What Does It Mean to Live a Christ-Centered Life?

Today has been a great day so far.

I woke up fairly early with Beck and we went on a 15+ mile bike ride on the river trail. We had a great talk and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

I’m a little stressed right now, only due to the fact that I don’t feel very prepared for the Webelos Woods camp we have tonight. It’s my own fault for not really following up, but I’ve become accustom to just showing up for Webelos.

Yesterday was a really great day for productivity, although I didn’t make time to write or study. I went to BNI in the morning and felt really good there, then came home and worked on my checklist of tasks the whole day.

It feels so liberating to be in recovery and be efficient and productive.

I’m grateful today that I want to be in this place.

What can I study about today?

What is pressing or is a question I can look for answers for?

I just read a talk from LDS.org title “Seeking Rescue.” It’s about the 33 Chilean miners that were stuck in a mine for over 60 days before finally being rescued. It talks about how they had to put their trust in the rescuers. They had to turn their will over and have faith that people were doing their best to help save them.

Christ is the same way with us. He’s already saved us, both from physical death through the resurrection, and from spiritual death through His sacrifice. Now it’s my choice how I use that sacrifice in my day to day life. I have to put my trust in Him and invite Him to help me in everything – both temporal and spiritual.

Like the 33 men trapped by a mine collapse in Chile, we may feel trapped by our trials and weaknesses; however, through the plan of salvation we can find hope of a rescue.

I have to recognize that, like the miners, I am in bondage. I’ve been trapped for most of my life in my addiction, but today I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I’m on my way out of the mine that I’ve been trapped in.

Unfortunately, the mine in my life is an ongoing challenge, one that I may never get out of completely. I must live a Christ-centered life and turn to Him in all my doings.

What does it mean to live a Christ-centered life? How do you do this? Who did this in the scriptures?

Elder Neal A Maxwell answered a lot of these questions in a talk titled, “The Christ-Centered Life.”

Perhaps it is the very simplicity of the Christ-centered life that makes it so difficult to discuss. Its requirements are actually quite simple: keep his commandments!

Keep the commandments, keep the commandments, in this there is safety in this there is peace. He will send blessings, he will send blessings. Words of the prophets, keep the commandments. In this there is safety and peace.

This is interesting to think about:

Writing our personal histories and doing genealogical research, for instance, help us to keep the fifth commandment—honoring father and mother.

There is much more to study, but I need to get back to work before heading to lunch with the family, including Mom and Dad.

I’m grateful for the study I had today.

I’m grateful for the Mormon message I watched too titled, “After the Storm.”

I’m grateful to be living in recovery today.

I’m grateful for Becky and for my kids and the love I feel for them.

Hasta luego!

Nate