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.
I love how brilliant your thinking was as an 11-year-old. Made sense, until you had a better understanding of repentance. And I love how you stated it -- that Jesus can be a part of your life, not there for only the bad times, but the good times as well. Reminds me of my 3-year-old Abby and how close you were to Jesus. You've always had a very special relationship with the Savior. [And you are such a good writer!!!!] Perfect picture, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think He cares about us just as much when we are happy as when we are sad, and we don't focus on that enough. There's a lot of good! We just focus on the bad. I love the picture too! So sweet.
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