I Will Try to Fix You

"Lights will guide you home

And ignite your bones

And I will try to fix you"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VDAhbzTovo

https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/coldplay/fixyou.html

I love the Cinematic Pop version of this song. I imagine these words come from God. God will repair all if I allow His Grace in my life by working the path he lays before me. 

Practice, Practice, Practice.

I was assigned to speak in Sacrament Meeting today. I was told to speak on the scripture where Jesus told John the Beloved, "Behold Thy Mother".

I searched the phrase and found a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland "Behold Thy Mother" from the Oct 2015 GC.

Today I declare from this pulpit what has been said here before: that no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child.

Elder Holland then tells a story.

[A] young man who entered the mission field worthily but by his own choice returned home early due to same-sex attraction and some trauma he experienced in that regard. He was still worthy, but his faith was at crisis level, his emotional burden grew ever heavier, and his spiritual pain was more and more profound. He was by turns hurt, confused, angry, and desolate.

  

His mission president, his stake president, his bishop spent countless hours searching and weeping and blessing him as they held on to him, but much of his wound was so personal that he kept at least parts of it beyond their reach. The beloved father in this story poured his entire soul into helping this child, but his very demanding employment circumstance meant that often the long, dark nights of the soul were faced by just this boy and his mother. Day and night, first for weeks, then for months that turned into years, they sought healing together. Through periods of bitterness (mostly his but sometimes hers) and unending fear (mostly hers but sometimes his), she bore—there’s that beautiful, burdensome word again—she bore to her son her testimony of God’s power, of His Church, but especially of His love for this child. In the same breath she testified of her own uncompromised, undying love for him as well. To bring together those two absolutely crucial, essential pillars of her very existence—the gospel of Jesus Christ and her family—she poured out her soul in prayer endlessly. She fasted and wept, she wept and fasted, and then she listened and listened as this son repeatedly told her of how his heart was breaking. Thus she carried him—again—only this time it was not for nine months. This time she thought that laboring through the battered landscape of his despair would take forever.

 

But with the grace of God, her own tenacity, and the help of scores of Church leaders, friends, family members, and professionals, this importuning mother has seen her son come home to the promised land. Sadly we acknowledge that such a blessing does not, or at least has not yet, come to all parents who anguish over a wide variety of their children’s circumstances, but here there was hope. And, I must say, this son’s sexual orientation did not somehow miraculously change—no one assumed it would. But little by little, his heart changed.

 

He started back to church. He chose to partake of the sacrament willingly and worthily. He again obtained a temple recommend and accepted a call to serve as an early-morning seminary teacher, where he was wonderfully successful. And now, after five years, he has, at his own request and with the Church’s considerable assistance, reentered the mission field to complete his service to the Lord. I have wept over the courage, integrity, and determination of this young man and his family to work things out and to help him keep his faith. He knows he owes much to many, but he knows he owes the most to two messianic figures in his life, two who bore him and carried him, labored with him and delivered him—his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and his determined, redemptive, absolutely saintly mother.

I know that many mothers strongly dislike mother's day. They feel like they do not measure up. I thought that comparing mothers to Jesus might do this even more.  So I shared this story from Brad Wilcox's BYU Devotional in July 2011, "His Grace Is Sufficient"

A BYU student once came to me and asked if we could talk. I said, “Of course. How can I help you? 

 

She said, “I just don’t get grace.”

 

I responded, “What is it that you don’t understand?”

 

She said, “I know I need to do my best and then Jesus does the rest, but I can’t even do my best.”

 

She then went on to tell me all the things she should be doing because she’s a Mormon that she wasn’t doing.

 

She continued, “I know that I have to do my part and then Jesus makes up the difference and fills the gap that stands between my part and perfection. But who fills the gap that stands between where I am now and my part?”

 

She then went on to tell me all the things that she shouldn’t be doing because she’s a Mormon, but she was doing them anyway.

 

Finally I said, “Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference. Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us.”

