse any signs of early rejection"
(Preserving the Heart's Mighty Change, Dale G. Renlund, 2009).
I've learned that I need to continually rely on the Atonement--to constantly be trying to improve and to maintain the changes that I have undergone. It is for this reason that the Atonement is infinite and eternal; we need to use it constantly.
Christ's Atonement makes it possible for me to repent and improve, and His example shows me the improvements I should strive for.
The best example He gives me is that of the perfect love He shows everyone. I love the stories in the New Testament; I love to picture the Savior's face and imagine His voice. I imagine His eyes filling with tears as He be holds Jairus' daughter, lying small and still on her little bed; I imagine the calm assurance in His voice as He tells Jairus not to be afraid (Mark 5:36). I picture the tenderness with which He took her hand and helped her to rise from her bed. He is filled with joy as she rises, and He glorifies His God for the miracle which He performed. The love He showed for Jairus and his daughter is so pure and unselfish; these are qualities I strive for.
The act of the Atonement itself was a "supreme expression of love for His Father and for us" (Preach My Gospel, 52). I can't even begin to imagine the agony He felt in the garden and the immense love that must have motivated Him to do it. What is even more amazing to me is what
He did immediately after he had suffered so much. I love Luke's accounting of the story:
"And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled
down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup
from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there
appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being
in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were
great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
"And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he
found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise
and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
"And while he yet spake, behold a multitude, and he that was
called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them, and drew near unto
Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the
Son of man with a kiss? When they which were about him saw what would
follow, they said unto him, Lord, shall we smite with the sword?
"And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off
his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And he
touched his ear, and healed him." (Luke 22:41-51)
After Jesus Christ had suffered unfathomable pain for what must have seemed like an eternity, He wiped off the blood from his body and began to carry on as if He hadn't just taken the entire world upon His shoulders. Then an angry mob came to condemn Him, and He healed one of the very men who wanted to kill Him. He knew what they were going to do to Him--He had just suffered the pain and the consequences for that very act of injustice--and He still stretched forth His hand out of love for this stranger to heal him.
I asked my dear friend, Elder Amaya of the France Paris mission, for his thoughts on the Savior. His answer rung so true to me that his words have become my own: "Why do we call him the Master? He was a great teacher of course, but he completely mastered the flesh as well. Because he did that, he was able to be perfect and never sin. ... Because he has perfect control of himself, he can be perfectly charitable and extends an open arm to us always no matter what we've done. How else could he be able to forgive us if he couldn't cleanse himself of all unclean and contentious feelings, displayed or hidden? Isn't it the natural man that always keeps us from forgiving others, while our free spirits cry that we gladly we'll forgive our fellow spirit brothers and sisters? ... He's the Master in both teaching and discipline, and, especially as missionaries, we have no better role model than him."
One of the main purposes of mortality is to develop self-mastery and become temperate in all things. Christ is the perfect example of that. He mastered the flesh enough to fast for forty days. He was disciplined enough to resist the temptations of Satan in his weakest mortal state; He relied on His Father for support, saying, "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4).
Even in the face of ultimate agony, Christ showed mastery of the flesh. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ plead to His Father with these words: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). He had all power, and He could have stopped the suffering right then. But He forsook his natural tendencies to fulfill His Father's will in atoning for everything--not just our sins, but our pains and our trials. He could have called upon legions of angels to take Him down from the cross at Golgotha, but He did not. He showed ultimate discipline in allowing Himself to suffer in body and spirit without being moved.
Sometimes, when I am struggling through a hard day, all I want is to quit. I want to curl up and go to sleep, completely ignoring my problems and just escape consciousness for a while. The natural man in me uses sleep as a defense mechanism to deal with hard things. But when I remember the Atonement of the Master of self-discipline, I receive strength. If Christ can endure ultimate agony in the garden and on the cross without succumbing to His "easy way out," I can be strong enough to finish the day without trying to escape. His perfect example brings me strength in my endeavors to overcome the weaknesses I face in mortality.
I can't say that I know much for sure, but this much I do know: Because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I want to be better, and I know I can be. He is the perfect Example to me in all I do each day. I am grateful for the love I can feel from Him as I read about His life and as I pray to my Father in His name. I hope that one day, through the grace of his Atonement, I can become a worthy servant of my Father and His Son.
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