We need to remember who we are!

     There are basically three major weapons used to separate God from His children: Money (greed, theft, usury, bribery), Sex (adultery, perversion, lust, rape), and Power (pride, lies, abuse, murder, bullying, rebellion). When the children of Israel were led out of Egypt, the Lord reduced His expectations for their obedience down to the minimum, what we label "The Ten Commandments". It's surprising how often these simple rules are ignored even by those who profess to believe in God and even pray to Him occasionally. People may cheat on their taxes or steal from their workplaces. People have been known to put LOTS of things before God, twisting His commandments to allow whatever it is their favorite sin may be. Often, they don't even try to understand and know what God wants so they don't have to worry about whether or not they're obedient. Sex has been reduced from a sacred gift for uniting a husband and wife and provide offspring to being simply an animal appetite. There is no "wrong" in satisfying sexual urges- you don't have to be married and if you are you don't have to be faithful, you can have any kind of sexual satisfaction you want with anyone you want, you can be whatever gender you want to be. Even easy commandments like keeping the Sabbath day holy are completely ignored. The Sabbath is simply a weekend day- a day to sit in outdoor cafes and have a beer or ride boats on the lake and waterski or shop all day. Many people who may even go to church try to find a time more convenient in their schedule to fulfill this obligation to worship God. He never said anything about going to an hour meeting when you can. He said, "Keep the Sabbath day holy."
     As I have thought about some day leaving mortality (dying) and facing my Father in Heaven and my Savior, I have grieved for any justifications I may have made in my life for being so much less than I can be. I'm grateful for repentance, the opportunity to be sorry enough to change. I'm grateful for God's love and my Savior's atoning sacrifice, both of which allow me to improve. I wish I could shout to all the world that there is a better way than what we see in movies, read about in social media, and hear about all around the world. Some day FitBits and promotions at work and status and fashionable clothes and certificates we hang on our walls and yummy recipes and fancy houses or cars will all seem so inconsequential. We will be amazed that they ever took up so much of our time and energy. I am grateful for lovely flowers and those who take the time to nurture them. I am grateful for beautiful lakes and streams and for all those who respect them. I am grateful for those who seek to develop and share talents to uplift others. I am grateful for all of God's children who choose to show His love through their acts of kindness to God's creations and His children. I can only pray that I can know how to remind others how much He loves us and wants us to be like His Son. And I hope to do that somehow in ways that encourage rather than discourage, remind not judge.