 

Seeing that she was still confused, I took a piece of paper and drew two dots—one at the top representing God and one at the bottom representing us. I then said, “Go ahead. Draw the line. How much is our part? How much is Christ’s part?”

 

She went right to the center of the page and began to draw a line. Then, considering what we had been speaking about, she went to the bottom of the page and drew a line just above the bottom dot.

 

I said, “Wrong.”

 

She said, “I knew it was higher. I should have just drawn it, because I knew it.”

 

I said, “No. The truth is, there is no line. Jesus filled the whole space. He paid our debt in full. He didn’t pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished.”

 

She said, “Right! Like I don’t have to do anything?”

 

“Oh no,” I said, “you have plenty to do, but it is not to fill that gap. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God’s presence. What is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there.”

 

Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 2 Nephi 2:7; 3 Nephi 9:20).

 

“So what’s the difference?” the girl asked. “Whether our efforts are required by justice or by Jesus, they are still required.”

 

“True,” I said, “but they are required for a different purpose. Fulfilling Christ’s requirements is like paying a mortgage instead of rent or like making deposits in a savings account instead of paying off debt. You still have to hand it over every month, but it is for a totally different reason.”

I was very emotional sharing my talk. I often feel like I am lacking before the Lord. I did not share it, but this same Brad Wilcox talk has what I call the parable of the piano practice. All I have to do is practice, practice, practice. 

"For Those Who Feel Overwhelmed at Church"

https://youtu.be/NnqvAHyRtv0

"BYU professor, and author of the new book "The Atoning One," shares this touching story of a woman who admitted to being overwhelmed by Church and how he responded as her ecclesiastical leader." From a FB Post of LDS Living.

Universal Salvation of the Willing

I believe in the universal salvation of the willing. Here are a few scriptures that point this out.

Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. (Helaman 3:27)

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For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world. (D&C 132:5)

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It is significant that when we partake of the sacrament we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so. (See D&C 20:77.) The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the most important sense. 

What future event or events could this covenant contemplate? The scriptures suggest two sacred possibilities, one concerning the authority of God, especially as exercised in the temples, and the other—closely related—concerning exaltation in the celestial kingdom. ("Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ", Dallin H. Oaks, Apr 1985)

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And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them (Abraham 3:25)

 Just because we are willing does not mean we do not have to work.

[We] have plenty to do, but it is not to fill that gap. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God’s presence. What is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there. ("His Grace is Sufficient", BYU Devotional, Jul 12, 2011, Brad Wilcox, Ensign Sep 2013, YouTube  )

The Parable of the Piano Practice

Following is the Parable of the Piano Practice as told by Brad Wilcox. I like it better than the Parable of the Bicycle in Believing Christ. Both have served to instruct me on the true roles of faith, works and grace in my personal salvation.

This is three parts of the talk put together so as to keep the parable concise. I recommend the whole talk in context. ("His Grace is Sufficient", BYU Devotional, Jul 12, 2011, Brad Wilcox, Ensign Sep 2013, Youtube  )

(starting at 7:25)

Christ’s Grace Is Sufficient to Transform Us

Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. How many know what I am talking about? Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice. 

If the child sees Mom’s requirement of practice as being too overbearing (“Gosh, Mom, why do I need to practice? None of the other kids have to practice! I’m just going to be a professional baseball player anyway!”), perhaps it is because he doesn’t yet see with mom’s eyes. He doesn’t see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live on a higher plane. 

In the same way, because Jesus has paid justice, He can now turn to us and say, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:19), “Keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If we see His requirements as being way too much to ask (“Gosh! None of the other Christians have to pay tithing! None of the other Christians have to go on missions, serve in callings, and do temple work!”), maybe it is because we do not yet see through Christ’s eyes. We have not yet comprehended what He is trying to make of us. 

Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written, “The great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must ‘repay’ him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior’s help, leads us along the path to a saintly character” (The Broken Heart [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989], 149; emphasis in original). 

