Growth is an eternal principle, and each of us as one of God’s creations is capable of it. This week’s lesson, in section 60, verse 13 includes this commandment from the Lord, “Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.” In Paragraph 2 of “The Family: A Proclamation to the World“, we are reminded of our unique ability to follow this commandment as we’re taught:
“All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”
“… EACH has a divine nature and destiny.” That’s you. That’s me. We are all included. We are all God’s individual creations with the ability to grow and learn and change… in ways that lead us to our divine destinies.
Such empowering hope can be found in these truths. President Holland reminds us of the same:
“You can change! You can be anything you want to be in righteousness. If there is one lament I cannot abide, it is the poor, withered cry, ‘Well, that’s just the way that I am.’ I’ve heard it from too many people who want to sin and call it psychology. You can change anything you want to change, and you can do it very fast. Another satanic sucker punch is that it takes years and years and eons and eons to repent. That’s just not true. It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, ‘Ill change’ and mean it. Of course, there will be problems to work out and restitutions to make…but change, growth, renewal , and repentance can come to you as instantaneously as for Alma.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “For Times of Trouble“).
Week 21: Doctrine and Covenants 60-62
