The missionaries that came among us in Germany after world war two were perfect in my view.
Because of Jesus Christ, our failures do not need to define us. They can refine us.
We are all infants compared to the divine beings we are meant to become.
The people of the ancient Nephites lived across the world from the Jews in a social and political climate that was vastly different from the Jews and yet He taught them many of the same messages and doctrines.
He teaches us to love one another and be full of charity to all men. He teaches us to be His hands.
He urges us to seek joy, enlightenment, peace, truth, happiness, and the promise of immortality and eternal life.
He would recognize and honor honesty, humility, integrity, faithfulness, compassion, and charity.
As we set aside pride and approach His throne with a broken heart and a contrite spiritual He will …
This time of bleakness after World War II left its mark upon the world. It left its mark upon me.
Back then, in the solitude of my loneliest hours, I often wondered, “Is there any hope left in the world?”
As I pondered this question, I thought about our young American missionaries who served among us during those years. They had left the safety of their homes half a world away and traveled to Germany—land of their recent enemies—to offer divine hope to our people. They came not to blame, lecture, or shame. They willingly gave of their young lives without thought of earthly gain, wanting only to help others find the joy and peace they had experienced.
To me, these young men and women were perfect. I am sure they had flaws, but not to me. I will always think of them as being bigger than life—angels of light and glory, ministers of compassion, goodness, and truth.
We should have a well rounded view of people, institutions, and situations but we get to choose what aspects we focus on.
It is astonishing what we can learn when we look a little closer at our Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation and exaltation, the plan of happiness, for His children. When we feel insignificant, cast off, and forgotten, we learn that we may be assured that God has not forgotten us—in fact, that He offers to all His children something unimaginable: to become “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”
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It is so humbling to know that this magnificent and supernal future is possible—not because of who we are but because of who God is.
Because of Jesus Christ, our failures do not have to define us. They can refine us.
Like a musician rehearsing scales, we can see our missteps, flaws, and sins as opportunities for greater self-awareness, deeper and more honest love for others, and refinement through repentance.
If we repent, mistakes do not disqualify us. They are part of our progress.
We are all infants compared to the beings of glory and grandeur we are designed to become. No mortal being advances from crawling to walking to running without frequent stumbles, bumps, and bruises. That is how we learn.
It is up to us to choose to learn from our mistakes. It is up to us to accept the help of our Savior in becoming better, stronger, and more perfected.
The people of the Book of Mormon lived on the other side of the globe—their histories, cultures, and political climates were vastly different from the people Jesus taught during His mortal ministry. And yet He taught them many of the same things He taught in the Holy Land.
Why would He do that?
The Savior always teaches timeless truths. They apply to people of every age and in any circumstance.
His message was and is a message of hope and belonging—a testimony that God our Heavenly Father has not abandoned His children.
That God is among us!
To our blessing, many of His words are recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants—available to anyone in the world who wishes to read and study them. How priceless are these words to us today!
And we should not be surprised to find that the Savior again teaches the core message of His gospel: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him.” He inspires us to seek God and live by the teachings He has revealed to His servants, the prophets.
He teaches us to love one another and to be “full of charity towards all men.”
We should look at the messages of Christ and ask what He tells us about ourselves and what He asks of us. It is often subtly different than what we greater against our what others greater against in what He supposedly said.
He teaches us to become His disciples—that our hearts should not strive for personal power, wealth, approval, or position. He teaches us to “lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.”
He urges us to seek joy, enlightenment, peace, truth, happiness, and the promise of immortality and eternal life.
Let us take this a step further. Suppose Jesus came to your ward, to your branch, or to your home today. What would that be like?
He would see right into your heart. Outward appearances would lose their importance. He would know you as you are. He would know your heart’s desires.
The meek and the humble He would lift.
The sick He would heal.
The doubting He would infuse with faith and courage to believe.
He would teach us to open our hearts to God and reach out to others.
He would recognize and honor honesty, humility, integrity, faithfulness, compassion, and charity.
One look into His eyesand we would never be the same. We would be forever changed. Transformed by the profound realization that, indeed, God is among us.
Ask, and you will receive. Knock, and it will be opened unto you. Trust the Lord.
In our daily life it is our paramount task and blessed opportunity to encounter God.
As we set aside pride and approach His throne with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, He will draw near to us.
As we seek to follow Jesus Christ and walk the path of discipleship, line upon line, the day will come that we will experience that unimaginable gift of receiving a fulness of joy
As we seek to be His hands to those in need we will feel His spirit in our hearts. As we choose to see Him in those who reach out to help us in our times of need we will recognize Him among us through our brothers and sisters who chose to be His hands and we will see how He draws near to us.
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