About two years ago, I remember feeling enlightened while reading Christ’s words in 3 Nephi 13. The word “appear” stood out to me more than any other time I’d read it. In the scripture passage, Christ shares examples about how we do things to appear a certain way towards men, when really, we should focus on how we appear to God.
1,4:“…take heed ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father...thine alms may be in secret; and then thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.”
18:“That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”
Aren’t Christ’s words exactly what we need for our day? We live at a time where people seem to care about being “seen of men” more than anything else. Facebook and Instragram so often are used to push an appearance. And if we are not careful, we can get caught up in it as well. We must remember that our appearance before God is what truly matters.
In 3 Nephi 12:15, when the Savior teaches us to, “let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works,” how often are we forgetting the second part of that verse—“and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” It does matter that we shine our light, in order to bring others to Christ and to glorify God—not to bring others to “us” and to glorify “ourselves.” So, do we exercise and maintain a healthy body to bring glory and attention to ourselves or to God? Do we post pictures of ourselves playing with our kids to appear a certain way, but in the same breath stop playing once the picture is posted? Do we attend church to “make an appearance,” but spend the rest of the day breaking the Sabbath? It is so important that we look at our motives behind all that we do.
If I’m being honest, I had a major inner-battle as I considered even starting this blog. I felt strong impressions to create my blog, but almost immediately after, I began to worry what others might think. What if I was criticized for my beliefs? What if I was mocked? What if no one read it? What if it looked like I was trying to get attention? What if it offended people? Because I let myself worry about how it would appear to “man,” rather than to God, I almost didn’t go forward with it. Thankfully, as I continued to turn to the Lord in this dilemma, I was blessed to care more about God’s will than man’s. If Samuel the Lamanite was willing to stand on a wall and testify of Christ—while people shot arrows at him—certainly, I could handle whatever came my way as I shared my own, personal witness.
It is SO easy to slip into worrying about how we appear to man instead of God. What a blessing though, that when we DO only care about how God sees us, we are openly blessed by Him—far more than any “man” could ever “reward” us. For example, I’ve found true happiness in pondering, writing, and sharing as I post in my blog. God has blessed me to not worry about likes, comments, shares, and numbers; but instead, to care about how He views what I’m doing. I feel His validation, encouragement, and love. These sweet blessings inspire me to press on, regardless of what others think.
Think about how liberating it would be for us as women, if we only cared about how we appeared to God. If we did this, we would be better mothers, wives, friends, and people. We would mother our children more gently and lovingly, whether it be in public or within the walls of our homes. We would think positively of other women, rather than fault-find verbally or mentally. We would stop comparing. We would practice complete fidelity in our marriages. We would be okay that our body doesn’t fit the world’s standard, and instead, focus on living a healthy lifestyle in a way that pleases God. We would be more selective in what we watched on TV. We would serve better in our callings. Our motives, thoughts, desires, and actions would improve, enabling us to feel more REAL love and joy in life.
“The world builds its universe around itself, proudly proclaiming: “Look at me compared to my neighbor! Look at what is mine! See how important I am! The world is easily irritated, disinterested, and demanding, loving the cheers of the crowd, while overcoming the world brings humility, empathy, patience, and compassion for those different than yourself.”
Jesus Christ is the perfect example of overcoming the world. I’ve wondered—if Christ lived on the earth today, how would He spend His time? How would He use Facebook or Instagram? How would he respond to criticism? What kind of parent would He be? Thinking this way reminds me that I always have room for improvement. If I’ve covenanted to take upon Christ’s name, I need to strive to do as He would in ALL facets of my life. As I look to His example in regards to “appearances,” I’m inspired to become more like Him.
Lynn G. Robbins reminds us of Christ’s perfect example,
"The Savior, our great Exemplar, always faced His Father. He loved and served His fellowmen but said, “I receive not honour from men” ( John 5:41 ). He wanted those He taught to follow Him, but He did not court their favor. When He performed an act of charity, such as healing the sick, the gift often came with the request to “tell no man” ( Matthew 8:4; Mark 7:36; Luke 5:14; 8:56 ). In part, this was to avoid the very fame which followed Him in spite of His efforts to eschew it (see Matthew 4:24 ). He condemned the Pharisees for doing good works only to be seen of men (see Matthew 6:5 )…He is the only person who never once forgot which way He faced: “I do always those things that please [the Father]” ( John 8:29; emphasis added), and “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” ( John 5:30 )."
May we do a little better to please our Father, rather than trying to please the world. By doing so, we will find REAL, lasting happiness. Satan wants to trick us into thinking the opposite—that happiness comes from selfishness and worldly praise. But in reality, he knows it will only bring misery and emptiness.
N. Eldon Tanner taught,
“How much more satisfying it is when we receive the praise of God, knowing that it is fully justified and that his love and respect for us will persist, when usually the praise of men is fleeting and most disappointing.”
Heavenly Father offers us His LASTING reward and blessings, which will bring more fulfillment and joy than anything the world could ever give. Let us break away from the depressing chains of the selfish world, and discover the freedom of abiding in God’s love. Let us stop falling for Satan’s lies, and rise-up in light and truth. Let us worry less about bringing glory to ourselves, and focus more on bringing glory to Christ. By doing so, may we find peace, hope, love, and contentment as our “confidence waxes strong in the presence of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45).
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