Sunday, April 7, 2013

Cleansing the Fish Bowls of our Lives


We recently got a fish. I've never liked fish or non-dog pets but who can resist a pet for $0.13?  So we got two.  Big bowl, bright fake plant, water purifier, rocks - we were set.  They looked beautiful and happy and peaceful and carefree. So we placed them on the shelf and went on with life, content with our new family pets.

And life happened. Natural life. All living organisms create waste, and before we knew it the water was so dirty that you couldn't see the fish on the other side of the bowl. (We knew this would happen, but not so quickly...) Nasty. Sad. Not we wanted. Not what they wanted. It was time for action.

Luckily, it wasn't too hard to get rid of the old water and give our Goldfish brand new sparkling water. We didn't just drop in some magic pill or portion and hoped that the water would clear up, but we gave them brand new water.  And now they are happy. And we are happy.  And this will repeat itself forever.

It's a lot like life of course.  As we go about day to day, we make mistakes and "dirty" our lives with things we should not have done, should not have said, should not have watched, and on.  We feel worse and worse about our dark, cloudy lives, with any clear direction blotted out by the filth of our sins.  We are unhappy. And our Creator - God, who watches over us - is also unhappy.

But there is hope. It is a time for action.  Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can all be made clean.  As we truly repent of our sins - confess to God and forsake them - He will purify the waters of our life.  When we are Baptized by Priesthood Authority and become truly converted unto the Lord, the Atonement provides us with a brand new life - a clean slate - described as "new creatures" in Christ. Once we truly repent, we do not ever carry the burdens, scars, or filth of our past sins and misdeeds, but we are clean, pure, and at peace with God.

And then life happens again, and the stress of life may cause us to slip and muddy up the waters once again. This is normal - this is life. The Lord has instituted his Sacrament whereby each week we can partake of bread and water in remembrance of His Sacrifice, the Atonement. This sacred ordinance renews our baptismal covenants and we again become pure and clean.  

Personal Daily Repentance and the Weekly Ordinance of the Sacrament are like the electric filters that continually keep the waters of life fresh, pure, and vibrant. And just as the filters require constant electrical POWER to keep cleaning, effective repentance and access to the Lord's Atonement in our lives requires the POWER of the Holy Ghost to sanctify our efforts of righteous living. 

Keeping both the water in a fish bowl and the "water of our life" pure and clean is not a one-time event nor an effortless, automated occurrence, but requires constant care and cleansing. Thanks to the Redeeming power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, staying pure and clean is possible through continual repentance and honest efforts, which enables us to enjoy the purity and joy of partaking of the Living Water.

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