Mosiah 3:9 - Mini Farewell Talk

24 Days. 

wut.

Next week is stake conferece (aww yeeuh).

Week after is the 24th, aka speak-at-home-ward day.

Making today (the 10th) my last Sunday in the Kaneohe 6th YSA Branch. Daww. I honestly honestly didn't even realize this until the end of sacrament. Kiiind of a good thing I think. Had I known, I probably would've worked myself up into oodles of tears. Not havin' that.

Although I did get the chance to speak briefly. Tweaked it a tad so that the tenses aren't all funky n whatnot.

I was asked to speak on a scripture that we discussed earlier this week at institute. The scripture is found in Mosiah 3:9 :

               "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth of the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with this scripture or at least the comparison of how we should become childlike. In relation to this scripture, Aunty Janice (1/2 of our awesome institute tag-teachy team) asked us all to think about this question:

               "How can we apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins and our hearts may be purified?"

 Honestly, when I first heard the question, I wasn't sure what it was even asking. I caught "atoning" and "purified," and lost track of the rest of the sentence. Even saying the question all together now mixes me up. But. Two words: Atoning, and purified. Aaand  "purified" was remembered mostly cause it's the last word of the quesh. 

               The word atonement has always more than intimidated me, I never feel like I'm completely comprehending all of what it means. I understand that it's love in its most concentrated form. I understand that the atonement was our older brother sticking up for us. His personal way of showing us he loves us, and knows that we struggle. I get that it's the most personal while simultaneously being the most universal act of love. I understand love's got a lot- everything to do with it. Sharing about the atonement always makes me anxious, because I don't think I even know the words to explain it and do it justice. I don't mean to come up and talk about not knowing what to talk about. I think I'm trying to express my reverence for it without making light of it.

               Getting technical with the wording of the question, it asks "how we can apply the atoning blood of Christ..." Atoning. Action word, there. Though the actual atoning happened way before we were on earth, it is a current, applicable, relevant gift that has been given to us. A  gift that was meant to be utilized often, meant to help us. Not to necessarily make us feel guilty. Christ drank from the bitter cup that we could have a second chance. 

 Another question we were given to think over this past Thursday was:

               "How do we partake of a bitter cup without becoming bitter?"

              There were several beautiful responses from people around the room. My favorites were to

1)      Remember to have true gratitude

2)      Have the mindset of "if it's not eternal, it's not important"

3)      Remember your divine nature.

               I feel like the answer to both this question and the question before can be found right within Mosiah 3:19. Become. Like. A. Child. With all those good qualities we hear that go along with it.

• ·        submissive
• ·        meek
• ·        humble
• ·        patient
• ·        full of love
• ·        willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him

It's easy enough to rattle off a list of how we could be better, but I think President Ahuna (our super rad branch prez) summed it up pretty well. Anyone who made it out to institute that night will probably remember he said that the way we can "apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins and our hearts may be purified" and "partake of a bitter cup without becoming bitter" is to yield to the spirit. Elder Quentin L. Cook taught that "if we separate ourselves from [worldly] conduct, we will have the spirit in our lives and experience the joy of being worthy latter-day saints."

The words of one of my past bishops came into memory. He asked a visiting mission president or something, for advice to pass along to his YSA branch. The man's reply was to tell them (us) to simply "be good." Bishop went on to explain to us that he knows we know how to "be good," and all we have to do is do it.

I'm going to have to agree with him. The amount of people I meet every day, have so much good naturally in them. Overcoming whatever it is that often gets in the way of us making righteous decisions that bring us closer to being like our older brother Jesus Christ and closer to our loving Heavenly Father is something each of us faces. I wish I had a post to recommend, or a video to share with clever tricks on how exactly you can do that, but I know you know what to do. If think you don't know how to "be good," and you're rollin yer eyeballs at your screen like "HUSHWOMANYOUDON'TKNOWMYLIFE," you're not wrong. I don't know your life. Learn of The Atonement. There's someone who does know your life. You have an older brother who knows your heart. He knows about that light that's within you that wants to burn brightly. Do good. Listen to that light within you. Become the person you're meant to be. You are so loved. Remember that.

I'm still somewhat anxious about sharing my feelings about the atonement, there's so much I feel I need to understand. But there's this lit fire growing inside of me after preparing and studying for this talk. A growing testimony. The best part about all of this is that I don't yet understand. YET. Potential. I can (and will) learn what I can until I do understand. I'll probably spend the rest of my life learning, but if I can keep this spiritual high going, whoooo cares. The rest of my life it is, then. For anyone truly wanting to know how they can "be good," or know anything for that matter:

• James 1:5-6

"5) If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; it shall be given him.

6) But let him ask in faith, not wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

• D&C 9:8-9  

 "8)But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore you shall feel that it is right.

9)But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore you cannot write that which is scared save it be given you from me."