Rebukement

Now, everyone's favorite topic of the day. ;-)

I would like to begin by posing a question.  How would we make any progress when we don't know where our faults are?

Sometimes, it's not enough to self-evaluate ourselves.  We can't see everything.  That is why it is so valuable to receive feedback from our peers and those we associate with.  We can get the entire story, and not just our limited perspective.

I feel that the highest level of relationship that two individuals can obtain is one that has so much love and respect and honour, that you can criticize them, and vice versa, and you still appreciate each other.  John Bytheway put it best when he said, talking of his friend, "he's such a good friend, that he can rip me to shreds and I knew he loved me."

That is the highest relationship I believe that we can obtain.  To know that our friend doesn't mean us harm by criticizing us, but that they want to help us by criticizing us.

In the April 2014 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said these words; "Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds.  

"Talk about man creating God in his own image! Sometimes—and this seems the greatest irony of all—these folks invoke the name of Jesus as one who was this kind of “comfortable” God. Really? He who said not only should we not break commandments, but we should not even think about breaking them. And if we do think about breaking them, we have already broken them in our heart. Does that sound like “comfortable” doctrine, easy on the ear and popular down at the village love-in?

"And what of those who just want to look at sin or touch it from a distance? Jesus said with a flash, if your eye offends you, pluck it out. If your hand offends you, cut it off. “I came not to [bring] peace, but a sword,” He warned those who thought He spoke only soothing platitudes. No wonder that, sermon after sermon, the local communities “pray[ed] him to depart out of their coasts.” No wonder, miracle after miracle, His power was attributed not to God but to the devil. It is obvious that the bumper sticker question “What would Jesus do?” will not always bring a popular response."  (The Cost - and Blessings - of Discipleship, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2014 General Conference.)

Jacob put it very well when he said "Do not say that I have spoken hard things against you; for if ye do, ye will revile against thetruth; for I have spoken the words of your Maker. I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteousfear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken." (2 Nephi 9:40).  He is essentially just stating the obvious; none of us are perfect, so therefore we need instruction.  Jacob then continues, in verse 48, "Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin."

In Ether 2:14, it reads "And it came to pass at the end of four years that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared, and chastened him because he remembered not to call upon the name of the Lord." (Emphasis added.)

Three hours did the Lord chasten the Brother of Jared.  Can you imagine?

Another instance, within the life of Jesus Christ.  In John 2:15-16, he describes the experience that Jesus had in cleansing the temple.  He writes "And when he had made a scourge of small cords¹, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise."

Christ had to stand up for what he knew to be right.  Sometimes, that's what we need to do.  Stand up for what we believe in, and be harsh.  That is completely in the realm of possibilities of what needs to happen.

My personal thoughts and experiences?  Well, I honestly feel the closest to my Father and my Lord when They give me things I should work on.  When I become humbled.  When They list through all of my imperfections.  Why do I feel closest to Them in those sweet moments?  Because I know that They love me enough to tell me what I need to know to get better.  I notice that They love me enough to tell me what else I need to do to live with Them again.  Truthfully, it can be discouraging sometimes, just being bombarded with criticisms.  But, one scripture that helps is Hebrews 12:7-8.  "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."  That's really comforting to know, that when He gives you stuff to work on, then that means that He is dealing with you as His son or daughter.  A child of the Most High.  How wonderful!  What love!

And still, through all that, we can still know that "God loveth his children," no matter what (1 Nephi 11:17.)

Now, we come to the other side of the coin.  Sometimes, people get offended really easily.  They are too sensitive, too fragile.

I hate to be so harsh (hehe, in a post about rebukement, eh?)  But I have to say, just grow a skin.  This is not a time for "political correctness" and smooth sailing, even thought the world would have you believe that.  These are the final days.  This is the time where Satan's forces are on full assault.  We simply can't afford to be as soft and tender as we have been.  We have to stand up for what we believe in, even though it may be hard.  We can't be offended as easily.  Another Seminary teacher of mine gave a lesson on being offended.  He taught that when someone says something, that we have the choice to either learn from that, or we can be offended.  It's our choice.

John Lennon once said "Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones."

What kind of person are you?  Are you the one who gets offended by every single little thing anyone says, or do you take their thoughts and words and use them to better yourself?  Which person do you want to be?

This Gospel isn't easy.  No one ever said it was.  Job lost everything he had.  Joseph Smith got shot for telling the truth.  Jesus suffered in Gethsemane and hung on the cross to save us.  We will all have to go through the trial of our faith, and it will be hard.  But I promise that it is worth it.  If we keep the commandments, I know that we will be compensated for our sacrifices.  We will even be compensated tenfold, no, a thousandfold.  There is no end to the blessings that we will receive for enduring to the end.  I know that it will work out.  I know that there is no other way that we can be saved but by this path.  I love my Father and my Lord, and I say these things in His name, Jesus Christ, amen. 

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1 My wonderful Seminary teacher made a very thoughtful insight on this part. When it reads "a scourge of small cords," probably a whip, he observed that making a whip would probably take a long time. Don't be hasty in your rebukements. Take time to think through and make sure that it is a good idea. Choose the course that would be the most effective. Just take time to think it through.^↩