In this particular email I am going to break free from the pattern that I have set and just discuss something interesting that I learned last night while I was talking to some really cool members. Last night I was waiting in the Chapel for a missionary to arrive so that I could help him with his baptism. During that time some of the youth (the really hard working ones that always help the missionaries out) came to help us to translate and such and they randomly started asking me and a couple of other missionaries questions about being missionaries, serving missions, etc. Their main worry was that they might go on missions and not be "perfect", they might come home and not be "perfect". I giggled a little bit with them and then spoke some amazing truths.
I told them that:
1. Missionaries are not perfect. We try to perfect ourselves but we tend to fail miserably.
2. You're not going to come home from your mission perfect. We want to all say that we'll get off our missions and be just the most amazing people ever. But that tends to not be true, as we still have our weaknesses and faults.
3. We are all, as Children of God, on the Earth to learn and progress. We should not compare ourselves with other people because we are all on our own track of progression.
I amazed myself when I said that because it reminded me of something that one of my religion professors said at BYU about giving advice. Generally when we give advice we say something that we need to hear for our own personal problems. That was definitely something that I needed to know. I needed to know that comparing myself to other people is NEVER something that I should do. I should compare myself to ME. I am the one on my own little train track of progression tyring to get to the train depot that is Exaltation. I cannot say, "Wow. That train is moving faster than I am." Rather, I should think, "I think I can, I think I can." We are all living examples of The Little Train That Could. I never thought of my eternal progression like that until last night. I think I was almost doing something God himself frowns down upon, that is, comparing eternal progression. We are rather busy thinking about our own learning and progression, so how can we be busy thinking about the eternal progression of others?
Now, don't get me wrong, trying to help others in their eternal progression is something that our Heavenly Father wants us to do. In fact He wants us to help others to get to where He is, and sometimes we need to help. Yet, He does not want us to think that we are father along, or that somebody else is farther along. We are all on the same playing field. A pitcher is not greater than a batter, nor an in-fielder better than an out-fielder. They each have their own specific roles and they each have their own duties; however, each is necessary in the game and you cannot compare one to another. Their statistics don't match up. Their roles are unique. Each one is a person with needs, wants, desires, problems, strengths and weaknesses.
Well, where are you on your eternal progression? Are we all where God wants us to be? If not, what are we willing to do to get in the game, to get on those train tracks? Are we playing the position that He would have us play? Are we going to the right train depot in the right destination?
I know that this Church is the true church of Jesus Christ on the Earth. I know that the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and that it has amazing, life-changing stories. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior, my best friend. I know that He can be yours too, if you let him in. I know that this work is truly the Lord's work, the errand of angles. I love you all and wish you luck, success and happiness in this next week of life.
P.S. Tomorrow I hit 11 months. Wow.
P.P.S. Happy 18th Birthday BEN! You're officially a dude now.
Love,
Elder B
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