Doctrine and Covenants 115:5

"Verily I say unto you all: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations"
Doctrine and Covenants 115:5


I was sitting in Sunday School the other day, and we were talking about a quote that we often hear, the one that goes "You have been held in reserve" ... and basically says that the strongest spirits are here on Earth in the last days.  And a girl in the back asked... and the question seemed to be one of incredible importance to her, because her lower lip was quivering a little as she asked it... whether that quote meant members of the church only, or everyone on earth.  I was mightily surprised when some of the people seemed to be of the opinion that the quote was for church members only, and I expressed strongly... to the apparent relief of the girl in the back, that we are *all* strong and powerful spirits, everyone on earth... that we have an incredible potential, that it is up to each of us to fulfil that... and one of the reasons that we have such an obligation to share the truth with other people, and to set an example of love, goodness, inclusion... and everything else that God stands for.  The church is not a country club... if anything, it is way more like Alcoholics Anonymous.  We admit we are addicted to sin, and we come before God for help to overcome ourselves.  We don't turn people away... as addicts ourselves, how hypocritical would that be?  But the church is more than AA, because AA takes us to recovery... but not beyond.  In God's treatment plan, we acknowledge our tendency to sin, but know that we can develop a tendency to goodness. :)  We know that after recovery, it is a lot more than achieving a "normal" life... it is reaching for the stars... and grasping them.  We still walk "one day at a time" ... but we know someday there will be no time. :)  It's like an ex-convict here in America.  When we send someone to prison, we don't expect them to become a better person or to be "cured" ... we expect them to become more hardened, and so we are scared of ex-cons, and it is really hard for them to obtain jobs or a chance at changing their lives.  In the church God says to us, as convicts... yes, I know that you have done bad things, and that is why you are meeting here together, to learn to overcome those tendencies within yourself... so let's work on that.  but God doesn't label us as ex-cons, instead he tells us that we are his children, that we need to overcome our problems, be healed... and our prison term past will be erased, and we can still become the president of the United States, or absolutely anything that we want to be.  He won't hold our pasts against us, and we are free to learn to fly and walk on water and learn calculus (yeah, I am bad at math)... :)  anything. :)
So, this is long... but just remember today... go out and be anything, as long as it is good.  We can overcome anything... we can do anything... because God is our father, and he loves us and will help us to succeed.