HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT: Brad Wilcox, BYU, July 2011

Sometimes the struggles with toxic perfectionism stems from not understanding the grace given by Jesus Christ. In this talk, originally given on July 12, 2011, by Brother Brad Wilcox, he explains the doctrine of grace. Grace is not something that we earn, it is given because of the love of our Savior Jesus Christ. The enabling power of grace helps us to become like our Heavenly Parents. The gospel has never been about check lists but about our diving destiny of returning to live once again in our celestial home. Brother Wilcox superbly teaches this most important truth and doctrine in an understandable down to earth way. Some of our mental health challenges can be alleviated just by knowing and apply this doctrine in our lives. It truly is a most glorious doctrine indeed.

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CITATION:
Brad Wilcox, "His Grace is Sufficient", BYU Speeches, July 12, 2011: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/brad-wilcox/his-grace-is-sufficient/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hello, friends. Welcome to the Thinning of the Velve podcast. I'm your host, Tia Smith, and we have covered some very, very heavy things this week, and I'll get to that in a second. But I wanted to point you to a tool on the channel that seems to be underutilized. I have created playlists so that it's easier to kind of navigate through the channel instead of going through all of the many, many videos. Believe me, I know there is a ton of videos. I know that very distinctly. So I've created playlists that help to kind of shorten the distance between trying to find certain episodes. For instance, I created Gathering Academy, which is all of the how-to videos playlist. And every time one comes out, it goes into that playlist. So if you're just wanting all of the videos for the how-tos, then go to the Gathering Academy playlist. Now, if you want to know all the doctrinal talks that I've included throughout the podcast, those are in the doctrinal talks playlist. Um, and then I've created various other ones: the Ancestors Plea, Calling an Election, and stuff like that. Um I may look more at putting more playlists together. If you have any suggestions, then put them in the comments below about, you know, playlists that you would like to see. And I will try to make that happen. Just a quick reminder: join please the Gathering of the Gatherers group. Those of you who are involved in that group, feel free to comment and to make sure that because it is a safe space for everyone to be able to share their own experiences. Because believe me, even as of today, uh I got some pretty heavy backlash from an unbeliever who decided to put his comment in uh out there in the world for the world to see. And I know that it can be harsh sometimes. So know that if you go to the gathering of the gatherers in the Facebook group, you will, it is a safe a safe place because we monitor um those things probably on a well on a regular basis. So feel free and feel safe to go join it as a community for all of us to uh be able to express freely our testimony of these things. Uh one other thing next week we're going to hear from John Smith. Way, way cool last name. No, we're not related. He is from New Zealand. Uh, and I like I've mentioned before, that there is something going on there with New Zealand and with my dear friends from New Zealand. I can't again talk about it right now, but know that there is something behind the scenes, some wonderful, wonderful things happening that I'm super excited about. But um, he will be coming on to testify of his own revelatory experiences. What I'm hoping is that there is enough evidences throughout this channel of people having experiences to help you not doubt what you've been experiencing. I know that a lot of you have been shushed in very many different ways, and I am sorry about that. Know that I get that on a regular basis. I'm becoming a lot more immune to the fiery darts, though, and I will continue to testify boldly. Not only because the Lord has asked me to do it, but because all of us need to be strengthened and need not fear the opinions of those who do not understand the doctrines of Jesus Christ. So, with that being said, we've talked a lot this week about some very, very difficult and heavy subjects. I so appreciate Sister Raina Aberto for coming on and testifying about her revelatory experiences that helped her navigate those very traumatic experiences in her life. She was open and honest, and we both commented. I went to uh lunch with my husband after work, and he could see that I had been crying and he'd asked if I was okay. And I said, I just had a very spirit-filled um episode filming with Raina, and she actually wrote back and said the same thing that she had gone to lunch, and her friend had asked her if she was okay, and she said she just had felt this feasting of the spirit, and I'm paraphrasing. Um, so I hope that if you haven't watched that, go watch it. But we when we when we're talking about mental health disease, obviously it's caused for lots of different reasons. One of the reasons that seems to be very, very common is this toxic idea of perfectionism. I know for me, that is one of the things that I am having a hard time overcoming. And that when I started this podcast, I knew it was going to be a problem. I'm not a professional, I haven't been trained, I haven't been schooled in any of this. And so walking into this, I felt very, very and still feel very, very um unqualified to be able to do this. But it that question that President Nelson had asked a long time ago, what would you do if you had more faith? I decided to step forward into the light, knowing that um it wasn't going to be perfect. And I and I it's glaringly obvious that this podcast is not perfect. Uh, I am still trying to navigate technologies and the these things move so fast. And I am getting older. So trying to navigate all of that just seems to be overwhelming sometimes. And this idea of toxic perfectionism seems to come in more readily um at different times, and it throws it throws me into a tailspin. You can ask my husband. And that sweet man will sit with me and remind me of what God has asked me to do, and that God has given me the power to do it, just like every single one of you. Um, if you've been asked to do something hard, or if you've been asked to testify, or or or there are a lot of ors, right? Um, and unfortunately, people can be mean, especially in our digital age. We see a lot of um bullying online or opinions. Again, I had one today. Uh, but what we don't understand though, and what I've been taught just very, very recently in pleading when I was going through one of these very dark times, because it ebbs and flows, and I was pleading and praying with my Heavenly Father, he helped me to understand that this is for my good, that I am in the process of becoming, and that his grace is sufficient for the things that he's asked me to do. Um, and that is the talk that I've included today, because as we listen to even Janet struggle with um all of the experiences with her son, uh I think every single one of us that have testified this week will testify that if it were not for the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ, these things could not be weathered. And so I've included, and I know many of you have probably listened to this talk over and over again, but it is one that should be a go-to most of the time for us, especially if we're struggling, if we're having those moments of depression, if we're having those anxiety-filled um days and weeks and months that seem to go on forever. Maybe this should be one of the talks that we include. And it's Brad Wilcox, his grace is sufficient in 2011. It's a BYU speech. I hope that you will find strength in it as I have, as we understand the doctrine more fully of grace and the powers that are contained with the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ, that we can accomplish the seemingly impossible because you and I were not sent here on accident. We exhibited the powers necessary to overcome evil here and now. We fought the war already. We already won over in the preexistence, and now it's time and we're in the the battle continuously. I don't think it's ever stopped. At some point it will, though. But you have the capability, my friends, to overcome whatever mental health disease you are struggling from, whatever mental health struggle, whatever feelings of unworthiness, or feelings that you aren't perfect, or feelings that you aren't worthy. Know that it is through the grace of our Tonement Jesus Christ that we are to become, and that these are experiences that are necessary for our good to learn how to become like our parents. So I hope that you enjoy this talk. I please join me next week. Um, and thanks again. Just keep liking and subscribing and sharing with your friends, and know that I am forever grateful. Uh, have a great weekend, my friends. We'll see ya. Bye.

