Hopefully, I am not bugging any of you with these emails each week.
Elder Sandberg has hit a new level of experience with the mission this week. I have started training, and honestly it feels like I'm starting all over again.
With all these changes and an added level of responsibility comes challenges and frustrations, but despite the weight that is being placed upon my shoulders, I have come to learn a very very valuable lesson. It is a principle that Christ Himself emulated and defined His very character. It is the act of looking outward towards our heavenly family and concerning ourselves more with their state than our own.
Every single day in the life of a civilian we are caught up in the constant bustle and rush of getting here or there. An agenda is continually begging for our attention and time. Different responsibilities and opportunities attract our attention and pull us in. Using myself as an example when I get home there will be countless things that need to be addressed and taken care of- Where will I work, where will I go to school, who will I marry, where do I live, and countless other things that will demand my attention. Every single one of those things and others as well are all focused on one thing- me. I will be looking inward.
The sole reason that a missionary comes home a completely different person is because they are looking outward to serve others and their Heavenly Father for 18 to 24 months. It is a conundrum of thinking that when we help other people, we are only improving ourselves. It can be one of the most difficult things when weaknesses and shortcomings in oneself are so prevalent, and the answer to it all is to help other people.
Lately more and more I am able to see a common thread that is preventing individuals from coming closer to Christ. The bi-product tends to have the appearance of depression, addictions, idleness, criminal misconduct, and many many other things. The root of it all is a festering and lingering feeling of looking inward. It is the natural man. It is the act of thinking more of the situation that one is going through, and getting caught up in oneself, that prevents them from moving forward. It is dwelling on the task at hand that is bringing pain, frustration, limitations, and everything else that prevents the powers of the Atonement to take place and relieve the heavy burdens placed upon us.
Christ was the perfect example of looking outward. It is ingrained into His character. It is my testimony and witness that the only reason He was able to perform that infinite and eternal sacrifice for all of mankind, was because as He suffered He did not think of Himself. I think that if Christ were to think even for a split second about Himself and not what the Father wanted, that that split second would be more unbearable than the entire time He suffered in Gethsemane and died on the cross.
Looking inward will always outweigh the weight of the world when looking outward. In all that you do, with all the demands you face, recognize and allow your true motivation to be for those you love.
No matter the challenge you are facing, look to God, look to the Savior, and trust that He will not lead you astray. Trust that He will take better care of you than you can.
I love you all
Elder Sandberg
No comments:
Post a Comment