Day 6 - THE CRUCIFIXION AND BURIAL IN THE TOMB Image: Grider, Geoffrey. Nails and Crown. Digital image. Now the End Begins. Geoffrey Grider, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. On the sixth day, as Christ traveled back to Jerusalem, he hungered for food because the journey was long and made him tired. On his path, he encountered a fig tree. Usually in the springtime, fig trees produce a lot of fruit. If the tree does not produce fruit in the spring, it means that the tree will not produce any fruit for the remainder of the year. The tree that Christ had stumbled upon was barren. This tree had appeared as though it were a fruit-producing tree, but hadn't produced any. The Savior used this analogy to teach his disciples about the corruption in religious leaders among the Jews. When Jesus returned to Jerusalem, he is brought to Pilate, the Roman governor. Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified. When the guards beat him and carried him away to be crucifies, Jesus did not fight them. He did not tell them that they were doing something that was horribly wrong. He simply allowed them to carry him away, to spit on him, to abuse him. There was no utter of hatred from Christ's lips. The people mocked him. They beat him. They placed upon his head a crown of thorns and wrapped around him a red cloth, as one would do to a king. The cloth was placed on his shoulders to mock him. He then carried his own cross through a crowd of people who spat, abused and mocked him. At this point, Christ was so weak that a man named Simeon had to help him. He was escorted to Calvary, the place where he knew he would die. Still he did not so much as utter a word of resistance. In fact with one of his last breaths, called upon Heavenly Father, saying, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) He was crucified between two thieves. Christ, the son of God died next to the lowest of the low, though he himself did nothing wrong. He died with the kind of people that he was sent to earth to save. As Jesus hung upon the cross, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Martha, his disciples and followers watched in sheer despair. Just think about it. When Christ passed, these people did not understand that he would return to them someday.
Image: Gibbons, Ted L. "He Is Not Here, for He Is Risen" Digital image. LDS Living. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 14 June 2015. Web. 27 Mar. 2016. Following Christ's crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea donated his prearranged tomb, so that Jesus could have a place to be buried. In Christ's grace and humility, Jesus, the King of kings, did not even own a tomb of his own. His tomb was borrowed from a man who wanted to assure his savior and friend was given a tomb fit for a king. This really made me think; surely this Prince of peace, who suffered for the sin and pain of the world deserved the best grave the world could offer. But rather, his body, which had endured so much, was laid to rest in a tomb that was not made for him. Even in death, the Savior continued to serve. His undying grace worked miracles among the people of God. Christ's love and devotion did not end at the grave. Day 7 - THE JEWISH SABBATH On this day, the Pharisees came to Pilate and explained that they remember that the Christ said that he would come back and restore the temple three days following his death (John 2:19). Hearing this, Pilate worried that the disciples would take Christ's body from the tomb and tell the people that Jesus had risen. So, Pilate sends guards to the tomb and seals it that he may ensure that Christ's body is not taken. Matthew 27:62-66 Day 8 - JESUS' RESURRECTIONImage: Gorton, Clay. "What Are the Differences between Exalted, Resurrected and Translated Beings?" Ask Gramps Q and A about Mormon Doctrine. Ask Gramps, 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016. On the seventh day in the early morning, Mary Magdalene came to the sepulchre to simply sit beside the stone that separated her and her beloved Savior. She rested there, too heavily burdened with grief over the sad, but crucial passing of her Savior. Upon her arrival to Christ's borrowed tomb, she saw that the tomb was empty. It amazes me to know that the very first person that Christ appeared to was not a man of high status. He didn't go to pilot first, to say that there he was and that Pilot was wrong. No, the first person Christ appeared to as a newly resurrected man was simply to a follower. I can only imagine Mary's dispare when she first saw the empty tomb. What went through her mind when she saw the stone rolled away and her Savior nowhere to be found. Here was this woman who loved Christ so much, who came to the mourn the loss of the Savior. Only to find that the body this man who had been through so much at the hands of the adversary was gone. This day is widely known as Good Friday. We all have our good Fridays, the days when we feel all is lost. I then imagine the love of another woman who must have been dispared already from the passing of her son. On top of that, she found that the body of her son was missing. I think very few people have ever felt anything remotely similar to what she had felt. To see her child who she once wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in manger go through so much physical pain, even to death. And then standing in the doorway of the tomb thinking the body of her son was stolen. Imagine her pain. Her fear. I think this was probably the lowest