Scriptures

God wants so badly to speak to man,to lead and guide us, to help us through our mortal journey. And so He has inspired some to write His words and those words are called scriptures.

Let me be clear. I love my scriptures. I read them daily. I find answers there. They are like a door to the heavens. I find inspiration when I open them – they are a pathway to God. They are so much more than words written on a page. They nourish my soul. They are my daily bread.

That having been said, they are also too often:

• A reflection of the times and cultures in which they were written 
• God's words filtered through the mind and culture of a mortal who wrote what he thought God said 
• Imperfect therefore often translated incorrectly

I accept the New Testament and the account of Jesus' life as God's attempt to show us His true self. Surely he was as disturbed as I have been at accounts of Him as the angry and vengeful God portrayed in too many biblical stories.

He sent His Son for many reasons and surely one very important one was to help us understand His true character as a Loving Father. Jesus taught “I and the Father are one. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. “

This is my standard then for understanding and interpreting the scriptures. What does not match what I see in the life of Jesus Christ, I may and indeed must assume has been misinterpreted or misunderstood or even worse written to serve some person's agenda. The scriptures were long used to manipulate and control. Our Christian history is not always inspiring.

So I feel free to reject whatever is written on those pages that is not consistent with my understanding of a Loving Heavenly Father who created plan that would give His children the experiences they needed to become like Him. It was a plan that gave them the gift of agency, the right to make of their lives what they chose – it also provided a way for them to overcome every mistake, and to heal from every hurt. Every part of this plan is filled with the love of those Heavenly Parents whose very existence is focused on helping their children achieve their divine potential.

It is a marvelous story that should fill us with joy and gratitude. We should feel that same joy and gratitude as we read our scriptures. I believe that if we each make a list of our favorite scriptures, we would see God's love shining through.

For me those scriptures are found in all our books of scripture.

Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd. . .

Moroni 7, But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. . .

John 3:16, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. . .

Mosiah 18,  and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light. . .

D&C 121, No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;

Oh,  my goodness, the pieces are everywhere! God loves us. Jesus is the Christ. We are children of loving Heavenly Parents. We have Divine potential, etc, etc.

What doesn't match this beautiful story, I just let it alone. I am not required to justify what others have done. I am on a journey to discover who I am and the purpose of my life and I have found all of that in our scriptures, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.