As I studied the life of Jesus Christ in conjunction with the Book of Mormon during the first half of this year, I became more attuned to the following principles:
1. Spiritual wellness requires some time alone…
I had never noticed before how often the Savior intentionally moved away from the busyness of life:
- At the beginning of His ministry, He went to the wilderness for 40 days to be with God (Matthew 4:1 (Joseph Smith Translation), Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1).
- He delivered the Sermon on the Mount after ascending a mountain to move away from the “multitudes” in the cities. (See Matthew 4:25, Matthew 5:1.)
- After the death of John the Baptist, “he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart” (Matthew 14:13, Luke 9:10). When a large number of people found Him, He taught them and miraculously fed them. Then, “He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone”(Matthew 14:23).
- When Jesus was in Jerusalem, He would often visit the garden of Gethsemane to get away from the crowds. (See Luke 22:39, John 18:1-2.)
In response to a temptation from Satan, Jesus quoted Moses’s counsel that we should not neglect our spiritual well-being. “Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:3; see also Matthew 4:4).
Here are two posts I wrote about spiritual wellness:
2. …and we must be responsive to the needs of the people around us.
Even when He wanted to be alone, Jesus was willing to serve others when they needed Him. When He went to the mountain to mourn the loss of John the Baptist, a large multitude came to Him. “Moved with compassion toward them…he healed their sick” (Matthew 14:14). This is similar to His response on the American continent when the people wanted Him to stay a little longer: “Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither” (3 Nephi 17:6-7).
Jesus was responsive to others as He taught. Before this year, I always imagined Jesus delivering the Sermon on the Mount all at once while an audience listened, like a lecture. This time through, it sounded more personal, like a set of principles taught on multiple occasions and in an interactive way. Here are two posts about His teaching style:
3. Discipleship involves letting some things go…
John the Baptist warned that God would “burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12, Luke 3:17). I used to think that “chaff” represented people, but this year, I thought about all of the chaff in my life which God can “burn up” if I am willing to let it go.
When Jesus sent the twelve apostles out, He didn’t just tell them what He wanted them to do. He also listed a number of things He wanted them to set aside: Don’t bring provisions and money. Don’t bring formal lesson plans. Don’t stay in a place where you’re not wanted. I thought of some things I can also set aside in order to lighten my burden:
4. …and prioritizing small but important things.
Whether it be a tiny sprout or even a mustard seed, we all have small things in our lives which have tremendous potential over the long term. They may not look like much right now, but if we dedicate time and energy to them, they can become extraordinary. We should celebrate emerging growth in our lives, make “mustard seed” sized contributions to projects, and prioritize activities with long-term benefits:
5. Jesus came to save us, not to condemn us…
Elder Gerrit W. Gong observed, “Condemnation focuses on the past. Forgiveness looks liberatingly to the future.” (“Trust Again,” General Conference, October 2021).
Jesus explained to Nicodemus that He came not to condemn the world, but to save the world.
When a group of Pharisees brought a woman who had committed adultery to Jesus, He said, “Neither do I condemn thee.” He wasn’t condoning her behavior, but He wanted her to look to the future, to “go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).
If Jesus is inclined to bless us, then we ought to strive to bless one another. We ought not to get too hung up on past mistakes—our own or others’. We ought to look forward with hope and with confidence.
Two thought patterns that can help us give grace to other people are: (1) giving them credit for good intentions and (2) recognizing their limited knowledge and experience.
6. …and He will help us if we are willing to change.
The Parable of the Sower teaches us that God’s word will only grow in our hearts if we let it. Children can teach us a lot about being receptive to spiritual experiences, which is why Jesus taught us to emulate them.
Nobody likes to be corrected, but that is one of the roles of the Holy Ghost. If we genuinely want to know what we can do better, He will tell us. That is one way that the truth sets us free.
Other Posts
Here are a few other topics I’ve studied this year which have been particularly meaningful to me: