Excerpt
“You have immediate access to divine help and healing despite your human flaws.” — Elder Matthew S. Holland
Intro
Earlier today at Church, I asked myself how we avoid the Nineveh factor — that instinct to run in the opposite direction of what God asks.
Jonah did not run because he lacked faith.
He ran because Nineveh was uncomfortable.
Nineveh was personal.
I have had my own Nineveh moments.
Moments when obedience felt heavy.
Moments when mercy felt undeserved.
Moments when I wanted to sail toward Tarshish instead.
Notes from Elder Holland
Jonah teaches two powerful truths:
First, all are fallen. We live in a world where weeds grow and bones break. Struggle is not evidence of abandonment.
Second, we must not “forsake our own mercy.” The Lord prepares deliverance even when the storm was caused by our own decisions.
Jonah cried out from the belly of affliction.
He remembered the Lord.
And mercy was already prepared.
Perspective
I have felt what it means to be in deep waters.
Sometimes because of circumstances.
Sometimes because of my own choices.
But Elder Holland’s phrase pierced me:
“They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”
How often do we believe the adversary’s whisper that we are too flawed, too late, too far gone?
Mercy is not withdrawn.
We withdraw from it.
The temple today reminded me:
Even when reflected through glass, it stands.
Practice (today, not someday)
Today I will:
• Refuse to run from my Nineveh
• Cry unto God before I react
• Turn toward the temple, not away
• Reject the lying vanity that I am beyond help
Mercy is immediate. Not delayed.
Final Reflection
The Fall guarantees struggle.
The Atonement guarantees access.
Jonah sat in darkness for three days.
Christ entered the heart of the earth for three days.
One ran.
One stayed.
Both teach us that salvation is of the Lord.
Pocket I’m Keeping
“Forsake not your own mercy.”
Not when ashamed.
Not when tired.
Not when misunderstood.
Not when you feel swallowed.
What I Hear Now
“You have immediate access to divine help and healing despite your human flaws.”
Joy does not come after perfection.
It comes because of Him.
I do not have to earn mercy.
I only have to stop sailing away from it.
Link to the Talk
Forsake Not Your Own Mercy — Elder Matthew S. Holland
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