be a pickle!

at church today, the lesson in relief society came from the may 2007 ensign. in it, there is a talk by elder david bednar, entitled, "ye must be born again." now, i wasn't able to fully concentrate on the lesson for a variety of reasons, but the things i did catch, were excellent. it was a great lesson! because i missed some of it, i went home and read the article in it's entirety. a huge thanks, to my best friend, who gave me the gift of an ensign subscription (lol...i almost said "prescription" - but that wouldn't be too inaccurate, would it? it's been like medicine for the soul!). anyone who wants to read this article can simply go to the Church website and read it there. i really appreciate being able to lay on my couch and read from the magazine, rather than sit at my computer. it's nice. anyway, here's my own little summary....

cucumbers can be changed into pickles through a particular process, which includes: preparing and cleaning, immersing and saturating, and finally...sealing. this process of turning cucumbers into pickles can be likened to our being born again. i absolutely LOVE analogies...so i ate this right up (okay, that was cheesey - i know).

as sons and daughters of God, we must be born again if we are to enter into His presence again. we must deny ungodliness, come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. in doing this, we shed ourselves of the natural man and our hearts are changed. "we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually (mosiah 5:2)." how cool is that?! how incredible to naturally think and do only that which is good and true! no more grumbling at the guy that cut us off in traffic, no more murmuring at enduring life's trials, no more judging of others harshly... this is why we are here! this is our big test! are we passing or failing? if we are to become "new creatures" in Christ (2 corinthians 5:17), what are we doing about it?

we need to be immersed in the process of pickling ourselves. haha! that sounds really funny. just as with pickles, if you don't follow the process with precision, you will not achieve the end result! we want to change from cucumbers to pickles - we want to shed ourselves of this natural man and have a mighty change in heart. we must be born again!

the first step in the pickling process is preparing and cleaning. one cannot proceed until all the filth and grime are removed. the Lord has a high standard of cleanliness. we must repent daily if we are to move forward.

next, comes immersing and saturating. cucumbers have to sit in salt brine for a length of time, in order to change their composition and taste. merely dipping or sprinkling the cucumbers will not bring about the change. in fact, the entire cucumber must be fully immersed if the process is to work. likewise, we must be fully immersed in the gospel if we are to change our natures. sporadic adherance to gospel principles will not bring about the mighty change that is required. our complete immersion in living a Christ-centered life will allow us to be born again.

finally, the cured cucumbers must be purified and sealed. the jars they are placed in must be completely sterilized and they must be heat processed to remove all impurities. a boiling water bath enables the pickles to be preserved and protected for a long period of time. as we receive ordinances and honor sacred covenants, we, too, become purified. we are protected and preserved by the Atonement of Christ, as we follow Him and repent.

at the end of the process, a delicious pickle emerges! crunchy and sweet to the taste, is this green treat that experienced the entire process to perfection! there will be a sweetness for us as well, when we emerge as new creatures in Christ. so....be a pickle, my friends! be a pickle!

on the way home from Church, i drove behind a van with a sticker on the back which read, "if you are living like there is no God, then you'd better be right!" funny, but true, eh? i am certainly far from perfect, but i always want to live in a way that pleases my Father in Heaven. looking back on my life, i have always been happiest, following the gospel plan. that is where i want to stay.