Since I spent so much time preparing this talk and it documents a crucial experience in my life, I felt this would be a good opportunity to share it. Here it is...
The Beatitudes
In the Beatitudes, Jesus has
given us eight ways to find joy. Each of his declarations begins with the word
‘Blessed.’
The word beatitude comes
from the Latin beatus, which means fortunate, happy, or
blessed.
The Beatitudes describe
ways to live a happy life by working on ourselves internally. Each one tells of
a blessing we can receive. These blessings can help each of us be prepared for
entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
The
Beatitudes have been called the stairway to Christ - lessons that build upon
each other.
Speaking of these lessons, President
Gordon B. Hinckley said “If you will
shape your lives according to their pattern, I promise that you will know peace
and happiness, growth and achievement.”
Poor In Spirit (v3)
The first lesson in the
Beatitudes is: Blessed are the poor in
spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
When I first read this verse
as a teenager, I was confused. Being poor in spirit just didn’t sound like a
good thing. I thought either I am supposed to be lacking in spirit or I am
physically supposed to be poor, neither of which sound right.
I have since learned that to
be poor in spirit is to feel yourselves as the spiritually needy, dependent upon
the Lord for your clothes, and your food and the air you breathe, for your
health and your life.
Being poor in spirit takes
realizing that no day should pass without constant prayers of thanksgiving to
our Heavenly Father, for guidance and forgiveness and strength to get through
each day.
So if we live every day
dependent on our Lord, we can inherit the kingdom of heaven. I love this reminder.
If we remember Him in every thought we have, every decision we make, and every
word we speak, He will guide us back to live with Him.
Mourn (v4)
The second lesson from the
Beatitudes is: Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
What a wonderful promise to
have! I could think of nothing better for someone whose heart is troubled.
Christ was not just talking
about mourning for those who have lost a loved one. This mourning also means showing
godly sorrow that brings about repentance and a change in actions.
This is a great example of
our need to meet the Lord halfway to receive amazing blessings. He will give us
comfort when we turn to Him with our trails.
And for those who are
mourning due to temptation, the Lord requires us to turn to Him and go through
the steps of repentance.
In a way this lesson reminds me of the chorus of a country song called
“Meet in the Middle”:
I'd start walking
your way
You'd start walking mine
We'd meet in the middle
‘Neath that old Georgia pineWe'd gain a lot of ground
Cause we'd both give a little
Ain't no road too long
When we meet in the middle
Except in this situation, we are not meeting at an old Georgia pine J but something
much better.
When we meet the Lord in the
middle, we will receive His comfort, and no road will be too long.
Meek (v5)
The third lesson from the
Beatitudes is: Blessed are the meek: for
they shall inherit the earth.
A
meek man is one who is not easily provoked or irritated and who is slow to
anger.
A
quality that, if we all possessed, would bring more peace to this world.
President Lee said “Meekness is not synonymous with weakness. The
meek man is the strong, the mighty, the man of complete self-mastery. He is the
one who has the courage of his moral convictions, despite the pressure of the
crowd.”
I cannot think of a better
example of a meek man than the Savior. When others mocked Him or spoke unkindly
of Him, or tried to provoke Him, Christ’s response was one of love and kindness.
Even as the Savior suffered on
the cross for us, His words to Heavenly Father were “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
If the Savior can feel this way for His
persecutors, then there is NO reason for us to respond to those who are unkind
with anything but love and kindness. It takes more strength to respond this
way, than to give in to what we feel we deserve.
Hunger & Thirst After Righteousness (v6)
The next lesson from the Beatitudes is: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
President Lee asked: “Did you ever hunger for food, or thirst for
wate,r when just a crust of stale bread or a sip of tepid water to ease the
pangs that distressed you seem to be the most prized of all possessions? If you
have so hungered then you may begin to understand how the Master meant we
should hunger and thirst after righteousness.
 |
| Laura and I |
Buttermint Story
After my third year at BYU,
one of my roommates, Laura, and I decided to move to Las Vegas for a couple
semesters and get jobs in the big hotels.
Having decided on a whim, we
were not fully prepared. We moved down there with no furniture, enough money
for just two months rent, and nothing but a confidence that we could get jobs
right away.
Well it actually took us two
months to get jobs. We had completely miscalculated our money situation. The
summer heat came and we didn’t have enough money to pay for air conditioning.
Our parents had discouraged our move, so we felt that we couldn’t ask them for
assistance. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for every meal because
Laura’s mom ended up bringing us a few groceries. I couldn’t even afford
medicine for tonsillitis I got my first week there.
