From Brad Wilcox, from a previous post ‘Trusting Self’. . .: One day she read John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.” Karen said, “Those words really struck me. We are to love as He has loved us—not the way that parents may or may not have loved. I was to view myself as He views me.” now continuing. . . .
Newness of Life
Professional counselor Wendy Ulrich wrote, “Often the circumstances life hands us are not the biggest problem. . . . The biggest problem is what we tell ourselves this setback or suffering means about us and about God.”5 I know a woman in Chile who had a child with Down syndrome. In her mind, this meant she must have sinned and God was punishing her. Obviously, the problem was not the little girl. It was what this woman believed her daughter’s birth meant about herself and God. Imagine how this woman’s life changed when two LDS missionaries told her that her daughter was not a curse from God but a blessing, and that she was a special mother to be trusted with an angel child.
This mother’s experience helps us understand why Joseph Smith said, “It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God,” and if people do not comprehend the character of God, “they do not comprehend their own character.”7 The clearer the Chilean mother’s view of God, the more she understood herself. Suddenly she and her daughter enjoyed a newness of life.
One of the greatest ways grace changes us is to remove our erroneous views of God and bring to our remembrance the truth we once knew so clearly. President Boyd K. Packer taught, “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior.”8
Do we believe that God is some bully in the sky who takes delight in tormenting us and is looking for any moment we let our guards down so He can pounce? If so we will distance ourselves from Him. True doctrine teaches that God is a protector who has our backs.
Do we see God the same way we see an envious coworker or micromanaging boss? If so, we will hide from Him. True doctrine teaches that God’s promises are true and faithful, and that he is your friend.”9
Do we see our deep, dark secrets, problems, and failures as evidence that God doesn’t love us? If so we are going to feel angry and lose faith. True doctrine assures that God understands and helps us through our problems. He knows we are learning. He knows that Christ’s Atonement can mean development despite disaster. Failure is an event not a person, and, as Patricia T. Holland once taught, “Any failure is only temporary in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The decision to carry on in spite of disappointment turns the worst circumstances into success.”10
Do we see God as aloof and apathetic? True doctrine confirms that God’s hand is “outstretched” and His arm is “strong” (Jeremiah 1:5). He will reach out to us “so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man (or woman) upon the face thereof to be saved” (Moroni 7:36). Brigham Young taught, “When you . . . see our Father, you will see a being with whom you have long been acquainted, and He will receive you into his arms, and you will be ready to fall into His embrace and kiss Him.”11 That is true doctrine. ~Brad Wilcox, Changed through His Grace (Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, 2017), 201-205 Dwarsligger® edition .
