Becoming Like Christ

This post is part of the General Conference Odessey. This week covers the Saturday afternoon session of the October 1998 conference.

Some years ago I read through all of my journals, which I began keeping in June 1975 after I received a journal as a high school graduation gift from a cousin. I haven't written daily for the entire 47 years, but enough to get to know me and my life. 

While reading I noticed three themes that were constant throughout:

1) I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ

2) I want to be married to a righteous man

3) I feel that I don't measure up, and want to be better and do better

It was an interesting exercise in self-reflection and discovery. I'm so grateful I've kept a record of my life. For the past two or three years I've been writing daily, partly because my memory is not what it once was, and I want to remember things!

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk resonated with me as he talked of "Cultivating Divine Attributes". Since 2020 I've been contemplating what it means to "live the gospel" and "become like Christ" and "build a Zion people". I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to re-read this talk and find some answers.

Elder Wirthlin speaks of preparing for the Second Coming and asks, " What do we believe that will motivate us to move forward? What do we hope for? What are the virtuous, lovely or praiseworthy things we should seek after? I believe we should strive to develop within ourselves the traits of the character of the Savior." 

He turns to the words of the Apostle Paul, "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." Then Elder Wirthlin suggests, "We should not wait a single day to intensify our personal efforts to strengthen these virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy attributes. . . As I read and ponder the scriptures, I see that developing faith, hope and charity within ourselves is a step-by-step process. Faith begets hope, and together they foster charity. . . . These three virtues may be sequential initially, but once obtained, they become interdependent. Each one is incomplete without the others. They support and reinforce each other. . . . These are the virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy characteristics we seek." 

What a wonderful, simple pathway to improvement! And the Lord has promised that if we seek we shall find.