Becoming

While preparing for the Melchizedek Priesthood lesson this morning, I was looking in the November 2000 conference Ensign for a quote from Elder Holland and came across Elder Oaks' talk "The Challenge to Become" again.  In the Gospel Principles lesson on charity, I focused solely on his quote concerning that important attribute.  This time, I read the entire talk and the overall concept he taught struck me.  The idea dovetailed into something I'd been thinking about since meeting with the missionaries yesterday.  I felt impressed to bear my testimony about this gospel truth during Sacrament meeting today, and I want to mention those thoughts (as best as I can recall them) in this post with the addition of added scripture verses and quotations.

The Savior's command to the Nephites, his followers in Jerusalem, and to us is to "be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48).  Later, to drive the point further, Jesus asked His new world apostles, "Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?" and then answered His question, "Verily I say unto you, even as I am" (3 Nephi 27:27).  This is a lofty goal; a very high ideal.  Because we live in telestial circumstances, we find ourselves making mistakes left and right as we struggle to achieve this goal.  If we allow it, this commandment could cause paralysis ("If I make a mistake, I'm doomed.") or defeatism ("I can't live up to this standard!  What's the point of trying?  I give up!").  However, as I grow older, I have come to realize that the obtainment of perfection in this life is not what the Lord is concerned about.  Instead, He is much more interested and focused on what the goal helps us to become.  Elder Oaks explained that "the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become" (Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32, emphasis in original).

I my opinion, the measuring stick Heavenly Father uses in His evaluation of each of us (His children) has more to do with our effort than anything else.  Allow me to illustrate:  Yesterday, Isaac played in his first ever tackle football game.  He's wanted to play this type of football for a long time, but the little league team in the area had a very pricey yearly admission fee (with other costs along the way).  Consequently, the closest he's come to "real" football is a couple of flag football teams courtesy of the local city leagues (here's a picture of him running for a touchdown when he was 6).  Midway through the 4th quarter, the opposing team had scored and was getting ready to try for the extra point.  I saw the coach walk up to Isaac and talk to him.  Immediately, I had a feeling he would be going in for the kick-off return and I tapped Jennifer on the shoulder, "Isaac's going in."  Sure enough, as our team prepared for the kick-off return, Isaac ran onto the field.  He was in the front line.  The moment he entered the game, my attention was riveted on him (so much so that I forgot to take a picture of him L).  He got in a stance and readied himself.  As soon as the football was kicked, I watched as he prepared to block the opposing player who was running toward him.  He put his arm up in a blocking motion (a "flipper" as he called it later), and readied himself.  There was a collision of bodies ... and Isaac found himself on the ground.  To his credit, he jumped up and ran off to try and find someone else to block.  Before he could make any effort to do so, his teammate with the ball was tackled and thus ended his very first game experience.

After the final horn sounded, I walked up to Isaac and told him, "I'd rather see you get knocked on your butt trying to do what you're supposed to do, then see you stand there letting people run past you without making any effort at all."  I also told him I was pleased to see him get up quickly and try to stick with the play rather than lay there on the ground until the whistle blew.  According to Isaac, his coach had also singled him out after the game, telling the team he'd rather play a scared kid who would at least try than a lazy kid who wouldn't do anything.

This brings me back to my earlier statement.  Often in life we see the opponent coming toward us.  We get our "flipper" up and get in our stance and think we're going to handle our block ... and get run over and knocked on our hind quarters instead!  I don't see this scenario as the definition of perfection.  Perfection would be for us to block the opponent and sustain a textbook block until the whistle blew.  Instead, we find ourselves staring up into the sky wondering what the heck happened.  At that moment we can think to ourselves, "Oh, no, the coach will never let me play in another game ever again!" or "I did everything right and I still got knocked on my can!  What's the point?  I give up," or we can get up and try to get back into the play as quickly as possible.  Isaac could have allowed the first two thoughts enter his head and continued to lay on the ground, but he didn't.  He got up and tried to get back into the play.  His effort was rewarded not by a scolding, but by the coach telling the rest of the team he was the type of player he could use on his team.  I believe Heavenly Father is the same in that regard.  He's not going to "upbraid" us (see James 1:5) for getting knocked on our backside while trying to do what we've were sent into the game to accomplish.  He's going to see us as someone He can use; someone He can work with to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39)—ours as well as others.

At the same time, however, it's important to also recognize that Father isn't interested in "checklist" discipleship, hitting our benchmarks and moving on without a backward glance.  Nephi understood the importance of thinking in terms of becoming instead of checklists.  After a lengthy explanation of the importance of baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, Nephi asked, "And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay" (2 Nephi 31:19)!  Nephi recognized baptism to be the beginning, not the end of the journey.  Baptism allowed the disciple to step through the gate on to the strait and narrow path.  From that starting point, Nephi encouraged the man or woman in Christ to "press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men" and  if he or she does these things while "feasting upon the word of Christ, and endur[ing] to the end" (2 Nephi 31:20), then he or she will become "perfected in [Christ], and ... then is [Christ's] grace sufficient" (Moroni 10:32) to make up the difference for what we lack.  Elder Oaks taught, "The gospel of Jesus Christ is the plan by which we can become what children of God are supposed to become. This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance. ... Now is the time for each of us to work toward ... becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become" (Ensign, Nov. 2000, 33).

I am grateful for this concept.  I've made plenty of mistakes along my mortal journey, but I am grateful for repentance and the opportunity to overcome my mistakes.  There have been times when I thought I was ready to block the opposing player running toward me and been knocked tail over teakettle.  I am thankful that my Eternal Coach hasn't given up on me and has continued to let me play.  When I consider who I am today as opposed to who I was when I returned home from my mission, I realize I've made some significant progress.  I also realize, however, that I have a long way to go.  Once again, I am grateful for the things my boys teach me and for the opportunity I have to share my testimony of Christ's teachings with others.