If you are looking to improve yourself and come closer to Christ, you might love this blog.
If you are looking to justify your actions and learn how you can get away with being a lazy bum, you might get offended by this blog.
So I was pondering what I could yet again on a story that Coach Cornell told the class one day. Again, I found that it could easily be applied to any person living the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Saving Starfish
A young man is walking down the beach at sunrise with his grandfather. It was low tide, and there were many creatures to be seen. They laughed, talked, and explored the tides, until they reached a spot where thousands upon thousands of starfish covered the sandy beach.
"Grandpa? What is going to happen to all these starfish?"
"They are going to dry out and die on the beach, then at high tide, will come and wash them all up and it will happen again tomorrow."
"That's awful! Isn't there something we can do?"
The young man then picked up the nearest starfish, and hurled it as far as he could into the ocean.
"What are you doing? There's no point. You can't save all of them, it's just the way it has to be."
The young man continued. He threw another starfish in the ocean, then another, then another. He wasn't going to give up that easily.
"You can't save them all, it doesn't matter!"
The young man threw one more starfish into the ocean, turned to his grandfather and said,
"It mattered to that one."
He turned around and threw another starfish. Without a word, the grandfather bent down, picked up a starfish, and hurled it into the ocean.
And so it is with the daunting task of being a believer in Christ. Some may say the work I do as a missionary is pointless. I've heard the words yelled at me out of a car window, "You're wasting your life!" Some may say, "You can't save them all, it doesn't matter." To those people I say, "It mattered to that one."
There are those who do not know they are lost until they are found. Some don't realize that they are just like those helpless starfish, stranded with no way out. Jesus Christ is the saving ocean that gives life to the stranded people of this life. You and I enable those stranded people to find a way back to Him. It matters to that one. So who is that one? Find the one, and save them.
So I got transferred last Tuesday. For those who do not know, missionaries are sent to different areas around their mission over a span of two years. We stay in an area for at least 6 weeks. So for the first time on my mission, I got transferred to a new area and it's called Mineola, NY.
I didn't think I would have a problem moving around because I have been a missionary for 8 months now. I kind of know the ins and outs at this point. But guess what? I was wrong! Moving to a new area is actually incredibly difficult. I now have to build a relationship with a completely new branch (congregation), spend 24 hours a day with a guy I just met last Tuesday, and leave all my dear friends in Hampton Bays behind! So dealing with that stress has been difficult. Now here is the solution:
We have to remember that we all have mountains to climb. What separates the people of god from the people of the world is how we handle those mountains. Do we climb them? Do we give up and turn back? Here is the best way, try asking the Lord to show you the way. Ask him to show you the trail He has laid out for you. If you walk up a mountain using the path that Christ laid out for you, the trip will seem lighter. However, you end up at the top of the mountain just like you would if you had climbed your own way up! Let's all remember the Savior in our trials and allow Him to support us to the top.
As I have done this, my life here in Mineola has become easier. I went from being down, and just wanting to go home, to loving the people even if I can't understand their Spanish yet. I know that I was able to come out of this past week stronger than I was before, and happier than ever because of the Atonement and His guidance up this steep mountain. I invite all of you to do the same as you go through trials and I know that you will be blessed to find happiness and peace rather than hopelessness and failure.
Understanding the Atonement of Christ is one thing, but living it is completely another! It's like the phrase, "You can't have the cake, and eat it too." Psh that's crazy! What's the point of having cake if you can't eat it? It's kind of like saying "You can't understand the Atonement AND use it in your life." Of course you can! We learn to understand the Atonement so that we CAN apply it! That doesn't happen over night though. It takes a long time to understand the Atonement, and even longer to learn how to use it! I think we may need a little patience don't we?
According to President Uchtdorf, from the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, patience plays a huge role in who we are and who we become. I myself have been studying patience and found that it applies to multiple aspects of our life. I can be patient with someone I am teaching, who won't keep their commitment to go to church, but 5 minutes later, I am yelling at the guy who took a couple extra seconds to go when the light turned green! So how do we become patient with ourselves in becoming christlike?
1. Remember the Atonement is real: We become christlike through the mercy and grace of Christ's atonement for us. We could not repent if we did not have Him. But because we DO have Him, we can repent, leave behind the bad, and start fresh as many times as it takes to become like our Savior.
2. Pray for patience: It seems easy doesn't it? Guess what? It is easy! Do you pray every day? Modern day prophets have taught us to pray at least morning and night. The scriptures teach us to "pray always" or to keep Him in our thoughts at all times. So pray for patience! Then keep patience in your mind at all times.
3. Be patient in receiving patience: That sounds kind of funny. You have to be patient to receive patience? Well it all starts somewhere, and patience can be acquired if we seek for it! Remember that no christlike attribute will fall into your lap. It takes time, and it will take patience so don't give up!
