What are your benchmarks to know if you are actually coming closer to Christ?
I think the adversary is super good at helping us get caught up in false benchmarks.
“Ugh, once I can actually stay up with the Come, Follow Me schedule, I’ll be okay.”
“I reach out to my ministering sisters once a month so I’m good.”
“If he serves a mission and gets married in the temple, then he’ll be fine.”
Building our own benchmarks.
Building our own tower, brick by brick.
While those are fine and worthy goals to have, those aren’t what save us or change us.
The people in Babel had their sights set on the wrong benchmark.
“Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven”. (Genesis 11:4)
We need to get closer to heaven? Okay, let’s build a big building to get there, and everything will be fine. God will bless us then.
It’s relying too much on our outward appearance to judge our closeness to the Savior.
So… what are your benchmarks to know if you are actually coming closer to Christ?
They probably don’t look too impressive from the outside.
Here are a few benchmarks that I’ve tried:
Benchmarks like… becoming slower and slower to anger.
Reacting with compassion when someone tells me a story instead of judgment.
Desiring more opportunities for service and honestly seeking them out.
Finding excuses to show love as often as possible.
Thinking about Jesus and His goodness often.
Meeting outward benchmarks will never save us, just like the Tower of Babel didn’t save the citizens of Babel.
It’s what’s on the inside that matters, and that’s a little bit more difficult to measure. But it’s worth putting the real effort there!
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
