Captain's log: star date 2011: first blog.
Several friends put a lot of stock in what I say, so why not post it on the internet, right? I like to think people read my Facebook posts, but maybe this blog will help me to be heard in a way that will be of use to some of you.
In the future, I'll share more experiences from my day, but tonight I am content to share some spiritual thoughts with you.
The home teaching message this month is about Commitment; an out-of-the-ordinary topic, wouldn't you agree? I'm glad it's different. I actually had to put some thought into it instead of just spouting something from my mind vault.
A few things I've learned:
I believe there is a link between trust and love, but I think commitment puts a limit on how much you can trust a person, and therefore love is also affected. What do I mean? Humans open up to one another if they can trust one another. Love is often a result. We can only trust someone as far as they are committed to our well-being, so commitment indirectly sets a cap on how much we can love.
Another point: if we aren't 100% committed, we can get hurt. Christ is our rock and our foundation that protects us from the devil's shafts in the whirlwind, but how good is a rock if we aren't laying with our faces buried in the rock and limbs clinging to it? Standing on a rock doesn't do much good when the wind is picking us up. We must commit to the gospel and cling to the Rock that is Christ, and then we will remain unharmed.
Some people mock those who commit. This sounds silly, but you'll see what I mean eventually if you're paying attention. In the vision of the tree of life, the people who held tightly to the iron rod made it to the tree; those that were on the path to the tree but didn't cling to the rod fell into diverse paths and were lost. Those in the great and spacious building laughed at those clinging to the rod and partaking of the fruit. Some who had the fruit even felt ashamed and left it behind.
What I'm trying to say is we should all commit 100% to whatever we undertake, especially relationships and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who don't commit will find themselves blown about by the whirlwinds and every wind of doctrine that comes their way, while those who cling to the Rock of our Redeemer and to the iron rod will receive protection from evil; their sins will be forgiven and their sorrows will be swallowed up in the joy of Christ.
I should add scripture references, but I think this is good enough for a first blog. Ah, shucks, I'll add a few:
2 Nephi 15:24, Helaman 5:12, and Alma 31:38.
Praises to God for granting me this faith and knowledge. Amen and good night!
