Skip to main content

Truth

During the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about Easter. I've been thinking about how Christ's ministry and message can affect us right here, right now.

President Russell M. Nelson taught in April 2017, "There is no amorphous entity called 'the Atonement' upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source." What that means to me is that to understand the Atonement, to understand Who and What we are to become "at one" with, we need to pay attention to Christ's life and ministry. As I have sat and thought on several topics, various scriptures have come to mind. Over this Holy Week, I will share some of these thoughts.

1. "I am the Way, the Truth, the Life." -- John 14:6

 Because of Him, we do not need any false idols. Truth is enough.

In so many political debates these days, I feel like everyone is so attached to their little corner of facts that it's hard to reconcile all the ideas. For example:
"It's not about the guns. It's about bullying."
"There's no such thing as a good guy with a gun."
and so forth.

I have seen how people's beliefs become what they worship -- what they cling to, what they adore, what they will sacrifice everything for.

And frankly, it seems silly. I have realized that if we are built upon the rock of our Redeemer (Helaman 5:12), then we don't need to become attached to any set of ideas. When we no longer have allegiance to ideologies, we have freedom to look at facts without bias and search for truth. The question no longer becomes "Who is right about gun control?" but rather "Assuming everyone has a little bit of truth about mass shootings (it's about bullying AND about access to weapons AND mental illness AND secularism AND insufficient training and background checks AND even FBI dropping the ball), what can we all do? How can we carve out a solution taking all of these into account?" 

Truth is hard. Truth is uncomfortable, especially when an opposite political party has been the one saying it all along. But truth is the only thing that unites us. And it is through our faith in Jesus Christ that we can take all our bits and pieces of truth and start to reconcile what we have. We can work together with a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and all men, and ultimately find truth.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good News Limericks in a Year of Bad News

Every cloud has a silver lining 73. April 22, 2024 During pilgrimage down to yon church,  My young kin all stopped with a lurch. "This tree in our gaze Has no sweet-smelling bouquets!" "Nay, tis the Bradford pear smirch." 72. February 10, 2024 When she saw the young back-country boarder, The cougar thought his flesh might reward her. He returned her attacks With his snowboard (new wax!) Now he's glad that his life is not shorter. https://ksltv.com/620892/cache-valley-man-fends-off-cougar-attack-with-his-snowboard/ (I've heard this might be a hoax, so maybe it didn't deserve a limerick. oh well.) 71. June 24, 2023 Like the floor near a food-dropping tot, The freeway was paved French fry hot. This megasized mess Was grating, yet we're blessed The mashed boxes held no missile plot. https://ksltv.com/560796/french-fries-scattered-across-i-15-after-semi-trailer-crash/?fbclid=IwAR3iA8jgYdXWZKRf5xsDG901_bC6r3B2KWRkX3EIxhhpE61TxxeBBdD-NWA 70. March 23, 2023 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Parable in Frozen

During Christmas break, I had the chance to see Frozen. As far as Disney flicks go, this was pretty good. Many of the songs were catchy, the animation was gorgeous, and I was able to set aside my issues with pacing and development until the show was done. (Although, I do have to say, those trolls singing the fixer-upper song sure were annoying, especially because Anna needed help, not a musical number!) source There was one thing that really surprised me about the movie -- Elsa did nothing to save the day! If Anna had been a prince instead of her sister, then this would have been a typical damsel in distress story where the knight in shining armor swoops in and saves everything. As I thought about it, I realized that I appreciated it more this way because it was a story about sacrifice rather than good ol' teamwork. Although I doubt this was intentional, I was really struck by how this was a parable of the Atonement, with Elsa representing us and Anna representing Christ. ...
11 comments
Read more

Nursing Mom Observes Monthly Fast

A Mormon mother in Ann Arbor, Michigan has found a suitable method of fasting -- abstaining from nutrition but not calories. "There's no question about it -- when I'm nursing, I need all the calories I can get," she said as she fed her 9 month old son, pulling a candy wrapper off with her non-dominant hand and teeth. "But I still wanted to make sure I observed the fast somehow!" Traditionally, Mormons abstain from food for 24 consecutive hours the first Sunday of every month and donate the money they would have spent on food to the poor and needy. Those who are medically unable to do not have to fast, but they are encouraged nonetheless to participate however they can. "If I were to participate in a traditional fast, I would abstain from calories, Vitamin C, calcium, and riboflavin, among other vitamins and minerals" she continued as she put two attached Twizzlers in her mouth. "Since I'm nursing, I can't abstain from calories, b...
4 comments
Read more