Look for patience in your life, seek to be more patient with yourself and with others. Is there anything in your life that you are not patient with? Yourself? Your family? Figure out what you need to be more patient with, and relax a little bit! Focus on what you CAN control! That's the message here. The Atonement of Christ makes us better, but it does not happen over night, and it doesn't come cheap. We need to work, learn, and grow from our mistakes. It seems endless, but if we are PATIENT, we can become like our Savior Jesus Christ one step at a time. Be patient with yourself. Rejoice in your accomplishments, and do not dwell on your failures. Use the Atonement and get past it! I know you can do it. He is waiting for you. Good luck readers! I know that you can learn and grow, all you need is a little patience and a little faith!
I was feeling a little sorry for myself yesterday. Every missionary gets homesick every once in a while, and it made me think of one of the most inspirational stories I have ever heard. I heard it from my weight lifting coach my Sophomore year of high school, and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I couldn't help applying this story to the atonement of Christ.
SHAKE IT OFF, STEP UP
A farmer was tending to his farm one day, when he heard a loud cry. He followed the sound to a dried up well on the side of his farm. To his dismay, his work mule had fallen in and was crying out in distress. The Mule was heavy, and the well was deep. It would be impossible to get it out. So the farmer made a bitter decision, but a productive one. He decided that he would bury the mule in the well, therefore accomplishing two jobs. He would fill the well up, and take care of the mule. So he shovels one shovel of dirt on top of the mule. At this point the mule is hysterical. The farmer continues to shovel, and the mule continues to cry even louder.
Then all of a sudden, the mule has an idea. The mule shakes the dirt off of his back and steps up. With each shovel full of dirt, the mule takes a step closer to the top of the well. The farmer catches on, and starts shoveling faster. Shake it off, step up. Shake it off, step up. The mule steps up, one pile of dirt at a time. The farmer keeps shoveling, and the mule is getting tired. Shake it off, step up. Shake it off, step up. The mule pushes onward, and finally, steps up and over the edge of the dried up well. The farmer and mule rejoice as they are reunited.
So what does this have to do with the Atonement of Christ? We are all human. Every one of us. We all make mistakes, we all get mad, we all are jealous sometimes. We are not perfect, however, we can become so. Matthew 5:48
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect."
Why would Christ ask so much of us if we know we cannot possibly be perfect in this lifetime?
Well,
1 Nephi 3:7
7 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I awill go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no bcommandments unto the children of men, save he shall cprepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.
What? is this saying that I CAN be perfect? That the Lord will PROVIDE a way for us to keep his commandments? YES! the Lord has provided a way, just as he has promised he would in the scriptures. That "way" is called the Atonement.
Now of course, this isn't going to happen over night, in fact, I don't think anyone can be perfect in this lifetime! Let's go back to the original story. In life, that mule represents us, and the dirt represents trials that PROVE our faith and IMPROVE us! With each trial, each temptation, we shake it off and step up. Now here is the tricky part, where is the Savior in this story? I would say the savior is represented by the mule's strength. Without strength, the mule would not be ABLE to shake the dirt off and step up! He would have been stuck, helplessly, at the bottom of the pit, with no ability to stand. Christ is the way, and the enabler that allows us to shake it off and step up. I don't know how many times I will have to shake it off and step up before I finally become like God, but I know one thing, I am NEVER going to give up! I will shake it off and step up until that great and glorious day when I reach the top of this old, dried up well and I am reunited with my master again. Ok, so now for the challenge to you all: what do you need to improve on? what trials or temptations do you need to shake off? My challenge is for all of you to pick something. ONE THING! and shake it off! step up, and leave that dirt underneath your feet. Take the next step up to your Father in Heaven. I know that as you do this, your faith will grow, and you will feel the Savior's love and you will have lasting, true happiness like you have never felt before.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Hello! this is my first blog post on this blog. The purpose is to teach/explain principles that will bring us closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
There once was a boy I went to school with who really didn't have the highest self esteem. He had friends, he had good grades, and he was super nice! What more could someone ask for? Well, here's the problem: High school is not exactly the nicest environment. Bullying, teasing, name-calling, all of that stuff just tears a kid down! I chose to "love everyone" and lift him up. When that happened, I could see his lip curl up juuuuuust barely, like trying to hide a smile, but I knew it was there! It was the best feeling in the world. Lifting someone up, not tearing him down, that is the true key to happiness. Christ taught us to love our neighbors. So that's what I am trying to do! You will never know what impact you may have on a person, so get out there and make sure your impression on this world is a good one!
I remember the day I decided to have an uplifting attitude towards others. This is the difference between making a joke about how fat your friend is, and making a joke about how huge his biceps are. It's the little things that make someone's day! And I know there is a way for us to always lift other's burdens.
15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.
Carry another's burdens, and cast your's upon the savior's shoulders. Jesus Christ took our burdens upon himself. I love him for that. And I will continually strive to be like him by carrying the burdens of those around me. That is my invitation to all. What can you do to make someone's burden light?
