"...of you it is required to forgive all men" (D&C 64:10)

I have titled this "The Parable of the Chair" - (Taken from experiences I learned injuring my shoulder-twice.)

There was a woman who had a chair that she used a lot. She really liked this chair. It had been in their family for 20 years. It looked like an old school chair, had paint marks on it from when her kids painted pictures when they were little, and had earned a place that was frequented often by the woman. This chair was in her closet. It was good to her. She would sit on it to get dressed and put her shoes on. Sometimes it would be dragged from room to room to aid her in other needs. Often the woman would pour out her soul in prayer in the closet and the chair was a great source of support.

Well, one day she needed to stand on it to hide Christmas presents. She did. It was the perfect height. She hid the presents and then proceeded to turn and step off the chair. Well, she didn’t just step off, she fell off the chair. The chair had betrayed her! As she fell off the chair she landed on her shoulder. She screamed in pain. The chair did nothing. It didn’t come to her aid. It just sat there.

At first, the woman thought her should would get better by not using her arm. She was pretty ticked at the chair for betraying her trust like that. How could it let her down? She felt justified when she called it names, even refusing to sit on it to tie her shoes. Nothing the chair did (which was very little) helped her in any way to get over this hurt, this pain, this betrayal! The woman thought maybe it would help her feel better if she put it in the basement, never to be used again or even more serious, maybe she would get rid of the chair never to be allowed into her home again. She would most definitely be justified in that! But none of this helped her shoulder to heal. It had been over a month now, and the pain was still there, getting even worse. Being angry, hurt, and resentful was not helping her shoulder heal.

After a period of months the woman realized that perhaps she needed to try something different to get better. She had found no comfort and no peace in being offended by the chair. Perhaps she should see the Great Physician, who was also the Great Judge. It has been said that He “went about healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people” (Matt 4:23). Also, “he judgeth, and his judgement is just” (Mosiah 3:18). Feeling desperate, she finally went to see the Great Physician and Judge. He told her that her injury was indeed great. It would even need surgery to repair it. The Great Physician and Judge said there would probably be even more pain and tribulation to come, but if she would  “harden not [her] heart, and stiffen not [her] neck against [Him], [she] shall be [changed] and [He] would heal [her] (see D&C 112:13). She was told she needed to “view herself in her own carnal, or merely human state” and  must “apply” treatment daily (see Mosiah 4:2).

He prescribed what sounded easy, but was often difficult to take regularly. It was "to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the [Great Physician]; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the [Great Physician], will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men" (D&C 64:9-10). He also gave her exercises to take with the prescription that would also aid in her healing and would help her become to whole again. This remedy He gave her was not easy, sometimes downright painful, but in the end totally worth it. She did exactly what the Great Physician and Judge told her to do. She practiced being obedient to His instructions. The pain subsided and eventually left. She felt so much better. She could move her arm again. She was indeed healed.

In remembering, she realizes that there is great hope for the future. If an injury occurs again, of any kind, rather than wasting time trying to place blame, she would immediately go and see the Great Physician and Judge.

"The Chair"

"...apply the atoning blood of Christ " Mosiah 4:2

So, on my long ride this past weekend I forgot to put sunscreen on my legs. Don't ask me how I forgot my entire legs...but I pretty much did. Since I have been riding there always seems to be some spot or little place that I miss applying sunscreen. I really do not like the pain of sunburn. As I have pondered how to remember or make sure I put it all over I have come up with a few ideas of how this applies to life.

This is really simple. Apply "Son-screen" and you won't get burned. How does one apply "Son-screen" you might ask? We must first view ourselves in our "carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth". This means that we have the honest view of ourselves that we all need help, divine help. We all sin, or "miss spots" and get burned. Therefore, we must ask for help, and seek for forgiveness of our sins just as the people of King Benjamin did. They "cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God..." (Mosiah 4:2). Their desire was to have their hearts purified, and this was done by applying the atoning blood of Christ by having faith in Him, living the gospel, and relying upon grace that changes all of us as we repent and turn to Christ. This is applying "Son-screen".

To "apply the atoning blood of Christ" protects us and keeps us safe from the burns of life. Through applying "Son-screen" we repent of our sins, learn and follow truth, and as the Spirit becomes stronger in our lives through the application of "Son-screen" we are changed, even a "mighty change...that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2).

