Come Unto Me--Jeffrey R. Holland
Wherever else you think you may be going, I ask you to “come unto him” as the imperative first step in getting there, in finding your individual happiness and strength and success. Jesus is the only way that we can return to live with our Father in Heaven.
My desire for you is to have more straightforward experience with the Savior’s life and teachings. Perhaps sometimes we come to Christ too obliquely, focusing on structure or methods or elements of Church administration. I think this is really true. Sometimes we focus too much on "the Church" and not enough on the Person in charge of it...
May I be bold enough to suggest that it is impossible for anyone who really knows God to doubt his willingness to receive us with open arms in a divine embrace if we will but “come unto him.” I have found this to be true in my own life. Heavenly Father is ready and willing to help us. We just have to ask!
I can tell you this as a parent: as concerned as I would be if somewhere in their lives one of my children were seriously troubled or unhappy or disobedient, nevertheless I would be infinitely more devastated if I felt that at such a time that child could not trust me to help or thought his or her interest was unimportant to me or unsafe in my care. SO TRUE. This is exactly how I feel about my children.
The people around us need a lot of help, and I think the Lord expects us to join in that effort. I think that is what he meant when he said, in essence, Come see what I do and watch how I spend my time. And then after doing that, we should do the same for others. Jesus really is an incredible example of love and service.
I cannot help but wonder what I might have done to watch out a little more for the ones not included, to make sure the gesture of a friendly word or a listening ear or a little low-cost casual talk and shared time might have reached far enough to include those hanging on the outer edge of the social circle, and in some cases barely hanging on at all. This is one of my biggest regrets as well. I wish that I had been kinder to a lot of people.
