Defeating Mr. Scratch - pt. 3

     This is the third, and final installment of the Mr. Scratch posts. Below are some inspirational material that I have read or listened to to help get a better understanding of what it means to fight ourselves, to destroy that part of us that does not belong there, to defeat Mr. Scratch.

     There and Back Again - The Wheels on the Bus Mr. Scratch is a physical representation of our doubts and fears as much as it is a representation of our hate and pride. My good friend Rachel Brasier tells an incredible story of this on her blog.



A Sunrise in Arizona

 

How To Save a Life - (Un)Ceremonious Not everything about dealing with Mr. Scratch is bad, there are healthy learning experiences to be dealt with. See if you can find where Mr. Scratch worked here. From my very own beloved sister, Lauren Allred. In the post she shares a very special talk from Elder Wirthlin, and I strongly encourage you to read the entire talk if you want to learn more about repenting and truly overcoming Mr. Scratch and his silly antics.

The Night will turn to Day.

     Mr. Scratch only has as much power as we give him. He is weak when we starve him, and he cannot talk loudly or strongly. He has no say in what you do when you ignore him. Mr. Scratch starts to have less of an influence when you are wholesome and genuine. Knowing this is just part of the battle. It is important to realize that we are in fact at war with ourselves, it is more important to take the necessary steps to ensure that you do not have to constantly be battling and merely surviving. There is a way to win, even though Mr. Scratch will not die as long as we are alive and mortal, he will always be with you, we can still be victorious. That is not victory for us, and therefore we cannot critisize ourself for not being perfect, because right now it is totally impossible. What is possible however is to make him small and insignificant, to say no to his silly and dangerous ideas and to continue to work, work with humility and dilligance that is focused soley on the Lord and His infinite mercy.
     Our enemy, Mr. Scratch, wants nothing less than for us to be miserable. Why? Because we have learned that he is not a part of God, he is merely the physical representation of the absence of God, and therefore cannot get what God wants us to have. He knows this and he is miserable for it, and all he wants to do is spread the love, through incredibly destructive amounts of passion and hate. He takes every emotion to the maximum, leaving no room for any thought or morals. Mr. Scratch wants us to become the most miserable people on the planet, and then he wants us to feel like him.
     You see, Mr. Scratch has already lost the war. When our incredible and invincible Savior Atoned for our sins his fate was damned and sealed. He would forever be confined to death. With this understanding, Mr. Scratch should have no power over us. He will die, he has already lost, we know that already. What we do not know is if you will be put into the same fate as him. The only way that can happen is if you do not forsake him and his stupidity. The question is will YOU win now.
     We already know that Mr. Scratch has many friends that also want to seal you to their awful fate. They will not and cannot have any effect on you unless you go with them and listen to them. They cannot do anything to you if you do not let them. Mr. Scratch does not have a body, and he therefore cannot make you do anything. Even if he did though, you could still prevail, just as others have. How?
     Make up your mind right now that you are not good enough. Seems contradictory to what I was saying before, but it is totally not. But Jake, if I say that I am not good enough that means I will definitely lose. And you will lose if you try to fight Mr. Scratch alone. You do not have the right power and authority to destroy him. But not if you believe God is strong enough, and if you put your trust and literally your life in His name (with his instruction) He will protect you and will help you defeat Mr. Scratch. Our Blessed Father in Heaven will give us the strength needed to be able to stop Mr. Scratch's evil influence. He has tools and weapons we can use to repel Mr. Scratch as well as the other enemies of our lives.
     Now, after we believe in God, and realize that in all reality we are not in fact strong enough to defeat our trials alone, then we must make the other critical decision: that we act, and act in accordance with Heavenly Father and His will. He has conquered darkness, and he has the strength and the power to stop Mr. Scratch, all he needs from us is the will and the work. Our Heavenly Father will bless our lives in ways we cannot comprehend when we make the effort, though we will still have trials, and Mr. Scratch will always be there, we will have learned how to excersize our agency and say no to him.
     Faith takes action to become reality. Now go and work, forgetting yourself and working on destroying Mr. Scratch.