Worthiness is not Flawlessness (10/24/21) talk

 

Worthiness is not Flawlessness (Brad Wilcox 10/2021)

Talk to Bartlett 2^nd 10/24/21 (back after 2.5 years of serving in the branch)

 

In the New Testament (Mark 5 and Luke 8) we read about a place of tombs. A man with no clothes tormented day and night. When Jesus saw him, He asked the man’s name. “Legion,” the man answered, suggesting he was possessed by many devils (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30). But Jesus knew how to remove what held this man captive. There were pigs, a cliff, a lake, and then … a healed man, sitting at the feet of his Savior. Now clothed and in the right state of mind, one may wonder what the thoughts and feelings going through this man’s soul were. Was he now finally at peace? I think so.

 

When Christ boarded a ship to leave, the man pleaded to go with Him. Perhaps he felt safe being near the Lord and knew it was the only way to not fall back.  But the Savior had a different mission in mind for him. Jesus asked the man to return home and tell his friends about what had happened. And so the man went, testifying throughout the whole city “how great things Jesus had done unto him” (Luke 8:39).

 

Take a moment and try to imagine that man’s life before Christ, before experiencing His grace and power. The scriptures teach us that “Legion” -  “Always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:5). Then Christ and His grace appeared, at the very place where he was bound. And a life of chains—captivity and running from demons—was replaced with a testimony of the mercy and power of Jesus Christ.

Just like “Legion”, everyone has a story, a need, a lack, a place of inadequacy, an imperfection.  I know the details of mine, and you know the details of yours. And the Lord? He knows all of our stories, every dark place we have been, every sorrow we feel, every hope, every heartache, and every happily ever after.

Often there are times in my life when I allow myself to begin to feel discouraged when I have made a mistake or communicated something in a way that may have been received in a way unintended.  I being to “beat” myself up per say, remembering all the mistakes I have made, and question at times if I am becoming what the Lord needs to me to be or even worthy at times to fully participate in the gospel.

In Brother Wilcox’s recent talk “Worthiness is not Flawlessness”, he shares that: “Some mistakenly receive the message that they are not worthy to participate fully in the gospel because they are not completely free of bad habits. God’s message is that worthiness is not flawlessness. Worthiness is being honest and trying….never give up just because we slip up.” He precedes to tell the story of a young man that had struggled with pornography as he was growing up, this led the young man to questions his role in the church and if he should even attend, feeling very hypocritical.  The young man’s bishop gave wonderful counsel: “You’re not a hypocrite because you have a bad habit you are trying to break. You are a hypocrite if you hide it, lie about it, or try to convince yourself the Church has the problem for maintaining such high standards. Being honest about your actions and taking steps to move forward is not being a hypocrite. It is being a disciple.”  His leader quoted Elder Richard G. Scott, who taught: “The Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. ... When the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”

The Lord is full of mercy and grace to elevate us. Brother Wilcox states: “God’s message is that He will help us as we repent” He wants to be our friend and wants help us through his grace.  “Grace is not just for the salvation of sinners but also for the bestowal of blessings. It is given through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He was willing to come down, come in, and help each of us become. His grace is the gift of transformation, an endowment of strength, divine assistance, an enabling power, the elevating of souls, and the healing of hearts. Grace is His favor, His kindness, the tenderness in which he extends His mercies. It is His touch in our hearts and how we reflect that in our life. Grace is always there but we notice it most in our brokenness and our weakness.” (Emily Belle Freeman)

 

I am learning each day to learn more on the grace of the Lord and his transforming power to help me overcome feelings that I am not what I need to be. The transforming power of grace happens in my everyday life, the moments when I feel undone or that I am not enough, when I have hurt someone, when I disagree with Jake or raise my voice at one of my kids…this is when I need to let His grace transform me into the best mom and wife I can become.  Grace allows me to progress into what I need to become. It is my hope that as you feel inadequacies that you too may feel his transforming power and realize that worthiness is not flawlessness.

 

“Perhaps He (the Lord) sees you trying to follow your dreams and live your best life, how you want to make a difference. He knows the desires of your heart and the imaginations of your thoughts and how you wonder if you have what it takes to succeed. His grace has the power to lift and enable you.

 

Maybe He sees you caving to the worry that presses in, how it wakes you, heart pounding, in the night. He knows the inner turmoil, the uneasiness, the tension that sometimes forces you to disengage, to seek solitude, to long for the peace that never comes. His grace has the power to calm and strengthen you.

 

He sees you waking at the break of the day to start the routine again, the feeding, the changing, the never living your own life because you are completely invested in theirs, your family or for some they people they are care takers for. He sees how the caregiving, the sacrifice, the serving requires you to burn the midnight oil (keep the light on long into the night).  Hands that are worn, eyes that are heavy, He sees this. His grace has the power to fill your reserves.

 

He sees you struggling through the addiction that chases you, that whispers to you in your idle moments, that won’t lose its hold on you. How you try to be strong, how you sometimes succumb. His grace has the power to intensify and reinforce your fight. To lift, to help you overcome in those small incremental steps.

