Clear As Mud?

The Atonement: After All We Can Do

There needs to be many many more talks like this given.  This is one of the few talks I have ever heard about the atonement where I don't end up feeling inadequate, undeserving, unworthy, and generally like a screw-up.  Sometimes I feel that there are huge amounts of pressure put on us to be perfect BEFORE we turn to Christ for help.  To do all we can do, and only THEN do we receive grace.  Bradley Wilcox points out some of the mixed messages that are frequently sent.  Example: we sing the hymn "I Need Thee Every Hour" (one of my personal favorites), and then we hear a talk given on how we can't have access to the atonement until we repent and better ourselves.  Once we do that, we will receive the grace we need to get back to Heavenly Father.  Brother Wilcox states that grace is given to us before we better ourselves, because we can't better ourselves without it.  And I like that.  It makes a lot more sense.  It seems like so much emphasis is put on our works, what we are and are not doing, whether we are doing good enough to be worthy of the blessings we have, let alone the blessings we want/need.  Home teaching and visiting teaching numbers are kept track of, with the goal of reaching 100%, and reaching that goal is pushed pushed pushed.  Then we are told that the numbers aren't important, but.....  I have been told in lessons that blessings are withheld by not serving others, not using my talents, by doing this, and not doing that.  Then I'm told that Heavenly Father loves me no matter what and will bless me when I need it.  Missions keep track of how many baptisms are made each month and by which missionaries, making it a contest to see how many people can be dunked, instead of making the focus on finding those people who are truly ready to be baptized.  If the numbers aren't important, than why are the numbers focused on?

Anyway, rant over.  I know that the intentions of our leaders, both locally and worldwide, are to get out the message that Christ loves us, and He wants us to return to Him, and that He will help us get there, and that we won't be perfected, no matter how hard we try, until we get there.  That we CAN'T be perfected on our own works.  I also know that they are as human as I am, and that makes them pretty imperfect, and maybe they have a hard time getting that message out while at the same time, doing their job of saying that we still need to do good works, and better ourselves, not because we have a debt to pay back to Christ, but because that's how you learn and grow.  And I love them for trying.  They are certainly doing the best they can to do what they feel they are being told to do.

Also, Brother Wilcox explains it much better than I just did.  So listen!