Our lowest point came when
we had to dig through the seats of our cars to find enough money to split a Del
Taco burrito.
Our first Sunday attending
our new ward, we walked into the church building and saw the most glorious site:
a huge bowl of buttermints. I cannot tell you how my heart leapt and my stomach
yearned for such a treat. We opened our purses and started filling them with
mints.
During our raid, I turned around
to discover the doors to Sacrament meeting wide open and everyone was looking
at us. Apparently our excitement had interrupted the prayer.
Imagine my embarrassment, with
my hand in the bowl shoveling mints into my purse. From then on, we were known
as the “buttermint twins.”
Now I realize what President
Lee meant about hungering for food when just a crust of stale bread… or in my
case mints… seemed to be the most prized of all possessions.
This very hungering and
thirsting… but for righteousness… is
what Heavenly Father wants us to have so that He can fill us.
If we are as excited to be righteous
as Laura and I were to see buttermints, imagine how much better our lives would
be. This desire for righteousness would keep away temptations, help us make
better decisions, and make us more teachable.
President Lee continues that
“It is that hungering and thirsting that
leads those away from home to seek fellowship with saints in sacrament services
and that induces worship on the Lord’s Day wherever we are. It is that which
prompts fervent prayer and leads our feet to holy temples and bids us be
reverent therein.”
From the Savior’s similar sermon to the Nephites, we
learn that “they shall be filled”
essentially means “they shall be filled
with the Holy Ghost.”
Gospel truths and testimony
are received from the Holy Ghost through prayerful seeking, faith, scripture
study, righteous living, listening to inspired communications and counsel,
reverent personal study, and quiet contemplation. It is by these means that our
souls are nourished and we realize the promise given that we will be “filled
with the Holy Ghost”.
Merciful (v7)
The fifth lesson from the
Beatitudes is: Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.
Our salvation rests upon the
mercy we show to others. Unkind words and actions disqualify our claim for
mercy when in need at the day of judgment.
In Doctrine and Covenants
section 64, verse 10, the Lord reiterates this message “I, the Lord, will
forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to
forgive all men.”
The key words here are
REQUIRED and ALL. We are required to forgive all men, even if they are mean or
spiteful to us.
Pure In Heart (v8)
The next lesson from the Beatitudes is: Blessed are the pure in heart: for they
shall see God.
If you would see God, you
must be pure. Some saw Jesus only as a son of Joseph the carpenter. Others
thought he was a drunk or that he was possessed by devils. Only the righteous
saw him as the Son of God.
If we want to be pure in
heart, we need to start by seeing good in others. Imagine if we were to start
seeing others as Heavenly Father sees them and imagine how different our lives
would be. No longer would anger or unkind words come so easily… Think of the good
that we could do in the world with this love toward others.
Peacemakers (v9)
The seventh lesson from the Beatitudes is: Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
President Henry B. Eyring said of being called the children
of God “When I read that as a boy, I
wondered about the promise to be called the children of God. It didn’t sound
like anything very glorious. But I see now that the promise is both glorious
and sure.
Those who will have eternal life are the children
of God. I testify that … When you act with faith to offer the gospel and peace
to those around you, they will feel the light of the Savior. You will have
pointed the way.”
Being a peacemaker is a blessing not only to yourself but
to those around who need your help to keep them from saying or doing something
they will later regret.
Persecuted
The last lesson from the Beatitudes is: Blessed are they which are persecuted for
righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be
exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you.
Just as in Jesus’ time, our
church members have a long history of persecution. Though the methods of
persecution differ, we still experience this today. How much easier this
persecution feels knowing that our reward will be great in heaven!
President Lee said “If you stand firmly for the right despite
the jeers of the crowd or even physical violence, you shall be crowned with the
blessedness of eternal joy.”
Conclusion
In
conclusion, I’d like to reiterate that the Beatitudes form the stairway to
Christ which will help us to become like Him.
But
as with any stairs, it takes effort to climb this stairway. Some say it is
impossible, but it is not if we take one step at a time. It takes us meeting
Heavenly Father in the middle of the step to receive the blessings that will help
lift us up to the next step.
I
am so grateful for the wonderful example and guidance of our Savior who lived
to show us the way back to our Heavenly Father. I find my days a little
brighter and my burdens a little lighter after studying the words of our
Savior.
And
I’m grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who constantly watches over us.
.jpg)
