Sisters and brothers –
Yesterday, my wife and I decided to take her car through the car wash, getting weeks of salt, dirt and gross off of the outside. We purposely waited until the afternoon, thinking any Saturday precipitation should be cleared by then.
Just as we pulled through the end of the car wash and turned toward the vacuums and interior cleaning tools provided, the blue skies turned gray and dry beads of snow started to bounce off the windshield. We both laughed at our bad weather prognostication, but then began to work on the inside of the car.
We carefully used pressurized air to get grime out of the cracks between the seats and the doors. We took off the mats, cleaning them separately and vacuuming underneath them. We vacuumed, sprayed and wiped down every surface. To top it off, we even hung a little plastic bag near the vent, determined to stay on top of the trash.
As we pulled away, we could see the exterior of the car getting dirty again and I was initially concerned about what people must think about the people washing their car while it’s snowing. However, when my wife and I got home from running other errands, neither of us discussed the exterior of the car or what it might already look like. However, we both commented on how good it felt to have a clean, well-put-together interior that was, after all, the main part of the car we interacted with on a daily basis.
Throughout the rest of the day yesterday, I thought about how we sometimes look at our lives in a similar way. We are overly concerned with the outward view of ourselves — how we’re perceived by others, what clothes we wear, how much we weigh, what our home looks like — and that we are much better served by trying to improve our inward self (the main part of ourselves we interact with on a daily basis).
Jesus Christ taught us:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
“Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.”
Matthew 23:25-26
We have the greatest joy as we cleanse the inner vessel. As we humbly use the Atonement to root out the dirt hiding under our proverbial mats, we will humbly realize how much we need the Atonement and the grace it affords. We see the beam in our own eye while ignoring the mote in our neighbor’s (Matthew 7:3). We find it easier to overcome the “natural man” because we yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and “ becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19).
Inevitably, our car will get dirty again, despite my family’s best efforts. And our best efforts to humbly cleanse our inner vessel will also fall short.
Such is mortality.
But, by taking the sacrament regularly, each of us is renewed in Christ.
“And after they had been received unto baptism, and were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith.”
Moroni 6:4
I look forward to sharing sacrament in person with those families in our ward whose last names begin with M through Z. Others are invited to watch virtually at the link below:
http://mywebcast.churchofjesuschrist.org/Events/spanishforkutahriverstake
Those meeting at the chapel will have the sacrament administered following the broadcast. Those watching from home are authorized to administer the sacrament at home. As always, it should be done by worthy priesthood holders of the appropriate office. Please reach out to a member of the bishopric, Relief Society presidency or elders quorum with any questions or necessary accommodations.
I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Sabbath day.
Bishop Bennett
Upcoming Events:
Youth Music Festival
Mar. 17, 6 p.m.
This festival for youth and their parents, can be found at the “Strive to Be” Channel on YouTube or the church’s website.