Sunday Sentiments - Glory in My Jesus

Today in Relief Society (the women's class at my Church) we discussed the talk "I Glory in My Jesus" by Elder Aaron T. Hall. I missed most of the lesson because I did singing time in primary, but I studied the lesson at home this week and snuck in the class for the last few minutes. 

In the talk, Elder Hall shared a scripture from Nephi's closing words in the Book of Mormon in which Nephi stated, "I glory in my Jesus." There are two parts to this line that stand out to me: 

First, to "glory." When the word "glory" is used as a verb, it means to rejoice proudly, exult, or take great delight in something. So Nephi was saying that he takes great delight in Jesus Christ, but the second part to that is Nephi referring to the Savior as "my Jesus." 

Artwork by Malory Fiso

This made me think about whether we as individuals can (or should) have our own image of Jesus, His character, and who He is. Is it better for us to have a collective understanding of who Christ is or to have our own perceptions and ideas of who He is? I think there is good to both scenarios. On one hand, it is good to have an accurate and doctrinely sound understanding of His mission and His teachings. But there is also goodness in connecting to certain parts of His character that reach our individual hearts. I thought about this in terms of people I know in this life. I have my version of everyone I interact with. Let's say I have best friend named Betty (shouldn't everyone have a Best Friend Betty?). My experiences with her shape how I describe her. I may see parts of Betty that no one else sees, or there may be aspects of her personality that stand out to me more than others. No one else will see or interpret Betty the way I do, though there may be plenty of overlap. I will always have my version of Betty based on my unique observations and experiences with her. Likewise, I have my Nicky or my Daisy or my grandma or my Mrs. Patterson (I figured I'd throw my third grade teacher in there. Why not?)

Just as my perception of a person is unique based on our experiences together, I can have my Jesus. We can each have our Jesus and glory in that Jesus. 

In Elder Hall's talk, he shared some more of Nephi's words regarding his Jesus. Nephi mentioned that Jesus Christ had been his support, had led him through afflictions, had preserved him, and had filled him with His love. When I read that, I thought, THAT is Nephi's Jesus!

Later in the talk, Elder Hall shared many of the aspects of Christ that he glories in, and I thought, THAT is Elder Hall's Jesus!

Then there was a quote from President Oaks about Christ, and I thought, THAT is President Oaks' Jesus!

Of course it's all the same Jesus, but each person focused on something meaningful to glory over in regards to their Savior.

This has me thinking more about my Jesus. What are the parts of Christ that I need the most in my personal journey, and what does that make Him for me? I’ve always struggled to develop a relationship with Christ. I have a bit of a personal stumbling block that I haven't been able to pray or study myself out of yet, but I'm always working on it, and I'm always listening for the answer that helps me move past it. Hopefully someday I'll have a better idea of who my Jesus is.