I don't know if you noticed that I have on my profile that I am a practicing Christian, not a prefect one. I would really like to be perfect, but that isn't the case at all. I get mad at my children (unfortunately, even when I say I am not going to, and I repent of it every day:) I yell at the drivers of cars even though they can't hear me (my kids remind me of this). I make mistakes and say things that I wished I hadn't, and I hope that people know the intents of my heart, but more than likely, all they heard were my words. So, I resort back to asking for, and praying for patience and of course I get more opportunities to practice learning how to be patient. It is a lot of work. There are some things in my life that are just meant to take more time than I would like, and getting patience is one of them.
There are actually many things in our lives that we haven't received but would like that are righteous desires...or perhaps we are receiving them a little at a time and we just are not aware of them. The Lord says: "But all things must come to pass in their time" (D&C 64:32). All things must come to pass in their time, not our time. Sometimes we may feel like we are in limbo not knowing if something is going to happen or not, and we really want it to happen or work out. But the thought came to me today that we are not in limbo, we are in God's time. "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us" (Psalms 62:8). He does know exactly what we need, including patience, mercy, marriage, or increased faith, humility, or diligence, children, or perhaps even "the trial of your faith" (1 Peter 1:7). He "knows our needs before we ask" (Elder Henry B. Eyring).
He also knows what we are capable of becoming. His complete work is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). He want to bless us with immortality and eternal life, not just immediate gratification. Immediate gratification only stunts our growth. We may think that it is really the best thing ever, but in the long run we don't learn patience, a true godly characteristic. Think of how patient God truly is. If we are to follow Jesus Christ, then instant gratification isn't His way. He says: " Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great" (D&C 64:33). We can't give up on practicing being good Christians. We are laying the foundation of a "great work", us! We are God's greatest work, and out of our small efforts to continue to keep the commandments to love God and love our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40) are great things happening~us becoming more and more like our Savior, even Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (3 Nephi 12:48; Matt. 5:48). He does have very high expectations of us. He wants us to be perfect. But He also knows we can't be perfect on our own. That's why we have grace, "divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ" (Bible Dictionary). He told the prophet Moroni these very comforting words and they are for us, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27). We all have weaknesses, we all need Christ. And through His grace He can and will make us sufficiently strong as we turn our hearts and minds to Him. "What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes"( Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
As we keep the commandments, love God and love our neighbor, and continue in our imperfect, but practicing ways of following Christ, His grace is sufficient for us. "Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is His grace sufficient for you, that by His grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God" (Moroni 10:32). You and I will be able to see that His time is the right time as we turn our hearts to Him. He knows exactly what He is doing because He is the Master of all creation (see Lord). And we are "the crowning creature" of all He created (Elder Bruce R. McConkie).
We can go forth, with faith in Christ, "having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men" (2 Nephi 31:20)...practicing His ways, and being perfected in Him in His time. This I testify is the way to truly live as a practicing Christian.
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