Hello Everyone!
Today, my mind is occupied by the topic of forgiveness and healing.
I'm not sure why this has come up, but I want to talk about it. Now, I
realize that most of my emails are way fun and upbeat. This is a much
more serious tone, so if you don't want to read that, go ahead and
skip to the bottom paragraphs with a "*" next to them. (b^ ^)b
As a missionary, I've learned to explain the Atonement in a very
simple way. All of the blessings we gain from Heavenly Father can be
likened unto a treasure chest with a tri-lock. The tumblers in this
lock represent physical death, spiritual death, and human
imperfections. We need the key of the Atonement which, according to
Alma 7, helps us overcome death because Christ took upon Himself
death; our sins because He took upon Himself the punishment of sin;
and our weaknesses (or infirmities) because He took upon Himself our
infirmities in order to learn how to succor (or run to) His people
(us).
Jesus Christ took upon Himself death so that He could loose the bands
of death that came upon us due to the 1st transgression. Thus, He has
forgiven all of mankind for the 1st transgression; He will redeem us
all from the fall; and He will give everyone the present of
immortality (a body that will not die).
Christ took upon Himself our imperfections because He loves us! He
wanted to know, according to the flesh, how He could run to us;
comfort us; heal us. So He went so far, no one could run to him; He
was alone and, eventually, left comfortless to battle for our
salvation; He took every excruciating pain, crippling disease, major
and minor discomfort, crushing sadness, outraged soul, and broken
heart so He could know by experience what we would need.
He also took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. I repeat: He
wants to forgive us so badly that He suffered every punishment for OUR
mistakes. He did nothing wrong. It is His desire to forgive.
Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father want us to progress and grow. The
mistakes, sins, and imperfections we have can be overcome by the
Atonement and help us to do so. But when we choose not to forgive
someone, we damage their faith in the everlasting love of Jesus
Christ. Without meaning too, someone who is unforgiven will
unconsciously believe that if they aren't forgiven by an IMperfect
being, how much more would a PERFECT being be filled with
disappointment and anger.
Again, I'm not sure why this weighs so heavily on my mind. Maybe it's
because our investigator has a hard time forgiving his dad. Maybe it
has to do with a dream I had. But please ask yourself this question:
"When someone hurts my feelings, what do I do to let them know it's ok
to ask for forgiveness?" And then remember that Jesus Christ suffered,
bled, was beaten, bruised, tortured, mocked, and humiliated for the
sole purpose of letting us know we can ask Him for forgiveness. If He
did that much just to give us a chance to ask for forgiveness, what
more could we do?
*Yeah, this is a letter with a heavier topic and a bit stronger
wording. But if you want really strong wording, you can read D&C 64!
(b^0^)o If you want it put in a nicer way, you can watch the mormon
message, "The Savior wants to forgive". It's good.
*Anyways, Shinji's baptismal date was pushed back to the 31st, but
that's ok! He's doing way good. We did a practice baptismal interview
and he's solid.
*Also, I'm transferring! I'm going to the area with the biggest chapel
in Japan. It's a castle. 5 stories. One floor is nothing but a
basketball court. I'm excited. Going from a ward with 25 members to
one with 250. ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ We'll see if Elder Chun can
survive going into the city again. The country has grown on me quite a
bit! I think I had to clean some fungus off of my shoes the other
day.... Aaaand you think I'm joking.
*Love you all!
--全長老
Today, my mind is occupied by the topic of forgiveness and healing.
I'm not sure why this has come up, but I want to talk about it. Now, I
realize that most of my emails are way fun and upbeat. This is a much
more serious tone, so if you don't want to read that, go ahead and
skip to the bottom paragraphs with a "*" next to them. (b^ ^)b
As a missionary, I've learned to explain the Atonement in a very
simple way. All of the blessings we gain from Heavenly Father can be
likened unto a treasure chest with a tri-lock. The tumblers in this
lock represent physical death, spiritual death, and human
imperfections. We need the key of the Atonement which, according to
Alma 7, helps us overcome death because Christ took upon Himself
death; our sins because He took upon Himself the punishment of sin;
and our weaknesses (or infirmities) because He took upon Himself our
infirmities in order to learn how to succor (or run to) His people
(us).
Jesus Christ took upon Himself death so that He could loose the bands
of death that came upon us due to the 1st transgression. Thus, He has
forgiven all of mankind for the 1st transgression; He will redeem us
all from the fall; and He will give everyone the present of
immortality (a body that will not die).
Christ took upon Himself our imperfections because He loves us! He
wanted to know, according to the flesh, how He could run to us;
comfort us; heal us. So He went so far, no one could run to him; He
was alone and, eventually, left comfortless to battle for our
salvation; He took every excruciating pain, crippling disease, major
and minor discomfort, crushing sadness, outraged soul, and broken
heart so He could know by experience what we would need.
He also took upon Himself the punishment for our sins. I repeat: He
wants to forgive us so badly that He suffered every punishment for OUR
mistakes. He did nothing wrong. It is His desire to forgive.
Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father want us to progress and grow. The
mistakes, sins, and imperfections we have can be overcome by the
Atonement and help us to do so. But when we choose not to forgive
someone, we damage their faith in the everlasting love of Jesus
Christ. Without meaning too, someone who is unforgiven will
unconsciously believe that if they aren't forgiven by an IMperfect
being, how much more would a PERFECT being be filled with
disappointment and anger.
Again, I'm not sure why this weighs so heavily on my mind. Maybe it's
because our investigator has a hard time forgiving his dad. Maybe it
has to do with a dream I had. But please ask yourself this question:
"When someone hurts my feelings, what do I do to let them know it's ok
to ask for forgiveness?" And then remember that Jesus Christ suffered,
bled, was beaten, bruised, tortured, mocked, and humiliated for the
sole purpose of letting us know we can ask Him for forgiveness. If He
did that much just to give us a chance to ask for forgiveness, what
more could we do?
*Yeah, this is a letter with a heavier topic and a bit stronger
wording. But if you want really strong wording, you can read D&C 64!
(b^0^)o If you want it put in a nicer way, you can watch the mormon
message, "The Savior wants to forgive". It's good.
*Anyways, Shinji's baptismal date was pushed back to the 31st, but
that's ok! He's doing way good. We did a practice baptismal interview
and he's solid.
*Also, I'm transferring! I'm going to the area with the biggest chapel
in Japan. It's a castle. 5 stories. One floor is nothing but a
basketball court. I'm excited. Going from a ward with 25 members to
one with 250. ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆ We'll see if Elder Chun can
survive going into the city again. The country has grown on me quite a
bit! I think I had to clean some fungus off of my shoes the other
day.... Aaaand you think I'm joking.
*Love you all!
--全長老
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