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, referring to President Spencer W. Kimball’s explanation, “The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change” (The Lord’s Way [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991], 223; emphasis in original). Let’s put that in terms of our analogy: The child must practice the piano, but this practice has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change.

(ends 10:32) ... (starting 16:19)

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there. If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and family members who have chosen to live without faith and without repentance. They don’t want to change. They are not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin. If Jesus did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be no way to change. We would be left forever with only willpower, with no access to His power. If Jesus did not require endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking inside us and becoming part of us—part of who we are. Put simply, if Jesus didn’t require practice, then we would never become pianists. 

Christ’s Grace Is Sufficient to Help Us

“But Brother Wilcox, don’t you realize how hard it is to practice? I’m just not very good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes. It takes me forever to get it right.” Now wait. Isn’t that all part of the learning process? When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don’t say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don’t expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven? 

Too many are giving up on the Church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short. They have tried in the past, but they always feel like they are just not good enough. They don’t understand grace.

(ends 19:10) ... (starting 22:31)

  When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13).

(ends 22:31)

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We cannot earn our way into Heaven

"We cannot earn our way into Heaven"

"Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience. It is purchased by the blood of the Son of God."

"For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23) 

However, I wonder if sometimes we misinterpret the phrase, "after all we can do". We must understand that after does not equal because. We are not saved because of all that we can do.

Have any of us done all that we can do? Does God wait until we have expended every effort before he will intervene in our lives with his saving grace? 

(General Conference Apr 2015, Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

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I like President Uchtdorf’s comments on grace in combination with Elder Wilford Anderson’s comments about hearing the music versus merely learning the dance steps. The two talks together nicely articulate why those of us who have felt the spirit (and continue to feel the spirit) do obey and rejoice in obeying. It is not because we feel we can purchase salvation by our works, but because the spirit moves us to obey because we trust God and love Him. (Comment at Millennialstar.org, Meg Stout, Apr 6, 2015)

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FB thread discussing what our church has done to give a correct understanding of grace and works.

This fits perfectly with the parable of the piano practice as told by Brad Wilcox.

Changed for Good

Last night we had a our first annual Copper Canyon ward talent show.

Beth and Kristine sang this song.



It reminds me of this scripture from our church history. Joseph Smith was instructing a school of the prophets.

 132 And when any shall come in after him, let the teacher arise, and, with uplifted hands to heaven, yea, even directly, salute his brother or brethren with these words: 

 133 Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen. (D&C 88:132-133) 

That we all may remain willing to accept the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and be changed for good.

Come, Flounder With Us

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Since then my experience as a church member, or as a father and a husband, has been much the same. Never an unmixed success. Never a performance that I could feel I hadn’t unnecessarily tainted with sins of commission and omission. I am a shabby Mormon. These failures are better than successes elsewhere. I have found more joy making a hash of things in the gospel path than would be possible on any other path pursued however flawlessly. I mean that. 

“Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
C.S. Lewis, in Screwtape, showed us that the fear of death was harder to endure than death.
“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for.” 

One of the themes of this blog is that failure is always an option. I would almost say that it is the only option. Come, flounder with us. ("Being a Mormon is Hard", Junior Ganymede, Nov, 4, 2013 )

My experience is the same as Junior Ganymede. I don't think highly of my experience on my mission. I attribute nearly all of my success since to my wonderful wife who has inspired, and and times, prodded me in the way I knew was healthiest for me to go.

The last paragraph above contains a point that should not be missed. I think this life is designed for us to fail. I think that is the primary test for each of us. In the infinite variety of strengths and weaknesses were are all gifted with, the greatest is the opportunity to act in relation to our failure.

Will we, like my deepest tendency is, attempt to hide until we have fully overcome our most shameful attributes? Or instead, will we forge ahead and decide that we cannot be what we want to be, what the Lord has said we can be, without his hand.

Like Peter faltered so do we all. It is only through the hand of the Lord and the loving word of chastisement that we both receive his grace and recognize our failings and can therefore begin our work to overcome them, hand in hand with the Lord.

