Lately I have been thinking about the Sermon on the Mount—especially one verse in particular. Matthew 5:48 states: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Consider what President Joseph Fielding Smith observed: “I believe the Lord meant just what he said: that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God.
“But here we lay the foundation. Here is where we are taught these simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this probationary state, to prepare us for that perfection. It is our duty to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. Why? Because ”¦ if we are keeping the commandments of the Lord, we are on that road to perfection, and that can only come through obedience and the desire in our hearts to overcome the world.
“”¦ It is the duty of every man to try to be like his Eternal Father.”
I always feel inspired by General Conference, by gathering around to listen to the counsel given by men and women of God. I always walk away wanting to do better, to be better, to try harder. I know I will not get to perfection on my own, but attempting challenges given in Conference are a means whereby I can set goals to attempt progress towards perfect.
Even though perfection is impossible here in mortality, isn’t it still a worthy goal nonetheless?
I will never be a perfect mom, wife or daughter, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing to try. If I fold one extra load of laundry, if I open my scriptures rather than my latest from the library, if I don’t feel sorry for myself when my baby gets sick all over the couch and instead kneel down and pray for the strength to make it to bedtime—then today will be a day just a little bit better than yesterday. Perfect today? No. But eventually we’ll get there.
Hear Hear. I concur on all counts.
Great post Brooke.
In D&C 93:1, it says, “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.”
President Kimball said once in Conference that this could happen in your mortal life. It seems far away and hard to think about sometimes, but other times, as I sit in the temple for instance, it seems closer and more available to me.
I also remember a General Conference talk from college sometime which went something like this.
“In D&C 107, Enoch is talking with the Lord. In verse 49 it is written, ‘And he saw the Lord, and he walked with him, and was before his face continually; and he walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, making him four hundred and thirty years old when he was translated.’”
Then he paused and looked squarely into the camera and said, “Brothers and Sisters, perfection takes a long, long time.”
I’ve always loved that.
I agree, too. Beautifully expressed.
Wonderful post.
I also love what we are taught in Moroni 10:32-33 that says that we can be ‘perfect in Christ’ — a kind of perfection that can even happen now, in this life.
Thanks for this, Brooke. My dad always quotes … someone whose name I forget… and says “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” My reach exceeds my grasp. But I’m grateful for those leaders who give me a vision of something to become.
I love the focus on hope and hard work in our Church. When I was attending some other denominations I found the contrasting constant emphasis on man’s unworthiness and sin depressing. The didn’t seem room to progress. On the other hand, I’ve seen all sorts of funky reactions to the admonition to “be perfect” both in myself and other people. Sometimes there is the “I’ll just act like I was there yesterday and nobody will be the wiser” approach. Other times there is backlash of “it’s all good, you’re doing great, don’t pressure yourself” even when it may be time to turn up the heat. I especially liked Elder Bednar’s talk in conference because of his emphasis on the dual goals of clean hands and pure heart and the role that the Holy Ghost plays in the process of sanctification. I’m at a stage in my life when I need to focus more of my “doing” on drawing closer to the Spirit– doing more scripture study, meditation, and prayer for example, in order to open the door for the next stage of becoming.
I have been trying to find this quote by President Hinckley about becoming a better person, little by little. He said it in his last talk of General Conference back when I was at BYU and I have never forgotten it. Well, technically I have forgotten since I can’t quote it.
Anyway, I can’t find the talk or quote. I did find this one though and love it, and it is very similar to the other.
“All of us have been edified. The test will come in the application of the teachings given. If, hereafter, we are a little more kind, if we are a little more neighborly, if we have drawn nearer to the Savior, with a more firm resolution to follow His teachings and His example, then this conference will have been a wonderful success. If, on the other hand, there is no improvement in our lives, then those who have spoken will have in large measure failed.”
(President Hinckley, “A Humble and a Contrite Heart”, Oct 2000 General Conference)
It can be so overwhelming at times when I think about how imperfect I am. Or when Satan is in my ear telling me how unworthy I am because of sin. When I hear or feel the spirit though I know that I can make it…line upon line, precept upon precept.
And that is most comforting!
I love the hope and encouragement in your post. Hope is a beautiful, beautiful thing.
I am starting to realize the vital importance of grace and the atonement in my quest for perfection. In theory, the ‘just a little bit better each day’ concept makes so much sense, but it practice I find myself taking steps forward each day Sunday through Wednesday only to take two, three, or four steps back on Thursday. Or February goes really great and then in March I have to hang on for dear life to not lose the ground I’ve gained. My point is that I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ that allows me to become perfectly clean as often as I will humble myself enough to take advantage of it, and thus my journey towards perfection is not forever hindered.
I think we are inherently imperfect, and I think that’s because we need to humbly realize how much we need the Atonement in our lives.
I totally agree with you, I finished conference thinking of how much I had to do to be better. However not in an overwhelming way, more in a “I can do it if I follow our Savior.” Thanks for your writing and giving me an opportunity to ponder worthwhile things.
What a nice post - great thoughts. Thank you for sharing.
“right on, sister ! “
Great post. Thanks. I needed that!
Another great post, Brooke - I also love conference. It always makes me miss Utah.
I love that so much! Elder Bednar said this in his talk last week: “Small steady incremental spiritual improvements are the steps the Lord would have us take. Preparing to walk guiltless before God is one of the primary purposes of mortality and the pursuit of a lifetime. It does not result from sporadic spurts of intense
spiritual activity.”
That gives me hope.