SPEAKER_04 9:20

Thank you, Sister Sharman, for that introduction. It's an honor to be invited to speak to you today. Several years ago, I received an invitation to speak at women's conference. And when I told my wife, she asked, Well, what have they asked you to speak on? Well, I was so excited that I kind of got my words mixed up, and I said, Well, they want me to speak about changing strengths into weaknesses. Well, she thought about that for a minute, and then finally she looked at me and she said, They've got the right man for the job. And she's correct about that. I could give a whale of a talk on that subject, but I think we better go back to the original topic today and speak about changing weaknesses into strengths and how the grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient. Sufficient to cover us, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long as that transformation process takes. The grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cover us. A BYU student once asked if we could talk. I said, Of course. How can I help you? She said, I just don't get grace. I responded, Well, what is it that you don't understand? And she said, Um, she says, Well, I know that I have to do my best, and then Jesus does the rest, but I can't even do my best. She then went on to tell me all the things that she should be doing because she's a Mormon. But she wasn't doing them. She continued, I know that I have to do my part, and then Jesus makes up the difference and fills the gap that stands between my part and perfection. But she asks, who fills the gap that stands between where I am now and my part? She then went on to tell me all the things that she shouldn't be doing because she's a Mormon. But she was doing them anyway. Finally, I said, Jesus doesn't make up the difference. Jesus makes all the difference. Grace is not about filling gaps, it is about filling us. Now, seeing that she was still confused, I took a piece of paper and I drew two dots, one at the top representing God, and one at the bottom representing us. And then I said, Go ahead, draw the line. How much is our part? How much is Christ's part? Well, she went right to the center of the page and began drawing a line. Then, considering what we'd been talking about, she went clear to the bottom and right above the bottom dot, she drew a line. And I said, Wrong. And she said, Oh, I knew it was higher. I knew it. Why didn't I just draw it? Because I knew it. And I said, No. I said, Truth is, there is no line. Jesus filled that whole space. He paid our debt in full. He didn't pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished. She said, Oh, right. Like I don't have to do anything. I said, Oh no, you've got plenty to do. But it is not to fill that gap. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God's presence. What is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with, and how comfortable we plan to be in God's presence, how long we plan to stay there. Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice, not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection, and He can help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now and make another arrangement. So what's the difference? The girl asked. I mean, whether our efforts are required by justice or whether they're required by Jesus, they're still required. True, I said, but they're required for a different purpose. Fulfilling Christ's requirements is like paying a mortgage instead of rent, making deposits in a savings account instead of paying off debt. You still have to hand it over every month, but it is for a totally different reason. Christ's grace is sufficient to transform us. Christ's arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. How many of you know what I'm talking about? Yep, look at all those hands. Because mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Everybody in a big voice. Oh, you knew that answer. Practice, practice. Now, does the child's practice pay the piano teacher? No. Well, does the child's practice repay mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for mom's incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom's joy is not found in getting repaid, but in seeing her gift used, seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice. Now, if the child sees mom's requirement of practice as being too overbearing, gosh, mom, why do I need to practice? None of the other kids need then none of them practice. And I'm just gonna be a professional baseball player anyway. Maybe it's just because that child doesn't yet see with mom's eyes. He doesn't see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live it on a higher plane. Now, in the same way, because Jesus has paid justice, he can now turn to us and say, follow me, keep my commandments. If we see his requirements as being way too much to ask, gosh, none of the other Christians have to pay tithing. Gosh, none of the other Christians have to go on missions, they don't have to do temple work, they don't have to serve in callings. See, maybe we don't yet see through Christ's eyes. Maybe we have not yet comprehended what he is trying to make of us. Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written the great mediator asks for our repentance, not because we must repay him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that with the Savior's help leads us along the path to a saintly character. