The Pure Love of Christ

There are a lot of stories of Christ and his ministry in the scriptures. That's basically the point of the scriptures, to testify of Him. But one of my absolute favorite stories of Christ is shown in 3 Nephi 17. Christ is visiting His people in the Americas and what happens makes me cry every time I read it. 

At the beginning of this chapter, Christ had finished His purpose in coming to them, and was preparing to leave. However, "when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and behold they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them. And he said... Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you." I put myself in the place of these people. After generations of hearing that Christ would someday visit them, and to have waited faithfully for so long, I too would have wanted more time with Him. And, in response to their unspoken desire, Christ has compassion towards them. He knows the contents of their hearts and, I imagine, He was pretty amazed and joyous at their purity. So, not only does He stay a little longer, He continues on to work miracles for them. 

First, Christ asks them to bring forth all of the sick and afflicted among them. "He did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him. And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him...and did kiss his feet, insomuch they did bathe his feet with their tears." This service that he has performed many times, healing and making whole, was performed, this time, for the most grateful servants. Unlike the 10 lepers, where only one showed his gratitude, every recipient and every onlooker gave thanks to Christ for His miracles. How incredible were these people? They were so grateful just to have Christ's presence, and when he worked these miracles, their gratitude only increased. 

Second, after seeing the graciousness and joy at the last miracle, Christ then invites all of the children to be brought unto Him. He commanded the multitude to kneel to the earth. (This is where the tears start flowing for me, every time!) And after they had knelt "Jesus groaned within himself and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the House of Israel. And when he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth, and he prayed unto the Father." The blessing that Christ bestowed upon these children was incredible, so much so that the witnesses to this prayer bore record that "The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father...and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father." To me, this proves to me that Christ is currently praying on my behalf to our Father. I know He is. I know that He cares about me right now, and through everything I experience. It brings me so much joy knowing that He cares about me, loves me, and is actively cheering me on! 

This chapter ends in probably the most awesome way possible. Jesus said "Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full. And when he had said these words, he wept...and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. And when he had done this He wept again." Now here is the mind-blowing amazing part. Jesus spake to the multitude and said "Behold your little ones. And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled with fire, and the angels did minister unto them." When the scriptures invite us to become as little children, this is what I think of. Because of their purity, their righteousness, innocence, and pure joy, they are beloved by Christ, and they were surrounded by angels from heaven! The veil must have been very thin at this moment. I am sure that angels are with us more often than we are aware, but to see them ministering unto their children, must have been an incredible moment. 

In this chapter, I find evidence of the pure love of Christ. He truly loves each one of God's children. Even though there were over 2,500 people gathered, He went one by one and ministered unto them. After reading this chapter, I want to become closer to Christ! I want to follow His example and cherish and serve God's children one by one. And I know that I am loved. No matter how lonely or unimportant I feel, I know that there is someone who is cheering me on and praying in my behalf. I can feel His love while I read this book, and I know it is true. 

Closer to Perfection, Closer to Him

3 Nephi: 47-48 says "Old things are done away, and all things have become new. Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect."

Being a creature of habit, I often find it extremely difficult to change. With my last post, I spoke about needing to be constantly improving, since I find I am often too stagnant. And as I change, and give good effort, I also tend to revert to my old ways. I think that is why this scripture really touches my heart.

Sometimes, it is good to become new. Look at Baptism, for example. When we are baptized we are made new in Christ's name! We are washed clean and given a fresh start. Likewise, with the sacrament, each week we are given the same opportunity for change. What a blessing this is to me, and anyone else who is too susceptible to repeating past mistakes! As this scripture says, 'old things are done away', and we no longer need to worry about what we've repented of.

So, we need to take each opportunity every week to start anew. Christ says in this verse 'I would that ye should be perfect even as I'! This tells me that we do have the potential, if Jesus is telling us that we do! We have the potential to be perfect, even as Christ is perfect! It is entirely up to us whether we will accept this offering from Christ himself.

I remember back when I was about 11, and I had a realization. Why didn't I just wait until I was on my deathbed to get Baptized?! Then I would for sure be perfect when I got to heaven! I was actually mad at my 8 year old self for agreeing to baptism so early in life, leaving so many sins and mistakes in the future.

I realize now how naive those thoughts were. I don't need to be baptized on my deathbed, because I have the opportunity each Sunday to start over! As long as I am faithful and partake of the sacrament, I will have the opportunity to be forgiven for my mistakes.

The other thing I have realized over time, is that the Atonement is not just about sins and mistakes. It is about every single pain, suffering, tragedy, heartache, ailment, confusion, shortcoming as well as joyful moments, happy days, cherished memories and success in our lives. Because Christ performed the Atonement and lived a spotless life, He is able to be a part of my flawed, beautiful life. He is there for every need, every moment and every emotion I have. The least that I can do in return for His loving sacrifice is live my life in a way that would please Him. Being perfect may not be entirely realistic immediately, but through obedience to the commandments and continual effort, I will continue to draw closer and closer to perfection, and thus closer to Him.