Unobscured Vision

Happy Sabbath! I was asked to lead a discussion in Relief Society today about Elder James R. Rasband's talk called "Ensuring a Righteous Judgement." This was my favorite talk of the April 2020 General Conference and I really enjoyed diving deeper into it and learning from Elder Rasband. To me, this talk is a wonderful reminder of why we can and should trust the Savior and find peace through Him. I hope that I can bring some of that peace into your lives today as I explain why I love this talk so much.

Elder James R. Rasband (photo from ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

Elder Rasband began by discussing the importance of the scriptures, specifically the Book of Mormon, and by reminding us of what we can learn about Jesus Christ as we study. I found this paragraph to be particularly powerful (emphasis added):

The doctrine of Christ—which consists of the saving principles and ordinances of faith in Christ, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end—is taught numerous times in all the scriptures of the Restoration but with particular power in the Book of Mormon. The doctrine begins with faith in Christ, and every one of its elements depends upon trust in His atoning sacrifice.

We learn the doctrine of Christ from the Book of Mormon. We also learn why we should trust our Savior and what miracles can take place when we do. One of my favorite scriptures is Moroni 10:2-3 (emphasis added):

2 And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

One of the main purposes of the scriptures is to show us the great things the Lord has done for His children. As we study the scriptures, we can see again and again how He proves Himself, keeps His promises, and displays His matchless love for His people. When I asked the wonderful ladies in my Relief Society meeting today why they trust the Lord, they bore testimony of the many times He has been there for them and showed that He cared - even when they weren't doing what they needed to be. That is one of the greatest truths about our Heavenly Father and His Son: they are always there, always at the door, waiting for us to allow them to help us. They want to bless us. They want to bring us peace and comfort. They also want us to have agency and to make our own decisions, which often requires them to wait for our willingness to be helped.

I think it's profound that Elder Rasband stated that the doctrine of Christ depends on trusting in Jesus Christ. As we study the scriptures, we can build that trust. We can also build it by acting in faith on the things we learn about Him and His gospel. We can build trust by looking not only at what He has done for those in the scriptures, but also what He has done in our every day lives. I would challenge you to take a moment every day and ponder, What great things has God done for me today? How has He shown His mercy? You will be amazed at what you discover. Keeping a journal has helped me a lot with recognizing these things.

Another impactful quote from Elder Rasband goes as follows (emphasis added):

As Alma explained, “God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.” The Father’s plan of mercy—what the scriptures also call the plan of happiness or the plan of salvation—could not be accomplished unless all the demands of justice were satisfied.

We know that God couldn't be a perfect God without finding a balance between justice and mercy. Why? Because we are all mortal, imperfect beings, and there are laws that are eternal that no one - not even God Himself - is an exception to.

I recently listened to a lecture on the Plan of Salvation by a Brother Kivett, a professor of religion at BYU-Idaho. He discussed the magnificence of Heavenly Father's perfect plan and the necessity for its many elements. He explained that if it wasn't for many merciful parts of the Plan of Salvation, God wouldn't be fair or just at all, because more people have lived on the earth without a knowledge of Christ than have been blessed to learn of Him.

God could have decided to send us all here and require nothing of us in order to return home, but He couldn't do that because there are laws that even He is subject to, and because He wanted us to learn and grow. Instead, He set standards for us to return to Him, but did so with the inclusion of elements like the Spirit World into His plan that allow for everyone - no matter where or when they lived on earth - to hear the gospel and to learn the truth. Because of this, He is able to satisfy the demands of both justice and mercy by giving us all a way to stand on equal ground before Him in the end.

As the Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith said (source):

"In the justice of the Father, he is going to give to every man the privilege of hearing the gospel. Not one soul shall be overlooked or forgotten. This being true, what about the countless thousands who have died and never heard of Christ, never had an opportunity of repentance and remission of their sins, never met an elder of the Church holding the authority? Some of our good Christian neighbors will tell you they are lost forever, that they cannot believe in the grave, for there is no hope beyond. Would that be fair? Would it be just? No! The Lord is going to give to every man the opportunity to hear and to receive eternal life, or a place in his kingdom."