For me, the best and most effective ways of applying "Son-screen" daily is to "search the scriptures" (see John 5:9; Jacob 7:3; Acts 17:11; 3 Nephi 10:14), pray always (see 3 Nephi 18:15; D&C 88:126; Luke 21:36), and to "live the gospel". Pres. Hinckley said, "Live the gospel. That is the greatest challenge we face. It is a simple declaration, but encompassed in those few words is a mandate applicable to each of us. It concerns our home and family life. It concerns our daily work. It concerns our activities and responsibilities as men and women, brothers and sisters, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...Let us resolve within our hearts to more fully live the gospel" (Live the Gospel).

So, this may be simply said, but it is totally worth the time and effort: apply sunscreen daily. As we apply the "real stuff", the "Son-screen", we will be protected and find comfort in knowing that we won't have to endure the pain that comes from getting burned. And then you can really enjoy the ride!

Here are my legs after my long ride...yup I forgot to apply sunscreen on pretty much all my legs. 

"...She brought forth her first born son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes..." (Luke 2:7)

As I stood in the line at the post-office the other day and I watched people shove their wrapped packages into boxes to be mailed I thought of how much I like wrapping presents. I also thought of how fun it is to watch others unwrap the gifts I have given them. And then I thought of the most amazing gift that was ever wrapped...and unwrapped, just for us.

Of course that gift given to us is Jesus Christ, "she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped Him in waddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7). This is a priceless gift. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6; 2 Nephi 19:6). What an incredible gift, to receive the Savior of the world, wrapped just for us through one who "hast found favour with God" (Luke 1:30).

The word Christmas was originally from Christ's mass, "meaning the holy mass" (Wikipedia, Christmas Etymoloy). It was pointing to the death of Jesus Christ. In understanding the "plan of redemption" (Guide to the Scriptures) we know that the death of Christ wasn't the end, but the beginning of immortality for all mankind. It is a wonderful blessing to be able to realize that when Jesus Christ was "wrapped...in... linen, and laid...in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock"(Mark 15:46) He was not there permanently, but after three days would be unwrapped and "He shall rise again" (Mark 10:34), and He did rise again. "He lives" (D&C 76:22)! "Christ Jesus hath made [us] free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2). What an incredible gift to unwrap, Jesus Christ died and is risen again so that we too may live again and are not bound by the chains of death and hell (see Alma 5:7; D&C 138:23).

The challenge for us is to receive the Gift of Christ in our lives daily, not just at Christmas time, or even just on Sundays, but every day. How do we actually unwrap this priceless gift that was given because "He first loved us" (1 John 4:19)? How can we unwrap Christ into our lives? There are the pad answers of serve others (see Mosiah 2:17), keep the commandments (see John 15:10), "pray always" (D&C 5:10) and many others which all definitely unwrap Christ immediately into our lives. But there is one that I realized we may do unconsciously at times. This is comparing ourselves, for good or ill to others, such as, "I am not as bad as so and so". When we are doing this we have just unwrapped someone else's gift and short changed ourselves from unwrapping the real gift Christ has to offer us. The gift of a better us, not a better them because we can only change ourselves. If we can first see the "beam that is in thine own eye" (Luke 6:42) then we will be able to unwrap the true gift that is really there just waiting to shine forth. "The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single [to the glory of God], thy whole body shall be full of light" (3 Nephi 13:22; Matthew 6:22; see also D&C 88:67). Light that comes from Christ! As we look to cleanse the inward first (see Alma 60:23) and not compare ourselves to others, for good or ill, we will see those things, or "beams" (Luke 6:42) that need to be changed. They will be changed as we unwrap Christ in our life and use His gift of the atonement and repent and allow Him to heal us and change us and make them into beams of light rather than beams of burden.

Christ was "wrapped...in swaddling clothes" (Luke 2:7) and unwrapped the bandages of death for "He is risen" (Matthew 28:6). We can unwrap Him every day in our lives as we repent and receive His gift of "mercy and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified" (Mosiah 4:2). This I testify is what Christ gives to us for Christmas and everyday all year long. We just need to unwrap it.