{"id":173,"date":"2021-12-21T21:44:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T21:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/postsofgreatprice\/?p=173"},"modified":"2021-12-21T21:44:35","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T21:44:35","slug":"the-broken-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/postsofgreatprice\/2021\/12\/the-broken-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"The Broken Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A friend, Jimmy, sent me this excellent observation, \u201cI have always struggled with Mosiah 4:5 \u2018the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness and your worthless and fallen state.\u2019 The word \u2018worthless\u2019 just seemed like a strong word. I have been taught that we are children of God, that we have value. How can we be worthless? Is it from our perspective and not God\u2019s perspective? It still seems a bit harsh coming from the mouth of a prophet.\u201d<\/p>\n

What a great question, Jimmy. What an important question! Understanding this is crucial to understanding the gospel itself.<\/p>\n

Many people less observant than Jimmy have glossed over these words, but Benjamin\u2019s statement should make everyone do a double-take. What? Gaining knowledge of the goodness of God will make me feel worthless and fallen? I constantly hear about the \u201cplan of happiness,\u201d but I don\u2019t recall ever hearing about the \u201cplan of feeling worthless and fallen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benjamin\u2019s statement is even more perplexing when we understand that these people who were feeling \u201cworthless and fallen,\u201d and \u201cless than the dust of the earth,\u201d were actually \u201cdiligent in keeping the commandments,\u201d and a \u201chighly favored people of the Lord\u201d (Mosiah 1:11, 13).<\/p>\n

So, if they were so obedient, why were they feeling so awful? The short answer is because they were in trouble. We are all in trouble. And coming to an awareness of our serious trouble is the \u201cbroken heart\u201d that the scriptures talk about.<\/p>\n

We are worthless because we are \u201cfallen.\u201d So in order to understand the Broken Heart, we need to understand the effects of the fall on each of us\u2013and spoiler alert, it\u2019s not good. As noted in the previous segment, \u201cHow Damning Was the Fall?\u201d, we come into this telestial world \u201clost,\u201d and even \u201ccarnal sensual and devilish\u201d (Mosiah16:3,4; 2 Ne 2:21,26; Alma 41:11). Benjamin\u2019s \u201chighly favored\u201d people were awakened to an awareness of their \u201cnothingness, and their worthless and fallen state\u201d (Mosiah 4:5). We are \u201cunworthy, and because of the fall, our natures have become evil continually\u201d (Ether 3:2). All mankind is, \u201cfallen, and in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence\u201d (Alma 42:14). We are under the \u201ccurse of Adam\u201d (Moroni 8:8). We have died the \u201cfirst death.\u201d We are already spiritually dead! (Alma 11:45; 42:9; D&C 29:41). We have failed the \u201cfirst judgment\u201d (2 Ne 9:7). Suffered the wrath of his \u201cfirst provocation\u201d (Alma 12:36).<\/p>\n

If that list breaks your heart, then mission accomplished, it\u2019s supposed to. Benjamin said that this awareness comes to people who already know of the goodness of God. That means these good obedient people were feeling worthless and fallen, not despite their goodness, but because of it. And yes, that is a paradox for most people who firmly believe, \u201cthe more I obey God, the happier I will be.\u201d<\/p>\n

The broken heart is commonly described as \u201chumility.\u201d That isn\u2019t right. Here\u2019s how we know: Christ gave us an example of the broken heart when he told the Nephites, \u201cye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me\u2026\u201d So, who were these Lamanites who had broken hearts? Were they paragons of humility? No, they were the wicked Lamanites we read about in Helaman chapter 5\u2013not humble at all. They were going to kill Lehi and Nephi but then experienced paralyzing \u201cdarkness, and an awful solemn fear\u201d (Helaman 5:28).<\/p>\n

Humility is a desirable trait\u2013something we can cultivate. The broken heart is awful and definitely not self-initiated. The broken heart is God giving you a preview; if the judgment were right now, how would you stand? Well, unless you have already been redeemed, the preview will be awful; it will \u201cbreak your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not only would no one want to feel the pains of a damned soul, but no one could self-generate that level of anguish. So, the timing and degree of this \u201cfear of the Lord\u201d is not under our control. Benjamin made it clear that this anguish comes to us\u2013not from us, \u201cthe fear of the Lord had come upon them. And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ\u201d (Mosiah 4:1,2).<\/p>\n

Consider these additional examples of the broken heart. Alma felt \u201cthe fear of the Lord\u201d and the \u201cpains of a damned soul.\u201d Enos had a \u201cwrestle\u201d before God, \u201ccrying\u201d for supplication for his soul. Lamoni\u2019s father said he was \u201ctroubled in mind.\u201d The very wicked Lamanites in Helaman 5 experienced debilitating darkness and \u201can awful solemn fear\u201d. Prior to the first vision, Joseph Smith wrote, \u201cmy mind became exceedingly distressed, for my sins, and for the sins of the world.\u201d At the beginning of his dream, Lehi began to follow Christ but was for a long time in a \u201cdark and dreary waste.\u201d Both Nephi and Paul lamented feeling \u201cwretched.\u201d<\/p>\n

Notice the element of distress in every account: Fear, pain, wrestle, crying, troubled, awful fear, distressed, darkness, wretched. All these accounts are consistent in their anguish, but what is not consistent is the level of righteousness of each person; some of these people were very wicked, some were very obedient, but each of them was feeling sick to their stomach anguish.<\/p>\n

Do those words sound like a plan of happiness? Hardly. And yet, the broken heart is indispensable in the plan of happiness. Each of these people was only moments away from feeling exquisite joy. They were only moments away from gaining a remission of their sins from Jesus Christ. They were only moments away from being redeemed and saved from the effects of the fall.<\/p>\n

So yes, the \u201cplan of happiness\u201d gets much more press, but the \u201cplan of feeling worthless and fallen\u201d is always a prerequisite.<\/p>\n

CS Lewis said it like this, \u201cI quite agree that the Christian religion is, in the long run, a thing of unspeakable comfort. But it does not begin in comfort; it begins in the dismay I have been describing, and it is no use at all trying to go on to that comfort without first going through that dismay\u201d (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 23).<\/p>\n

Martin Luther said, \u201cMan must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ.\u201d (Heidelberg Disputation #18)<\/p>\n

Paul said, \u201cGodly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation\u201d (2 Cor 7:10).<\/p>\n

So, being brought to a recognition of our fallen circumstances is absolutely awful but is a necessary step to exquisite joy. Being shown the seriousness of our fallen state can be the beginning of our salvation.<\/p>\n

Guest post by Vardell Taylor. The author welcomes thoughts and ideas:\u00a0 vbtaylorfam@hotmail.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A friend, Jimmy, sent me this excellent observation, \u201cI have always struggled with Mosiah 4:5 \u2018the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness and your worthless and fallen state.\u2019 The word \u2018worthless\u2019 just seemed like a strong word. 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