Monday, October 3, 2011

Speaking in church

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not pay their ministry.  As a matter of fact, they ask you to participate even when you think you are the last person on the planet who should be helping.  Two weeks ago, I gave a talk based upon General Conference talk found here.  This is the talk.  There are additional quotes from here.  So, without further ado...


By nature, I am obsessive compulsive.  If things do not go according to my expectations, my lists and my advanced planning, I struggle with the deviation.
The real problem?  MY expectations are not those to which I should aspire.  MY lists are not the ones I should check, and MY advance planning is not the rock I once thought it to be.  As we all know, the floods come, and, unless we are planted firmly on the rock of the Savior, all the compulsive perfectionism in the world isn’t going to save us.
Ironically enough, I welcomed my topic today, for it reminded me much of the priorities I should have in my life and it gave me a chance to reflect on what is most important.  As I spent each day, following MY list of preparation for this talk, and muddled through draft after draft, it became clear to me, that I wasn’t writing MY perfect talk.  I needed to let my Heavenly Father guide what needs to be said.  It wasn’t until this morning, that I felt the talk “perfect”, mostly because there are inspirations herein I never would have come to on my own.  I know the Holy Ghost brought these to me.  I pray he will be here as I speak today.
Jesus Christ set a standard, and became the ultimate example, of living perfectly.  He is, even now, a perfected being.  We are asked, repeatedly, in the scriptures “be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in Heaven is perfect.”  (3 Nephi 15:48)
So – the obsessive list-maker inside of me says, what are the steps I need to take to reach that beautiful goal of perfection? What list boxes can I check to be like my Heavenly Father and my Savior, and to be with them?
In his October 1995 General Conference talk, Perfection Pending, Elder Russell M. Nelson states
The process of perfection includes challenges to overcome and steps to repentance that may be very painful.  There is a proper place for chastisement in the molding of character, for we know that whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.  Mortal perfection can be achieved as we try to perform every duty, keep every law, and strive to be as perfect in our sphere as our Heavenly Father is in his.  If we do the best we can, the Lord will bless us according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts.
The enormous effort required to attain such self-mastery is rewarded with a deep sense of satisfaction.  More importantly, spiritual attainments in mortality accompany us into eternity.
Jesus Christ himself gave us a list of things to do to return to the Father.  Even the youngest Primary child can recite the list:  say prayers, individually and as family units, read scriptures, individually and as family units, go to church, have family home evening, go to the temple, pay tithing – the list goes on.
When comparing one’s personal performance with the supreme standard of the Lord’s expectation, the reality of imperfection can at times be depressing.  [We cannot] allow feelings of depression to rob [us] of happiness in life.
The perfection that the Savior envisions for us is much more than errorless performance.  It is the eternal expectation as expressed by the Lord in his great intercessory prayer to his Father – that we might be made perfect and be able to dwell with them in the eternities ahead.
 While working toward perfect execution of the Lord’s commandments, we must remember that our Heavenly Father sent the Savior, who provided the way for us to be perfected through our repentance, and his atonement.
How could the Father tell the world of love and tenderness?
He sent his Son, a newborn babe, with peace and holiness.
How could the Father show the world the pathway we should go?
He sent his Son to walk with men on earth, that we may know.
How could the Father tell the world of sacrifice, of death?
He sent his Son to die for us and rise with living breath.
What does the Father ask of us? What do the scriptures say?
Have faith, have hope, live like his Son, help others on their way.
What does he ask? Live like his Son.

I was particularly impressed with Elder Nelson’s observations with regard to the word “perfect”.  He studied both the Greek and English editions of the New Testament, and found that the word perfect was, in Greek, originally “teleios – which means complete”.  It is “derived from the noun telos which means end.”  “The word does not imply freedom from error; it implies achieving a distant objective.”

