On Sunday, I was overwhelmed with the feeling of being known and loved by my leaders and by my Savior. Some of my favorite scriptures were discussed, and I felt as if some concerns and questions I've had up to this point in my journey were being personally addressed. We learned more about how trials and weaknesses help us to be humble so The Lord can make weak things become strong in us. This has been a recurring theme for 2013 in our household, so it was comforting to have this testimony strengthened and the concept expanded.
During Sunday School, our topic was on Jesus Christ and becoming more like Him. We discussed the idea of knowing, doing, and becoming--that we start with a testimony and then do the things that we believe and eventually become a product of those good and true deeds. As the story of the rich man who asked Jesus what he needed to do to gain eternal life was mentioned, my mind was flooded with new insight on this story and how it specifically can relate to me and my life right now.
To review: Matthew 19: 16-30
16 ¶And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.23 ¶Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.27 ¶Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
{See also Mark 10:17-31 and Luke 18:18-30}
In each of the gospel accounts, you can tell that this is a young man who obviously has a testimony. He is faithful and righteous. He wants do be good and do good. He loves The Lord and His gospel. He has kept the commandments and has lived a good life from his youth. I'm sure many of us can relate. We've been trying to be good, to serve others, to keep the commandments, and to stay away from sin. But, as we get stuck in the "enduring to the end" part of life, we may find a comfort zone where we are content to stay. We pat ourselves on the back for "going through the motions," checking off all the wonderful commandments we are keeping. Yes, I go to church. I have a testimony, do my calling to the *best* of my ability, teach my children, pay tithing and offerings, have Family Home Evening, family scripture study, and family prayer. We serve others. We clean the church when it's our turn. We visit our assigned families......and, and, and. When it starts to feel like we are justifying our comfort zone of commandment living to the Savior, as this young man did, by listing off all the commandments we ARE keeping, surely there are some that we aren't doing so well at, for there is always more to be done, some area of growth, a way to be perfected. I think this young man was in the comfort zone, feeling pretty proud of all the great things he was doing. So, he came to the Savior and asked the question, "What ELSE do I need to do?" This young man was already striving to keep the commandments he knew and was following his leaders. He had reached the "knowing" stage and was ready to move further into the "doing" stage so that he could "become" all that God wanted him to become. He was wanting to do even more, so he asked. Sadly, when Jesus' answer of how he could become more and gain even more blessings was too hard, too challenging, too much of a sacrifice, the young man turned away, probably losing much more than his earthly goods in the process. Hopefully, he didn't also lose his testimony.
In all the times I've read or heard this story, I've focused on the literal meaning of it. On the surface, it's about giving up your money, wealth, and worldly possessions in order to follow the Savior. But, as I applied this young man's question to my own life, I thought of how much deeper this example could be if we don't just think of the sacrifice needed as one of wealth and possessions. We often come to points in our lives when we ask The Lord, "What should I do? Where should I go? How can I become better/have more patience/serve others/be more like Thee?" Sometimes the answers are difficult, for in order for us to grow, we must be stretched beyond our comfort zone. Sometimes praying for patience will bring on a test of that patience. In order to grasp more faith on a topic, our faith is often tested by something stronger than our current ability to hold tightly. Sometimes the asking of how to become stronger puts us in situations that stretches our strength to the breaking point. I've often heard the adage, "be careful what you wish for, because sometimes you get it." When the young man first asked what he should do, Jesus told him to keep the commandments. If the man would have left at this point, he probably would've thought, "Great! Nailed it! I've got this!" But, he continues the discussion, listing all the things he's done. Maybe he was hoping for the Savior to tell him, "son, you've done enough. Why don't you just sit this one out and let all those other less faithful take a turn at obeying something for once." As we can see, when we are ready for growth--even if we don't always ask for it--we will be pushed a little out of our obedience comfort zone. I can just picked Jesus saying "If you want to be perfect, go and.....give up your stubborn control and trust completely in My will. Quit yelling at your children when you reach the breaking point. Don't reach the breaking point with your children. Forgive those who have trespassed against you, even when they are not willing to change......." I'm sure I could list a million things I'm not doing perfect that the Savior could tell me to go work on if/when I ever get too comfortable in my righteousness. In asking "what ELSE" we can do to do more and become more, we are often faced with challenges, for the "becoming" tests us in order to strengthen us---after the trial of our faith.
