Jacob - Chapter 3

 2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.

 I think this may be my most favorite verse in all of the scriptures.  The privilege of feasting upon the love of Christ.  What greater gift and promise could there be.  The promises of the previous verse are sweet and comforting by nothing excels the blessing of realizing and enjoying the Savior's great abiding love.

To some degree or other, I suppose, all of us can blame our darkness and error on the choices and even wickedness of our fathers.  I think about this all the time while working with the kids at the Detention Center.  There is no need to revile against them, they are victims of the circumstances under which they were raised and also the things they have been taught.  As I said, to some degree this is true of all of us.  Now, I think this is an important thing to understand when we deal with others.  It allows us to cut them some slack, to view their problems with compassion and understanding.  They did not ask to be raised in a broken home in which their parents did drugs and who knows what else.  Who can blame them for their confusion, frustration and fear.  Others might look at each of us with a similar view of compassion and understanding.  I would hope they do and they would refrain from reviling against me and my many weaknesses.

It is important, though, that when we view our own weakness that we understand that while me may not have been the cause of our problems, they are our problems and we, individually are the ones who much confront and seek the help of the Redeemer in overcoming them.  I think this may have been what Jacob was referring to when is put the one stipulation on having the privilege of feasting upon the love of Christ.  That being that our minds must be firm forever.  Firmness of mind cannot include seeking to blame others for our circumstances.  Firmness of mind seems to require a continuing measure of personal responsibility and determination.  I have spent a lot of years succumbing to a flabby mind.  One that lacks discipline, focus, understanding and intent.  It has been quite a process to get it into shape and I still have a way to go.  For me it is not unlike getting my flabby body into shape.  I have to show up, work hard, suffer some discomfort, be consistent, eat right and have help.  But, also, like having a firm body, a firm mind is richly rewarded.  And that makes any sacrifice well worth the effort.