Grace

A Belief-
I was recently reading on someone else's blog that I do not know and looking at their recipes. I get some of my new favorites from others great blogs. Anyway. She spoke about keeping the sabbath day holy and what that exactly means to her. What caught my eye was that she started the conversation of by saying, in the end it didn't matter as we are 'under grace'. If I remember correctly (from pre-church days) this basically means. Do the best you can but in the end we are all saved by God's grace due to His sacrificing Jesus regardless of our choices. So she went on to talk about the sabbath but my mind stayed fixed on that comment. It came back to me this morning as I was reading my scriptures. I am currently reading about the prophet Abinadi in the Book of Mormon. He is told to go tell a people that they are making wrong and bad choices (essentially) and these choices are helping to lead others astray. He also specifically blames the leaders (in the case the king) as they are supposed to be leading the people in righteousness not wickedness. These leaders and priests do not want anyone saying there is something wrong with what they are doing and would silence abinadi (and do by burning him alive). I was thinking that the modern day concept and comment of being saved by grace may be similar. It can be used to 'silence' another. In theory the concept sounds great. I love the idea that 'all things will just be worked out (incidentally-this usually means for my good) after this life. I don't propose to know all that is going to happen after this life. I just know there is MORE life.I know my Father's firstborn was sacraficed to satisfy a law, an eternal law, that would not have allowed me to live with my Father again (but not just that, without that sacrifice the plan would no longer work, there would have been no point to this whole existence)

You know I went to a college where nothing was ever really wrong. The Quaker belief of the school was that whatever your inner light told you was right, was right, even if others were in disagreeance. Now on the outside I believe this idea (I mean, I make decisions based on promptings of the Holy Ghost-so I get this concept) but my school was so liberal due to there not being any boundaries on this. Afterall, how do you 'argue or disagree' with another when they say, "but I feel like I should do X, it just FEELS right"

I feel like there really isn't as much 'gray' area as we like to believe. Things really are black and white. The more our focus is lined up with the Lord's the more black and white we see as well. In the end all things, EVERYTHING is spiritual unto the Lord. I am not in charge of defining what is black and what is white but the scriptures do guide us. Speaking of the Sabbath, here is one of my favorites...

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy"

Well it is a commandment. I just love that word, 'holy'. Doesn't that day just sound so special? Being described as holy. I so look forward to Sundays. Incidentally I have discovered that 'holy' is not synonymous with restful :)....Sunday to me is special because we are being asked to share in something with our Father. He took a day of rest after making us and all that is around us. He was done and was able to look upon all of us and see the beauty of his creation. No wonder hte day is Holy. Those moments after I have a new little baby are holy to me (crazy, but holy). This time around when in labor I thought I would not ,could not make it and then rest came upon me and I spent hours just looking at Jane. There are moments that bring us closer to our Creator. Having children is one of them. Although that is not one we all experience here, we can all experience keeping the Sabbath day holy and feel closer to Him. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work...For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in t hem is;wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it"

How thankful I am for this day. I hope to instill a love for this day in my children. That they come to look forward to it. That it truly is a day that refreshes them for all the work of the rest of the week. I am so thankful we have opportunities to share in our fathers work as well as resting when He rested.