Pathway to Perfection

Blessed are the...

"Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
And again, blessed are all they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
And blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.
And blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
And blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
And blessed are all the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
And blessed are all they who are persecuted for my name’s sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - 3 Nephi 12:3-10

After Jesus Christ comes to the Nephites, he delivers a famous sermon to the people in the Temple. This sermon is very similar to the famous Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5 of the New Testament, and includes the Beatitudes found therein. This sermon has many powerful messages from the Savior, but can become sort of cliche to Christians. As one of the hallmark sermons of Christ, it is taught and recited often. Particularly the Beatitudes (quoted above), can be seen as a worn-out routine praise of several distinct groups. Blessed are the meek, all that mourn, the peacemakers, and so on. But a deeper study of this selection reveals that these are not depicting different groups, but are outlining a process of repentance and coming to God.

So imagine you feel guilty about something and need to repent. Your first step is to recognize that you are poor in spirit, or in other words you are not where you want to be spiritually. Next, you mourn about what you have done. This does not mean you wallow and stop progressing, but rather you feel bad about what you have done. This leads to becoming meek and humble and recognizing your weaknesses. Then you hunger and thirst after righteousness, and desire to change yourself. Repentance also involves being merciful and forgiving yourself and others. Then you become pure in heart and a peacemaker. All of this may involve being persecuted for His sake, as it is not always easy or popular to choose the right.

When viewed in this light, the Beatitudes clearly reveal the step-by-step process of repenting and being more like God. I know that this process can lead to peace of mind and peace with God. Many may view repentance as painful or self-degrading, but it is the opposite. When we repent and draw to God, we will be blessed as the Beatitudes indicate. God loves all His children and hopes for their success. He always has His hand stretched out to help and guide us in the path. Begin the pathway to perfection outlined above and repeat it throughout your life to become more perfect and more close to Him.