As we look to the pattern of the Savior’s life, and to the reflections of His life our own should be, we can ponder the effects of perfection through the stages, or spheres, of our existence.
When a “perfect” Christ – by perfect I mean that He made no mistakes, and committed no sin, at the hands of John the Baptist, immersed in the River Jordan, rose again, he completed, “perfected” obedience to the commandments of the Lord.  When baptized, we ourselves come forth from the water with sins washed clean, “perfect” at that time, in following the commandment of God.
With that background in mind, let us consider another highly significant statement made by the Lord. Just prior to his crucifixion, he said that on “the third day I shall be perfected.   Think of that! The sinless, errorless Lord—already perfect by our mortal standards—proclaimed his own state of perfection yet to be in the future.  His eternal perfection would follow his resurrection and receipt of “all power … in heaven and in earth.”
Even the Savior continuously progressed toward a state of perfection – including the time of his resurrection, and receipt of all that his Father hath.  It is our goal to follow in those footsteps.
Resurrection is requisite for eternal perfection. Thanks to the atonement of Jesus Christ, our bodies, corruptible in mortality, will become incorruptible. Our physical frames, now subject to disease, death, and decay, will acquire immortal glory.  Presently sustained by the blood of life and ever aging, our bodies will be sustained by spirit and become changeless and beyond the bounds of death. 

Eternal perfection is reserved for those who overcome all things and inherit the fullness of the Father in his heavenly mansions. Perfection consists in gaining eternal life—the kind of life that God lives. 

The checklist spoken of before comes into play as we consider the Lord’s activities here on earth.  He “went about his Father’s work” by visiting the temple.  He read from the scriptures and attended church services.  He prayed to his Father in Heaven. 

People have never failed to follow Jesus because his standards were imprecise or insufficiently high. Quite to the contrary. Some have disregarded his teachings because they were viewed as being too precise or impractically high! Yet such lofty standards, when earnestly pursued, produce great inner peace and incomparable joy.

We cannot simply check these activities off a list once, but must continually do them.  Such efforts will help us come to know the Savior and our Heavenly Father and “become like Diety.”

“We should be called the sons [and daughters] of God. …
“… When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 

Thus we see that the progressions toward perfection, the work, the successes, the failures, are not to bring us down, but to encourage us to improve, to become more pure, to become more like our Savior.

Continuing encouragement comes as we follow the example of Jesus, who taught, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.”  His hope for us is crystal clear! He declared: “What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.”  Thus, our adoration of Jesus is best expressed by our emulation of Jesus. 

Unfortunately, we do not make the right decisions all of the time.  There are points where we fall, where there seems to be no end in sight, and where our struggles show no sign of lessening.  A very close friend of mine and I used to say “If only I can get through…. Then everything will be fine.”  I have found that it is not the end goal to just “get through,” rather it is the journey we take along the way that molds us.  While the trials come, they are there for our personal growth, to humble, to refine and to strengthen.

Years ago, my world fell apart. Everything I thought I knew about myself, about my Savior, about my Heavenly Father, and about the promises made in the temple and at baptism vanished into a sea of tribulation into which I am still occasionally flung.  I honestly believed that I would never be “perfect”, because I failed my Heavenly Father.  Even now, I struggle with the aftermath of this devastation, but it doesn’t suck me into the depths of despair anymore.  My Heavenly Father has said that “this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”  He has also said that “men are that they might have joy.”  It is these wonderful words of scripture and the amazing blessings in my life that remind me each day of my goal: perfection, which is to obtain the presence of my Heavenly Father and His Son.

I think constantly of the Savior, and try each day to be more like Him.  A few years ago, a Primary song caught my heart, and has never let go.  It reminds me what I should be doing to be like my Savior.

If the Savior stood beside me,
Would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more righteously if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?
If the Savior stood beside me,
Would I say the things I say?
Would my words be true and kind if He were never far away?
Would I try to share the gospel?
Would I speak more rev’rently if I could see the Savior standing nigh,
watching over me?
If the Savior stood beside me, would my thoughts be clean and pure?
Would His presence give me strength and hope and courage to endure?
Would His counsel guide my actions?
Would I choose more worthily if I could see the Savior standing nigh
watching over me?
He is always near me, though I do not see Him there,
And because He loves me dearly,
I am in His watchful care,
So I’ll be the kind of person that I know I’d like to be
if I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me.
I will be the kind of person that I know I’d like to be
if I could see the Savior standing nigh watching over me.