point in Mary’s life. This moment when she thought that all hope was gone. But from behind her, a man whom she thought was a gardener asked her, “Why weepest thou?” To which she responded, ”Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” But then the man said Mary's name and all at once she realized that this man was not just any gardener, it was her Gardener. It was Christ fully resurrected. Can we not all relate? I know that in times when I feel utterly lost or without hope. When I feel past the point of no return, my Redeemer is there. He comes to me and calls my name, reassuring that all is in fact not lost. I testify that the Savior lives and through him, our pains, our afflictions are understood. Because of him, I can live a life where burdens are lifted and we are not left alone to experience our pain. I testify that these things are true and that the Savior lives. I know that if we use the atonement of Christ, we can return to live with our Father in Heaven again. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died. Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me! I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine, That he should extend his great love unto such as I, Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify. I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt! Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget? No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat, Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet. Gabriel, Charles H. "I Stand All Amazed." 1985. LDS Hymns. N.p.: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 1985. 193. Print.
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Image: Jesus Smiling. N.d. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.Lds.org. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. The last week of Christ’s life on this Earth has been one of the most comforting and inspiring things that I have ever studied. The things that Jesus did in these last few precious days of his ministry changed the world forever. It changed his disciples, his followers, his tormentors and persecutors. All who ever knew of Christ were affected by his actions in this last week. When I learned more about his last week on this earth, I was surprised by the amount of love he had for each and every one of us. Enough to painfully atone for our sins. Enough to experience our sorrows. Enough to die an excruciating death. There is nothing more humbling for me to know that Christ was perfect, yet he chose to experience my burdens so that he could not only sympathize, but empathize with me. He chose to die that I may live again in a world where pain has no place. A world where sadness is but a fleeting memory. He chose suffering so that I could find in him the peace that I am given when I am suffering. He chose death that I may live an eternity in the presence of God one day. This year, I followed the last week of Christ's life. I learned so many things and was deeply moved by the love and humility in the Savior's actions. DAY 1 - PALM SUNDAY Image: Christ in Jerusalem. N.d. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. On this day, Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, he was welcomed by a "very great multitude", who knew him as the "prophet of Nazareth of Galilee" placed palm branches in his path and greeted him with a hosanna shout. Others put down their coats before him, a custom saved for kings at that time, which meant that these people saw Christ as their king. To the Jews, the palm was a representation of a gift from God because of it's many uses in their lives. The palm was used for writing, shelter, textile, etc. It symbolized the cruciality of Christ in the lives of all man. I love this symbolism. It really helped me realize how crucial Christ is in my life. When I read about this, I like to ask myself, if I had been in Jerusalem at that time, would I have been among those praising Christ or would I be one of the many who asked, "Who is this?"(Matthew 21:10-11)
DAY 2 - CLEANSING THE TEMPLE Christ went to the temple to worship his Father, only to find this sacred place filled with merchants and traders. This was the house of God and people were acting as though it were a marketplace. He explains to them "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, yet ye have made it a den of thieves." This place was supposed to be the closest place to heaven on earth, but these merchants and buyers were not allowing the spirit to dwell within the temple. It is so important that we remember that the temple is a quiet place where we should be able to feel the spirit. If we concern ourselves with worldly things inside the temple, the spirit cannot communicate with us as clearly.
DAY 3 - PARABLES AND TEACHINGS In his last week, Jesus set aside time to teach and be with his disciples on the Mount of Olives and in the temple. He testifed that, "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive" (Matthew 21:22) On the Mount of Olives, he also taught that the greatest commandment was, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." He taught that the second greatest was to, "love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:36-39) He also taught at this time the Parable of the Widow's Mite, the Parable of the Ten Virgins and the Parable of the Entrusted Talents. Christ foretells his crucifixion. On that same day, Judas conspired with the Jewish leaders to secretly capture Jesus as not to cause an uproar among the people.
