I recently returned from a 2-year full-time proselytizing mission in the South. There I preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ and learned much about my purpose and relationship with God. It has been almost 4 months since my return (in 3 days it will be exactly 4 months), and in my home state of Utah, there is not a whole lot of preaching to do; at least, not in the traditional sense.
So I created this blog to be a journal of spiritual experiences I have had to share with those around me, whether I know them in person or they just happened to find me. As I write, I hope that you will find something of personal worth here, and if at any time you have something to add, please leave a comment!
Tonight, I went to Institute, which I said earlier is a religious class for adults between 18 and 30 years of age. I go every Thursday, and it is such a wonderful class, I will probably shamelessly plagiarize many of the things I hear there and share my own thoughts on it here. All credit goes to my wonderful teacher!
There is an issue that many people who are trying to follow God struggle with. The gospel of Jesus Christ is about becoming the best selves we can be. Christ did not mince words when He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5: 48). Perfection is a very worthy goal; however, most of us fail to understand that perfection cannot come in this life, but it will ultimately come in the next; plus, we cannot achieve it alone, for it is only with the grace of Christ that we can. As many of us take the command to be perfect too seriously, we begin to panic when we fall short. I do this multiple times per day!
But just because the eventual goal is perfection does not mean it should be our immediate goal. God and Christ never intended it that way; that is why we have the tools of Christ's sacrifice, scriptures, prayer, and so forth, because these are all things to help us get there. But, much like a student of basic addition is not expected to know Calculus, even we basic students in life are not to live perfectly.
In our path to perfection, God intends to help us along the way. As stated earlier, this is not something we can achieve alone, and God is aware of what each of us needs to get there. Sometimes, we need encouraging. Other times, we need to be reminded of our duty. And there are even other times where God has to set us straight and rebuke our behavior before it gets too far out of hand. Elder D. Todd Christofferson, a modern-day Apostle for the Lord Jesus Christ, shared this thought a few years ago, and I have read and reread it many times since; it has been a powerful source of strength and love:
"Paul said of divine correction or chastening, “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6). Though it is often difficult to endure, truly we ought to rejoice that God considers us worth the time and trouble to correct."
Think about it. God is the most powerful Being in the Universe. He can do whatever he wants; He can make more planets, destroy planets, give life, creates stars, moons, galaxies... He is certain to not get bored for a very long time. Yet, He does not dismiss, ignore, or even remove annoying children like you and me when we mess up; He shows us how we can do better. Sometimes the lessons are hard, sometimes they are difficult beyond description, but ultimately, behind everything God does to and for us, we can tell it is of love; for if not of love, why is God bothering to do it in the first place?
In the same address, Elder Christofferson shared an experience another had about accepting God's plan for him, even if he did not like it at first.
God
uses another form of chastening or correction to guide us to a future
we do not or cannot now envision but which He knows is the better way
for us. President Hugh B. Brown, formerly a member of the Twelve and a
counselor in the First Presidency [the Twelve and First Presidency being governing bodies in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], provided a personal experience. He
told of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went
about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant
bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no
berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps.
Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little
stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:
“How
could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now
you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. …
How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”
President
Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I
know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a
shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little
currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say,
‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”
Years
later, President Brown was a field officer in the Canadian Army serving
in England. When a superior officer became a battle casualty, President
Brown was in line to be promoted to general, and he was summoned to
London. But even though he was fully qualified for the promotion, it was
denied him because he was a Mormon. The commanding general said in
essence, “You deserve the appointment, but I cannot give it to you.”
What President Brown had spent 10 years hoping, praying, and preparing
for slipped through his fingers in that moment because of blatant
discrimination. Continuing his story, President Brown remembered:
“I
got on the train and started back … with a broken heart, with
bitterness in my soul. … When I got to my tent, … I threw my cap on the
cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, ‘How could
you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure
up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that
I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?’ I was as bitter as gall.
“And
then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was
my own voice, and the voice said, ‘I am the gardener here. I know what I
want you to do.’ The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my
knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness. …
“…
And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to [God] and say, ‘Thank you,
Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.’”
God
knew what Hugh B. Brown was to become and what was needed for that to
happen, and He redirected his course to prepare him for the holy
apostleship."
This story had special meaning to me tonight because I have had some
difficult trials come up recently, and I wondered why God was doing this
to me. I admit, I doubted His love. This past week has not been fun.
But this experience helped me gain perspective once more that God, the
Master Gardener, has something in store with my own currant bush. Even though the problems are not gone, I found peace in knowing God knows what He is doing. God will nourish, He will water, He will nurture, He will prune... He will do whatever I need to be the best I can be. And I know God will likewise take care of each of us. We might not get the job we want now, the girlfriend or boyfriend we want now, things might not go our way, but they will go His way, and we will indeed see one day that His way was our way all along.
Whatever hard times we are having, whatever struggles we are going
through, whatever mistakes we make, God will guide us in love. He wants
you to be happy. God truly cares for His sons and daughters.
While at times this may be difficult to remember, I have found the idea
that God loves me and He has a plan for me to be of utmost comfort in
even the darkest of days.
God bless y'all!
Patrick
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| Click here to watch a video relating the Story of the Currant Bush |
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