 

He sees you battling memories that try to destroy you, that haunt your thoughts in the midnight hours, the traumas that won’t be forgotten. He knows they have a hold over you, over your happiness, how you feel like a hostage to the past. His grace has the power to shift your focus forward so you can leave that past behind.

 

He sees you aching from the loss, how you mourn the memories you’ll never make together, the life moments they will never see, the parts of the journey they will never know. His grace has the power to bring the healing balm of Gilead for the wounds that feel too deep.

 

He sees you trying to mend the rift, to understand the enlarging gap, sees you wondering how they can walk away so easily, how they don’t seem to care, how their choices are breaking your family, your heart, how this is breaking you. His grace has the power to enlarge your capacity for patience, for understanding, for love.

 

He sees you longing for what will complete you and fearing it will never come. How you yearn for love, for companionship, to find security. How you are still walking the journey alone. His grace has the power to encircle you with love, with confidence, with peace.

 

He sees you trying to overcome the hurt, to let go of the injustice, to rid your soul of that which embitters you. He sees how every day you try to forgive that which seems unforgiveable. How you want to trust, to love, to believe that you have worth. His grace has the power to help you release and let go of what has been broken in you so you can begin to live again.

 

He sees you embarking on a journey driven by faith, but with a hint of fear. How you are entering into something unexpected that has the potential for so much good in your life, but how it will require more sacrifice than you have ever given before. His grace has the power to empower you, increase your capacity, and illuminate your view.  He sees you.” (much of this was Emily Belle Freeman remarks)

 

Perhaps you have felt as the apostles of old embarking on the sea on a stormy night following your leader, finding yourself uneasy in the storm. Wondering why when you need Him most, he does not seem to b present but brought a pillow and blanket for the ride.  Somehow, the Savior managed to sleep through the pounding rain, the waves beating against the ship, the rocking of the boat, thundering and lightening. However if you recall, amidst all the noise, soundly sleeping, He somehow heard the whisper of His name and arose.

 

Jesus Christ sees you; He hears you. He can help you overcome and become.  He sees you even if you don’t see Him. He can fill your hungry soul. He can help you to discover joy. He will meet you in your emptiness, your wandering, your dark places, there in your aching, and He will bring grace even if you don’t know how it’s done. You don’t have to have a complete understanding for His grace to begin its work in you. The Lord will meet us in our ordinary places. Just look for Him where you already are.

Brother Wilcox reminds us of the role of our Father in Heaven and that is he is foremost a father: “He is—a loving Father who meets us in our need and knows how to “give good things to them that ask him.” His grace is not just a prize for the worthy. It is the “divine assistance” He gives that helps us become worthy. It is not just a reward for the righteous. It is the “endowment of strength” He gives that helps us become righteous. We are not just walking toward God and Christ. We are walking with Him.”  …..he continues to remind the adults that weekly the youth are reminded to cherish the gift of repentance. Too often I think that repentance is viewed as negative or shame but it is the most beautiful of the fundamentals of the gospel of the Christ as we repent daily and turn to the Savior. Do not ever stop trying, do not ever give up….we can do a little better each day and when we slip up, we can start anew. 

Elder Jeffrey R Holland has taught: “However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”

 

I can stand before you today and testify that if you feel like you are too far gone, you are not. Reach out to your parents, leaders, and loved ones. Reach out to the bishop, if needed. I know this one super well and can likewise testify that despite is height and wife, he is a man of compassion, little to no guile, non-judgmental, inspired, Jesus loving, and patient. Jake does not remember people for their moments of weakness but their best moments.  He also understands that our mistakes can help is in positive ways too. You may not know this, but this is the man, who proposed to his wife on the side of the road, but it ended up being much better than the cow pasture planned or he may just have a different wife.

To those of you whom we do not know, let me introduce our family. Jake and I have been married 20 years and are the parents to 2 exceptional young ladies (a sophomore at East TN State University and a Bartlett High Senior) and 2 rambunctious, sweet boys (ages 11 and 13) . My husband and I both teach middle school together and I would not have it another way. I covet our car rides to and from work, so much so during the summer, I have him accompany me to show homes at times. We have spent the last 2.5 years serving with the Saints in the Central Gardens Branch.  Jake very much loved it because he is very introverted and was able to speak to each person in the congregation, all 20-40 of them, weekly and be out the door within a few minutes. Our family has a love for the members of the branch. Our family has felt the grace of the Savior many times in our lives, from finding lost earrings to not striking out in baseball. We know the Lord hears our prayers and shows up.

I stand before you today because I know the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. It makes us better, aligning our lives with gospel principles make us better. I know the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible are the words of God.  I am better the days I pray, repent, and read my scriptures.  I am forever thankful for the Savior in my life and that He and my Heavenly Father made it possible through the restoration of the gospel for me to be an eternal family with Jake and our 4 children.  I love them and I love who they are helping me become. I love my Savior, our Savior, and the grace He provides.  I know that He sees me, and He sees you.