Certainty

In one of my recent post I quote Marion G Romney speaking of his understanding of the light of Christ. His description of the third phase has hit me with great interest. The idea of receiving striving for and receiving the "second comforter" has cause me to rethink a few things about my approach to life.

I feel as though oftentimes the constant cycle of sinning and repenting causes me to feel as though I'm only continually maintaining. I feel as though progression is at times out of reach, and that I'm merely on a path of highs and lows never truly reaching a goal.

I wonder if I often place my goals to far ahead, so far that I can even see them in front of me. And is a goal really all that effective if you can't even see it? It seems to me to be more like a dream. Something that is there but never clearly seen.

I also wonder if sometimes I let our own weaknesses limit my vision. Elder Eyring when instructing the seminary and institute leaders told them to set their sights higher. Julie Beck in last years general conference said we were doing good, but we could do better. And Elder Uchtdorf in this last conference to the priesthood asked that we analyze ourselves and suggested that we were living below our privileges.

As I said I've been thinking about the "second comforter" and what that really entails. Joseph Smith taught,

"Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. . ." - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150-151

Of course I don't believe that everyone will receive this second comforter in this life, but for anyone to make it to the celestial kingdom they will have to receive this comforter, if not in this life, then in the next. So I figure it is something to strive for. Somethings seem impossible, but for me that doesn't change the fact that we should fight for those things. I'm a firm believer that impossibilities don't exist when we are fight alongside Christ. With Christ, the roughest roads can be surpassed, the toughest battles can be won, the darkest doubt can be overcome. With Christ, how could we ever say "I can't."

Christ is our certainty.

And this is the road we must follow.

"After a person has faith in Christ repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thous shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and fins that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter..." - Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 150