This is a more mild entry. If you came here looking for exciting, I have some good blogs I can recommend. Pretty much anyone you see with a highlighted name in the postings. Sampling them all will give you the full spectrum of awesome.
No pictures or anything. I just wanted to share something I learned this morning that I think Christy will relate to because she is a youth minister for the Catholic church here in Taber. (In this story I am at odds with God and get invited to a better path.)
So I woke up and I went to have my morning scripture snack, but a specific scripture came to mind. I looked it up and was surprised to find out I was in trouble. I needed to change my present attitude over to a meek one or I would be shutting myself off from God's help.
Of course I wanted instantly to be meek - whatever that was. I looked it up in the dictionary. I was supposed to show "patience and humility, be gentle, easily entreated, submissive." Again, foreign ideas, so I looked up what being patient meant. "Enduring pain and affliction without complaint; being understanding, tolerant and perservering". Perservering meant to "persist (continue firmly, steadfastly despite obstacles, to endure) in an idea, purpose or task despite obstacles". And endure means "to carry through successfully, to continue in existance (or life)".
Oh. Okay. And then I thought how that would be for me to be meek towards someone. No matter what pain or obstacles arose, to continue being loving and tolerant and understanding indefinitely. Brutal! Where's the joy in that I wondered. Then it occured to me that this was the way Christ loves me (loves all of us). We cause Him pain and no matter what obstacles come between us, or how we mistreat or turn against Him, He always persists in reaching out to us lovingly. And then it occured to me that if I try to love meekly, I will have more understanding of Him. I will more readily believe Him when He says "Come and be forgiven", because I will feel that same way towards others.
With His help I will be persistant in reaching out lovingly and mercifully no matter what. Then I would be able to get rid of that "if I'm in the wrong He must not love me anymore or as much as He used to" belief.
So really my invitation accept His help in changing over to meekness - is an invitation to know Him better. To understand and feel more of His love. Which is my favorite thing of all. And Christy's too! I can tell by the way she radiates His love.
Then this scripture wrapped up my morning feast, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God...Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth ...knoweth God. And this commandment we have from Him, that He that loveth God loveth His brother also. (1 John 4: 7,8,21)
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4 comments:
Great place to think about Moroni 7:48 as well... :)
It is wonderful when a message you need in your life jumps out at you at the time when you need that message. It came quite unexpectedly - I had not checked the FB message from my niece - rather I procrastinated checking it until this morning when it led me to this blog and finally to this lesson that I needed to incorporate into my thought process so that I could get through the day. The Lord works in mysterious ways - how could I have imagined that this blog, written on the 15th of Jan 08 would be there when I needed to hear it today. Thank-you
That makes me happy to hear! I'm glad I'm not alone in this journey. We're learning together down here.
Julie, I read a book that Carmen gave me for Christmas. I am sure will like it - it's also on the bestseller list I hear. "The PeaceGiver," and it is an incredible explanation of the atonement and Christ's love. I got lots out of it anyway.
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