So, why can we trust God? Because He is perfect and He has designed a perfect plan that enables us to live, learn, grow, and become like Him. He is both just and merciful. He knows the end from the beginning and loves us with the purest love.

Elder Rasband discussed the Book of Mormon story of Alma and his process of repenting and finding joy in Christ. He said:

As President Boyd K. Packer once taught: “The thought that rescued Alma … is this: Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and you cannot fix is the very purpose of the atonement of Christ.” The joyous truth on which Alma’s mind “caught hold” was not just that he himself could be made clean but also that those whom he had harmed could be healed and made whole.

We have all experienced broken things. Broken objects, relationships, situations, world conditions ... things that have felt beyond repair or out of our control to fix. Those things have caused feelings of helplessness, guilt, grief, sorrow, discouragement, and so many others. One of the greatest things about the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the enabling power it gives us to overcome broken things, to be mended, and to trust that He will mend situations that we can't. Without this blessing, I know I would dwell far too much on my mistakes and shortcomings.

There have been times in my life when I've been completely distraught because there was something I'd done, or said, or otherwise caused that I couldn't fix. But because of my Savior, I know that if I do my part to repent and become better, I don't have to fix those things on my own. I'm not alone. He is there and can make up the difference for what I lack, and He can do that for you too. He wants to do that. That is His mission. Because of Him, we can find peace, and those around us - including the people we have hurt - can find it as well.

Out of all the powerful things Elder Rasband taught in his talk, this is my favorite (emphasis added):

Although we do not fully understand the sacred mechanics by which the Savior’s atoning sacrifice heals and restores, we do know that to ensure a righteous judgment, the Savior will clear away the underbrush of ignorance and the painful thorns of hurt caused by others. By this He ensures that all God’s children will be given the opportunity, with unobscured vision, to choose to follow Him and accept the great plan of happiness.

Mortality gives us a lot of experiences that obscure our vision. It can be easy to become bitter about things, to distrust God, and to make regretful decisions because we see things through a lens that isn't clear. We've all done it. We also know how painful and difficult it is to watch when other people do it. The amazing thing about the Plan of Salvation and about the Savior's Atonement is that it gives us all a way to have our lenses cleaned again. In the end, we - and all who have ever lived - will be given unobscured vision to make the decisions that matter most.

The Savior has unobscured vision about us, too. He knows exactly what we've been through and why we've made the choices we have. He understands our feelings, circumstances, and thought processes perfectly. That is why He is the perfect judge and the perfect advocate. We don't know those things about each other. It would be impossible to. Because we don't, we often judge and deny each other mercy. It's profoundly helpful to pray and ask the Savior to help us see those around us as He does, with unobscured vision, so that we can choose to love and respect them. We don't have unobscured vision, but if we did, I think we'd treat each other with a lot more love - and mercy. It's also important that we remember to treat ourselves with mercy.

As he closed, Elder Rasband said, "As natural men and women, we all bump, or sometimes crash, into each other and cause harm." I recently read the book "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" by Bryan Stevenson. It inspired me to look at others with new eyes and to give everyone mercy. One of my favorite parts of the book was near the end when Bryan encountered a woman who spent a lot of time at the courthouse, looking for people to help and comfort. She told Bryan, "I decided that I was supposed to be here to catch some of the stones people cast at each other." That statement has stayed with me and has made me want to be a "stone catcher" too. The Savior is the greatest stone catcher. He helps heal wounds on both sides of every situation and helps us find peace as we journey through this life and inevitably bump into each other. I am so grateful for Him.

I loved this talk and hope that pondering it with me brought you a sense of peace. It strengthened my testimony in God and His plan for all of us a great deal. It's so comforting and hopeful to know that a perfect God is in charge and that, in the end, He will be just and merciful with all of us. He will have unobscured vision and grant us the same. He loves us, His children, so much and I testify of that. I know that He is doing everything He can to help us through this life so that we can return home because that is what He wants the most - to have an eternity filled with love and joy among His children.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Love,

Bonnie Gwyn