Living Righteously

Last night my reading in the Book of Mormon brought me to 2 Nephi 9. You know how when you read the scriptures you “find” a new verse(s), when in reality you’ve likely read it dozens of times? That was the experience I had last night. There were a few verses that really touched me and brought me great peace, hope, and motivation.

14: Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

18: But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.

39: O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.

49: Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.

These verses also reminded me of a quote from Carlos Asay which says: “There is a dangerous error circulating among some Latter-day Saints, taking its toll among the young. It is that a “balanced man” or woman is one who deliberately guards against becoming too righteous. This misconception would have you believe that it is possible to live successfully and happily as a “double minded [person]” (see James 1:8).” (“It Might Have Been”, Nov 14, 1995, Carlos E. Asay)

I have needed these reminders. As I move forward and continue to make improvements in my life, I hear the voices of some friends (perhaps they’re not true friends) and associates saying that I’m trying too hard, that I don’t have to try to be “that good”. But I do. I want to be at a place in my life where my soul abhorreth sin…ALL sin. It’s easy to see certain things as sins. There are times where you do something and know immediately it is wrong, or you remember the list of the “Thou shalt nots”, but what about the less noticeable sins, the ones no one else sees? I want to move beyond all of that. I want to live my life so that when I move to the next life and I stand before my Savior, I want to be clean so I can have a perfect knowledge of my enjoyment and righteousness.