DAY 4 - REST IN BETHANY There is no scriptural of Christ's activities on this day of the week. It is assumed that Christ spent this day resting in Bethany. DAY 5 - THE LAST SUPPER & JESUS’ PRAYER IN GETHSEMANE Image: Hudson, Mark. Leonardo and the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci. 1495. Santa Maria Delle Grazie, Milan, Italy. The Telegraph. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. During the Last Supper, the disciples shared the meal of the Passover with Christ. He taught them many things in that Upper Room. During the meal, Jesus told his disciples that he would be betrayed by one of them. When the disciples hear this, each asked, "Lord, is it I?" When Judas, who had already betrayed Jesus asked the question, Christ responded, "Thou hast said." This means that Christ knew he had been betrayed by this man, Judas, but rather than getting angry that Judas was essentially handing Christ to the hands of these people that would ultimately kill him, he calmly says that he knows of the betrayal. After he says this, Judas leaves. I'm sure he felt so much guilt that he had sold the life of the Son of God for thirty pieces of silver. After Judas' departure, Jesus taught the disciples about the sacrament. There in that Upper Room, the sacrament was administered for the first time. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to be in that room at that time. To be surrounded by the spirit, sitting near the physical body of the Man who makes it possible for my spirit to even have a chance of returning to my Father in Heaven again. After the sacrament was taken, Jesus told the apostles that he would soon leave. At this, the apostles were distraught and wept, but Christ reassured them that he would return. They were fearful and wondered what would happen when he left. Those disciples were most likely so afraid, not knowing who their leader would be. Jesus then poured a basin of water and washed his disciples feet one by one. (John 13:4-5) When the time came for Peter's feet to be washed, he wanted to serve Christ rather than allowing for the Savior to do such a task. There is amazing symbolism int this service that Christ provides for his disciples. You see, the washing of feet in this day symbolized humility; all members of society wore sandals, so everyone's feet got dirty. It was custom for someone to wash their feet before a meal especially since their tables were low to the ground, which made their feet closer to the table. In washing the feet of these men, Christ, the Son of God was doing the work of the lowliest servant. At this, the disciples were shocked. Jesus explained that no matter your status in the world, you must learn to serve your neighbor. Christ taught about death and prayed with his disciples that they would be united and love one another. Peter said he was willing to go to jail or even die for Jesus. Jesus, knowing what was to come, responded that the rooster would not crow until one of them had denied him three times. Image: Anderson, Harry. Jesus Praying in Getsemane. Digital image. Lds.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2016. Following his Last Supper, Christ entered into the garden to atone our sins. Upon arrival, Christ asks eight of the apostles to wait for him. Then, bringing Peter, James and John, he walked a little further and left the three men. Christ went off by himself to pray. Here he plead with Heavenly Father asking, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will." He did not want to suffer for the sins of man, but he did because Heavenly Father asked him to. This was a choice for Christ. He chose to take on the pains and sins of the world. He chose to experience our heartache. He chose to walk in our shoes. Because of this, he knows how I feel when I am frustrated and sad. Through his action that he took, he can not only sympathize, but empathize with me. When I learned about the difference between sympathy and empathy in a health class at school a few years ago, I immediately connected it with the Savior. In the dictionary, empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another (sharing the same, or a similar, experience). While sympathy is feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. Because of this beautiful atonement, I know and can be comforted by the fact that I am not alone in my trials. Christ understands exactly how I feel and knows how he can comfort me. I testify that through the atonement of Christ, we are made clean. I know that,"though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) As a human, I am far from perfect. I make mistakes. We all make them. I also know that, "No unclean thing can enter into His kingdom...save it be those who have washed their garments in my[Christ's] blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." (3 Nephi 27:19) Without this marvelous atonement, returning to live with Heavenly Father would be unthinkable.
* Another post is coming soon with days 6 - 8! Stay tuned!
Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up in the morning and feel like you just can't quite muster up the courage to tell yourself that you can get through the day? When you just aren’t prepared to go out into the world and function in society. Maybe something is going on in your life that makes it too hard to go out into the world (or in my case to go to school) and be able to focus on other things. Every once in awhile, I feel as though my personal life gets in the way of my ability to learn and even be around people. I feel the need to hide my trials from society. Which is okay but is sometimes too much pressure. Everything builds up and it is so hard to focus my mind on whatever task is at hand. Sometimes I have those days. Unfortunately, today was one of those days. This morning, I woke up and felt tired. More than tired; I was exhausted. I just wanted so badly to lay back down in my bed, close my eyes and forget. Forget that I had a science quiz today that I had no time to study for. Forget that I am really struggling in math. Forget that I am subject to weakness. I just wanted a break from the world. I wished I could just sit in my bed and read. Read books about people who had the ability to overcome their trials. About their loving families. I wanted to read about their frustrations that don't transfer off their pages. I wanted to postpone my life for a while. I wanted to escape my struggles for a little bit. But the world waits for no one. So I decided to just try to my very best to get through the day. And I did (more or less). After discouraging days like these, I like to listen to the scriptures on my phone while I wind down from being at school all day. So that was what I did. I began to listen to the scriptures. I wasn’t listening wholeheartedly, but the thought came into my mind that I needed to pray. I knelt down beside my bed and began to pray. In that prayer, I expressed to my Father in Heaven that I really just want to wake up one morning and not feel tired. Not feel sick. I wanted so badly the strength and faith to forgive someone that I was really frustrated with. I told Him that I truly love my life, but sometimes, I just felt lost. I expressed that I knew He was watching over me and that I knew He could help me. I asked for guidance and strength to be able to keep pressing forward. When I ended my prayer, I got out my actual physical scriptures and turned to a random page and began reading. It just so happened that I had opened my scriptures to Mormon chapter five. In this chapter, Mormon is leading his Nephite army into battle for the second time. He was again given the command of their armies, but mentions that he, “was without hope” in verse two. He knew that the people he was leading into battle were clean and had repented, but they “did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.” They weren’t praying. These people were going to battle without calling upon the Lord for His guidance. They were about to go into this massive, terrifying war without believing their Father in Heaven could do anything about it. Mormon then writes in verse eight about how he does not want to seek revenge on those who have killed and hurt many of his people. He did not wish to disturb those who had wronged his people. At first, this kind of astonished me. How could he not even want to retaliate? I understood that he didn’t actually take revenge in a physical manner. But I wondered why there was not even a desire to. I marveled that a man who had been through so much with his people at the hands of adversary did not even have to think twice about whether he would take the responsibility of bringing justice to these people who committed such atrocities against his own people. I was amazed and confused; why on earth Mormon could just forgive them after all they had done? That was when it hit me. It isn’t up to us to decide who can be forgiven, that is up to the Lord. In Doctrine and Covenants 64:10, we read, “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.” Forgiveness can be a really hard thing. I know that sometimes I want to forgive someone, but feel like they don’t deserve it. I don’t want to forgive people every once and awhile maybe because I think they are too far gone. But that is not for us to decide either. And that can be really hard. I know that even if we think someone has done something that we see as unforgivable, it is important for us to forgive them. What happens if someone repents and we don’t forgive them? How would it affect them if our resistance to forgive is what holds them back from repenting ever again? If they knew we were withholding forgiveness after they’ve done everything in their power to make things right again? Forgiveness should be unconditional. No matter how difficult. I testify that forgiveness and repentance are the some of greatest gifts that we have been given in this life. I know that we can get frustrated with people, but that in no way means that we should withhold forgiveness. People can be terrible at times, just think about those who crucified Christ. But terrible people can change and if we don’t forgive them, the chances of them changing are slim. When we forgive someone, we facilitate change for them.
