As many over this past week have been thinking over the past year and how to improve in this new one. I can't say that I haven't thought about resolutions, I think everyone does--but then when we don't achieve our goals immediately we settle for the same, mediocre lives.
I am certain that this is a phase that each of us pass through in life...multiple times, but it's not just a modern day folly, but one that has been made throughout all time.
In Ether 2, Moroni explains that the Lord was directing the people of Jared to the promised land, it reads:
5 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded them that they should ago forth into the wilderness, yea, into that quarter where there never had man been. And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel.
6 And it came to pass that they did travel in the wilderness, and did build barges, in which they did cross many waters, being directed continually by the hand of the Lord.
7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people.
.....
13 And now I proceed with my record; for behold, it came to pass that the Lord did bring Jared and his brethren forth even to that great sea which divideth the lands. And as they came to the sea they pitched their tents; and they called the name of the place Moriancumer; and they dwelt in tents, and dwelt in tents upon the seashore for the space of four years.
Now I'm sure that the wilderness beyond the sea was a lovely place, I mean they decided to stay there for four years after they got there so it couldn't have been the worst place, but it was not where the Lord intended them to be. He was wanting to lead them to the promised land. He didn't want them to live mediocre lives, going through the motions day to day in the wilderness, He wanted them to thrive, to have the best of the best.
I know without a doubt that this is what the Lord desires for each of us.
But how do we get there? How do we get to our own eternal promised land?
I believe that in order to have all that the Lord has prepared for us, we have to break out of our mold that we have created for ourselves, we have to learn to overcome the comfortable wilderness of mediocrity.
In this past April general conference Sister Becky Craven spoke on the difference between living carefully verses casually, she says:
“There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual? Because of our mortal nature, don’t we sometimes rationalize our behavior, at times referring to our actions as being in the gray, or mixing good with something that’s not so good? Anytime we say, “however,” “except,” or “but” when it applies to following the counsel of our prophet leaders or living the gospel carefully, we are in fact saying,
'That counsel does not apply to me.' We can rationalize all we want, but the fact is, there is not a right way to do the wrong thing!
Being careful in living the gospel does not necessarily mean being formal or stuffy. What it does mean is being appropriate in our thoughts and behavior as disciples of Jesus Christ. As we ponder the difference between careful and casual in our gospel living, here are some thoughts to consider:
Are we careful in our Sabbath-day worship and in our preparation to partake of the sacrament each week?
Could we be more careful in our prayers and scripture study or be more actively engaged in Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families?
Are we careful in our temple worship, and do we carefully and deliberately live the covenants we made both at baptism and in the temple? Are we careful in our appearance and modest in our dress, especially in sacred places and circumstances? Are we careful in how we wear the sacred temple garments? Or do the fashions of the world dictate a more casual attitude?
Are we careful in how we minister to others and in how we fulfill our callings in the Church, or are we indifferent or casual in our call to serve?
Are we careful or casual in what we read and what we watch on TV and our mobile devices? Are we careful in our language? Or do we casually embrace the crude and vulgar?
...
We do not lower our standards to fit in or to make someone else feel comfortable. We are disciples of Jesus Christ, and as such we are about elevating others, lifting them to a higher, holier place where they too can reap greater blessings.”
So, when we are living good, routine lives, we have a tendency to casually go through the motions of what we are supposed to do. We know that the gospel is true, we read the scriptures, text those we minister to, and go to the temple when we have time, but we let some bits and pieces of the world into our lives because it’s “not that bad.”
President Hinckley stated that, “Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better.”
So how can we be better, how can we have the best of the best, break out of our routines and receive all that the Lord desires for us?
In this most recent Priesthood session President Nelson gave a wonderful talk titled, “We Can Do Better and Be Better,” he said,
"Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ...Whether you are diligently moving along the covenant path, have slipped or stepped from the covenant path, or can’t even see the path from where you are now, I plead with you to repent. Experience the strengthening power of daily repentance—of doing and being a little better each day. When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him.8 When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ!”
In order, to avoid the mundane, the usual, the comfortable--we have to learn to repent daily and use Christ’s atonement more fully in our lives. We can start a new year, every single day, when we don't achieve our goals immediately, we have the chance to start anew because of Christ's atonement. Now, I’m not saying that once we do our school lives, work lives, dating lives whatever thing in life that you are just trying to breeze through will improve dramatically in that instant, week, month, or year--but I do know that you will change to become the best you that you can be and that you will be lead to your eternal promised land.
This past year has been a difficult one fore me. I hit some big milestones in life but getting there was tough. I just wanted to get to the end of that mile so badly that I did not enjoy the moments in between as fully as I could. Then, on other occasions, the mile I thought I needed to get to was only really one that I wanted to get to, and ended up being a detour on the way to where I actually needed to be.
C.S. Lewis said, “Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?”
Whenever we want to overcome our mediocre tendencies we have to embrace some discomfort.
I believe in God. I believe He loves us always, but I also believe that He asks us sometimes to get rid of the expectations of what we believe we deserve because of what our belief and actions. I have learned that I have to drop what I thought God “owed” me and to just love God. I know that the gospel is the path to our promised land, some might have to cross perilous seas like the Jaredites or climb rough trails in the mountains to get there. We might need to put aside our desires or remove people or things from our lives and mostly we just have to go forward trusting that there is something better ahead, and I know that there is. He will lead us to where we truly need to be and who we need to be.
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