Is It Enough...

To just be a good person? It seems to me that is what society focuses on. When I was a young child and would jump into the middle of a movie and start watching my first question would be, "who are the good guys and the bad guys?" Just from that I would pick sides of what I wanted to happen in the movie. We always root for the people that we think are good. There is a belief going around that all we have to do in order to be saved is be a good person. It makes sense right? Christ was a very good person, actually it isn't really possible to find someone who is a better person. So if we are good people, then it would make sense that we would be saved. Personally, I have met great people who I want to be ok, but does it take more than just being good?

Christ's Atonement frees us from sin if we repent. So it is actually sin that would keep us from returning to our Heavenly Father. Sin is transgression of divine law. Some sin harms others, and that is what most people condemn. What we don't think about is the sin that harms us or offends God. Many take the stance that they don't need to go to church, view only appropriate material, or stay away from their addictions. These are all examples of things that don't directly hurt others all the time, but they do hurt themselves. There are many different examples of being a good person but not keeping all of God's commandments. 

Obedience is a law that God has always set forth. He gives us commandments and asks us to keep them. If we are obedient we are blessed and eventually we can be cleansed from sin and return to live with Heavenly Father. If we are not obedient, no matter how "good" we are, we are unclean and cannot return to our Heavenly Father. Obedience does make us into good people, and being a good person is important, but never forget to follow all the commandments that the Lord has given us. I know obedience is the only way to find "happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come" (The Living Christ).

The Fall of Adam and Eve

Jesus Christ created the world as a place for us to live, learn, and grow. After this creation he put the first two people on the earth, Adam and Eve. Their story is one that most people have heard of, but from my experience, not many people really know. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, but nothing was happening. If they hadn't chosen to partake of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, "all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end. And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin" (2 Ne 2: 22-23).

Before they fell, Adam and Eve were innocent, and they weren't learning or progressing. They lived in the presence of God, because they were clean from sin. When they chose to partake of the fruit, they transgressed and brought joy, misery, good and evil into the world. They were no longer clean from sin and so they died spiritually, or they were separated from God's presence. They also became mortal. This meant that at some point they would die physically, or their spirits and their bodies would be separated from each other. These two deaths, spiritual and physical, are major obstacles in the Plan of Salvation.

I have heard people say, "If it wasn't for Adam and Eve, we wouldn't have all the bad in the world." That is true, but we also wouldn't have all the good! Actually, we wouldn't even be here! I am grateful for the Fall because now I get to experience life, learning, and happiness. I know this is true.

What Are You Looking For?

I found some passages in President Uchtdorf's message, "Looking for the Good" that I wanted to share.

"Have you ever noticed that people can usually find whatever they are looking for? Look hard enough, and you can discover both good and bad in almost anyone and anything. People have done the same with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since its beginning. Those who look for the good will find a kind and compassionate people—a people who love the Lord and desire to serve Him and bless the lives of their fellowman. But it is also true that those who look for the bad will certainly find things that are not so ideal. Unfortunately, at times this happens even within the Church. There is no end to the creativity, ingenuity, and tenacity of those who look for reasons to criticize. They cannot seem to release their grip on grudges. They gossip and find fault with others. They nurse wounds for decades, taking every opportunity to tear down and demean others. This is not pleasing to the Lord, “for where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16).... We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice; for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find."

I thought it was interesting when I read about how people who look for the good in the church will find it. I have always wondered why it is that people blind themselves to the truthfulness of the Gospel, and hold to the things they have heard (generally not positive things). Then I thought of how I do this myself. I do it with people, things I am supposed to be doing, or with myself. Since I have read this message, as I have tried to look for the good things , it has been a huge blessing in my life! I find myself happier and more willing to do the right thing. The messages we recieve from our prophets bless our lives if we apply them! 

The Assist

 I love to play basketball, and I love to score points. Sometimes however, you have to pass up a good opportunity for someone else to have a better opportunity. When this happens, and you pass the ball to someone who scores, it is called an assist. The principle of this is that you sacrifice something good (your shot), for something better (the higher chance to get points for your team).

We talked about sacrifice this past Sunday in class. At first I came in with the impression that sacrifice is something that is hard to do, but must be done because the Lord commands it. By the end of the class my perspective had changed. I want to focus mostly on attending church.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families." There are many good things that we could be doing on Sundays. Spending time with families, helping provide for our families, etc... But our Heavenly Father has told us that the best thing we could be doing is to keep the Sabbath Day holy, and attend church. It may be a sacrifice to give up some things that are helping us, but if we do sacrifice, we will gain a much greater blessing.

I now know that while sacrifices seem hard, they really aren't. If we can have the faith and trust in the Lord, we personally may not get the points, but we assist the Lord (the best shooter on our team) and he can make the basket for us. Because we sacrifice we and our families come out on top. I now know that the chance to sacrifice is a blessing, not a burden.