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, the repenting sinner must suffer for his sins. But this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change. Now let's put that in terms of our analogy. The child must practice the piano. But this practice has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change. I have born-again Christian friends who say to me, You Mormons are trying to earn your way to heaven. I say no. We are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven. We are preparing for it. We're practicing for it. They ask me, Well, have you been saved by grace? And I say yes, absolutely, totally, completely, thankfully, yes. And then I ask them a question that perhaps they have not fully considered. Have you been changed by grace? They are so excited about being saved that maybe they're not thinking enough about what comes next. They are so happy the debt is paid, they might not have considered why the debt existed in the first place. Latter-day Saints know not only what Jesus has saved us from, but what he has saved us for. As my friend Brett Sanders puts it, a life impacted by grace eventually begins to look like Christ's life. As my friend Omar Canals puts it, while many Christians view Christ's suffering as only a huge favor he did for us, Latter-day Saints also recognize it as a huge investment he made in us. As Moroni puts it in chapter 7, verse 48, grace isn't just about being saved, it is about becoming like the Savior. The miracle of the atonement is not just that we can live after we die, but that we can live more abundantly. The miracle of the atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled, but that we can be transformed. Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God. But brothers and sisters, no unchanged thing will even want to. I know a young man who just got out of prison. Again, every time two roads diverge in a yellow wood, he takes the wrong one. Every time. Now, when he was a young teenager, struggling with every bad habit that a young teenage boy can have, I said to his father, We need to get him to EFY. I've worked with that program since 1985. I know the good that it can do. I said, We've got to get him to EFY. Well, his dad says, I can't afford that. I said, I can't afford it either, but you put some in and I'll put some in and then we'll go to my mom, because she's a real softie. And um, and we finally got him to EFY. But how long do you think he lasted? Not even a day. By the end of the first day, he called his mother and he said, Get me out of here. Heaven will not be heaven. For those who have not chosen to be heavenly. In the past, I always had a picture in my mind of what the final judgment would be like. And it always went something like this: Jesus standing there with the clipboard. Brad standing across the room, nervously looking at Jesus. Jesus looking at his clipboard and saying, Oh, shoot. I mean, Brad, oh, you missed it by two points. You know, Brad begging Jesus, please look at the essay question one more time. There's gotta be two points you can squeeze out of that essay. Now, that's how I always saw it. But as I get older and as I come to a better understanding of the plan of redemption, then the more I realize in the final judgment it will not be the unrepentant sinner begging Jesus, let me stay, let me stay. No, he will probably be saying, Get me out of here. Knowing Christ's character, I believe that if anyone is going to be begging on that occasion, it will probably be Jesus begging the unrepentant sinner, please choose to stay. Please use my atonement not just to be cleansed, but to be changed so that you want to stay. The miracle of the atonement is not just that we can go home, but that miraculously we can feel at home there. If Christ did not require faith and repentance, then there would be no desire to change. Think of your friends and your family members who have chosen to live without faith and repentance. They don't want to change. They're not trying to abandon sin and become comfortable with God. Rather, they are trying to abandon God and become comfortable with sin. If Jesus did not require covenants and bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost, then there would be no way to change. We would be left forever with willpower and have no access to his power. If Jesus did not require endurance to the end, then there would be no internalization of those changes over time. They would forever be surface and cosmetic rather than sinking inside of us and becoming part of who we are. Put simply, if Jesus did not require practice, then we would never become pianists. Christ's grace is sufficient to help us in that process. Brother Wilcox, I mean, don't you realize how hard practice is? I mean, I'm just not very good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes, and it takes me forever to get it right. Now wait, isn't that all part of the learning process? When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don't say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don't say that. We don't expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now, we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano, but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven? Too many are giving up on the church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short. Oh, they've tried in the past, but always feel like they are just not good enough. They don't understand grace. There are young women who know they are daughters of a heavenly father who loves them and they love him. Then they graduate from high school. And the values that they memorized are put to the test. They slip up, they let things go just a little too far, and suddenly they think it's all over. These young women don't understand grace. There are young men who grow up their whole lives singing, I hope they call me on a mission. And then they actually do grow a foot or two, and they flake out completely. They just flake out. Oh, they get their eagles, they graduate from high school, they go away to college, then suddenly these young men find out how easy it is to not be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, or reverent. They mess up. So they say, I'll never do it again. And then they do it. And then they say, Well, I'll never do it again. And then they do it.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

