"The Beatitudes"

President Harold B. Lee called "The Beatitudes" found in Matthew 5:1-12 as "The Constitution For A Perfect Life." Learning and applying the lessons the Savior taught in his Sermon on the Mount can bring us immeasurable joy in this life and it develops a deeper love for God and our fellow men. It also provides the steps to become more perfect and develop the qualities of an exalted person. While on the earth, we are the "natural man" but the more we true to leave that behind, the closer we will be to becoming more as the Savior is and gain blessings that will be everlasting.

We are taught this week, in our reading, that "to be blessed" means to be higher than happy. It goes on to say that happiness comes from without (meaning something on the outside effects our level happiness) and is dependent on circumstance. Te be blessed is to have "an inward fountain of joy that nothing on the outside can seriously affect." I have always been one to believe that happiness is a choice but as I think back to those times that I truly feel "happy," it was the result of the joy felt from not something tangible but from something that struck a spiritual string within my heart.

"Blessed are those that mourn." In studying this specific beatitude, I have come to discover two directions this could be applied. The first is applied to those that feel sorrow because of loss in their life. To be more specific, the loss of a loved one. Sometimes we will not understand why Heavenly Father removed someone from our lives. But as we come to the understanding that God's way is not always our way, we can come to trust Him and feel the comfort He has promised to send.

The second application is the sorrow we feel when have need to repent. It is that "godly sorrow that worketh repentance." As we allow this sorrow to bring us to repent, we make the changes necessary in our lives that will allow us not to return to those things that cause us to sorrow in the first place. By repenting and applying the Atonement in this way, we receive the comfort promised.

"Blessed are the meek." In the eyes of the world, to be meek is a negative thing. It means that you lack conviction, are weak, and submissive (broken to the will of another). In essence, you will not amount to anything of greatness in this life. In thinking more on this topic, I did a search and found an article in the December 1987 Ensign magazine title "The Beatitudes: Pattern for coming unto Christ." In this article, Elder Robert E. Wells shares an account of being on a ranch where they raised horses. At some point, he asked to see where they "broke" the horses of their wild spirits. The man of the ranch he was with immediately responded that they never "break" the horses. As they work with the horses, they love them and are patient. As a result, these horses still have their spirit and fire but them become obedient and well-trained. In thinking about this experience, Elder Wells finds great spiritual application in being meek. He says, "The Savior...meant that we should be obedient and well trained. We can be strong, enthusiastic, talented, spirited, zealous, and still be 'meek.'" 

I have come to know many people in my life who are truly meek in their obedience to the gospel but are able to share the fire they feel in righteous living, in the talents they possess, and enthusiasm they embody from living a high standard of moral code. They are not "broken" into submissiveness. They have come to know that true joy that comes from living the commandments and the freedom we feel in knowing that we are not bond by the adversary. In the end, someone that is meek "is strong, has complete self-mastery, and has the courage to stand for moral convictions no matter what the crowd does."

"Blessed are the merciful." This is the one I needed the most this week because I need to be more merciful and have more mercy in my heart and thoughts. I am not perfect and it is hard to have mercy. In our manual it states, "our salvation depends on the mercy we show others." As I think back on recent events in my life, I can see where I have lacked mercy. I have allowed selfishness and discomfort get in the way of all that Heavenly Father needs me to be. Because of the love and mercy God has for us, He gave us His Son. Christ then gave us His life. In return, I need to learn to be more merciful to those around me.

There is so much we can learn from studying Christ and His life. Every day is a new lesson and a new application. I know that as I continue to study,  ponder, and apply what I am learning in this class and through my continual study of the scriptures, I can draw closer to Christ and my Heavenly Father. As I become closer to them, it is my desire to help others know of the joy I feel from the blessings of our Savior in my life.