We must be willing to dare greatly and be the (wo)man in the arena. Not waiting until we are bullet-proof. Letting others see us, and hopefully join with us in a heavenly quest of evolving, growing, becoming like God.

I Do not Give Up

“Sometimes I say to God—as I strive for perfection—…’Father, don’t give up on me. I’m trying. Don’t let me fail. Please don’t get discouraged.’ I’m always directed by the Spirit to the words of Isaiah when he wrote, ‘[God] shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth’ (Isaiah 42:4). Then I hear the Lord say, ‘Michael, if I’m not going to be discouraged until the whole world is a place of righteousness and judgment, do you think I’m going to be discouraged with you, when you want so badly to please me and to conquer yourself? I don’t get discouraged, Discouragement is not part of my character, I am not impatient. I am never anxious. I do not give up. Keep trying.'” (Walking on Water, Michael Wilcox, quoted in "It’s Not Wise to Think of Heavenly Father as a Mortal, Fallen Man, Like We Are")

The Balance of Nothing and Everything

My friend Randy brought up a good point in our discussion of faith and works in our online discussion. 

It would not be good to have such great feelings of self-loathing that our only worth comes from a sense of “grace.” Such feelings could easily enslave us to the whims of others. In contrast if we claim we are without defect and never in need of understanding and forgiveness we might eventually find ourselves rather lonely. While whatever we call “faith” could embrace some forms of ritual that may give us a sense of structure and comfort – it probably is better if our faith prompts us to practical works that help others.

I agree that we need to avoid self-loathing as well as the claim that we have some sort of special privilege that whatever we do is OK. I like the balance King Benjamin describes in his last address to his people coupled with the promises God has made us.

  22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.
 23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him.
 24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast?
 25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.
 26 And I, even I, whom ye call your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust. And ye behold that I am old, and am about to yield up this mortal frame to its mother earth. (Mosiah 2:22-26)

Why are we less than the dust? Because the dust will always yield to the will of God. We are always going to be indebted to God because of the reasons King Benjamin outlines. In spite of this, God promises to give us all that he has.

 35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;
 36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;
 37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;
 38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. (D&C 84:33-40)

What is required to receive such an infinite gift? The same as what is offered, all that we have, all that we will ever receive.

From a humanistic or atheistic point of view, we can recognize that everything we have comes from those before us. That we have inherited the results of eons of evolution. We are the result of someone caring for us when we were an infant and child. How do you repay such a gift? By paying it forward.

Do you think I care for you so little?

I have been thinking of a recent episode of Doctor Who. This is where the Doctor shows how much he cares for Clara. She had betrayed him and he returns the favor by going to a very dangerous place to help her.



Clara: You're going to help me?
Doctor: Well why wouldn't I help you?
C: Because if what I just did. I just..
D: You betrayed me... You betrayed my trust. You betrayed our friendship. You betrayed everything that I ever stood for. You let me down! ...
C: Then why are you helping me? ...
D: Why?    Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?
("Dark Water", Doctor Who (2005) S8e11)

I thought of my relationship with God. He loves me. The darkest, most secret parts. He knows me and as long as I continue to have faith in Him. Faith enough to follow His example. To continue to renew my covenants with him and incrementally strive towards Him. He in His infinite power reaches for me and lifts me to where He is. His light shines on me to warm and encourage me so that I, in his light, become like Him.

Not Getting What You Deserve

TOFW presenter Robert Millet shares his thoughts on grace, mercy, and their combined enabling power.

Watch Over them with Tenderness

I have a friend who has a 16 year old son who is an atheist. Here is some of the things I thought of to help them.

I am not sure what Moroni did to "[prepare] the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God"
(Alma 47:7) As I consider it, I think of this quote from Joseph Smith,

Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand, and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind. (Joseph Smith, Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, p. 59, History of the Church, 5:23–24.)

Moroni said, "Charity never faileth". So we must all pray with all the energy of our hearts that we may be filled with this love. Pray for your son. Serve him. Ask the Lord, in what ways you might be able to touch his heart, or that others might be placed in his path so his heart might be touched. I like this modern casting of Charity never faileth, "Love Wins!"

