Growth, Progression, and Learning as Members in His Church

Lindsay Dixon

I’d like to share a portion of Book of Mormon Central’s Come Follow Me Insights into 3 Nephi 27-4 Nephi. In breaking down the name of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we find the following:

The = represents singularity
Of = shows ownership or possession

Of Jesus Christ = belongs to Jesus Christ

Of Latter Day Saints = also belongs to us! He who is PERFECT opens up ownership and makes it completely joint with IMPERFECT people.

“In this global Church, you have Jesus Christ with all of His perfection, with all of His power, with all of His capacity, with everything that you could ever want or need. He has it.. in abundance.. in infinite proportions. He could do anything without any flaw and what does He do? He opens the door and invites in a whole bunch of people called Saints, not because they’re perfect, not because they’re holy, but because of what they’re striving to become, because of a Covenant they’ve made with Him to combine with Him.”

So you open the door to a whole bunch of people who struggle with imperfections and we’ve got problems. Don’t you think a glorified, perfected God, resurrected in heaven could do a far better job of being the Bishop of our wards, or the Stake President, or for that matter the Prophet, or the missionary, or the ministering brother or sister? Couldn’t He give any lesson infinitely better than we could? Couldn’t He deliver the perfect sacrament talks every Sunday, and people would just keep coming, and the numbers would grow, and the Spirit would be enveloping? Instead what does He do? He turns it over to us because in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it’s not about a perfect, flawless performance, but about GROWTH, it’s about covenant PROGRESSION along the path that leads to becoming LIKE HIM. You can’t take little children and expect that if you don’t let them stumble and fall, and learn and grow, and develop from their own experience and mistakes, and lots of trial and error, that they’ll grow up to become what they were intended to become.

God gives us this organization so we CAN be IMPERFECT. We can get things wrong. We can get things wrong even when in council with others, and it’s ok because we’re LEARNING. The Church is a living, breathing, growing entity of people who have Jesus Christ (perfection) at the head who makes it ok for us (imperfection) to struggle as we do our best to become like Him.”

“ ‘Make no mistake,’ He says, ‘if you let me, I will make you perfect. The moment you put yourself in My hands, that is what you are in for. Nothing less, or other, than that. You have free will, and if you choose, you can push Me away. But if you do not push Me away, understand that I am going to see this job through. Whatever suffering it may cost you in your earthly life, whatever inconceivable purification it may cost you after death, whatever it costs Me, I will never rest, nor let you rest, until you are literally perfect—until my Father can say without reservation that He is well pleased with you, as He said He was well pleased with me. This I can do and will do. But I will not do anything less.”
~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I hope we can all be a little more lenient and patient with others and those we are called to imperfectly serve. I love Him. He teaches me everyday through my failures. I love you. Thank you for teaching me.

Love,
Sister Lindsay Dixon
Activity Days & Ministering Interview Secretary