Reflection~Enos-Mosiah 3

Sorry; I accidentally posted my past reflection papers in a slightly incorrect order... Here's a missing one :)

Our Heavenly Father has given us all that we have. He has given us everything, down to a single moment’s breath. He hears and answers our prayers, and He leads and guides us through times of doubt and certainty alike. He gave His Only Begotten Son, our elder brother and Savior Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins, sicknesses, and sorrows. How, then, can we—we imperfect, inferior, inconstant mortal men and women—possibly repay Him? For all it entails, the answer seems a simple one: we can repay God for all that He has done and continues to do for us by giving ourselves to Him—all that we have, all that we are, and all that we aspire to become.

Scriptural evidence to support this statement can be found in the first and only chapter of Omni. In verse twenty-six, Amaleki writes that we must “come unto [Christ], and offer [our] whole souls as an offering unto him” (Omni 1:26). He goes on to expound on this, explaining that in part, this means fasting, praying, and enduring to the end. I believe that these three acts are quite united in the process of our individual conversions and the offering of ourselves to God. Fasts, for example, are typically begun and concluded in prayer. Throughout the length of the fast, the person exercising this faith should have a prayer in his or her heart. Personally, I believe the phrase “endure to the end” is used too commonly in reference to attaining eternal life. Certainly, this is one meaning of the phrase, and I wholeheartedly agree with it. However, in considering the phrase “enduring to the end,” we should not completely disregard the fact that even short-term situations have ends we must endure until. In the abovementioned example, one might need to seek faith and extra strength merely to endure to the end of his or her fast. In humbly seeking this added guidance through prayer, each of us can give more fully of ourselves to God.

An additional method of giving ourselves to God is by obeying His commandments—the commandment of tithing, in particular. Without God, we would have nothing. We would be nothing. Ten percent of our monetary increase seems a small sacrifice when we give thought to all that God has given us. As we follow this commandment, God will bless us even more, in both tangible and intangible ways.

In conclusion, we can give ourselves to Heavenly Father is by seeking out, accepting, and acting on His will. In class, we read a statement by Elder Neal A. Maxwell. He said, “As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give” (Ensign 46). This statement supports the idea that giving of ourselves is truly the only way we can repay God. Additionally, it reinforces the idea that submitting our wills to Him is one more way of doing that. In fact, I would argue that submitting our wills to His is really what it all is in summary. It is one of the greatest demonstrations of our gratitude and desire to serve Him.

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