I know the deepest and longest lasting effects in my life have come from when those close to me loved me, forgave me and served me.

And trust in the Lord. There is no need to despair when we have faith in the Lord's timeline. To me that may be one of the keys of "charity never faileth". The Lord is patient with us. He will reach out as often as we reach out to him. Your son will be blessed by your faithfulness, if you will pour out your soul to God for him.

I love the symbolism of this painting by Michelangelo. Adam is pretty casual in the way he reaches to God. God is stretching as far as he can to reach him.

Embracing Grace

From http://thingsofmysoul.blogspot.com/2007/11/embracing-grace.html

I know you understand my weakness; I know you know my struggles and pains; I know you know how I feel about myself; I know you love me and have bought me, anyway. From now on, I will trust your promise and, despite my continuing frustration and my continuing weakness and my continuing failures, I will bounce back each time and continue to grow. I will not despair; I will accept my weakness and imperfection and failure, knowing you don't care, because you love me, anyway. I will get back up each time I am knocked down and continue to walk toward you, until you embrace me and say, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant' - knowing I don't deserve it and being eternally grateful for the grace that so fully you proffered me.

The Enabling Power of the Atonement

I found this talk from Elder Bednar from the most viewed section on speeches.byu.edu.  He gives several examples from the scriptures and church history of how people accessed the power of the Atonement in the difficulties of their lives.

All that I have read thus far is a preparation for the next line from Daniel W. Jones’ journal. It illustrates how those pioneer Saints may have known something about the enabling power of the Atonement that we, in our prosperity and ease, are not as quick to understand: “We asked the Lord to bless our stomachs and adapt them to this food” (Jones, Forty Years, 81; emphasis added). My dear brothers and sisters, I know what I would have prayed for in those circumstances. I would have prayed for something else to eat. “Heavenly Father, please send me a quail or a buffalo.” It never would have occurred to me to pray that my stomach would be strengthened and adapted to what we already had. What did Daniel W. Jones know? He knew about the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He did not pray that his circumstances would be changed. He prayed that he would be strengthened to deal with his circumstances. ("In the Strength of the Lord". David A. Bednar. October 23, 2001. BYU Devotional)

The grace of the Lord can help us in all aspects of our lives,

If I were to emphasize one overarching point this morning, it would be this: I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the Atonement than we are with the enabling power of the Atonement. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us. That is fundamental and foundational to the doctrine of Christ. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through His Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost, to live in us—not only to direct us but also to empower us. I think most of us know that when we do things wrong, when we need help to overcome the effects of sin in our lives, the Savior has paid the price and made it possible for us to be made clean through His redeeming power. Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners. I am not so sure, however, that we know and understand that the Atonement is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. I frankly do not think many of us “get it” concerning this enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities.

“His Grace Is Sufficient”

We watched this great talk by Brad Wilcox at the BYU Devotional Jul 12, 2011, "His Grace is Sufficient" (Ensign article Sep 2013)

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A great story:

A BYU student once came to me and asked if we could talk. I said, “Of course. How can I help you?”

She said, “I just don’t get grace.”

I responded, “What is it that you don’t understand?”

She said, “I know I need to do my best and then Jesus does the rest, but I can’t even do my best.”

She then went on to tell me all the things she should be doing because she’s a Mormon that she wasn't doing.

She continued, “I know that I have to do my part and then Jesus makes up the difference and fills the gap that stands between my part and perfection. But who fills the gap that stands between where I am now and my part?”

She then went on to tell me all the things that she shouldn't be doing because she’s a Mormon, but she was doing them anyway.

Finally I said, “Jesus doesn't make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference. Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us.”

Seeing that she was still confused, I took a piece of paper and drew two dots—one at the top representing God and one at the bottom representing us. I then said, “Go ahead. Draw the line. How much is our part? How much is Christ’s part?”

