plural noun: moments of truth
- 1.a time when a person or thing is tested, a decision has to be made, or a crisis has to be faced.
I am a big believer in the idea that life presents to us a number of important moments that define us in a particular way..... who we really are, our character and yes.....even our love of God.
There are numerous metaphors and examples of this all around us. The world of athletics provides many examples of "olympic" moments where records are broken and incredible personal achievement is demonstrated. Another is the simple metaphor of boiling water. At 211 degrees water is very hot. It takes one extra degree to get water to boil. When water boils it creates steam.....steam can power locomotives. The value of one extra degree is truly significant in this case study. I believe it is as well as we think about ourselves as that one extra degree. What kind of steam could we create to power our lives with a bit more effort?
Are we content to be just 'good enough'?
Someone once said that good is the enemy of great.
Interesting.... Hot water isn't bad is it?, Coming in 2nd isn't either one might say. The question becomes, is it our best effort? Is there something left in our proverbial 'tank' that we could have given.....makes one think. Are you being stretched or are you a victim of life's challenges. One is about "acting" the other is about "being acted upon". We do not learn without stretch. That is one of the dangers of comfort zones... we don't really learn anything, so we don't grow.
The scriptures are the very best place to learn the lessons of this value, of one degree more of effort. Every prophet was presented with defining moments of truth. We learn much by studying and then applying their lessons learned from their experiences in our own lives. We have to find those underlying lessons. We may not find ourselves faced with the challenge of parting seas, leading an entire civilization in the desert for 40 years or having to build a ship and traversing oceans, but the principles that guided each of their decisions during those moments are the same that we have within our own reach. They have paved the way towards helping us with the right formula that we can use to leverage critical 'moments' to propel us to higher ground, clearer vistas and enlightened edifices--even heavenly realms. At the core they are the simple gospel principles of faith, repentance, baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost the bible teaches us.
Jesus knew what His defining moment would be. The one in Gethsemane.....He didn't want it, it weighed Him down in ways we do not understand. Yet, with perfect faith and perfect love, He maintained that big picture eternal perspective and by never forgetting the why, he passed through that supreme and infinite moment of all moments of truth. That best effort literally unlocked every door and empowered us to have a perfect hope of a most excellent future reunited with Him and our Father in Heaven once more.
In that most exquisite moment of truth-the ultimate stretch assignment, we learn who Jesus Christ really is, His character....yes, even the extent of His profound love of God the Father. We cannot compare our individual challenges and trials with others as that is not helpful. Each of our own is tailor made for us, that is all we need to know. What we then need to remember is that they are literal stepping stones into eternity once passed (ref. RLB) with our best effort. if it didn't stretch us would it even be worth it? I thank God that my life is not easy. I don't always welcome what comes or what I cause but I do know that there is purpose in trials, and that is enough for me.
I am that one degree. So are you.....we each have the untapped potential. We were built for these moments. we will get knocked down, but we will always get back up and climb some more. This is our work. This is why we are here......Shall we not decide today to find the mental determination and tenacity and then set the necessary grit in our teeth, then proceed to climb and never stop....? If we are designed to look heavenward, then there is no "if" about our steady but gritty climb upwards in life. There is just.....forward movement.
life begins at the end of your comfort zone:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.” -- William Hutchinson Murray
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