11 And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us.

12 And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace;

13 And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; …

19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

20 For if you keep my commandments you shall receive of his fulness, and be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore, I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace.

I needed these comforting verses this morning. I had a rough day yesterday, as I was brought face to face with many of my own failings and weaknesses. Then, I woke from a dream this morning, realizing more I need to work on and improve. 

The reality of our personal shortcomings can be overwhelming. 

That’s why these verses spoke to my heart. Our Savior understands this struggle because He lived it. In His perfection, He didn’t have to face His own failings. But He did come and dwell among us in the flesh that He could know what it feels like. 

And furthermore, He had to grow and receive grace for grace in the flesh, just like us. Granted, His process was probably faster and easier. But it gives me comfort to know that He understands that we are growing a little at a time, very slowly, and that we have a lot to learn. 

He is patient with us and continually offers His arm of mercy and grace because He knows we have a long way to go. Impossibly long without Him.  

These verses promise the if we keep the commandments (something we can always be striving to do better and something we can repent of when we don’t—how merciful our God!), IN DUE TIME we will receive of His fullness. 

He doesn’t expect perfection today (thank goodness!). He just asked us to keep trying and eventually He will make it possible for us to get there. 

So, today, I will try a little harder to work on my shortcomings and then trust in His grace. I will approach each day with a prayer in my heart for personal revelation on how to accomplish and grow as He needs me to do.