In Third Nephi, chapter twelve, we read:
47. Old things are done away, and all things have become new.
48. Therefore I would that ye should be perfect, even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Wow. That’s quite the charge. How on earth are we supposed to be perfect? We know we can’t – we’re human. We’re mortal. It’s impossible for us to be perfect, and yet here we are, being commanded to be perfect. It’s almost more than we can handle.
I’d like to call your attention to the first verse mentioned. Old things are done away. What does that mean?
I think it means that it’s time for us to move on and leave our old sins behind. With all things that have become new, we can create new habits and new routines.
Does this mean that we’ll wake up tomorrow morning with every single unrighteous impulse banned, and all of our bad habits completely eliminated? Of course not. But tomorrow will be a great opportunity to start all over again, to look at what we did today and do it better tomorrow.
We know that Christ grew from grace to grace. We also know that our Heavenly Father had to pass through His own mortal probation to become the Being that He is today. They worked out their salvation one step at a time, just as we are. The trick is that they never gave up. They never justified their sins or sought to cover them.
This is the way in which we can become perfect. The scripture does not mean, “Be perfect right this minute.” Rather, it means, “Embark on a quest to become perfect.” And as with all quests, it is broken up into a series of steps. We begin by identifying one area in which we can improve, and we work every day to improve our performance in that area. Then we move on to the next.
You can also work on being perfect in certain areas of your life. You can be perfect in paying your tithes and offerings. You can be perfect in attending the temple once a month. You can be perfect in doing your home or visiting teaching. There are many intermediate steps you can take toward the overall goal.
Don’t get stressed out when it comes to being perfect. Take it a little at a time, just like eating an elephant. Although, no one has yet explained why on earth we would even want to eat an elephant . . .
Related Blogs:
Challenge Yourself to Be a Great Parent
When Others Want and Expect You to Be Perfect