This week I want to talk about something very important to me.
We as members of this church have something that no one else on this earth has. We have a knowledge of the nature of our Heavenly Father and his perfect plan of salvation. We know that his plan, the plan of happiness, is CENTERED on his son Jesus Christ. Because of our savior we do not have to fear justice. Our Heavenly Father has given us very clear guidelines on how he wants us to live our life in order to return to live with him. He KNEW when he sent us here that we weren't going to be perfect. In fact, we learn from Ether12:27 that our weaknesses are actually GIVEN TO US BY HEAVENLY FATHER. They are a gift from him. He knew that he would have to provide a way for us to overcome sin, temptation, and weakness. Because of the atoning sacrifice of our savior, we do not have to be controlled by our bad decisions. We are able to repent and be changed by His atonement. This great privilege is not just extended to us as members of the church, but to EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE of our Heavenly Father's children. Even the ones that have different weaknesses than us.
Alma 5: 33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith:Repent, and I will receive you.
We know that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. We know this. It is an eternal principle. Through latter day revelation we are aware of many eternal principles. Condemning groups of people or individuals who struggle with same sex attraction is the same as judging someone for struggling with ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT that our Heavenly Father has given us. I personally do not understand people who have a hard time fasting, paying tithing, and attending church meetings. I don't understand it because those things are not hard for me. They just make sense. I can fast twice per week if I want and I always see the blessings. So I don't understand when people stand in the foyer and talk about how they're starving and they can't wait to get home from 8:00am chruch and have a sandwich on fast Sunday. However there are A LOT of people who can not even comprehend how incredibly difficult it is for me to keep my thoughts clean. When I bring it up to people they are SHOCKED that I would struggle with something so easy as always having virtuous thoughts. I feel so much guilt and shame over this weakness that I have. It's even harder when I hear things like "well I feel like girls just don't struggle with that sort of thing."
However, there is someone who understands it. My savior Jesus Christ understands exactly what I am going through. He also understands how hard it is for you to pay 10% of your income and he understands how hard it is for people with same sex attraction to go through their entire life. I'm sad that we are so quick to condemn people who struggle with same sex attraction and at the same time so quick to laugh it off when people make jokes about how "incredibly difficult it is to attend three hours of church / give 10% of your income / go without food for 24 hours." When we as missionaries teach about chastity we teach about the LAW of chastity. We also teach the doctrine of the LAW of the fast and the LAW of tithing. They are all laws. We will be judged based on how well we lived up to all of them. The person we will be judged by is no one other than our perfectly merciful and just savior. How lucky are we that we will not be judged by one another, we don't know what each other have been through.
3Nephi14: 1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he turned again to the multitude, and did open his mouth unto them again, saying: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
Alma 5: 33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith:Repent, and I will receive you.
We know that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God. We know this. It is an eternal principle. Through latter day revelation we are aware of many eternal principles. Condemning groups of people or individuals who struggle with same sex attraction is the same as judging someone for struggling with ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT that our Heavenly Father has given us. I personally do not understand people who have a hard time fasting, paying tithing, and attending church meetings. I don't understand it because those things are not hard for me. They just make sense. I can fast twice per week if I want and I always see the blessings. So I don't understand when people stand in the foyer and talk about how they're starving and they can't wait to get home from 8:00am chruch and have a sandwich on fast Sunday. However there are A LOT of people who can not even comprehend how incredibly difficult it is for me to keep my thoughts clean. When I bring it up to people they are SHOCKED that I would struggle with something so easy as always having virtuous thoughts. I feel so much guilt and shame over this weakness that I have. It's even harder when I hear things like "well I feel like girls just don't struggle with that sort of thing."
However, there is someone who understands it. My savior Jesus Christ understands exactly what I am going through. He also understands how hard it is for you to pay 10% of your income and he understands how hard it is for people with same sex attraction to go through their entire life. I'm sad that we are so quick to condemn people who struggle with same sex attraction and at the same time so quick to laugh it off when people make jokes about how "incredibly difficult it is to attend three hours of church / give 10% of your income / go without food for 24 hours." When we as missionaries teach about chastity we teach about the LAW of chastity. We also teach the doctrine of the LAW of the fast and the LAW of tithing. They are all laws. We will be judged based on how well we lived up to all of them. The person we will be judged by is no one other than our perfectly merciful and just savior. How lucky are we that we will not be judged by one another, we don't know what each other have been through.
3Nephi14: 1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he turned again to the multitude, and did open his mouth unto them again, saying: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother: Let me pull the mote out of thine eye—and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
The most important thing that we have as members of this church is our testimony of our savior. It is more precious than any earthly title, than any temporal blessing, than any possession you can have. Brothers and Sisters I want to invite you, please, if you must spend any of the time you are at church speaking of something besides our savior and his atonement, let it be your own weaknesses. The church is a hospital. There's no reason to be there except to seek healing and help. That healing is available to all people, please take advantage of it for yourself.
I've learned a lot about this lately. I've been realizing over the course of the almost 6 months Sister Baker and I have been together that I am a very judgmental and prideful person. We were talking yesterday about how we've been together for so long and we've had a rough time getting along up until like 3 weeks ago. We talked about how we've been feeling like we haven't been changing at all or learning from each other, but we've just learned things that have taken this long to fall into place. I'm really glad I've been able to spend so much time with Sister Baker because she's an amazing person. It took so much for her to be out here serving the lord. She is super strong and just submits to everything the Lord wants from her. It's even more incredibly impressive because Sister Baker is very strong willed. So to see her put her will aside and just go and do is very humbling. We talked about how we've both become way more humble since being each other's companion. I'm so blessed.
Ok. I'm less fired up now.
Comin at ya with some quotes:
"I'm a bit worried about my son... he's rather.... entrenched in the gospel." -Brother Trippe
"I'm William Trippe, I'm ACTUALLY from Texas." -Brother Trippe
"Oh yeah well on MY mission I contacted a lady in the shower through her doorbell." -Sister Baker
"Is this what Elders are like? They're like.... 18 year old boys..." -Kira Farris
"We probably should have ASKED if you wanted to come to lunch with us." -me
"Are you kidding I'm starving." -Kira
"I told my family your name is Jamal." -me
"So you told them the truth." -Elder Kennedy
"My name's Ignacio like... nacho." - this guy
"I'm a perfect triangle. I have the perfect boy figure." -Sister Baker
"Elder Foutz probably gets up at 5 and works out for an hour." -Sister Baker
"No... we literally did that this morning." -Elder Foutz
"Where the heck is Elder Kennedy?" -me
"He's been gone a long time"-Sister Baker
"Maybe he got his visa." -Sister Ward
"How did we get from talking about our strengths to Young Frankenstein?" -Sister Baker
"If I was a dog what would I be?" -me
"Probably a Yorkie or like... a Pomeranian." -Elder Kennedy
"We decided you're a beagle so we gave you all the bagels." -us
"Thanks I'll take it." -Elder Kennedy
The reading assignment is Alma 60 and 61. Ponder how Pahoran responds with incredible humility to his friend Moroni's short temper instead of becoming offended. Pahoran is the real MVP.
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