3 Nephi 14
3 Nephi 14
SOOOO many things in this chapter! To write about all of them would keep me busy all day (I have a feeling that I'm going to be saying this a lot!)
But- again this chapter is about a living at a higher level.
The two things that stuck out to me are:
1. Verse 2 about judging. I've thought a lot about this one lately. Everyone has a story. It can be so easy to look at someone and try to assess their intelligence, their personality, their "class," and their value based on a few interactions and/or their appearance. But, what we see is just the tip of the iceberg. People have rich lives of struggles and triumphs. It is when we begin to understand their lives and them, that we begin to soften our opinions and can see them in a clearer light. I have learned a lot about this with my little one. She has only been with us a year. I think I know her pretty well, then another piece of her past comes out and something she does that didn't make sense finally does. I have learned to not judge, but to love and be very, very observant :)
2. Verse 14- strait is the gate. A while back Angie commented on the definition of strait, how it was a way of connecting two points. I love that definition! I looked up again today after reading it here again, and another possible definition of strait is "difficult; stressed." I had to chuckle at that one! If we replace that definitions the verse reads, "Because difficult and stressed is the gate..." AMEN!! Salvation isn't cheap, and it isn't easy! It's a great reminder that life is expected to be hard. Whew, I must be doing something right.
What did you get out of this chapter today?
TOMORROW: Sabbath Day Rest
SOOOO many things in this chapter! To write about all of them would keep me busy all day (I have a feeling that I'm going to be saying this a lot!)
But- again this chapter is about a living at a higher level.
The two things that stuck out to me are:
1. Verse 2 about judging. I've thought a lot about this one lately. Everyone has a story. It can be so easy to look at someone and try to assess their intelligence, their personality, their "class," and their value based on a few interactions and/or their appearance. But, what we see is just the tip of the iceberg. People have rich lives of struggles and triumphs. It is when we begin to understand their lives and them, that we begin to soften our opinions and can see them in a clearer light. I have learned a lot about this with my little one. She has only been with us a year. I think I know her pretty well, then another piece of her past comes out and something she does that didn't make sense finally does. I have learned to not judge, but to love and be very, very observant :)
2. Verse 14- strait is the gate. A while back Angie commented on the definition of strait, how it was a way of connecting two points. I love that definition! I looked up again today after reading it here again, and another possible definition of strait is "difficult; stressed." I had to chuckle at that one! If we replace that definitions the verse reads, "Because difficult and stressed is the gate..." AMEN!! Salvation isn't cheap, and it isn't easy! It's a great reminder that life is expected to be hard. Whew, I must be doing something right.
What did you get out of this chapter today?
TOMORROW: Sabbath Day Rest
I love the tidbits of wisdom and encouragement interlaced in this chapter. I guess it is where I am at in my life this week. Working through some internal and external faith challenges or something.... For me this is how I saw this chapter and how it spoke to me.....
ReplyDeleteBe careful about judging others because it's not only the Lord that is going to judge you back. If you are a hypocrite, always fussing about other people, but not taking care of your own issues, you are a fool. And people can pick up on that really easy. Don't be posting personal thoughts on facebook because everyone has a opinion and it's often to your detriment. Even if they were offensive first, just keep your mouth shut. It's better that way.
You can ask the Lord for ANYTHING! Yes, even a greenhouse or a productive garden. Because, unless you are a terrible, evil person and try to feed your kids rocks, the Lord will be bountiful in His blessings for you. You HAVE to BELIEVE that He will.
And BTW, it's ok to cut down the old plum tree because it is not giving good fruit anymore. Sometimes it is better to plant new trees and get good fruit instead of hanging on to the old tree and getting nothing. (Personal analogy about keeping hold to the old- but I really do need to cut down the plum tree)
Don't worry about China building a city in Idaho or the fact that the governments is finally hanging by that thread. You need to pay more attention to your own foundations, because there will be that storm with the potential to knock your house down if you don't.
The Lord has it under control. Really, you have nothing under control except how you react to things around you. You need to worry more about that strait passage you need to make it through... the broad passage- it's easier to follow the crowd down that one. But you will be abundently blessed for keeping to the narrow and truly developing a relationship with God. Afterall, when you make it to the end of the path, you want Him to KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!