She went right to the center of the page and began to draw a line. Then, considering what we had been speaking about, she went to the bottom of the page and drew a line just above the bottom dot.

I said, “Wrong.”

She said, “I knew it was higher. I should have just drawn it, because I knew it.”

I said, “No. The truth is, there is no line. Jesus filled the whole space. He paid our debt in full. He didn't pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished.”

She said, “Right! Like I don’t have to do anything?”

“Oh no,” I said, “you have plenty to do, but it is not to fill that gap. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God’s presence. What is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there.” (2:43 - 5:54)

I love the analogy of piano practice as learning heaven,

Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. How many know what I am talking about? Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.
...
When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13). (7:29 - )

Update 2015-03-12
See also
 - Book Review: Adam S Miller’s Grace is Not God’s Backup Plan
 - Softly and Tenderly
 - A FB thread where I discuss this post and others about grace.
- From "8 Things the Atonement Is Not" by Brad Wilcox
1. The Atonement is not just about immortality and eternal life but about not having one without the other.
2. The Atonement is not just about sins but also struggles.
3. The Atonement is not just about receiving but also giving.
4. The Atonement is not just about earning but also learning.
5. The Atonement is not just about immediate perfection but also eventual perfection.
6. The Atonement is not just a reward for the righteous but the source of righteousness.
7. The Atonement is not because we are good but because God and Christ are good.
8. The Atonement is not just the best way but the only way.

After All We Can Do

We had a discussion in Sunday School about 2 Nephi 25:23 "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

This morning, I was listening to "All About You" and album of Kenneth Cope.  It has so many messages that bring my mind to the principle that Nephi was teaching.  I wrote about the mathematics of the infinite and eternal a while back. The balance of faith and works is one of the doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ that continues to amaze me.

I also like what Robert Millet says about this passage

Too often we are prone to view grace as that increment of goodness, that final gift of God that will make up the difference and thereby boost us into the celestial kingdom, "after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). To be sure, we will need a full measure of divine assistance to become celestial material. But the grace of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, is available to us every hour of every day of our lives.

The grace of Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ enables me to keep moving, keep working. I am free from being overwhelmed by the perfect example I am striving to follow. It is miraculous in that I am forgiven of my sins. I do not have to be burdened by the effects of my sin and the sin of others. I am free to progress, to grow, to ultimately become like my Father is. 1

The Parable of the Bicycle

Last night I shared the parable of the bicycle with our children.  I read it first when I was an older teenager.  I read Believing Christ by Stephen Robinson.  He gave a speech about it in 1990.  There was an article in the Ensign about it in 1992.  It is one of the things that truly changed my life.  Because I planted the seed it had.  I invited it into my own heart and tried its goodness.  More than any other seed in my life it has grown up to bear fruit in my life.  I know with out any doubt it is true.

Sometimes in our lives we can think that we need to be as perfect as we can be, then the Lord will save us.  It is possible to get caught up in the gospel of the checklist.  That we go down the check list and say am I reading my scriptures daily, am I have FHE every week, Do I date my wife every week?  Am I doing my home teaching?  Etc etc etc.  We can go on and on and on.

That is why I love the parable of the bicycle and the other principles that is taught by Stephen Robinson and others that teach the power of the Atonement of Christ.  He saves us before we even hear the word.  He saves us as we first hear the word.  He saves us as we decide to bring that precious seed into our heart.  He saves us as we nourish it with great care.  He saves us as we continue in persistence in caring for the tree.  He saves us when we have great joy in the fruit.

He also saves us as we get up off the ground when we fall.  Even if it is the upteen, thousand, millionth time.  He saves us when we are discouraged with "How many more times will thou forgive me for this sin?"  Or when we think "I am never going to get it all right",  I can't be a perfect Latter-day saint.  We only have to surrender our heart to Him.  We have to trust that He can do what He says He can do.  That he can make us Celestial material.  The humble in heart know that they will never be Celestial on their own.  Our own measly 61 cents will never carry us all the way.  Yet my 61 cents means a lot to me.  It means that I am fully committed to my covenant relationship with Him.