The right choice won’t always be made.  The commandments won’t always be followed perfectly.  And the road will not be easy, and there may not be an end in sight.  We should never give up.  We should never give in.  In the words of Elder Nelson:

We need not be dismayed if our earnest efforts toward perfection now seem so arduous and endless. Perfection is pending. It can come in full only after the Resurrection and only through the Lord. It awaits all who love him and keep his commandments. It includes thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers, and dominions.   It is the end for which we are to endure.  It is the eternal perfection that God has in store for each of us.

I look forward to the day when I will return to my Heavenly Father, when I will stand with my Savior, and when I will know of their perfect love for me.  Until then, though imperfect, I know the day is coming when my perfection will be complete.

I am often reminded of the story of Mary and Martha, who were blessed to live at the time of Jesus Christ, and to know Him well.  Sister Bonnie D. Parking, former Relief Society General President, relates

Martha lived in the small village of Bethany, where she “received [Jesus] into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard his word.”  Both women loved the Lord. And “Jesus loved Martha, and [Mary].”  In fact, their relationship breached convention, for at that time women were not usually able to discuss the gospel with men.
On one occasion Martha was making dinner and, as the scripture says, “was cumbered about much serving.”  In other words, she was stressed out!
Mary, on the other hand, “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word,”  while Martha became increasingly upset that no one was helping her. Does that sound familiar? Do you think she was thinking, “Why is Mary sitting there while I’m sweating over this stove?” So Martha turned to Jesus and said, “Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.” 
The Lord’s gentle invitation to Martha may have surprised her. “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” 
The Savior’s response strikingly clarified what mattered most. On that evening in Martha’s home, the good part was not in the kitchen; it was at the Lord’s feet. Dinner could wait.
When we put the lists and expectations of the Lord first, all other things that are ours to accomplish do not become insignificant, rather, it strengthens our ability to complete the “cumbered about” moments.  I often think of my afternoons with my children.  Between homework, and practicing, making dinner, completing chores… it is difficult to “choose the better part” among all the clamoring about.  And yet, the mornings are the highlight of our day, for we arise, complete our tasks quickly, and are able to sit and share a prayer and the words of God over breakfast.  This peaceful start to our day gives us the spiritual strength we need to get through whatever may come, and unites us as a family.  While we do occasionally miss this opportunity, we do our best to keep trying each day.

While my lists, my expectations, and my advance planning may give me some guidance, it is the Lord’s planning that makes all the difference.  When we look to Him, when we rely on the Savior, all of the busy-ness of following the commandments becomes extraneous in our minds and hearts.  We realize that this is a simple gospel.  This is a peaceful and touching story.  When we put the Savior first, and realize fully His role in our salvation, we can find the inner peace and joy described by Elder Nelson.

Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: The hour is hast'ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

A very close friend of mine was recently diagnosed with an illness that will stay with her for the course of her life.  It affects not only her physical responses to things, but the very way she interprets what is happening around her.  Her thought processes are affected so significantly that she must relearn much of what she already knew so that she can adapt it for her new model.  Even is such turmoil, I have been uplifted in watching her priorities – and strengthened by the testimony that has remained.  While she struggles each day, she has put the Lord first in her life.  No matter the struggle, she continually seeks his guidance, his Spirit and his example.  I know that she finds the inner peace for which we all strive, and sees the small joys in everyday life.

This is a gospel – a good news offered by Jesus Christ.  It is true.  It is living.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much, and sent us to Earth to teach us, to mold us, and to test us. 
I know that the Book of Mormon was brought forth by the prophet Joseph Smith.  It is a true work, and by following the precepts taught therein, we will return to our Heavenly Father. 

I look forward to General Conference next week.  The leaders who speak are prophets, seers and revelators, sent to this time to prepare us to serve in the kingdom and meet God. 

I am so grateful for the family I have been given – my husband and my children, my parents, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews.  They are lights to my world. 

The friendships I have strengthen me each day, and give me renewed hope for the future.  I look forward to the day when we can all sit down in Heaven together – all safe and blest. 

Until that time, I pray for inner peace, happiness and joy in this life.  I continually see it in my life, and pray as you follow the commandments of the Savior, you will find it also.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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