"Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."
Doctrine and Covenants 6:36
Usually when I read this scripture I think that it means that we should trust God, and not doubt him... not be afraid that he'll leave us. If we look to him in all that we do, we'll be okay. And it does mean those things, but as I was reading today I think that maybe it means more than that. Maybe it also means that we shouldn't doubt ourselves and our ability to follow Christ. We shouldn't fear that we're lost when we make mistakes and lose the path. We should remember that God is still there, listening to us, loving us, and encouraging us to stand up, dust ourselves off, and try again.
In the verse immediately previous to this, God says "Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more." ... almost exactly what he said to the woman taken in adultery in the New Testament. And here, he says it to us.
Pain and failure are built into the human condition... they are part of the test of life. We're going to make mistakes, and screw up things that are important, and fall short of God's (and other people's, and our own) expectations. But through the atonement, God gave us the gift of being able to recover from even the worst and often-repeated mistakes. And he gave us the power to overcome our own weaknesses through joining with him.
Today, let's look unto God, and not fear failure, and not doubt God, or ourselves... because together, we can make it.
Doctrine and Covenants 6:36
Usually when I read this scripture I think that it means that we should trust God, and not doubt him... not be afraid that he'll leave us. If we look to him in all that we do, we'll be okay. And it does mean those things, but as I was reading today I think that maybe it means more than that. Maybe it also means that we shouldn't doubt ourselves and our ability to follow Christ. We shouldn't fear that we're lost when we make mistakes and lose the path. We should remember that God is still there, listening to us, loving us, and encouraging us to stand up, dust ourselves off, and try again.
In the verse immediately previous to this, God says "Behold, I do not condemn you; go your ways and sin no more." ... almost exactly what he said to the woman taken in adultery in the New Testament. And here, he says it to us.
Pain and failure are built into the human condition... they are part of the test of life. We're going to make mistakes, and screw up things that are important, and fall short of God's (and other people's, and our own) expectations. But through the atonement, God gave us the gift of being able to recover from even the worst and often-repeated mistakes. And he gave us the power to overcome our own weaknesses through joining with him.
Today, let's look unto God, and not fear failure, and not doubt God, or ourselves... because together, we can make it.
I've been lurking for a little while now. This is a cool blog.
ReplyDeleteI really like your thoughts on this scripture, and this subject has actually been on my mind; pressing on it, or more like hugging it. Your commentary rang loud and clear when I read it. Thank you.
Im new to thia but i truly love it and uts concept od the fact that even though wveryone has a different take on their owm understanding...we all arive at the same conclusion.
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