I, The Lord, Remember Them No More

One of the biggest poisons for a baseball player is getting inside his own head. This happens frequently during games when the player makes an error, when he strikes out, or if he struggles to throw strikes. Being mentally tough in these situations is what separates good players from great ones, because some players allow these emotions to consume them the rest of the game.

In a tournament, we were in need of a late inning rally to keep our hopes alive. As our team was watching the pitcher warm up and getting their timing right, I walked up to our lead-off hitter for that inning. I asked him, "you gonna get on base for us right now?" His reply surprised me, "I don't know." I asked him why he wasn't sure if he would get on base and he said, "because I'm not doing so well this game. I couldn't throw very many strikes when I was pitching." I tried to tell him to forget about that, because all we needed was a good at-bat from him in that moment. Long story short, that player didn't make solid contact in his at-bat and recorded the first out of the inning. This player was so enveloped in something in the past, that it impeded him from moving forward. In baseball, one big hit can break a slump for a certain player, but he has to have the mental tenacity to fight through the slump.

I see this happen in our day to day lives, where something in our past impedes us from moving forward. Sometimes it's sin, sometimes it's grief, or needing to forgive someone (including ourselves). An important scripture to remember is Doctrine and Covenants 58:42, "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." When we repent of past sins, we are accepting the Savior's invitation of coming unto him. Alma the Younger had a strong testimony about this concept, saying "Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more." Likewise, we are coming unto the Savior by forgiving somebody else of a wrongdoing. The answer to life's most difficult questions is simply to accept the loving arms of Jesus Christ.

The Lord needs us NOW. In the Latter-Days, we are making one final missionary push to spread this great message to the whole earth. One of the biggest things that will slow the work down is when we let something in the past hold us back, and we feel that we aren't worthy to do his work. Don't let Satan get in your head, but instead get in his. It bothers him when the weakest of the saints kneels down in mighty prayer. Come unto Christ, and let Him show you the way.