Galilee Day 3--Class Day

The schedule in Galilee is a little different than normal.  On one day one class has a field trip and the other class actually has class.  Then things get switched up.  So it was my time for class.  The thought of sitting in one class for three hours didn’t sound all that enjoyable.  Luckily I was wrong.

I really am growing to love the New Testament and Jesus.  I have LOVED learning about His life.  I love sitting in class with just my scriptures in front of me and reading the text.  I love learning about His miracles and his sermons.  I am learning so much about His life.  This has been such a blast.  

There are two verses that really stood out to me that I want to share from today’s lecture because obviously I can’t write it all down.  

Matthew 5:9.  “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

I have been called a peacemaker basically all my life and although it has not always been true I have always felt a connection with the title peacemaker.  It helped me get into the London study abroad and as I have been here Lindsay and Ben always refer to me as the peacemaker as they fight with each other (Usually in great fun!)  

We talked about this verse for a few minutes and Brother Huntsman said that usually peacemakers get a bad view and people call them “pansies.”  So perhaps I am just a pansy but I learned a lot about what being a real peacemaker means.

• First you need to make peace between yourself and God. 
• You need to make peace within yourself.
• You need to make peace with others after you have done both 1 and 2.
• When a problem is over let it be over and move on.

From this view I realized that being a peacemaker involves repentance and forgiveness much more than I had viewed.  Clearly I have a lot more work before I can receive the blessing of being called one of the children of God.  But, I am working on it.

The next verse that we went into a lot of detail on is Matthew 5:48—“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

Usually this verse can be pretty depressing.  I know that I am not perfect!  But the way we read it is super inspiring.  

The first word “be” translated by Greek can either be the commandment as we usually look at it or it can be a future tense meaning you will be perfect.  

As this comes after the beatitudes it seems to suggest that if we follow are poor in spirit, if we morn, if we are meek, if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, if we are merciful, if we are pure in heart, if we are peacemakers, and if we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake we will be considered perfect.

Furthermore the word perfect can also mean mature.  It can mean to be what you are meant to be.  As you do that you will come closer to being perfect.

3 Nephi 12:48 says “Therefore I would that ye be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.”  The difference between this verse and the verse from Matthew is that in Matthew Jesus doesn’t say that He is perfect.  We know that Jesus was morally perfect all of his life.  But perhaps He wasn’t completely perfect or mature at this point.  In Nephi He had gone through the atonement and had been resurrected.  After He had done all that He came to do and after He was resurrected then he considered himself perfect.  Only then does Jesus call us to be like him—perfect.  This gives me hope.  I won’t be able to be perfect in this life, and I can’t become perfect by myself.  But, with Christ help I can be perfect.  When I am resurrected I will be perfect.  

So what is the moral of this little verse?  Be happy!  One day, you will be perfect!

After class I had class, lunch, and a little nap.  Then my class had our “fancy dinner” night and went to a fish restraint.  I had pizza.  Yep, I sure did.  It was pretty great (even though not the best pizza I have ever had…or even close but still, it was pizza!)

Then we went to Tiberias to experience some night life and see the city.  It didn’t really have much!  Oh well!

When I got back to Ein Gev I went to my room and was locked out (the point of having two keys for four girls really isn’t the smartest but what can ya do) so I went and talked with Kaitlyn and Lauren.  When I had stayed for a while and thought that my apartment would be open again I went to leave.  I opened the door and saw a little cat look at me.  I hurried and shut the door.  Then I opened it again to see where the cat went and its nose was at the crack of the door.  It pretty much terrified me.  So Lauren came to the rescue and started meowing at the cat.  They had a pretty long conversation.  It still wouldn’t leave.  So we got a door hanger and tried to hit it away.  The cat just attacked the hanger back.  Somehow eventually they made it so I could get outside.  Talk about a traumatic/ironic experience, getting locked out of my apartment to be locked in another apartment.