Faith is for the future; faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there.
Acts 7: 39-40
To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into egypt.
Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
My simple statement of principle actually comes from Elder Holland, from his devotional this past Tuesday. The title of his talk was "Remember Lot's Wife". The problem with Lot's wife wasn't just looking back, she was missing it. She was missing what it had to offer here; she looked back longingly. I do not think that the children of Israel was missing being in bondage, but they idealized and romanticized the past and missed it. I know there have been times that I look back and I start remembering the fun things and wishing to be back; in this process I do not wish to be where I am at but in a sense with less knowledge and understanding.
Elder Holland said, "The worst kind of wallowing in the past is being tied to past mistakes of ourselves or others. This is in opposition to the Atonement." Live in faith for the future. Remember the past, don't live in it.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
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3 comments:
Conversion isn't an act, it is a state of being.
In Acts 3:19 we are commanded to repent and "be converted" that our sins may be forgiven. We are not called upon to convert, but be converted. In living a life of conversion, we are promised that our "sins (will) be blotted out". The way we are living our lives will shine so brightly that it will drive away to shadows of our sins. It ties in well with the thought that the same spirit which possesses our body now, will endure in the hereafter. (Alma 34:34.)
I think that this is a wonderful point, and I was just thinking about this as I read it last week. It makes more sense when you realize that Lot's wife didn't just glance over her shoulder; she most likely doubted the necessity for what they were currently doing and wished for something else. I agree that we tend to do this often in our lives. We tend to glorify the past rather than moving forward, and becomes a huge problem when we cannot let go of past mistakes.
The last statement you made about the worst kind of dwelling on the past is focusing on past mistakes reminded me of Elder Bowen's first talk in general conference. He talked about a beautiful park and airport runway that had been built over landfills. It would be foolish for someone to tear down something so beautiful or useful to find old garbage. It is likewise foolish for us to be bogged down by past mistakes that have been properly repented of. All of us make mistakes but we need to learn to forgive ourselves not just others.
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