One of my sons asked me yesterday as  we were re-planting the irises  in our new flower bed, "Dad, I've been thinking lately.  When do you and mom ever find time to have fun?"  I answered, "This is fun to me.  I love to plant things and see them grow."  As I grew up I know that I thought of that as I thought of my parents.  We always seemed to be doing one project or another.  There was always work, work and more work.  As I think back on if though.  They are my best memories.  I remember building the shed with my dad.  I remember when it was so hot in the summer when my mom and us were doing the paper route that my mom got sick.  We had to pull over to the side of the road and she opened the door and she had to vomit in the road.  Did she stop? No.  We kept at it. because we were helping keep my brother out on his mission.

Is our work hard, yes.  The Lord required all from us.  He gave nothing less.  When I think of the price Jesus pays for me I am so grateful.  I want to get up and keep going.  Just thankfully do my part.  My measly 61 cent part.  The part that I have put my back and heart and soul into.  The part I hope to continue to work to freely give as my offering to the Lord.  But what happens if I only earn 60 cents.  Or my I make a bad investment or lose it because of my foolishness?  The Lord knows our hearts.  He knows what we really want.  What we have put our efforts into.  He is Just and He is Merciful.  All will be worked out.  We just need to keep getting up and humble asking for forgiveness.

If we lose sight of the saving grace of the Lord we can too easily give up.  We must be careful to retain the hope that we once held.  We must not let imperfection we find in the church from keeping us from honoring the covenants we made with God.  He is able to make us holy.

See also parable of the piano

He saved you, anyway

From Sara

You're drowning. And no one is there to care.

Trapped under the ice. You pound on it, desperate to break free.

But all you do is crack the ice. It does not break. 

That always happens. You come so close to being free, but regardless

You're still stuck. Miserable, lonely, crying.

You start to sink lower and lower. Looking side to side, wanting help.

But finding none. Only seeing darkness.

You look down. Darkness. Reminder of your misery. Reminder of your 

Longing to be happy. Reminder of the path you are heading to.

The path that you do not want to take. 

You keep pounding on the ice. It does not break. 

You try to not take the path you so desperately hate, but you sink 

Further and further.

You reach as far as you can towards the ice. Your fingers touch it.

You gather strength enough to pound once more. But to no avail.

Why can you not break free? Are you not good enough? 

Thoughts of worthlessness. They are the death of you. Pulling you 

Even lower than you were before. 

You are ready to give up. Just follow the inevitable, follow the path

You do not want to take. 

You stop yourself from glancing down again. You almost look side-to-side.

Then you remember that you have not truly looked up. Only to pound on the ice.

But if pounding has not worked in the past, why would it work now?

You look up anyway. You do not pound on the ice. You see the cracks that 

Your seemingly futile efforts have made. And beyond the cracks, there is light.

You wish you had the strength to break the ice.

To go beyond this place of darkness. To a place of warmth and comfort. 

But you do not pound. You think about how worthless you are. 

But then you think about how there was no light before you started pounding.

Maybe your efforts were not worthless after all. 

You realize that you can not break out on your own. 

And when you stop trying to do it on your own, and you look at the light,

You realize there is a hand stretched out. 

He breaks the ice for you. He pulls you out of the darkness.

He provides you with warmth you never imagined.

And that is when you realize that you tried your best,

and although your best was not enough to save yourself, He saved you, anyway.

Because despite your loneliness, He was there. He was always there.

You stopped trying to save yourself, and learned to trust Him, who loves us all.

Blessed By Adversity

It is hard to feel sorry for myself when I hear a story like Gary Ceran.

Early in the morning of one Christmas Eve, Gary Ceran’s life was drastically and forever altered. On this day, a terrible traffic accident took the lives of his wife and two of his children. Who was the at-fault driver of the other vehicle? What would your reaction be toward this person? How would you deal with this tragedy on a personal level?

From Conversations on the Mormon Channel. Download the MP3 here.