And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? … And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?
Many sit in the restaurant socializing without ever taking advantage of the feast, and it appears that this has always been an issue. Membership and association is not nor will it ever be conversion and salvation. I see far too many members of the Church bickering, blaming, and complaining over superficial things concerning their fellow saints. Why are we so impatient with those that are closest to us? While frustration is the easiest reaction, it is a corrosive attitude to sustain.
If faith and repentance are the first principles of the gospel (Article of Faith 4), perhaps forgiveness and patience are the 3rd and 4th principles. As we struggle along our own paths, may we remember that others are doing the same. As we ascend to higher vistas of understanding, may we remember how lowly our own prior perspectives once were. Every time we grow impatient with another, remember the hundreds or thousands of times that others were patient with us.
Many claim to follow Christ and forget where that path leads. Hint: it isn’t one free of sacrifice, betrayal, offense, abuse, ridicule, contempt, false accusations, and crucifixion. The atonement provided us the opportunity to change, to receive the Mind of God, but we still must suffer each other.
