"And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching."
Mark 6:2-6
This is an interesting story that teaches us a lesson about assumptions and preconceived notions, and also perhaps something about the nature of faith. Christ, the savior of the world, went to his hometown and was extremely limited in what he could do because the people didn't believe in him.
One lesson here is definitely that we need to allow people to change and grow and become, not ascribing evil intentions or childish limitations to them, even if they or their families have proven to be evil or limited in the past. People grow up... and we ourselves would like God, and others, to recognize the changes we make in our lives--to let us edit out the bad and focus on the good person we are working to become. And God does that for us. He refuses to remember our sins when we change. Unfortunately, we all too often remember and remind people of their past shortcomings.
Another lesson here is the overarching power of faith in our lives. Faith isn't just believing that God exists. It is believing that God has the power and the ability to do what he says he will do... and that he WILL. It's hoping and loving and yearning for that perfect day. It's cultivating happiness and joy, and helping people around us to be happy as well. In the gospel, as with so many other things, attitude matters. If we think that the world will be bleak, it probably will be, and unfortunately, if we expect others to be petty and to fail us, they probably will as well. We of course all have our agency, but what we think of each other and expect of each other shapes how we act, how we feel about ourselves, and how others react to us. If a teacher expects one student to do well and another poorly, it almost always happens *in spite of* actual ability. We perform better at work if we like our bosses. ... So many things in life are tied to how we think of and treat others, and faith is tied into that web. If we don't believe in God, it doesn't at all mean that God doesn't exist, but it *does* mean that God isn't going to be able to work with us in our lives. If we don't believe in and follow the prophets, it doesn't invalidate their power or their prophecies, but it definitely makes us unable to tap into that power.
I imagine that God is still trying to do mighty works in our lives, and marveling at our unbelief. Today, let's work on turning that around. Let's take the steps that we need to in our lives to go to God and to be reconciled to him. Even if we can only desire to believe, let's jump in and read Alma 32, and start working on that experiment in our lives. Let's work on believing in God and each other--allowing people space to grow and allowing God to exercise his power in our lives.
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.
And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.
And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching."
Mark 6:2-6
This is an interesting story that teaches us a lesson about assumptions and preconceived notions, and also perhaps something about the nature of faith. Christ, the savior of the world, went to his hometown and was extremely limited in what he could do because the people didn't believe in him.
One lesson here is definitely that we need to allow people to change and grow and become, not ascribing evil intentions or childish limitations to them, even if they or their families have proven to be evil or limited in the past. People grow up... and we ourselves would like God, and others, to recognize the changes we make in our lives--to let us edit out the bad and focus on the good person we are working to become. And God does that for us. He refuses to remember our sins when we change. Unfortunately, we all too often remember and remind people of their past shortcomings.
Another lesson here is the overarching power of faith in our lives. Faith isn't just believing that God exists. It is believing that God has the power and the ability to do what he says he will do... and that he WILL. It's hoping and loving and yearning for that perfect day. It's cultivating happiness and joy, and helping people around us to be happy as well. In the gospel, as with so many other things, attitude matters. If we think that the world will be bleak, it probably will be, and unfortunately, if we expect others to be petty and to fail us, they probably will as well. We of course all have our agency, but what we think of each other and expect of each other shapes how we act, how we feel about ourselves, and how others react to us. If a teacher expects one student to do well and another poorly, it almost always happens *in spite of* actual ability. We perform better at work if we like our bosses. ... So many things in life are tied to how we think of and treat others, and faith is tied into that web. If we don't believe in God, it doesn't at all mean that God doesn't exist, but it *does* mean that God isn't going to be able to work with us in our lives. If we don't believe in and follow the prophets, it doesn't invalidate their power or their prophecies, but it definitely makes us unable to tap into that power.
I imagine that God is still trying to do mighty works in our lives, and marveling at our unbelief. Today, let's work on turning that around. Let's take the steps that we need to in our lives to go to God and to be reconciled to him. Even if we can only desire to believe, let's jump in and read Alma 32, and start working on that experiment in our lives. Let's work on believing in God and each other--allowing people space to grow and allowing God to exercise his power in our lives.
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