Lookin' At You America

Not gonna lie, I get extremely salty extremely easily when people spit nasty words at each other in the name of righteousness. I look around me and see so many good people, those who want to bring joy to others and continue to live up to the measure of light they've been given. Still, there are those who cross my path that seem to forget the verse I came across this week, 2 Nephi 31:20, which reads:

"Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

In my experience, many seem to focus on the first part of this verse, the part about pressing forward. I mean, it is the youth theme this year. However, to me, what's equally important, if not more, is what follows. Pressing forward in your own faith isn't enough. A "perfect brightness of hope" is required, as is having a "love of God and of all men." I feel like people forget that loving all men is the second great commandment under heaven sometimes. I constantly see people looking at others with distaste, and sometimes even verbally expressing that distaste, simply because they have differing beliefs. I'm not completely innocent of this, but I'm cognizant of that, and I'm working to be better, to be more Christlike in my dealings with people who believe differently from me.

Christ never treated others with disrespect and venom. He was always kind, always understanding, and though he didn't go around telling people that their sins were okay, he never condemned them. He offered a hand, offered a way to repentance, expressed what he knew to be true, and then let them decide what to do, whether that be changing or continuing down the path they were on.

I think that in order to truly be Christlike and to return to the Father, we must remember the principle of agency and the principle of unconditional love. People can choose what they do with their lives, and as a result, there will be those who choose to do things that we disagree with or consider sinful. We can express our views, offer our light, and extend a helping hand, but if they choose not to accept, that's okay. Everyone receives light at a different pace. If we try to force our beliefs on people, regardless of how true we know them to be, we are subscribing to Satan's plan. Love and understanding of people must come before we try to educate and bring them closer to God, else they push back harder and we lose them for even longer.

Hold Fast

I came across a scripture this week that was kind of vague, but nevertheless important to me. In Revelation 2:25 we read:

"But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."

It's short and kind of confusing at first, yes, but I felt impressed by it all the same. The context is Christ speaking about trials and enduring. In this particular verse, I feel He is reassuring us and giving us courage in our trials. He will come and relieve us, so we must hold fast and press on until he comes, and blessed be the day when He does.

I found this particularly striking because I have several friends who really struggle with depression and anxiety. It's difficult and many feel like just waking up is more than they can do. They can sink into very very low and dark places. This scripture, I feel, can be a salve to people in those situations. Yes, things are extremely difficult. Yes, it feels like the world is crashing down around us, but Christ will come. He will help us. He will carry us home. Just make it one more day, take it step by step, and hold fast until He comes.

Royalty

My boyfriend recommended me a fascinating scripture this week: Hebrews 7:2

"To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;"

At first it seemed kind of meh, but upon closer inspection, it reveals an interesting and powerful truth: righteousness precedes peace, or peace is the fruit of righteousness. Oftentimes, we struggle to obey commandments or do the little things that come with being a disciple when we are feeling awful in any number of ways. We become preoccupied with figuring out how to feel less crappy that praying and reading scriptures become difficult. Nevertheless, as we learn from this scripture, it is during these times that we need these things the most. If we want peace in our lives, we must be righteous, and though righteousness doesn't mean we'll have completely stress-free lives with no problems, it does help us find a place in ourselves that allows us to cope and find peace.