And then they say, This is stupid. I will never do it again.

SPEAKER_04 28:26

And then they do it. The guilt is almost unbearable. Oh, they don't dare talk to a bishop. Instead, they hide and they say, I can't do this Mormon thing. I tried. The expectations are just way too high. So they quit. These young men don't understand grace. I know return missionaries who come home and slip back into bad habits they thought were over. They break promises they made before God, angels, and witnesses. And they're convinced that there's no hope for them now. They say, Oh, I've blown it. I mean, there's no use in even trying anymore. Seriously? I mean, these young people have spent entire missions teaching people about the atonement of Jesus Christ. And now they feel like there is no hope for them. Those return missionaries don't understand grace. I know young married couples who find out after the sealing ceremony is over that marriage requires adjustments. The pressures of life mount, and stress starts taking its toll financially, spiritually, and even sexually. Mistakes are made, walls go up, and pretty soon these husbands and wives are talking with divorce lawyers rather than talking with each other. These couples don't understand grace. In all of these cases, there should never be just two options, perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ's atonement are continuous and his strength is perfect in our weakness. When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, continue in patience until we are perfected. One young man wrote me the following email: I know God has all power, and I know he will help me if I'm worthy. But I'm just never worthy enough to ask for his help. I want Christ's grace, but I always find myself stuck in the same self-defeating and impossible position. No work, no grace. I wrote him back and testified with all my heart that Christ is not waiting at the finish line once we have done all we can do. He is with us every step of the way. Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written: the Savior's gift of grace to us is not necessarily limited in time to after all we can do. We may receive his grace before, during, and after the time when we expend our own efforts. So grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel, but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch, but the finisher's touch. In twelve days, we celebrate Pioneer Day. The first company of saints entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th, 1847. Their journey was difficult and challenging. Still they sang, Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear, but with joy wend your way. Though hard to you this journey may appear, grace shall be as your day. What an interesting phrase. We have sung that song hundreds of times, but have we ever stopped to consider what it means? Grace shall be as your day. Grace shall be like a day. As dark as night may become, we can always count on the sun coming up. As dark as our trials, sins, and mistakes may appear. We can always have confidence in the grace of Jesus Christ. Do we earn a sunrise? No. Do we have to be worthy of a chance to begin again? No. We just have to accept these blessings and take advantage of them. As sure as each brand new day, grace, the enabling power of Jesus Christ is constant. Faithful pioneers knew they were not alone. The task ahead of them was never as great as the power behind them. In conclusion, I reiterate that the grace of Christ is sufficient, sufficient to cover our debt, sufficient to transform us, and sufficient to help us as long as that transformation process takes. The Book of Mormon teaches us to rely solely on the merits, mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah. As we do, we do not discover, as some Christians believe, that Christ requires nothing of us. Rather, we discover the reason he requires so much and the strength to do all he asks. Grace is not the absence of God's high expectations. Grace is the presence of God's power. Elder Neele Maxwell once said the following. This feeling of inadequacy is normal. There is no way the church can honestly describe where we must yet go and what we must yet do without creating a sense of immense distance. This is a gospel of grand expectations, but God's grace is sufficient for each of us. With Elder Maxwell, I testify that God's grace is sufficient. Jesus' grace is sufficient.

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Oh young people.

SPEAKER_04 37:43

Look for the Lord and his perfect strength. Don't search for someone to blame. Search for someone to help you. Seek Christ. And as you do, I promise you will feel the enabling power we call His amazing grace.

SPEAKER_02 38:22

I leave this testimony and all of my love. As God is my witness, I love the youth of this church.

SPEAKER_01 38:43

I believe in you. I'm pulling for you.

SPEAKER_03 38:56

And I'm not the only one. Parents are pulling for you. Leaders are pulling for you. Prophets are pulling for you. And Jesus is pulling with you. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.