choose the good part

This week's New Testament lesson comes from Luke 10 when Jesus visits Mary and Martha. I admit I never really understood this story because it seems like Jesus scolds Martha for doing necessary chores. But Brother Griffin explained to us that Jesus only intervenes because Martha accuses Mary for not helping. He explained that the "good part" Mary chose was to not try and persuade Martha to come sit with her. The lesson of this is that we shouldn't try and mold people into something they aren't even if we perceive it as better. 

This reminded me of a time on my mission when my companion and I gave a zone training on personality types. We took a test and put up everyone's results. Not a single person had the same results. But all of us had been called on a mission. We all had certain areas, certain companions, and certain people we were teaching and that was for a reason. Like Brother Griffin said, we are all different instruments in an orchestra. If all of us were the same we wouldn't accomplish nearly as much as what we can with our different talents and strengths. That was a lesson I learned over and over again on my mission, and I continue to learn today. Sometimes when I was frustrated with myself for not being as (fill in the blank) as someone else, or when I was impatient with other people for not being as (fill in the blank) as they should be, it was important to remember we are all different. And as Brother Griffin said, different isn't always better or worse, sometimes it's just different. The important thing is we let people be themselves and contribute their own unique abilities to the Lord's work. 

This makes me think of the Apostles today. We have everything from lawyers, surgeons, businessmen, all with experience in different areas of the world. And they all work together to build up the church and serve. That is how God intended it to be. I am grateful for that reminder this week. Different is normal, embrace it! 

I will pay thee all

The insight I want to share from New Testament class this week is a lesson on forgiveness found in Matthew 18:23-35. This is the story of the master forgiving his servant of his debt, and of that same servant accusing a fellow servant of owing a debt. Knowing the context of this story makes it way more dramatic... Brother Griffin explained that 10,000 was just a substitution for a Greek word meaning myriad, or the biggest possible number, and he calculated out the math of how much debt the servant owed to his master... it ended up being billions of dollars, which would take him hundreds of thousands of years to pay off. So basically, an un-repayable debt. Yet, the master was immediately moved with compassion when the servant approached him and loosed him of it.
The wording implies that after the servant was forgiven he actively sought out his fellowservant and violently asked for his money to be repaid. When the servant uttered the exact same phrase his accuser had said earlier: "have patience and I will pay thee all" the servant did not show the same compassion, and instead threw him into prison.
When the lord heard of this, he approached the servant and asked him why he hadn't shown the same mercy that had been given to him. He then rebound him to his debt. The end of the story says "so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
Brother Griffin pointed out that Christ has taken every single person's debt. The shame, the pressure, is all on Him. And when we hold a grudge, we are holding it against Christ because He has taken the responsibility for that person's wrongdoings. Looking at it that way really puts things in perspective. Christ has shielded us all from the brunt of other people's accusations. When we think of the mercy Christ has given us by forgiving us of all our wrongdoings, it should be easy for us to accept that He has done the same for everyone else as well. Instead of holding grudges, we should joyfully forgive, and show our love and appreciation for Christ's gift of mercy and grace. Without it we would all have a myriad of debts. Christ has spared us from that and we can never repay Him, but we can love and serve others. That is all He asks of us. There is not a number of times we need to forgive people (it's not 490) and if we make it a habit, we will have much happier, whole lives, with growth, progression, and meaningful relationships. Relationships bring so much joy into our lives, and Christ has shown us that even when people hurt us in some way, we can overcome it, and experience an increase in love. When we forgive others we not only build them up, we build ourselves up. I know that when I have chosen to let things go instead of seeking revenge, I have just felt free. All the leftover anger and other negative emotions just fade away.... That is the miracle of the Atonement.
cheers
Tamsyn

Great is thy faith

This week we learned about some of Jesus' "more difficult" miracles. One of these is found in Matthew 15:22-28. It goes as follows:
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

I admit, when I've read this before, I kind of wondered why Jesus seemed so harsh and uncaring. But, when we broke it down and studied it it made a lot more sense. 

