The Lord Would Not Suffer That They Should Stop

In a talk about abiding in the love of God, Elder Christofferson related the story of Helen Keller who was both deaf and blind. He told of how, originally, she was frequently frustrated because of her inability to communicate and that her “outbursts occurred daily, sometimes hourly.” Anne Sullivan was hired by her parents to help teach Helen, and eventually Helen had her life-changing moment when she understood the word “water.” Through Anne’s heroic efforts and patience, Helen’s life was changed and she ultimately became well-known for her “love of language, her skill as a writer, and her eloquence as a public speaker.” Her story has certainly inspired countless individuals across the world to persevere through even the most intense challenges and to aspire to do great things. I was struck by what Elder Christofferson said about her parents, though, when they first starting seeing progress in Helen’s behavior through Anne’s labors: “In a movie depicting the life of Helen Keller, her parents are portrayed as satisfied with Anne Sullivan’s work once she has domesticated their wild daughter to the extent that Helen will sit politely at dinner, eat normally, and fold her napkin at the end of the meal.” Helen’s behavior was so much better than it had been before that they risked missing her full potential by settling for far less than their daughter could really achieve. Elder Christofferson continued, “But Anne knew Helen was capable of much, much more and that she had significant contributions to make. Even so, we may be quite content with what we have done in our lives and that we simply are what we are, while our Savior comprehends a glorious potential that we perceive only ‘through a glass, darkly.’ Each of us can experience the ecstasy of divine potential unfolding within us, much like the joy Helen Keller felt when words came to life, giving light to her soul and setting it free.” We must be careful that we do not settle for mediocrity when the Savior wants to help us do great things through His help. It reminds me of this passage from the story of the Jaredites as they traveled to the promised land: “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise” (Ether 2:7). On their journey they found a spot where they could have been reasonably happy and where they indeed stayed for several years, but the Lord didn’t want them to settle for this when the promised land awaited them. And neither does He want us to stop anywhere short of our fullest potential to become even as He is. The world would have been deprived of a powerful force for good if Helen had settled for simply learning to eat politely at the dinner table, and we should not let ourselves or our children either settle for anything less than the divine potential the Lord sees in each of us.

                We can only reach that divine potential, though, through the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. He taught, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Without the Savior, we can do nothing of permanent value; but through Him we can bring forth much fruit in ourselves and to bless others. This is because of His great atoning sacrifice for each of us. Elder Christofferson invited us to consider the cost of what He did: “It is poignantly symbolic that ‘blood [came] from every pore’ as Jesus suffered in Gethsemane, the place of the olive press. To produce olive oil in the Savior’s time, olives were first crushed by rolling a large stone over them. The resulting ‘mash’ was placed in soft, loosely woven baskets, which were piled one upon another. Their weight expressed the first and finest oil. Then added stress was applied by placing a large beam or log on top of the stacked baskets, producing more oil. Finally, to draw out the very last drops, the beam was weighted with stones on one end to create the maximum, crushing pressure. And yes, the oil is bloodred as it first flows out.” He continued, “He endured the agony until justice was satisfied to the very last drop. This He did to redeem you and me. What a precious gift is divine love! Filled with that love, Jesus asks, ‘Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?’ Tenderly He reassures, ‘Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come … will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.’” Understanding the great price that He paid should inspire us to want to use His grace to become the very best we can become. Instead of causing us to relax knowing He paid the price, His suffering should inspire us to be “anxiously engaged” in the work He has for us— “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:33) The grace offered us from Jesus Christ means that we can reach our full potential as sons and daughters of God.