How sad that the young man, so eager to be like the Savior, got caught up on the one thing that tested him beyond what he thought he could do. "And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions." {Mark 10:25} In other words, "...he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich." {Luke 18:23} And again, "he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." {Matthew 19:22} The young man couldn't--or wouldn't--get past that stumbling block in his life and missed out on so much joy and so many more blessings! We, too, are often asked to give up things--friends, time, talents, leisure activities, freedom, family, good health--to gain much more. We are tested by difficult sadness, loss, temptations, frustrations, sacrifice, and grief. Will the trial that stops us and tries to turn us away be one of infertility, marriage difficulties, ailing children, job loss, cancer, being shunned by friends, losing homes, the death of loved ones? There are countless trials. We don't know what lies ahead, but will there be an answer that causes us to lose faith? Hopefully, when our questions of, "What else, Lord?" are answered, we don't turn away from Him, sorrowful, because we think His answers are too difficult.
Instead, we should turn to the Lord even more and plunge ahead, continuing to press forward with faith. I'm reminded of a hymn, "Come, Come, Ye Saints," especially the 2nd verse:
Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?Whenever we feel that our lot in life is too difficult and are tempted to give up, to turn away, that is exactly the time to NOT turn away from the Lord. God will never forsake us, so we should never turn away, even in times of trail. For the reward comes once the battle is over. For all who give up riches, or time, or activities that would take us away from church attendance, or whatever we think it so difficult to give up, "will receive an hundredfold." I think I'm willing to take that deal.
'Tis not so; all is right.Why should we think to earn a great rewardIf we now shun the fight?Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.Our God will never us forsake;And soon we'll have this tale to tell--All is well! All is well!
After the young man turned away, Jesus talked about how difficult it will be for a rich man to get into heaven. I feel strongly that this doesn't apply only to wealth, for each of us in rich in something. I think it applies to any great stumbling block we hold on to that would keep us out of the straight and narrow gate. A camel going through the eye of a needle sounds impossible doesn't it? After that example, the disciples ask how anyone can get to heaven. I can just see leaders discussing a valiant saint who made a few mistakes. "Well, if SHE can't make it, who can???" "With God, all things are possible," is the simple answer.
From these accounts, it seems as if the young man had a testimony, but wasn't truly converted. He was keeping the commandments, but wasn't willing to give everything to he Lord, to truly trust Him. He turned his back on the Savior when times got tough. No wonder he was sad! The thought of giving up and turning away creeps in during difficult times. In the moment, it seems so much easy to give up for a bit, to back away and "take a break" from all the effort it takes to live a righteous life. Yes, it would be SO much easier to not do certain things, but I can't afford to go without the Lord's blessings I would lose in turn. It is not worth losing my testimony because the answers are hard. It is not worth stepping away from the Savior because the path ahead is an uphill battle. I cannot afford to take my eyes off the eternal perspective because a stumbling block is placed in the road. I must keep moving forward, even when what is asked of me seems, at first, like something I am not prepared to endure. For when we give up everything and turn our lives to God, we are promised that whatever we have had to give up/whatever difficulties we have had to endure--all will be returned an hundred fold. Whenever the Savior asks us to follow Him, he blesses us, so why would we EVER turn away from those blessings, just because the way ahead seems a bit diffucult? He will help us through whatever challenges seem beyond what we can give. He will lead us to the easier paths or will make the difficult paths easier to bear. The bigger sorrow comes not in the difficulty but from turning away without answering His call. The joy and comfort is found in trusting Him and being strengthened in those challenges in order to know, do, and become more like Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment