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  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Why God Let the Israelites Worship the Golden Calf by Autumn Dickson The infamous golden calf incident; that is one of the stories we read about this week. Moses is gone a long time speaking with the Lord. The people grow impatient and tell Aaron to build them a god. He took their earrings (the ones the Lord told them they could take out of Egypt), melted them down, and formed them into the calf. Here is one of the details I noted this week that I didn’t recognize before. Exodus 32:7 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: I have a feeling that the Lord knew when and why the people were making the golden calf. While He worked with Moses, He knew far ahead of time that they were going to make an idol for themselves. What I’m trying to imply is the fact that He could have purposefully sent Moses down earlier to prevent the entire debacle. It never needed to happen…or did it? I suppose that depends on how you define “need.” The word “need” has more nuance than we think sometimes. I need the Savior in order to live with my Heavenly Father again; that is a defined, definite, unaltering need without any leeway. I also use that word in this way: I needed my parents to teach me and love me into a testimony of the Savior. Perhaps I could have found the Savior without them, but so much of what I have was given to me by my parents. I was given so much from them that I feel comfortable using the word “need.” There is a spectrum of the word “need.” We need the Savior, and the Savior is also wise enough to understand that we need supports to help us find Him. Did the Israelites need to go through this incident of worshipping a golden calf after being freed from Egypt? Perhaps they didn’t need it to the extent that they needed a Savior, but I’m comfortable with utilizing that word to describe their situation. They needed to have this experience outwardly so that they could be taught in a powerful way. They needed this experience so they could flesh it out of their hearts. So the Lord could have prevented the sin altogether by simply sending Moses down. I’m sure the Lord would have had plenty of time to teach Moses at other opportunities, and they would have been able to surpass this debacle altogether. But is that what Israel needed? There are some principles here that we can apply to our own lives. The first principle is the idea that the Lord is more concerned with us learning powerful lessons than being perfect. I have noticed a trend among parents that they would do absolutely anything to prevent harm from coming to their child. The sentiment is great. Of course we don’t want our children to get hurt. However, sometimes the most powerful thing for our children is for them to face real consequences rather than constant protection. Last summer, my son would often run off and jump on his dirt bike without a helmet or shoes. Despite the fact that I got onto him again and again and again and again, I couldn’t perfectly keep him protected. Even when I sent him out with shoes and a helmet, he would often leave them behind throughout the day and do what he wanted. I could have taken the dirt bike away completely, and I did for periods of time. But it wasn’t working. He wasn’t learning. At the same time, I felt inspired to pray that he would make mistakes and learn powerful lessons without killing himself or getting seriously injured. To be honest, I didn’t make the connection between my prayer and his bad safety habits ahead of time. This is why I know it was an inspired prayer. One day I sent Warner outside to play with his sister before school. I told him explicitly to stay in the yard because I didn’t want to have to run off and find him and have him be late for school. Unfortunately, the dirt bikes are kept in a shed in the backyard. He jumped on one and put his sister on the back, and they left the yard and rode off. Thirty seconds later, they were hit by a car. The car was moving very slowly, and she threw on her brakes and essentially tapped them over. No broken bones. I don’t even think there was any real blood. There were some skinned knees and bruises, but they were totally fine. Warner was also petrified. The cops came and checked everything out to make sure they were okay. I don’t know if he thought he was going to jail. I don’t know if he was feeling the gravity of what could have happened (as much as a five year old can feel). I do know that he wore his shoes and helmet willingly the rest of the summer. I still had to remind him occasionally, but he didn’t fight me on it like he had before. The lesson he learned from living the consequences was far more powerful than any words I could have shared, and he started to voluntarily use his agency more wisely than he had previously. That’s the true goal. It’s not about perfection or complete and total safety; it’s about us learning how to use our agency wisely and on purpose so that we can live happy lives. I’m grateful for the lesson my son learned that day. I’m grateful that the lesson wasn’t so severe as to permanently injure him or his sister. Israel learned a hard lesson when Moses came back down from the mountain. They learned it very clearly. Would they have learned it in the same way if Moses had simply told them the Ten Commandments? The Lord could have prevented the entire problem, but He was wise enough to know that allowing the incident and imperfection to teach wisdom. I’m grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ which means that we can make these mistakes in a controlled environment where nothing has to permanently injure our spirit. Even when we make the mistake of creating idols out of the very things the Lord has given us, He doesn’t cast us aside. He purposefully allows us to make those mistakes so we can learn those powerful lessons, and then He pays for those mistakes. He is selfless in its truest sense. He just wants us to be happy, and I’m so grateful He paid for me to have these experiences.     Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Parted Waters, Messy Leadership, and Miracles by Autumn Dickson The story of Moses freeing the Israelites through the power of God is an incredible parable for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It’s probably the most important lesson we can pull from that story. However, it’s not the only story we can learn from it. There are other principles at work too. Let’s talk about one of them. Within the story, we find Moses exhorting the people to have faith in God and His ability to deliver. We’ve come a long way from Moses being worried about talking to Pharaoh. After exhorting the people to believe and trust, he turns to the Lord. The Lord tells him to move forward, and there would be a miracle. Moses listens. Exodus 14:21-22 21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. I want to zoom in on some of the people who were experiencing these events. I have no idea how the individual Israelites were truly reacting outwardly and in their hearts, but let’s talk about relatable hypotheticals. I want you to imagine an Israelite who was particularly grumpy about being saved; let’s call him Joshua. Despite the fact that Joshua was saved, he was still a little peeved over the fact that there were so many problems along the way. Surely, the whole process of saving Israel could have been a lot smoother. Moses wasn’t very good at convincing Pharaoh to let the people go, and they ended up with a lot of extra work. He had to put blood on his doors which just seems unnecessary; why couldn’t God just save them if He was really so powerful? And then, of course, Joshua was one of the first to call Moses out when they noticed that the Egyptians were chasing after them to kill them in the wilderness. What was Moses thinking bringing them out here? Sure, their lives weren’t fantastic, but at least they were alive. Why did Moses feel the need to go ruin it and why did everyone follow after him? If you’re going to save someone, you should do it right and actually save them. Not just do it halfway. Joshua is legitimately worried about himself and his family and this supposed prophet who has led them into the wilderness to be slaughtered. Despite the real danger behind them, Moses has the gall to tell them to just have faith. Who does that? Moses is the reason they’re in danger, and his response is for them to trust him? Who does he think he is? But then something changes. Moses starts walking towards the water, and miracle of miracles, the water parts for the Israelites to walk through. Maybe there is something here. Maybe Moses has God behind him. So Joshua follows. Unfortunately, this process isn’t necessarily smoother than the experiences with the plagues. The terrain left behind after the parted waters can be treacherous. Trying to get families safely through it is downright dangerous. It can be steep and rocky. It’s hard to tread through the sand. Couldn’t Moses have summoned a boat instead? Surely that would have been easier than parting the entire sea. Not to mention, how do we know this miracle is going to hold? Joshua is pretty skeptical about this whole thing. Does he have the power to hold this long enough or are they all just going to end up drowning anyway? Conveniently for Moses, they don’t have a choice but to follow him anyway. Now, I want you to imagine for a moment that Joshua slips and slides down the face of a rock. He becomes injured, and he is fed up. He is so over this. How can Moses be so reckless with the lives of people he apparently loves and wants to rescue? Joshua is done. He’s turning back. He’s done putting his life at risk for this mortal man who is supposed to be saving them. Seems a bit ridiculous, don’t you think? And yet, don’t we see this all the time? The church hasn’t been perfect. The programs aren’t perfect. Leaders aren’t perfect. In fact, some people who were called into positions were downright evil and dangerous. Sometimes people have gotten hurt along the way because of those imperfections. Sometimes there has been true fear involved. These are all true and legitimate statements. But it’s also true that the Lord sent plagues and enabled the Israelites to walk out of Egypt. It’s also true that the Red Sea was parted. The path was messy. There was difficulty and fear and devastation. There were also miracles beyond our wildest dreams and covenants with a Lord who has a land for our inheritance. There is a life beyond slavery. It’s not necessarily going to be an easy life, but it’s a life worth living. It’s worth growing and owning your decisions and having the freedom to build something for yourself. It’s worth the difficulty to get a front row seat for the miracles. It is worth leaving slavery for. It is worth it to follow the prophet. Don’t miss the miracles of the priesthood structure and church and The Book of Mormon and the youth programs and welfare programs and the missionary programs. The church is doing miraculous things and changing lives. It’s giving people an opportunity to rise above previous circumstances. The prophet is being led by the Savior even if you think things should be done differently. Maybe you don’t like the whole list of plagues you had to go through before the death of the firstborn. Maybe you don’t like the blood on the door. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach you about His atonement. Maybe you don’t like the difficult path you’ve had to walk within the church. Maybe the Lord is trying to teach you about His atonement. The story of the exodus from Egypt is a powerful parable for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It’s also an incredible example of why it’s important to follow the prophet even if things don’t go perfectly smoothly or even if you think that you could have done things better. The Lord has called a prophet, and He knows what He’s doing. So you can stay in slavery or you can join the Lord in this journey where even the treacherous parts can contribute to a glorious you. I testify that the Lord loves His children. I testify that He led Moses even when things weren’t going smoothly. I testify that following the prophet enabled the Israelites to be freed through the power of the Savior. I testify that the Lord is leading His church through a living prophet today. Perhaps that prophet hasn’t been led perfectly, but it would be ridiculous to miss out on the miracles because of the mistakes.     Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Delivered…But Pharaoh Came Again by Autumn Dickson I love the story of Moses and the Red Sea. There is a reason it was used as an example time and time again throughout the history of the scriptures. There is so much goodness. One of the parts of the story that used to stick out to me was the fact that Pharaoh released them, but then he came after them again. Here are some verses about it. Exodus 14:8-9 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. 9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea… I believe that the Lord is in the details, so what do we learn from this idea that the Israelites were free but then once again in danger? I used to think it had something to do with the fact that Christ suffered in Gethsemane and on the cross. He suffered twice as part of the atonement. Was that somehow relevant? Perhaps, but there are always multiple layers and details. Let’s talk about one of the potential parallels from the fact that the Israelites had to be saved from the Egyptians twice. The Israelites were saved by the death of the firstborns in Egypt. Pharaoh is finally ready to release them, and he lets them pass by into the wilderness. Unfortunately, little time passes and Pharaoh is right back at it. He pursues the Israelites to come and enslave them again. Think about this for a minute. Christ has saved us. We have passed through those gates and out of slavery. But the work isn’t done. There is still an enemy after us that has the power to enslave us again. He is relentless despite everything that points to the power of God. He comes after us in his might. What did the Israelites do? When they faced slavery, maybe even death, again, how did they respond? Not well in the beginning. They were really afraid and they turned to Moses saying, “Why didn’t you leave us alone to be slaves? It would be better to be slaves in Egypt than dead in the wilderness.” Moses has an epic response. Exodus 14:13-14 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. 14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Moses encourages them to have faith, turns to the Lord, and the Lord tells him to proceed. The Israelites walk through the Red Sea on dry ground. So. Many. Cool. Parallels. The Lord saved them out of Egypt, and He saved them again with the Red Sea. It is so important to note that. The Israelites didn’t make the ground dry so that they could walk across. Moses didn’t even do it. The Lord did it. He was the one who utilized Moses to part the Red Sea. It was the Lord’s power. And yet, the Israelites still had a job. They had to walk forward in faith, just like Moses encouraged. They could have watched the walls of water form on either side, sat down on the beach, and said, “There’s salvation! It’s right there. How cool.” And then they could have just stayed there to be killed by the Egyptians. They could have feared that treading the sea floor would be too treacherous, or that the salvation wouldn’t hold and they would end up drowning after walking into the water. There were any number of responses that they could have had, but they took a leap of faith, followed the prophet, and trusted the Lord’s miracle. They took the chance that the Lord gave to them. The death of the Firstborn has freed us, but an enemy still pursues after us. We could sit down, observe the miracle changing the lives of those around us, and not actually take the opportunity that the Lord has given to us. We could think the miracle is really cool but not actually follow the prophet. We could look at the difficult path on the sea floor and feel like it’s too hard. We could worry and fret that the miracle wouldn’t hold, that Christ doesn’t actually have the power to save us. Or, we could move forward in faith. We can trust that this miracle was made for us, to protect us from those who would enslave and destroy us. We could trust that maybe there is a Being out there who lives His life for the pure joy of saving us, who simply wants our faith and love in return. Follow the prophet. The Lord will help you navigate the path. He will provide deliverance. Trust Him. I testify that the Lord has provided deliverance. I also testify that there is still an enemy who wants us to be miserable and destroyed if he can help it. I testify that the Lord has the power to save us from that enemy and our job is to have faith. That’s our job. Have the faith necessary to trust that the prophet can lead us through on dry ground by the power of God.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 14–18 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Find Joy in the Wilderness by Autumn Dickson When I was studying the Doctrine and Covenants last year, my pattern revolved around learning about the people who were receiving the revelations and how they were feeling so that we could better relate to them and receive the same comfort in the revelations that they did. As I’ve studied the Old Testament thus far, I’ve found a different pattern for learning principles from God. Namely, I look at the details in the class Old Testament stories, and I find the parallels for our day. It’s been powerful and helpful. So without further ado, here’s another detail from the Moses and Plagues story. The God of the Hebrews is working to free His people from slavery in Egypt. There are some questions that we could ask as to why He didn’t jump right in with the death of the firstborn, but those questions can be asked another time. As the Lord continues on with His work through Moses, Pharaoh appears to relent a couple of times. He tells Moses, “Take back the frogs, and I’ll let them go.” But then he hardens his heart and refuses to free them. It happens again with the flies. Pharaoh tells Moses to take away the flies and he will let the people go. Here is how Moses responds. Exodus 8:29 And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to morrow: but let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. Of course, Pharaoh goes back on his word and refuses to release them. Maybe he was hoping Moses and His God would run out of power and not be able to send any more plagues? Regardless, Pharaoh still holds the Israelites captive. There is a lot of goodness here, but I want to draw your attention to one detail. Moses wants the Israelites free so that they can go sacrifice to the Lord in the wilderness. This is not the only time this is mentioned. More than once, Moses specifically says this. Pharaoh needs to free the Israelites so that they can go and sacrifice to the Lord out of Egypt and in the wilderness. Oof. Is there a better way to describe life after we finish our ordinances? We are made free by the death of the Firstborn, we pass through the gate, and what do we see? A whole lot of wilderness. For a long time. Why are we here in the wilderness? It seemed so exciting to be free before. Now it just seems dusty, hot, hard, and uncomfortable. Interestingly enough, we didn’t walk through those gates to make it into paradise immediately. The gate was just the first step. We’ve been freed from slavery, but we don’t know how to be happy and healthy yet. There are many more lessons to learn. There is a lot of sacrifice to be made so that we can understand what it means to grow to be like the Lord and find what He found. We have a long journey ahead of us. It’s funny. I remember being on my mission and working long hours with minimal breaks. I remember rushing to write in my journal at night so that I could pass out in my bed on time and get as much sleep as possible because I was so dang tired. I remember mentally aching when I had to leave the dinner table at the houses of members I was close to. I think that was one of the things I missed the most while I was on the mission. I grew up in a family where we all ate dinner together and talked the whole time. We had a lot of family come into town for holidays, and we would sit at the table for a long time afterwards and talk and laugh. I missed that resting while on my mission. I remember getting on the plane, and I was so excited to eat a meal and then do nothing afterwards. I was excited to rest. Lol. I did get some rest for a while, but heaven knows life only speeds up after that. We came here to struggle in the wilderness, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to make sacrifices and grow and learn what we’re supposed to learn. We didn’t come here to finish all of that so we could rest. We came to sacrifice in the wilderness. Which sounds horrible, but it doesn’t have to be. This was a timely lesson for me. I have a goal right now to be grateful for the opportunity to wear myself out in the name of the Lord. I’m not talking about being a martyr, though sometimes that seems to be my default mode. Rather, I’m talking about completely turning my perspective upside down. I didn’t come to earth to preserve energy and my body. I didn’t come here to try and completely annihilate stress from my life or reach some magical point where I feel great enough to give all of myself. Rather, when I catch the true feeling behind this goal I made, I find rest when I let go of my own concerns and cheerfully and willingly take advantage of these incredible opportunities God has given to me. Someday I’ll get enough sleep (or my body won’t need sleep? I don’t know?). Someday, I’ll have a perfect body and perfect perspective and all my needs met, and I won’t have to reach for those things anymore. They will be given to me. I’ll have a perfectly clean house with everything I could ask for. Sometimes we get mixed up and wear ourselves out on the things that don’t matter, things that will be freely given to us on the other side. We’re putting all of our energy and hopes and focus on setting foot on that promised land. What if we let go and trusted that the promised land will make it to us at the right time? What if instead, we focused on the gift of the wilderness and what it has to offer? I have found that when I stop striving to put my feet in the promised land here in mortality, I find beauty and rest and hope and peace in the wilderness. Moses had it right. He didn’t tell Pharaoh that he was taking the Israelites to the promised land. Sure, that was the eventual goal, but there were some really important goals along the way before they would even be able to enjoy the promised land. Moses told Pharaoh to release the Israelites so that they could go and sacrifice in the wilderness. When we let go of trying to hold on to ourselves, we find joy in the sacrifices we’re asked to make in the wilderness. That’s a true principle. I’m grateful my Savior redeemed me. I’m grateful He let me walk through the gate and bind myself to Him through the ordinance of baptism. I’m grateful that He gave me a path with lessons along the way. I’m grateful that I don’t have to worry about reaching the promised land; He’s got that handled. All I have to worry about is learning along the way, sacrificing along the way. I’m grateful for my testimony that He will provide for all that I need in the wilderness.     Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Magicians, Satan, and Cheap Imitations by Autumn Dickson This week we get to read about some of the plagues that occurred in Egypt before Pharaoh finally released the Israelite slaves. It’s a classic Old Testament story that has been told time and time again. It teaches us about Jesus Christ delivering us from sin, and there are many details that add rich layers to our understanding. Let’s talk background to the verses I want to talk about today. Moses has told Pharaoh to let the people go, Pharaoh refused, and he gave the Israelites more work. Moses told Pharaoh to release them again, and then Moses turned the river to blood. Here is one of those details I want to talk about. Exodus 7:22 And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments: and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them; as the Lord had said. The magicians mimicked Moses. They turned more water into blood. We don’t know all of the details of how that occurred, but let’s explore another relevant detail. Pharaoh didn’t release the Israelites, and Moses (through the power of the Lord) brought frogs up out of the rivers. Here is how the magicians reacted. Exodus 8:7 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. As time moves on, more plagues come. Moses brings lice upon the Egyptians, and the magicians can’t mimic it. They tell Pharaoh that, “It is the finger of God.” After the lice, the magicians stop making an appearance. They are no longer active participants that we know of. There are two parallels that I see. Parallel 1. Satan mimics. The magicians didn’t really do anything original, nor did they do anything on a grand scale like Moses did. They gave a watered down (pun intended) version of what Moses produced in order to give Pharaoh an excuse to ignore the miracles before his eyes. In the end, they gave enough that they saved their own skin for a while, but they were ultimately still walking towards their own misery. Isn’t that ironic? Satan may bluster and blow, but ultimately, we’re going to see how pathetic he is. Anything he is able to pull off will seem a little sad when we are finally able to pull back the curtain and see the majesty of God. Isaiah even prophecies about it. Isaiah 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; We’re going to look at Satan and be like, “This guy??” Satan may make himself and his followers feel better for a moment, but they’re really just walking on towards their own misery. They’re digging themselves further and further and further down into it rather than looking up and seeing the reality around them. Parallel 2. The magicians just made it worse. Has anyone else noticed the fact that the magicians literally added to the problem as part of their demonstration of power rather than saving the people? Am I late to the party in recognizing that? Because it blew my mind once the Lord helped me see it. Perhaps some of us are asking why the magicians were able to mimic Moses at all. Maybe a more important question is, “If they’re powerful, why are they making more blood and more frogs rather than driving the plagues away?” As we go through mortality, we’re going to see imitations from Satan. We’re thirsty or hungry or feeling oppressed, and he’s going to whisper, “Do this. It will make you feel full and free.” The things we choose to engage in may fill for a while, but they’re actually just making the problem worse. We’ll see that it fills us for a minute and completely ignore the disasters happening around us. We’ll keep treading down that path, insistent that the God of the Hebrews has no place in our life. Why did the magicians show their small demonstrations of power by making the problem worse? I’m not totally sure. However, it holds perfect parallels to Satan. Satan can’t take away the plagues. He can placate you and make you feel as though the God of the Hebrews has no true power, but he is only making the problem worse. He is distracting you and giving you excuses to continue down your path towards misery. There have been plenty of times in my life that I’ve wondered at the blindness of the world. Humans are so convinced that they’re doing things the right way to make themselves happy. They cry out against those who would have them show restraint, claiming that they’re controlling. When the plagues come, they blame the person who warned them rather than seeing natural consequences. Even more unfortunately, they lead their families into the same quicksand after them, ironically and falsely under the name of freedom and compassion. Humans often love marching on to their own destruction. It makes me wonder if any of the Egyptians wanted to follow the Hebrews. Did any of them put down their tools and weapons and ask themselves, “Maybe they do have the power of God with them. Should we follow them?” Or were they simply eager to kick out the Israelites and get back to their pathetic magicians in peace? Blows my mind, but we see those patterns in the world all the time. Fortunately, we can see things as they are. We won’t find the truth in the world. We can only find it from God, making Himself known to the people. He does have true power. He allows mimicry so as to preserve agency and faith, but He holds the truth as to leading healthy and happy lives. We follow Him, and we will find it. We will be protected, and we will find it.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 7–13 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

A Passover Question For You by Autumn Dickson For my last post this week, we talked about some specifics of Passover in order to better reflect on our free status because of Christ. I really love the Passover. My sister does a Passover meal for Easter each year, and there are so many beautiful traditions associated with it that can teach us about Christ if we choose to explore the symbolism. So I want to talk about a different aspect of Passover. In Exodus, the Lord teaches His people to keep the Festival of Unleavened Bread (Passover) in Canaan. Exodus 13:8 ¶ And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. The Israelites were commanded to teach their children about their deliverance. Some of the traditions that formed as a part of this commandment are wonderful. As the Jews do their Passover meal, they begin with strange ways that are different than any other day. This is meant to provoke curiosity in children. As they move through a couple of these strange steps, there is a ritual called Ma Nishtana. For this ritual, the youngest child would say: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” On all other nights we eat leavened and unleavened; tonight only unleavened. On all other nights we eat all vegetables; tonight bitter herbs. On all other nights we don’t dip even once; tonight twice. On all other nights we eat sitting or reclining; tonight we all recline. This would begin the story telling of how the Israelites were freed from Egypt. Like with the Israelites on Passover, we, as Latter-day Saints, do things in a peculiar way. We live differently because of what we believe. And when our children (or anyone, for that matter) ask why, how do we answer them? Because the answer should always connect back to Christ and His deliverance. Whenever we can connect it back to Christ, we should. Why do we keep the Word of Wisdom? Because it keeps our bodies healthy and strong and better able to hear Christ. Why do we go to the temple? To try and feel Christ more closely and to receive power from Him. Why do we go to church every single week? Why do we keep the Sabbath Day Holy? Why are we so careful about our entertainment? Why do we keep the Law of Chastity? Why do we do Family Home Evening and Come Follow Me? Why are we making our lives harder and different? These are peculiar traditions that were meant to put our lives in order so that we can better feel Christ and serve Him. It is always about Christ because in Christ, we find joy and peace. When we try to do the gospel without Christ, it’s merely an extra burden. When we utilize the gospel to draw closer to Christ, that’s when it’s life-changing. Whenever I start to feel like the gospel or church is a burden, I have learned that the problem is forgetting Christ. Let’s talk about it with a direct example. I try to go to the temple once a month. I used to be so intense about it because I’m often intense about everything. I never missed a month, which is awesome except for the fact that it didn’t bring me closer to Christ. It just gave me a little rush of dopamine to cross it off my list and a weird sense of pride and martyrdom. Because I’m often intense about things like this, it can get really easy for me to overwhelm myself and reach the point where I want to give up entirely. Everything changes when I switch my perspective to see tools and layers of bringing Christ into my life. This makes two great changes in my life. The first is that I can utilize wisdom to know what to prioritize and to let go when things don’t come together. For example, I travelled a ton last month, and it was really difficult to go to the temple. We were gone for a little over half the month, and I have limited windows in which I can run over and participate in the temple. I had lined everything up one afternoon to go while my babies slept and my other kids were in school and Conner was downstairs working. I planned it all without the knowledge that Conner wasn’t actually going to be home to be with the babies while they napped. What normally would have been an absolutely unreasonable irritation gave way to peace. I couldn’t go to the temple to find Christ, but that didn’t mean I needed to banish Him from my heart in anger. The temple is a tool and if something prevents me from picking up that tool, I have a myriad of tools at my disposal to draw myself closer to Him. The second way that it has changed my life is probably even more important. The things that used to overwhelm me are now the things that relax me. The temple used to be a rushed thing that took up some of my time. Now I see it for the worthwhile activity that it is. I calm my heart and utilize it rather than completing it. I can go to church with 5-8 kids (depending on whether my kids bring their friends) and I can simply be grateful for the opportunity to be there and show my devotion to Christ. I can be grateful for the opportunity for my children to also practice drawing closer to Christ even if it’s a rather imperfect effort. When I keep the Word of Wisdom, it’s because I want to nourish my body so that it stands ready to hear and serve Christ. When I keep the Law of Chastity, I am removing unnecessary drama and heartache that are distracting from Christ. The gospel and commandments and church all become exactly what they were meant to become when we tie it back to Christ. In Christ, we find our ultimate joy and peace and hope. He lightens everything He touches. His yoke and burden are light because the yoke and “burden” are the very things that tie us to Him. I am grateful for Christ in my life. He truly has changed my life. I look at my life and find all sorts of reasons to rejoice and hope for better days. I have also learned how to be grateful for the yoke and burden He gives me because I see it for what it is.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Reclined. Redeemed. by Autumn Dickson This week we celebrate Easter, and with it, the ability of the Savior to redeem us. Because we are studying the Old Testament this year, I’d like to look at the predecessor to the holiday of Easter: Passover. There is a lot of symbolism that comes with the Passover; let’s talk about some of it. Here is a verse that talks about one specific part of the first Passover that happened in Egypt. Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover. On the first night of Passover, the Lord commanded the Israelites to eat in haste. They were going to need to leave Egypt quickly once the Pharaoh said they could go. This commandment to eat in haste was just for the first night though. Throughout time, it changed to the opposite. The Israelites ate unleavened bread to remember the haste in which their ancestors had to flee, but rather than eat their own Passover in haste, the Israelites started a new tradition. They ate their Passover reclining. Though it was not commanded, there was symbolism here. Free, wealthy people eat reclining and relaxed. They eat leisurely and enjoy themselves. Slaves eat on their feet, rushing. The Israelites ate reclining to show that they were no longer slaves. Traditions can be really beautiful as long as we don’t turn them into commandments to show off our own righteousness. The Israelites sometimes had a problem with that. However, I love this specific tradition. I think it’s beautiful. I think one of the reasons I enjoy this specific tradition so much is because I often put myself in a hurry. I get really caught up in trying to get everything done so that I can relax. Here is a tradition that caused the Israelites to pause their daily lives, take a meal, and rejoice and relax. They wore festive clothes, and they specifically took the time to eat like the liberated people they were. How often do you take the time to realize that you are free? Do you go about your daily life knowing you are liberated? Do you fulfill your daily work in a manner that reflects your redeemed status? When you deeply know what you are, it reflects in how you live your life. That’s why slaves eat on their feet and rich, wealthy people eat relaxed and reclining. I appreciate the symbolism even more because both parties are doing necessary daily tasks; they just go about their daily