Who knows why Jesus actually turned care of His mother over to John, but maybe it was because He knew that John would outlive His mother.
So this week we talked about the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. I learned more about the physical aspects of crucifixion than I ever wanted to. It makes more sense now, but it is also very gruesome. I'll spare you the details. But there were some really interesting things that I learned from our discussions.
First, from what we read in John 16:32, we get the sense that Jesus didn't realize that the Father would forsake Him too. I had never noticed that before. But it makes sense that it would work out this way so that He can succor us when we feel that way.
Second, in John 19:29, it talks about how they used hyssop to give Jesus vinegar. I'd never put it together before, but hyssop is the 'bitter herbs' from Passover. So in that moment of intense agony, He was partaking from the bitter herbs.
Third, in Mark 15:38, as well as in Matthew and Luke, we hear that the veil of the temple was rent in two. I'd made the connection before that the veil of the temple separated the people from the holy of holies, which represented the presence of God, so the veil represented the separation between us and the presence of God, and when Jesus died, His sacrifice allowed us to be able to return to the presence of God. However, the connection I hadn't made before was that the rending of the veil could represent Heavenly Father rending His clothes as a sign of His grief over the death of His Son. And that gives us insight into how much Heavenly Father loves us that He was willing to put His Beloved Son through that so that we can return to live with Him.
Know that you're loved!
Friday, December 15, 2017
The worst year of my life...
Yes, there is a year that I have labeled the worst year of my life. But for the first time in my life, I'm thankful for it.
So as I was working on getting my papers resubmitted, one day, I was really frustrated because things just weren't working out, and I pulled out my scriptures and was very much guided to Doctrine and Covenants 68:6, which says:
Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.
And that was exactly what I needed. Now things are working out better than I ever could have expected. I have officially been cleared to serve a mission, and my papers should go in tomorrow or Wednesday, so I will have the opportunity to bear record of the Savior, though I don't know where yet. And I have received a stronger testimony of the Lord's timing, and that He is mindful of me. He has turned some of the worst experiences of my life into one of the greatest blessings.
Some of you probably know that senior year of high school was by far the worst year of my life. I changed medications, and it was awful. First the dose was too low, and then once we got to a decent dose, the side-effect anxiety was terrible. Because of this, I went through some serious depression and anxiety. For a little bit, I tried Prozac, but that actually made the problem worse. So instead I'm on Zoloft. But if I had gone out on a mission without having had to deal with depression or anxiety, it probably would have manifested itself while I was out, and then I likely would have had to come home to sort out medication. And even if I hadn't, they probably would have tried the Prozac first, and after that, I most definitely would have had to come home. So for the first time in my life, I am thankful that I went through that, so that now I can go on a mission without having to worry about that as much.
So as I was working on getting my papers resubmitted, one day, I was really frustrated because things just weren't working out, and I pulled out my scriptures and was very much guided to Doctrine and Covenants 68:6, which says:
Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.
And that was exactly what I needed. Now things are working out better than I ever could have expected. I have officially been cleared to serve a mission, and my papers should go in tomorrow or Wednesday, so I will have the opportunity to bear record of the Savior, though I don't know where yet. And I have received a stronger testimony of the Lord's timing, and that He is mindful of me. He has turned some of the worst experiences of my life into one of the greatest blessings.
Some of you probably know that senior year of high school was by far the worst year of my life. I changed medications, and it was awful. First the dose was too low, and then once we got to a decent dose, the side-effect anxiety was terrible. Because of this, I went through some serious depression and anxiety. For a little bit, I tried Prozac, but that actually made the problem worse. So instead I'm on Zoloft. But if I had gone out on a mission without having had to deal with depression or anxiety, it probably would have manifested itself while I was out, and then I likely would have had to come home to sort out medication. And even if I hadn't, they probably would have tried the Prozac first, and after that, I most definitely would have had to come home. So for the first time in my life, I am thankful that I went through that, so that now I can go on a mission without having to worry about that as much.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
"Judas was the ultimate back-stabber."
So I don't have my notebook with me right now, but I have some time now that I think I'll use to write this post.
This week we talked about the Last Supper and the Atonement.
So this is a picture I found online that shows the kind of table that Christ and the Apostles probably sat at during the Last Supper. Because I don't have my notebook, you have been deprived of my glorious stick-figure drawing, but this will suffice.
As you notice, them lying like this makes it much easier for Jesus to wash their feet. But it also shows a lot more. First of all, while we don't know exactly where Jesus was lying, we know John is on one side of him. Assuming Jesus is right-handed, He's probably lying with his left arm under him, so He can eat with his right hand, and so John is probably in front of Him, or on the right. But we also hear about how Jesus gives Judas a sop of bread. Well, when you're lying like that, you really can only reach the people on either side of you. So Judas may have been on Jesus's left, kind of behind Him. So Judas really was the ultimate back-stabber.
Talking about the Atonement was enlightening. Thinking about Abraham's similitude of the Atonement, Abraham was the one with the knife in his hand, about to inflict that pain on Isaac. I had never thought about the fact that in the Atonement, Heavenly Father, who is perfectly just, was the one who had to inflict that punishment on Christ, His Only Beloved. It wasn't like justice just ambushed Jesus. That burden was placed on Him by His Father. And of course, at this moment, Christ is dealing with so much more. He'd never felt guilt before. He'd never felt shame or self-loathing. He hadn't experienced temptation like we do. And at the same time as He's suffering for our sins, He's dealing with our afflictions and temptations and our trials and sicknesses, and He's dealing with all these things that He'd never felt before. And He's doing this for worlds without number. And this was His choice. He asked if there was another, easier way, but when there wasn't, He went through with it, even though it was extremely difficult. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve this. As if one could ever deserve the Atonement.
This week we talked about the Last Supper and the Atonement.
So this is a picture I found online that shows the kind of table that Christ and the Apostles probably sat at during the Last Supper. Because I don't have my notebook, you have been deprived of my glorious stick-figure drawing, but this will suffice.
As you notice, them lying like this makes it much easier for Jesus to wash their feet. But it also shows a lot more. First of all, while we don't know exactly where Jesus was lying, we know John is on one side of him. Assuming Jesus is right-handed, He's probably lying with his left arm under him, so He can eat with his right hand, and so John is probably in front of Him, or on the right. But we also hear about how Jesus gives Judas a sop of bread. Well, when you're lying like that, you really can only reach the people on either side of you. So Judas may have been on Jesus's left, kind of behind Him. So Judas really was the ultimate back-stabber.
Talking about the Atonement was enlightening. Thinking about Abraham's similitude of the Atonement, Abraham was the one with the knife in his hand, about to inflict that pain on Isaac. I had never thought about the fact that in the Atonement, Heavenly Father, who is perfectly just, was the one who had to inflict that punishment on Christ, His Only Beloved. It wasn't like justice just ambushed Jesus. That burden was placed on Him by His Father. And of course, at this moment, Christ is dealing with so much more. He'd never felt guilt before. He'd never felt shame or self-loathing. He hadn't experienced temptation like we do. And at the same time as He's suffering for our sins, He's dealing with our afflictions and temptations and our trials and sicknesses, and He's dealing with all these things that He'd never felt before. And He's doing this for worlds without number. And this was His choice. He asked if there was another, easier way, but when there wasn't, He went through with it, even though it was extremely difficult. I'm not sure what I ever did to deserve this. As if one could ever deserve the Atonement.
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