The Return of the Missionary (or: There and Back Again, and Then Some)

Hello all! Yes, it's me, Sam. :) I'm back to blogging, and it feels good to do so again. For those wondering, a lot has happened in my life since I got back from my mission. I recommenced my studies at Brigham Young University, I got engaged and married to the most beautiful girl in the world, and I've gotten a job that allows me to work with missionaries every day! What more can you ask for? :)
Recently I've been wanting to jump back into the blogging world, most specifically to continue sharing with others the happy insights that I sometimes stumble across during my perusals of the scriptures. As a missionary, the greatest feelings you have are those generated by sharing the Gospel with others; I wouldn't mind having those feelings nowadays either. So, just in case you were wondering, that will be the main purpose of this blog. Sure, there might be a couple times where I share some fun facts about my life or about how gorgeously wonderful my new wife is, but the main purpose here is to let other people know that: 1) I love my Savior, Jesus Christ, and am continuously striving to come closer to Him; and B) they too can experience the miracle of Christ in their life/lives. For that reason, I guess another name for this blog could be "Catch the Vision"--catch the vision that Christ brought to the world when He was here, ministering in Palestine, and later in the ancient Americas.
What vision is that, precisely? What did Christ propagate to the ancient Semitic peoples of Judea and Galilee?
Among other things, He taught of love and kindness, to those in and outside of your "know circle" or "friend group"; He taught peace and community, emphasizing the need for the followers of God to reestablish Zion in their midst through "one heart and one mind"; He taught obedience to the commandments already and anticipatorily given by a loving Father in Heaven, intent on bringing His children home to Him.
Each of these topics has already filled novels upon novels of the world's finest literature, first and foremost of these being the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other inspired writings of men and women, members and nonmembers of the Church alike. What can one more blogpost add to the world? Well, it allows me to share my voice--and though one voice may not be much, I've learned that it can make a difference. It also allows me to share the light that I've been blessed with in my life. I hope that others can come to know the peace and happiness that follows a consecrated life, and, as I sincerely strive to find that type of devoted discipleship as well, I look forward to learning with you, the reader, whoever you may be, how to come even closer to God each and every day. (Just a disclaimer, perhaps a redundant one: I am not perfect, and I am honestly trying to become more like my Savior each day. I want to share what I'm learning here, and invite you to share with me what you've learned as well! :) )
Today I just want to say a word or two about OBEDIENCE. Lately it's been something that my readings of the scriptures keep bringing back up, over and over again. It was the main theme of each of my mission president's sermons, and it was a major quest for each of the missionaries under his direction. Since coming home, I've found myself falling into habits of skipping a day or two of sincere scripture study; I've found myself making excuses about doing Christ-centered activities; I've not gone to the temple as frequently as I should have. In other words, I need to be doing a lot better to be a little bit more obedient.
I think that obedience is a very subjective issue--in other words, only you and God know what specific areas of your life need a little bit more work. For me, some of those areas were mentioned just above. Another such area is a daily "date" with the Book of Mormon. Being enrolled in university, doing several hours of homework a day, going to a job--all of these things suck away life and energy from yours' truly, and I find it very difficult to read God's word each day...or rather, I find it very easy to not read God's word each day.
Today, however, as I was listening to a talk in Church, the realization of my situation hit me. I made a goal to strive to do my best to find an hour each day to spend time with the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon. I opened it this afternoon, and began reading in 2 Nephi Chapter 2 (for those of you unfamiliar with this Book, or for those of you who have read it, I strongly urge you to pick it up right now and read this chapter! It's amazing! :) ). A couple of verses really stuck out to me:
"[No] flesh...can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved" (2 Nephi 2:8-9; emphasis added).
What was Christ the "firstfruits" of? Well, this scripture plainly tells us that He was the first to rise from the dead. He was the first to hold all Priesthood keys (including the keys of resurrection and of creation--see Dallin H. Oaks, "The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood"). He was the first to be exalted and receive celestial glory. He was the first to perform the work and glory of God--in other words, take part in the creative process that is characteristic of an exalted Being. And He was the first to be exactly obedient.
But note what these verses say. He was the first--this implies that there were more to come. Christ was the Only Begotten of the Father--the only one of Heavenly Father's children that claims Him as both spiritual and mortal Father. That is contrasted to His title as the first--the first to be resurrected, the first to be exalted, the first to be exactly obedient. There were more to come.
You can almost visualize it in your head: You see Jesus Christ ascend to His Father's throne, and then turn around, His hand reaching down to lift up us--you and me--to stand beside Him. He knows that the path will be hard--He paved it. He knows that we'll make mistakes--He suffered for them, and paid the debt they incurred. He knows that we are far from perfect--He is perfect. And yet He beckons us to follow Him, to walk the path that He paved, to experience life in such a way that we too can be considered fruits "unto God"--we will be His offering to His Father.
This whole blogpost may be slightly tangential, but I hope that I got the point across. I need to be more obedient, and one way that I can be more obedient is by studying from the Book of Mormon daily. I invite you to do the same. As I studied from those holy pages today, I found these gems of truth, these pearls of great price--that Christ was the first, and that we can follow Him. We can be joint-heirs with Him.
Isn't that a happy thought? :)