Taking Responsibility

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
~ 2 Corinthians 5:10 ~

We must be true inside, true to ourselves, before we can know a truth that is outside us. But we make ourselves true inside by manifesting the truth as we see it.
~ Thomas Merton – No Man is an Island ~

Each member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an individual responsibility to learn and live the Lord’s teachings and to receive by proper authority the ordinances of salvation and exaltation. We should not expect the Church as an organization to teach or tell us everything we need to know and do to become devoted disciples and endure valiantly to the end. Rather, our personal responsibility is to learn what we should learn, to live as we know we should live, and to become who the Master would have us become.
~ David Bednar – Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing, General Conference April, 2019 ~

Prior to graduating High School, I took an opportunity to join the military service. Between my Junior year and senior year I spent the summer at Fort Leonardwood Missouri. One of the many memories is a particular saying that has stuck with me to this day. One either gets smart or they get strong. This, of course, regarding being subjected to the instructions and commands of the drill sergeant. And it meant that an individual either learns from what they have done wrong or they will continue to do push ups. I honestly do not recall how many pushups I did day in and day out because of mistakes I had made.

When I fell into apostasy I lived with distorted thinking in many differing ways. One particular way I had come to blame all my problems on other people, the Church I grew up with, and even blamed my Heavenly Father. Now that I have set a course on a more intimate and mindful Christian spiritual experience I have learned to look squarely at each difficulty differently. Not seeking someone to blame but to discover how my own attitude helped to create my problems, or aggravate them.

I learned the hard way to face consequences of my own actions and words, and to correct myself when I am wrong. Accepting responsibility and holding myself accountable is essential to becoming spiritually mature. Whether the others may agree or not. I will no longer look for a scapegoat to excuse my own faults.

There is no advantage, no profit, no growth, in deceiving myself merely to escape the consequences of my own mistakes. When I realize this, I know I will be making progress on my spiritual journey.

TODAY’S PRAYER AND MEDITATION

Heavenly Father, I have made numerous mistakes in the past. Both in word and deed. As I continue to commit my life to you each and every day, help me recognize where I have said something wrong or have done something that needs to be brought into awareness for confession and forgiveness. I seek only to grow and stand without blame before you. In Jesus Name, Amen