Today I read Hebrews 3. The verse that jumped out at me was the part about exhorting one another daily lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. This is important but can really backfire on you. I remember once in college I had two roommates who were brothers and we were very good friends. We lived in a townhouse that was 3 floors for 4 months, just the 3 of us. After that year I went to live for the summer at their house and work on their father's farm. One day I remember we were eating lunch at a local fast food place and one of them got a drink of iced tea. I tried to kid with him that he didn't need such things as they were against the Word of Wisdom and he totally flipped out on me. Called me self righteous and told me that my soda I was drinking was just as bad for me as the tea was and told me to stop being holier than thou. I was actually pretty hurt by it and how angry he got about it when I was trying to help him live the Gospel.
Now life went on and our friendship continued unmarred but I was shocked how he had reacted to my statement and it has been my experience that most people who are not doing what is right react that way. They are very quick to point out what you are not doing right because what you are saying cuts them to the core. Nephi said that the wicked taketh the truth to be hard because it cuts them to the core. And it does. No one likes correction because we have to admit we are doing something wrong. The natural man does not like to do that at all. But as Paul says, we are to admonish one another. One of the recent talks in this past General Conference, I think from Elder Ballard, stated that when we fail to correct someone who is doing that which is wrong, we are thinking more about ourselves than we are about them. And truly we are. If we fail to give correction because we are worried how they will receive it, how they will react to it, we are more worried about our own feelings than we are about the well being of that person.
Some may think to themselves it is not their place to admonish because they are not the Priesthood leader or that they should not say anything to the other person because they have their own problems. The whole beam and mote idea, who are they to admonish when they have their own issues with following the commandments. But I think that is the wrong idea to have. For one thing, we should help succor and uplift where we are strong and ask for help where we are weak. To me that is not focusing on the mote in your brothers eyes. That is instead looking out for the well being of your fellow men.
It is a fine line to walk that is for sure and we need to make sure we are doing it for the welfare of the other person and not out of a sense of haughtiness. The way to make sure you have the right intention is to make sure you are trying to cultivate a feeling of humility about you. As you strive to be more humble you will be able to look upon your fellow Saints with a sense of love and care and will know how you can help them. We will see them as Jesus sees them as our fellow brothers and sisters. I think the other half is to make sure we don't overlook our own sins, for they are many. Each and every day we need to make sure we are repenting of what we have done wrong because we are not perfect. As we work towards perfection however, we will have the Spirit about us all the more and will cause those around us to want to be better. They won't be able to help themselves, it will be a natural reaction. Wouldn't it be nice if that was the goal of everyone on earth? What a world that would be! Until tomorrow.
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