Throughout this semester of school I have been working on a "Becoming Project", which has essentially allowed me to choose three attributes of Christ that I would like to develop. I chose the attributes of gratitude, service, and charity (the pure love of Christ.) Because of this project I learned that the only way I can truly become more like my Savior is to center my life around Him, through daily personal prayer and scripture study. It takes real effort and half-hearted attempts at developing Christ-like qualities will not be fruitful. I learned that when I strive with a sincere heart and real intent to become more like Him, I will be given opportunities and I will feel impressions from the Spirit that invite me to change. I learned that if I follow those impressions and accept the invitations to change, then little by little, baby step after baby step, I will begin to recognize subtle changes and the desire to be more like Him will become stronger. Although the “Sunday School answers” of go to church, say your prayers, and read your scriptures often seem cliché or commonplace, they are in actuality, the very keys and principles that will help us develop into more Christ-like disciples.
Reading the scriptures daily, or almost daily if I'm being honest, has really helped me to keep Christ centered in my mind and in my daily life. Without consistent scripture study, I seem to slip into a pattern of putting into focus worldly things that are of no importance. The scriptures help me to stay on the straight and narrow path; they help me to remember my covenants; they help me to have a stronger desire to avoid evil; they help me recognize the temptations of the devil that are inevitable in my daily life; they help me to have the courage to resist evil and to stand up for good. Because of the work I have done with this project, I have a greater desire to serve the Lord, I have a stronger testimony of His love for me, and I have gained more awareness of my weaknesses and my reliance on my Savior for strength. I need Him to bind my wandering heart.
I think parts 2 and 3 of this project were the most successful for me because they were the areas that I needed the greatest improvement. Having a good attitude about service and having more charity towards my fellow man are areas that I have struggled with, and are qualities that I desire to develop. This project allowed me to focus daily on these things, and begin to feel real changes in becoming more cheerful in service and more charitable in my thoughts. During part 3 of this project, I was working on having more charity, especially to have more kind and generous thoughts about and towards a few key people in my life. This has been a subtle but powerful change for me and I am grateful that many of the once negative thoughts I have had towards these individuals, have now shifted to kinder, more patient thoughts. I still have more work to do, and I will continue to strive to be like the Savior who astounds me when I think of His ability to forgive and treat kindly those who hurt him, mocked him, even crucified him.
A 12-week project to develop these Christ-like attributes is not sufficient to overcome my natural man, my wandering heart. I know that I will constantly need to be striving to be more grateful, to serve more, and to have more charity. I will need a life full of gratitude, service, and charity and even then I will fall short. However, I know that the promise in Moroni 10:32 is real; if I will love God with all my might, mind and strength, then His grace will be sufficient enough to perfect even me. I believe this with all my heart.
One of my favorite hymns, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", has the most powerful lyrics that are like a bullet straight to my heart. As an imperfect human, phrases like "wandering from the fold of God" and "how great a debtor I'm constrained to be!" illustrate so poignantly how in need I am of a Savior. Please watch and listen to this powerful video of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing this hymn. The choir member singing through his tears at 3:18 represents perfectly how I feel when I hear this song, and how I feel about my Savior's perfect love.♥
"Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above."
