Introduction:
The Story of the Widow's Son (1 Kings 17) I have had many moments in my own life, not recently, but still, where I wondered if I have been forgiven of the weak choices I have made--asking the question, Is the Atonement for ME? I can see Christ's Atonement covering everyone else's sins, generally, but MINE...well, I should have known better, I made a selfish choice, I knew better...maybe I don't deserve His forgiveness. At least not right now. Not today. Not until I have suffered enough to deserve it."
The passages that spoke to my heart:
*"We can learn to more grace-fully adapt to life in the schism between our celestial ideals and our earthly limitations." (Thank you...I need to remember that principal and not be unrealistic about my limitations.)
* "As we learn by our own experience that God tells us the truth and that competing versions of reality will fail us in the end, we come to profoundly trust him." (I have had alot of experiences that tell me that He is indeed my Father, and knows what will truly bring me joy.)
ALMA THE YOUNGER (Alma 36):
*of note:*"A harrow is a farming instrument for turning over the soil, breaking it up and tearing it open so something new can grow there." ( I never knew that...it sounds hopeful!)
*"What can deliver people from the pain of seeing the harm they have done? Only the hope that it can be repaired. Christ can save not only [Alma] but also all those he has hurt."(that's the kind of sin that burdens us most...when it affects others.)
*"There is a time for harrowing, but that time is before, not after the tender seeds of faith and repentance have begun to sprout. We need not continue to harrow ourselves after we have changed our mind, heart, and behaviour and glimpsed God's grace." (Thank you.)
*"Sometimes we also long for that chosen status out of fear that we cannot really be loved by God unless we too are flawless." [like Jesus Christ] In contrast, the Savior humbly offers to share with us all that He has. He acknowledges that we too have a difficult path to walk in mortality. He did His job so we could do ours."(Learning and doing my part.)
*"Self-forgiveness requires a mature understanding of the purpose of life, which is not to get back to God in the same state of innocence and purity we were in when we left Him. Rather our charge here is to learn the compassion, humility, discipline, and understanding of good and evil that come only with experience and risk, failure and resilience. Our charge is to get back to God much, much wiser and better than when we left Him, something we can accomplish only through travelling the bruising, bloodying roads of mortal temptaion, affliction, and periodic failure as well as the roads of triumph, satisfaction and ultimate joy."(This helps me to not only see my role differently as a daughter, but also as a wife and mother.)
*"We are not here to be quiet, but to learn to make the beautiful music of endless creativity and life."( I LOVE this...it speaks to my soul and gives me permission to live life outloud!)
*"Christ is the Great Redeemer --not the Great Preventor." (Again, I can trust in the Atonement.)
IN this first Chapter, our basic beliefs are sorted out...fact and fiction...and the peeling away of fictitious thoughts/beliefs was freeing for me. For my heart. And by doing so, helps me to see others in a different light as well.
SO my Book Club sisters, PLEASE share all of your thoughts and the passages that touched your heart! And if there's another way to do this better, speak up!
I have finished the first chapter but I have been gone all day and am leaving in the morning and will be gone all weekend. I will take the book with me though and try to write, but I don't know if I will get time. However, I need to say this . . . Already this book has blessed me. I have enjoyed what I have read, but I have also come across someone who is suffering deeply because of past sins and is having a hard time moving forward. It was so amazing to me that I read from the book and then was able to apply what I had read the very next day.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the chapter and the quotes and comments you posted. I think what we get out of the book depends entirely on where we are in our lives at the moment we read it. Tomorrow I may learn something different, but for today,there were two things from the first chapter that stood out the most.
ReplyDeleteThe first was the comment that before we can do something well, we need to be willing to do it poorly. My son in law is fairly new to the church (he was baptized as a youth but not active until the past few years.) He of course has fear of doing things wrong--like health blessings, baby blessings, etc., but he wants to learn so he is willing to do them despite his fear he won't do it well. I love that about him. But I think this applies to me as well. Any area we want to grow in our lives requires a starting point and we usually don't start at the top. I need to be willing to give up my fear of failure so I can go through the process to learn to succeed.
The second part that really struck me was the comment about perceiving time in a rhythmic way as the Hebrews instead of each day as a separate part of our lives. What I do today can change at least the effect of my choices yesterday and influence tomorrow.
My husband and I were discussing this last night. I have made choices that have hurt people and for which I have felt deep regret, so much so that it was hard to move forward. Yet now, looking back, I also learned so much from that choice that is positive in my life that I am not sure I would change it completely. (A little still perhaps:-). I have learned so much about compassion, charity, and forgiveness that it will always influence my tomorrow and how I interact with others. Without the opportunity to grow and change (no atonement) it, along with all my wrong choices, would have always been just a sour measure in my song of life. Now, instead it is an introductory measure to a new melody. I loved that thought. It doesn't make me want to do anything wrong, as always choosing right is still the best way to learn, but it does help me to learn to build upon the past and face the future in a positive way, instead of just with regret hanging heavily around my heart.
Would it be best if we read a Chapter a week and leave comments on it Thursdays?
ReplyDeleteI'm totally open to other ideas too.
JOY: Isn't it wonderful to have a more clear perspective--one that enhances our understanding without leaving a negative imprint? I so loved the hebrew rhythm philosophy.
Hi-I haven't had much time to read this chapter yet-and I haven't read the whole chapter but already I have gained SO much from what I have read. I am having an experience right now that I can't share just yet but the VERY first part about being fearful made me realize that fear is the opposite of faith-and that if I feel fearful-I'm not being faithful! The second quote that has really spoken to me is "Things worth doing are worth doing imperfectly rather than throwing up our hands in deafeat or sticking what is easy and familiar" and the rest of the paragraph. THAT IS SO ME! I hate making mistakes and so sometimes its easier to be safe-but I will never progress. I can tell already this is going to teach me a lot. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of your comments. I will get this done before Thurs. Should I go ahead with Chapter 2??
ReplyDeleteMarilyn: Yes, we'll be ready for Ch 2 tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI too, learned so much with this chapter...I think it's called "enlightenment".