In this story the woman asks Jesus three times for Him to help her daughter. His three responses are:

Silence

No

Yes

Brother Griffin pointed out that this is a pattern we experience in our lives daily as we pray. Sometimes silence is our answer. Sometimes we have to realize the timing is wrong. And sometimes, the answer is an absolute yes. How many times do we endure and remain faithful, seeking God's will when we pray? When we really want an answer we have to be patient, push past our doubts, and act on the answers we receive. Richard G Scott says "communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon unchanging principles. When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency."

This miracle is an example of Christ's faith in our ability to press forward and an example of someone that endured through doubt and discouragement and got the answer she needed. It is something we can apply to our prayers to strengthen our faith in Christ.

Go and do thou likewise

This week in New Testament we studied some of Christ's parables. I really enjoyed studying the story of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:30-37. This is one of the most famous bible stories and I've heard it countless times so it was interesting to learn about it from a different perspective. The lesson we always pull from this story is that it's important to be kind to and serve those around us, even if they are different from us. This is a good lesson, but I found an even more significant meaning as we compared Christ to the Samaritan and us to the innkeeper, which is just one of many ways to interpret this story. 

Something I learned from this is that Christ is ALWAYS out looking for people to help. He searches for, prays for, heals, and encourages each one of his hurting and struggling friends. No doubt this brings Him great joy and He is an example to us in that way. We should be losing our lives in serving others by putting their needs to the front of our minds and searching for ways to lift them up. This lifestyle is contrary to the expectations of society today. We live in a world of competition, pride, and selfishness, but Christ always gives us opportunities to serve. Just like the Samaritan, He brings those He loves to our attention, asking us to use our gifts and talents to help them.

In the story, we aren't told how the innkeeper treats the victim. Does he offer his best care? Does he actively try to nurse him back to health? Does he offer friendship and support? Or does he do the minimum expected of him? The choice is ours. When we are given opportunities to serve, are we going to just bake the cookies and hand them off without much thought? Or are we going to offer emotional support and sincere prayers for those in our care? True disciples follow the whisperings of the Holy Ghost and not only better the lives of those around them, but they also become more converted through their selfless actions. In turn they are given more opportunities to bind up others' wounds and experience the Atonement. 

This reminds me of a conference talk given by President Uchtdorf, one of my favorites, from October 2014. It is called Living the Gospel Joyful. He says "When we treat God’s commandments and our part in building His kingdom like something to check off on a to-do list, we miss the heart of discipleship. We miss the growth that comes from joyfully living the commandments of our Father in Heaven." 

2 Nephi 2:25 says "Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy." This parable, and this quote from a modern prophet tell us that joy comes from being a TRUE disciple. And I am so grateful that we are consistently given opportunities to emulate Christ, assist in His work, and be a disciple. We may fail sometimes, but we can change. We can grow and become someone He can trust with His precious souls that He so deeply wants us to help. 

Peace, be still

This week in New Testament we studied some of Christ's miracles. In Mark 4 we read about the tempest while Christ and His disciples are sailing. This account can parallel our lives in more than one way. We all face storms, external and internal on and off throughout our lives. This is part of mortality, and it's something we can't avoid. But, what we can avoid is being capsized and swept away. We can choose to keep the external storms from entering in and controlling us.
In this account as the storm gets worse, the disciples are getting worried, saying "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" Jesus was peacefully sleeping in the boat, obviously having no internal storm. When the disciples go to Him, He calmly rises and says "peace, be still" and immediately, the winds and waves cease. He then turns to his disciples and says "Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" Christ was in complete control of the situation, and He gave His disciples a valuable reminder about how important faith is in our daily lives.
There are a couple of things we can learn from this story. Most importantly, we need to remember to always invite Christ into our boat. He controls the wind and the sea, and there is no one more capable of getting us through a storm safely. Having Him there won't always stop the storms, but He will certainly make sure we are taken care of.
Also, are we going to let these storms rattle and weaken us or are we going to learn something from them? Christ is a great example of being in control and being calm in the face of adversity. We can follow that lead and ask for strength and direction to navigate ourselves into calmer waters.
I have a testimony that these storms, although they aren't always enjoyable, they are always an opportunity to grow and to trust in the Lord. I imagine life without storms and realize they are necessary for us to obtain a foundation and gain valuable skills and perspective. Heavenly Father has a divine plan for all of us, and these storms we have to face, both internal and external will help us get there.