"Will Ye Not Now Return Unto Me"

It is so easy to criticize others and questioning why they do the stupid things they do. When I see someone smoking I just think, “How can you possibly be doing that! You know how dangerous it is! You know it can give you cancer and lung disease and you know it can kill you!” And in my head I can’t fathom why somebody would still smoke. It makes no sense to do something when you know how deadly the consequences are. And then I read 3 Nephi 9:13, which says, “Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins… that I may heal you?” I often have the same attitude as the smoker. I always know the consequences of my actions, even if I sometimes I ignore that label, because I am a fallen human being who sometimes gives in to things that sound good now, but potentially destroy what I really want. And Christ is pleading with us to stop and to go to Him. He gives us a warning and then gives us a way to be completely healed when we don’t listen to Him. And he doesn’t look at us judgmentally when we mess up, like we so often look at others. He is so patient with us. I’m sure that sometimes he just thinks, “Please stop doing this. I can’t bear to watch you do these things when you have so much potential. Please come to me and let me heal you.” His hand is always reaching out to us, and he is so willing to help us, if we will only reach up and let him.