tasks very differently. Everybody has to eat, but they are eating differently. The rich and free people went about their meal with peace of mind. They enjoyed the companionship of the family and friends they were surrounded by. They got to enjoy what they were bringing into their lives and eating, to be grateful for it. In our own lives, “eating relaxed and reclined” may not look so literal. The really important part here is your heart. Like the rich and free, we go about our daily tasks with peace of mind. We take enough time to turn to those around us and enjoy the companionship of our family and friends. It means we take enough time to think about what we are bringing into your life while we’re “eating,” to be grateful for it and enjoy it. Whatever necessary tasks we’re doing in our lives, we are doing it with purpose and understanding. This can reflect in so many different ways in our life; one of those ways is in how we take the sacrament. Sundays are not as restful as they used to be before I was a mother. I’ve got my five kids, ages 8-1, and every other week, they bring their friends to church with us. On any given Sunday, my husband and I have 5-8 children scattered between us. Sometimes, because of my husband’s work schedule, I have 8 kids to take care of on my own. Trying to help all of the kids stay reverent during the sacrament is a task, especially when they’re sitting with their friends. Trying to help them all take the sacrament in a manner where they’re not touching everyone else’s bread and water is also quite the task. There are many times that I’m eating in a rush so I can pull tiny, grabbing hands away from trays. The rest of sacrament meeting isn’t necessarily better. My one year old is a wanderer and often finds herself frustrated to be stuck in the pew. My two year old wants my lap. My four year old also wants my lap, and my other kids want to giggle with their friends or fight with each other. I can’t sit between all of them. Some of the time, I can’t even sit with them at all because the baby is screaming about wanting to explore. It is easy to frame this as frustrating. It’s easy to feel like, “Wo is me,” especially when I’m already tired or overstimulated. It’s easy to feel angry when I desire to be spiritually uplifted, but I have no choice but to be Martha unless I leave my kids at home. Eating the sacrament in an outwardly relaxed manner isn’t always a choice, but there is always my attitude. I can always relax inwardly even if I’m surrounded by chaos that I’m in charge of. I can look down the aisle at the kids and feel tons of pressure, or I can look down at the aisle of kids and rejoice that I have my family with me at church (even if they’re not perfect). I can rejoice that my kids want to bring their friends to church. I can rejoice that there isn’t any test about whether my kids were perfectly reverent. I can rejoice that my kids get regular practice on how to be reverent so that over the course of their young lives, they will have opportunities to invite Christ into their own lives to save them in ways that I can’t. I can rejoice knowing that my Savior is just happy they’re there. I can rejoice and relax even as I referee, balance, juggle, and interfere. The sacrament reminds me that the Savior has redeemed me. I’m happy to be there even if it’s chaos. I testify that we are free and wealthy. I testify that because of Christ, we have every reason to rejoice. Or, at the very least, we have every reason to hope alongside our darkest despair. We can rejoice even when our efforts are imperfect or rushed. We are free, and if we take the time to truly know that, it changes how we do the necessary tasks we’ve been given each day.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Easter – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Seeing Through Anguish of Spirit by Autumn Dickson In our last post, we talked about how Moses turned to the Lord in despair. He had done what the Lord asked and told Pharaoh to free the Israelites. In response, Pharaoh gave them more work. Moses blamed himself and asked the Lord why He had been so cruel to His own people. In chapter 6, we get to read the Lord’s response to Moses. He comforts Moses with assurances. He tells Moses that it’s not over; Pharaoh will relent, and the Israelites will yet be free. The Lord then tells Moses to go and share this with the Israelites. Moses does so, and this is how the Israelites respond. Exodus 6:9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. The Israelites were suffering so much that they had a difficult time believing that Moses would deliver them. There is a lot of depth here. Let’s cover the first beautiful principle: The Lord saved them anyway. The Lord still kept sending Moses back. He kept sending miracles. He kept reaching out to those in bondage. He kept shining a light on them. Despite their lack of belief (which disbelief continues on even after the miracle of parting the Red Sea), the Lord kept reaching. He kept moving forward in saving them. There are two parallels here. Parallel one: The Savior suffered for all of us, not just the people He knew would accept His atonement. He didn’t look at each of us ahead of time and decide to only suffer for the people who were going to accept the saving. He suffered for everyone. Even those who did not or would not believe. Parallel two: The Lord doesn’t wash His hands of us. Even when we wash our hands of Him (which is rather ironic), He doesn’t throw us over. When He steps back, it’s not due to annoyance or giving up. Stepping back is also one of the ways He reaches for us and tries to get us to see the truth of things. The Israelites get a pretty bad rap throughout the Old Testament. They turn from the Lord frequently. They get distracted. They get the doctrine wrong and miss the mark. They were also slaves. Their “cruel bondage” led to “anguish of spirit.” I’m not sure I would have fared much better had I been placed in their shoes. I think that’s partially why the Lord didn’t throw them off with the golden calf incident after showing them an incredible miracle with the Red Sea. The Lord knew what they were facing and what they were truly capable of. As a society, the Israelites didn’t know who they were anymore. They didn’t know the Lord or His goodness. Because of what they had been through, they didn’t have any sense that there was an all-powerful Being who might care for them and care about where they ended up. They had a long way to go, and it started right here. They couldn’t find it within themselves to hope for deliverance through Moses, and so it started with the Lord sending miracles anyway. Here is the second beautiful principle. Their salvation was standing right in front of them even if they couldn’t see it. They were so broken that they couldn’t see their salvation. No judgment. I’m sure I would have been in a similar place had I been a slave. And yet, there is an implication for us here. At what point have we reached “salvation?” When do we get to say, “I’m here. I’ve arrived. I’m saved.”? I’m not sure there is a definitive level where you get to state that you’re saved. I think there are varying levels of salvation. Let’s talk about some of those different points of salvation. Salvation 1: The Savior promised He was coming. The people don’t know it. This is where we’re at in the Old Testament. Moses, their deliverer, is standing in front of them. He has been foreordained to save them, but they don’t know it. They’re too lost to feel it. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that Moses technically hasn’t saved them yet, it’s as good as done when it comes to the Lord. If He has promised it, it’s as good as if it’s done, and so yes, this is a type of salvation. The Israelites are saved! Moses is here! Even if they don’t see it, they’re saved. Salvation 2: The Savior promised He was coming, and there are people who do know it. This is the next level, and we see this in The Book of Mormon. The Savior promised He was coming and would save; there are people who believed that so thoroughly that they acted as though He had already come. They believed so thoroughly in His ability to fulfill His promises, that it was as good as done, and they rejoiced. Salvation 3: The Savior came and did His work, but the people don’t know it yet. We see this all the time. This is as if Moses had opened the gates of Egypt, and there were people too busy slaving away for masters who no longer stood over them that they missed it. The Savior has come, but there are many who don’t know it. This happens in the church and out of it. Even when we’ve been baptized and follow the commandments, sometimes we still don’t understand that we’ve been saved. Salvation 4: The Savior came and did His work, and the people know it. This one is self-explanatory. The Lord won, and we know it. This is the ultimate form of salvation. I bring this up because there are two sides to the coin of salvation. There is the portion with Christ. There was a period of time before He came where His salvation was still a promise. That promise was as good as though it had already been done. When it comes to this side of the coin, we were always saved. But then there is the other side of the coin. Is salvation really salvation if we can’t enjoy it? Have we truly been saved if we’re still miserable because we don’t trust Him or because or our actions? It takes a long time for the Israelites to truly be saved. They make it out of Egypt, but they have not yet reached joy. They don’t know that the Lord is going to take care of them and lead them to that promised land. In that sense, salvation is a spectrum. And let’s bring that full circle. The Israelites didn’t yet believe. They were in so much despair that they couldn’t bring themselves to believe. The Savior was going to keep sending miracles until they could see it. He paid for the salvation, and then He continues to reach out on top of it. He reaches and reaches until we finally see that the gates have been unlocked. Where are you on the spectrum of salvation? The Savior has saved you. Do you see it? Do you see Him ready to lead you out of Egypt? Let Him heal the brokeness from the slavery. Let Him provide for you in the wilderness. Believe in His salvation so much that it’s as if you’re already in the promised land. I testify that the Savior’s promises are solid. They are coming. We don’t have to live in despair even now because we have been taught what comes next. Even in our darkest moments (because dark moments aren’t evil), there is hope to temper it. We can rejoice. And if we’re still getting run over by life and can’t seem to lift up our heads and believe it, then hang tight. The Lord is sending miracles anyway until we do see it.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

  Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Did God Send Me Here to Fail? by Autumn Dickson Moses was a prophet who delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He was such a good prophet that the Jews held him up as a standard for a long time. He is still revered as a great prophet. And yet, despite his righteousness, his closeness with God, his foreordained role, Moses didn’t know everything. Moses was incredibly nervous to approach Pharaoh about freeing the Israelites, and the first time he approached Pharaoh, it didn’t go so well. Pharaoh did not release the Israelites. In fact, Pharaoh gave all of the Israelites more work to accomplish than they previously had. This led to the Israelites getting frustrated with Moses, and in turn, Moses turned to God. Exodus 5:22-23 22 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all. Moses asks the Lord a few questions and makes some points that I think all of us have made at one point or another. “Why did you send me? I just made it worse. You said You would deliver them, but they’re still in bondage and Pharaoh has made things harder on them.” There is a lot we could unpack there. Moses’ insecurity about his ability to do the job would be a good place to start. We could discuss the fact that Moses could only see his own limitations rather than the Lord’s plan in motion. However, I want to take a slightly different angle that I mentioned earlier. Moses, despite his calling and the big job ahead of him, didn’t see the end from the beginning. He saw enough that he was willing to begin, but the Lord left out quite a few details about this long road that Moses would travel before he could be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in freeing the covenant people. The Lord loves to leave out details. Why? If the Lord has made a decision in relation to how He works with His children on earth, there are solid reasons behind that decision. Why does the Lord choose to leave out details? Why does He allow us to sometimes think we’ve failed? What purpose does it serve to push us to wait for the next step? What reasons do you see? One of the reasons is because we would probably get confused and lost and disillusioned anyway. The Savior tried telling His disciples that He was going to die and live again. He said it quite clearly, more than once, but they were still so surprised when it happened. If the Lord had told Moses more of the details, would he have grasped the plan? I think a more important reason is the fact that it forces us to cling to Him. If Heavenly Father had given Moses a play-by-play of what would happen in Egypt, how much would Moses have connected his success back to the Lord? How often would Moses have turned back to the Lord? It is very difficult to see the Lord’s hand when we are not turning to Him over and over and over. When it comes to the Lord, it’s never just about the task that’s been given. The task always has a double purpose of drawing us closer to Him. One of the most effective ways of drawing us closer to Him, is to force us to keep coming back to Him, to work closely with Him. This brings great comfort when we look at our own efforts and tasks. Like Moses, it’s easy for us to decide that we’re the weak link. We’re not strong enough or smart enough or persuasive enough. We’re the reason everything failed. Moses is not the reason the task failed. Moses was just under the impression that the task was supposed to be easier than it was. The Lord could have explained this in great detail ahead of time to spare Moses this despair. However, it would have negated His purposes of keeping Moses close. It had to be this way. The Lord needed you to have the task. Telling you in detail ahead of time would have made it really easy for you to forget Him and try to do everything on your own. It was important for you to stay close to Him, and He knows our propensity to wander. So He chose to do things this way. Unfortunately, sometimes we also have the bad habit of despairing when we hit obstacles. The Lord knows this, and He can work with it. It is much easier to work