In my life, one of the more important lessons I learned was that we have the power to control the way we think. We choose what we think about. The mind is a very intricate contraption, you see there is one part that we can control fully. The part that we actively control is the conscious mind that controls about ten percent of what we think. But then there's the other part--the subconscious part, which is what controls: long term memory, emotions & feelings, habits, relationships, addictions, involuntary bodily functions, creativity, developmental stages, spiritual connection and intuition. That's the part I struggle most with; my subconscious. The reason that I struggle with this is because my subconscious is very negative. It's like a booming voice in the back of my mind telling me that everything I do is wrong or not good enough. But it is almost always wrong. So why, you may ask am I telling you this? Because I know that I am not the only one who struggles with this. It isn’t a particularly rare thought process. But it can be hard to learn to deal with. Our minds are always prone to wander, it’s in our human nature. We see and hear things that activate the gears in our brain. Sometimes that is a good thing, we’ll experience things that get our minds going. Anything from smelling freshly baked cookies and maybe think about our moms and home to hearing an old song and thinking of a positive experience associated with it. But every once in awhile, our minds get to thinking about the not so pleasant things. We begin to think about our worries and fears. That’s the part that really gets me. Most of the time, my subconscious gets me thinking negatively. I don’t do it on purpose nor do I want those thoughts floating around in my mind, but it often takes a lot to move from those negative thoughts to positive ones. These times when I am thinking negatively, I have to remove myself from wherever I am and take some deep breaths. Breathing has been the cure for so many things in my life. It always helps to go outside, especially when it’s cold. Somehow, when you need to take a moment to breathe, it helps if the air is frigid and crisp. Walking helps too. When I feel these emotions, it really helps just to take a walk and focus on your steps. I like to count my steps and breathe with the timing of my pace. In the end, I think that one of the most cherished things I’ve learned is that when all else fails, think positively. I promise if you learn how to do this, your life will be a little bit easier. You will be able to bring peace to your mind. One thing I was taught when I was younger is that what consumes our minds consumes our lives. If we can fill our minds with positivity, our lives will be filled with peace and joy. In the times when we cannot find peace on our own, remember that Christ is the keeper of peace. If we only ask him for a little, He will pour it down on us. As a teenager in today's society, I often get asked why I do not use an instagram account. I used to have one. I used to go on it all the time. But that was the thing, it became an addiction. Day in and day out, my life seemed to revolve around being "in the know" about other's lives through what I saw on social media. At the time, I had no idea that the things I saw on instagram were what people were choosing to show. I would see people's posts and compare my life to theirs. Nobody ever really posts about the negative aspects of their lives, not that they should. What I'm trying to say is that we don't see what happens when they aren't posing for pictures. We fail to realize that nobody has a perfect life. We all have hardships, pains and hard days. But we don't publicize those moments that aren't pretty. We use filters to make our lives look better, lighten up the dark, crop out the unpleasantries of our life. All this in attempt to convince the world that our lives are perfect, when in reality everyone has their struggles. Ask anyone. Another reason why I don't like instagram is because I was tired of trying to make my own life seem as though it was perfect. It was exhausting. I felt the need to live a life that was worth posting about. I would do things that I didn't really enjoy because I had wanted to post an indie pic. I was obsessed with how others would see me on social media. In addition, I was so focused on getting more followers on social media that I forgot about my actual friends. The people that I should have interacted with more in real life, I was having more interaction with on social media. A big portion of people that I allowed to follow me on instagram, I had barely spoken but a few words to. Nonetheless, I let them follow me. Because that was what I based my life on. One of my absolute favorite writers posted this video on youtube in which she spoke about how we are addicted to social media nowadays. It helped me to realize that I was one of the people she was talking to. I was the person who, "Read news feed like it's scripture" It helped me evaluate where my foundation was; in exactly the wrong place. After that, I took what I called an "Insta detox". It was intended to be just for a couple days, but it was so liberating that I decided extend my detox. I can now say that I have been off Instagram for a total of 434 days! I am so much happier without feeling inclined to refresh my feed all the time.
I'm not saying that everyone should abandon their Instagram. I'm simply saying that if you feel as though it's taking over your life, take a break from it for a little while. Never allow yourself to be addicted to something like instagram. Keeping up with the lives of others is never worth losing control of your agency. |
My name is Ellie. I am a sophomore at BYU Idaho. I am excited to live life and to share a small piece of it with you!
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