Mosiah 4

(February 24, 2015)

                There are certain truths that we encounter over and over again and which we struggle to truly recognize in our lives.  Charity for the less fortunate is one of those for me – I read this chapter and my conscience justifiably condemns me.  When this happens, there are two choices we each are given – do we repent, or do we rationalize.  I hope that I can repent.

                Knowing the right amount to give is a difficult matter, but I think that there is a good rule of thumb in the writings of C. S. Lewis.  Recognizing this difficulty, Professor Lewis stated that regardless of how much we have we must be in a position where there are things which we very much want to have or to do which we cannot have or do because of our charitable giving.  I give when it is convenient, but I don’t give to this level an it is something that I need to work on.

                The other thought that struck me, and it strikes me just about every time I read this chapter, is the importance of wisdom and order in our progression.  I so want to take giant steps forward in my progress, and I have been blessed to take those giant steps a couple of times.  There have been sins that were holding me back, and I have been able (with the Lord’s help) to abandon those sins and by so doing have felt a huge leap in my relationship with the Lord.

                But, in my experience, the feeling of abandoning a specific sin holding us back is different than the steady, incremental growth in our character.  Both are necessary, but the growth is something that we almost never see because the more we grow towards our Savior the more we recognize our insignificance before Him (our sole value is that He loves us).  While it would be nice to be the person that I want to be all at once, that is not the nature of the Lord’s plan.  Instead, I am called to do what the Lord wants me to do today, and by so doing I will be a little better prepared to do what the Lord wants from me tomorrow.  If I can do this long enough, and often enough, I can become what He wants me to ultimately become.