with your despair when you turn to Him than it is when you run off and try to do things on your own. The Lord is wise enough to see all of this and make the decision to leave out the details. So how can this change our response when we do hit obstacles in the tasks we’ve been given by the Lord? We trust Him and know He’s not finished yet. Even when we do not know the details, He does. He is plenty aware of them and knows how to work with the children of men. Give it your best shot, and look to Him with faith. That’s your real job. It wasn’t Moses’ job to deliver the Israelites, not really. It was Moses’ job to be willing. It wasn’t Moses who sent the plagues or parted the sea. It was the Lord who made man’s mouth and made the seas. The Lord knew exactly what He was getting with Moses, and He still decided on Moses. It is no different with you. The Lord knew what He was getting when He asked for you. He knows better than you know what you are or aren’t capable of, and He decided on you. When you run into unanticipated obstacles, there is no need to despair. He didn’t tell you about this part, but He knew about this part. Your job is to be willing. Give it your best shot, and look to Him with faith. The Lord can still work with despair; He worked with Moses through His despair. He can work with us through despair. However, the faith part serves us. Moses didn’t ever have to be afraid or upset that he had ruined everything. Those feelings were necessary so that Moses could go through the process of building his faith, but faith changes our entire experience by changing our perspective. Obstacles look different in the light of faith in Christ. It is a joyful way to live. Trust the Lord. Trust Him when He doesn’t give you all the details. Trust Him that He chose you for a reason. Trust Him so that you can rejoice even in the faith of setbacks. I testify that the Lord knew what He was doing when He chose you. I testify that He knows all of the details even when He doesn’t share them all immediately. I testify that He isn’t despairing or mad when obstacles appear. All He wants is our faith. He deserves our faith. He has earned it. He is worthy of it.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Exodus 1–6 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Judgment Day Isn’t What You Think by Autumn Dickson The story of Joseph teaches us so many things about Christ. There are poignant details that point us in the direction of Christ’s story. There are so many directions we could go. However, let’s talk about one principle. Joseph’s story can teach us about Judgment Day. For so long, I pictured Judgment Day as a time when Christ would weigh all the good I had done versus all the bad, and then He would weigh it against my privileges and disadvantages. That seems fair, right? I don’t think anyone would argue that this is unfair judgment. However, I have since learned that God doesn’t work that way at all. He does it better; He judges us by our hearts. Joseph’s story teaches this so beautifully. Here are a couple of details that prepare us to understand Judgment Day in relation to Joseph’s story. Joseph had the grain that saved everyone who came and partook of it. He saved everyone. If you move forward a couple of chapters, we see that receiving the atonement of Jesus Christ isn’t just about giving of ourselves. It’s not about weighing our good and bad deeds; it’s about who we are. Joseph’s brothers come to partake of the grain in Egypt, and they don’t recognize their younger brother whom they sold into slavery. Joseph recognizes them and sets the brothers up for failure so that he can essentially kidnap Benjamin, the youngest brother. This was all a big ruse to see who his brothers had become, and they passed the test. Judah, the brother who originally conspired to kill Joseph, was ready to stand in Benjamin’s place. He was ready to stand in for another. Joseph didn’t say, “Oh you thought about killing me, but you’ve done good things since then. You’re trying to make up for it by standing in for Benjamin. I guess that cancels things out.” Rather, all that Joseph truly cared about was whether they were different men. Joseph didn’t care about the past sin (horrible as it was). Joseph cared about who they were, and they truly had changed. Here are a couple of verses that describe how Joseph, a type of Christ, felt when he had truly judged and discerned that his brothers were changed, good men. As I read these verses, I want you to draw the parallels between Joseph as he judged his brothers and Christ as He will judge us someday. Genesis 45:1, 5-6, 10, 14-15  1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 5 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. 6 For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. 10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. Which part stood out to you most? Was it the fact that Joseph rejoiced in his betrayal and sacrifice that saved everyone? Was it his uncontrollable weeping that his brothers were good men? Was it the fact that Joseph offered Goshen to them? Was it the affection that he bestowed on his brothers? All of those will be important parts of Judgment Day. I picture Judgment Day as Christ discerning our hearts as they are right now. He is determining whether we are safe enough to bring into His home or whether we will hurt our brothers and sisters further. It’s not about mistakes that we’ve made. Those were done away with a long time ago. It’s about whether He can trust our hearts to live with Him and preserve heaven. His sacrifice enabled Him to make that call, to judge our hearts righteously with justice and mercy. If He perceives goodness within us, then Judgment Day essentially becomes a lot of weeping and rejoicing and affection. He wants to keep us. No matter how we’ve betrayed Him in the past, He wants to know who we are now, and He wants to keep us with Him if He can help it. The sins are paid for; Christ is fine. They don’t count against us any longer. Christ is simply judging our hearts as they are now. That’s not to say that our actions don’t matter. Our actions change us. Our actions uncover who we are. What if Judah loved Benjamin and his father but didn’t step forward? Does that even count as real love? Our actions do matter; they’re just not the end-all. They are the process for the end-all. Our actions matter to the extent that they change us. I’ll repeat that again. Our actions matter to the extent that they change us. Repeatedly choosing light turns us into beings of light over time. Repeatedly choosing darkness pushes us in that direction. It doesn’t mean you can’t change directions, but become a person of integrity or humility isn’t a single choice. It’s a process that we should consciously take. It’s everyday choices that shape the hearts that the Lord is going to judge. I testify that Christ is looking to keep us. He isn’t looking at past individual sins. He already paid those off; the ledger is clear. He redeemed you, and now He is looking at you as you are. His sacrifice enables Him to judge your heart. Let go of your sins that are holding you down, and walk closer to light every day. Invite more of the Savior into your daily life. Rejoice in His ability to save you because you desire goodness.   Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award. The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Genesis 42–50 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.