Which way do you face? A life-changing question.

For whatever reason, this blog post cannot wait till morning.

I am writing this post because I didn’t understand the atonement very well, and honestly I still don’t… because all its glory and truth and understanding comes with much inquiry, much pondering, and line upon line. But here is a little line that was given to me that I hope will help someone else understand and take full advantage of the greatest gift that you will ever receive.

Do you ever wonder why you keep repenting over the same things? Or failing to do the things you should be doing? Why can’t I just kick that addiction? That weakness? Do you keep asking Him to give you strength and to change you so you can stop having to be embarrassed that you are kneeling again over the same issue? Is it hard to even want to kneel because you have asked for His forgiveness so many times you lost count?

I am very familiar with these thoughts, and I’m sure you are too. It’s easy to sell ourselves short and think we will never become like our Savior till sometime after we die. I hope what I say next will change your understanding of your capability to become like your Savior in THIS life and to live this life joyfully, no matter your hardship, and walk hand in hand with your Savior.

I have wanted to know how to stop just repenting, and how I could actually be changed into a Spiritual being instead of a carnal being… meaning that my spirit will reign master over the carnal nature and desires of my body. In discussing and pondering I had a moment where I realized that the answer to my desires lies within the question, “Which way do I face?”

Imagine this… You are standing in your little world… On your left is the world. The world includes all things devised by Satan to distract you and to destroy you, and they are many. The world is bright and exciting and enticing and so colorful that it is hard to take your eyes off it. But look to your right hand and you will see your Savior with His arms outstretched with a burning desire to give you every key to become like Him and just wishing you would face Him long enough for Him to show you how to unlock the change you desire.

Here is what we tend to do…

We face left and live IN the world and OF the world because it is all those things I mentioned above that continues to blind us to most things of a spiritual nature and keeps us oblivious to who we truly are as spiritual beings. The world is so all encompassing that we rarely remember that we are spiritual beings having a mortal experience. We have forgotten all when the veil was put over our eyes the moment we entered these wonderful and hard but essential mortal bodies.

I imagined myself in my little world and it was hard for me to admit it… I am facing the world.

If you are like me, the only time you turn to face you Savior is to repent or when you need something. We momentarily take our eyes off the world, burdened with guilt or shame or in sheer exhaustion. We turn to Him to seek relief through repentance or to just be lifted from the burdens the world places on our shoulders from trying to hold up our own little world in all its heaviness. We face Him just long enough to be relieved of that sin of commission (bad things we do) or omission (things we should be doing and don’t), or to be able to stand for another day.

Then what do we do?

When the relief is felt it is a very short turn right back to the world where we feel most familiar at this point… until we need His saving grace again.

Here is the question...

Do you REALLY want to be like your Savior? Do you want to be literally changed? To become new?... To have no more desire to do evil but to do good continually?

Then here is the key….  Which way do you face?

If we do not turn toward our Savior and stay facing Him that change we desire will never come. We will be fighting our battles mostly on our own because we are choosing to do it that way. He will lift us and help us as much as He can, but He cannot fully help or change us until we have done more than just ask with partial effort on our part. However, it is more likely that instead of choosing to do it this way, we are unknowingly doing it this way. Time has tested and the results are in… we cannot change on our own. It will never happen because of our own sheer grit and self-discipline. If we could there would be no need for a Savior. We must believe (faith) that He can change us, then we must ask that He will change us if we do our part, and then we must start walking (action)… steadily… in His direction. He needs us to seek, to knock, and to be diligent. He needs us to not be a fair weather friend. He needs us to be His disciple. He needs us to be diligently "obedient to every word that proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God", which includes our scriptures, our prophets, and our very own personal revelation. He needs to be in our every day; our every moment, on our mind and in our heart. He needs us to live IN the world and not OF it by asking us to literally turn our back on the world and leave it there, which means giving up many things of the world to receive many greater gifts of the Spirit that will surpass what the world offers. He needs you. He loves you and wants to give it ALL to you. If you will just face Him and lay the rest on the alter of sacrifice… He will make it all worth it.

If you will do this, and commit over and over and over again, imperfect yet unwavering, to face your Savior and fade out the world, you will live life joyful, even if it is still just as hard or gets even harder. "My yoke is easy; my burden is light." 

I can bare testimony of this principle because I am imperfectly putting it to the test and have begun to taste of its richness and it works and turning completely to Him is the ONLY way that we can be changed to become like our Savior. I can honestly say that my Savior and this gospel isn’t just a part of my life… It IS my life... and I am looking forward to receiving that next line upon line so I can become more like Him. 

Which way do you face?

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.