Institute

Okay, I’ve got 20 free minutes, so let’s see what I can get in here. lol

Last night’s Institute class was great. Technically, they all are, but I really did like this one. Elder and Sister Enos do so well at making everyone feel loved and welcome and they are just two really good people. They’re my friends on Facebook now, so Yay! lol

The first thing we talked about last night was Christ. haha. I guess that’s a given since our Church has a foundation of Christ. But what Elder Enos did was have us describe Christ. This is what we came up with:

Who Is Christ?
Son of God
Our brother
Savior
Redeemer
Creator

 

What is Christ?
Loving
Forgiving
Kind
Compassionate

 

The first list describes the things Christ came here to do, things none of us have the ability to become. Not that we’re not good enough, but that those specific things were for Christ to do. He had the capacity and ability to be beyond good enough.  Because that is not our calling, we cannot become any of the things on that list. If we try, we will always fail.

The second list describes the individual traits of Christ that we can work to attain. We may not have all of those traits, but we can work towards them. God does not expect us to come out of the gate being perfect beings. That calling was for Christ alone. Through Christ we can become perfect, but we cannot become perfect on our own. So, we work on character traits that will enable us to come as close as we can and then we let Christ pick up the rest. But we have to try. We can’t just sit there and say “Oh, I’m going to be mean to people and lie and steal and be immoral because Christ will save me in the end.” No, we have to provide the works. We have to work and strive to become better people and continually ask God for His help.

The example Elder Enos used is taking a test in school. Christ isn’t going to come take the test for us. We have to study and do our homework and attend our classes. What Christ will do (if we ask Him) is open our minds and let us remember the things we’ve worked to learn. He won’t take the test for us, but He will provide the calm and the clearness of mind. As long as we do our part and ask Him for His help, He will pick up the rest. If we don’t study and do our homework, Christ isn’t going to make the teacher give us an A. We didn’t earn it. We have to try to do our best.

One of the things Elder Enos said last night that I really liked is “It is easier for us to attain each of Christ’s attributes individually than it is for us to try to become like Christ all at once.” To me, that means that we don’t have to be perfect all at once. We are a work in progress. It’s like a painting of a flower. The artist doesn’t just throw paint on the canvas and the pain goes where it should. The artist works for hours to get the lines right and the shadowing perfect. Sometimes the artist has to start over because he made a mistake. And sometimes, if the artist tries to paint the same picture again, it comes out a little different.

We are like that artist. We try and try to attain Christ-like attributes. Sometimes the characteristic we are going for is easy and doesn’t require a lot of effort. Sometimes the characteristic is a little harder for us and take a lifetime of effort. But God understands this. He knows that we are all works in progress and that our final painting will require the Master’s touch before it can reach the level of perfection it is capable of.

One thing that makes me happy is that God doesn’t expect me to be perfect all the time, nor does he expect me to never make mistakes once I set my mind to attain a certain characteristic. As hard as I try to be nice to and about people, I do get frustrated and say unkind things. God understands that human nature is a hard thing to get away from. That is why He provided a Savior for us. As hard as we try to be like Christ, we will always fall short. But God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son to be the Savior and Redeemer of mankind, thus providing a way for us to return into His presence.

I have to leave now for my writing class, but I just want you all to know that I believe in God and Jesus Christ. I believe that they love me and that they know me. I feel the love of my Savior every day. I do make mistakes. I do fall short. That doesn’t mean I’m going to give up. Jesus Christ died for me and my imperfections. He died for me so that I can get back up, brush myself off and head back down the path that He has set for me. I love my Savior. He is the one and only constant in my life that I know will never let me down or forsake me. He will always be there for me and He will always help me if I ask. Jesus Christ is my friend and my brother. He died for me so that I might live for Him. And I will live for Him. He’s done so much for me and the least I can do is be an example and a witness of His love and power. Jesus Christ is real. The Book of Mormon is true. Those two things combined will change your life if you will let them. Take a leap of faith. Trust in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. They are waiting for you.