My main purpose in being zealous about understanding our purpose and our relationship to God is to be a "watchman on the tower". I only want to warn of the pitfalls that will result in pain, sorrow, or regret. I have had plenty of those and don't relish having more, although I acknowledge that some are unavoidable. So my latest thoughts are about "being sober".
Here is Alma talking to one of his sons (Alma 38:15) And may the Lord bless your soul, and receive you at the last day into his kingdom, to sit down in peace. Now go, my son,...Be sober.
Peter says something similar in his first epistle (1Peter 5:8) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
To those who aren't in the habit of reading scripture, the reference to the devil and a roaring lion devouring may sound a bit extreme. However, if you pause and consider the experience of either of these men, you can understand why they are so adamant. They both experienced and saw the extremes of joy in the Lord and the agony of remorse over sin. They are not referring to being without influence of drugs or alcohol, although that is certainly a means of being sober. They are not referring to being only serious and without humor, though there are certainly moments to be more reverent and contemplative. Through the prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord said (D&C 88:69) Cast away your idle thoughts and your excess of laughter far from you. Also He said (D&C 59:15) And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, not with much laughter, for this is sin, but with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance... There is important counsel here for anyone striving to follow the Savior and be like Him, as He commanded. He wants us to happy- enough that He fulfilled His mission to the end, enduring pain both physical and spiritual that none of us could ever comprehend, so that we might not have to feel such pain ourselves. (D&C 19:16-19)
For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit- and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink- Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
And further clarification of this characteristic is in more of the words of Alma to his son (Alma 38:12) See that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.
If we want to feel God's love for us and feel as He feels toward others, our own passions must be bridled. If we are focused on "having a good time" with loud laughter and idle thoughts, we are focused on the "pleasures of Babylon" which will provide their own reward---- if that's what we want. If our deepest desire is to laugh hysterically or have our minds altered to be out of our control due to a potential addiction to any mortal experience or substance (sex, food, money, power) or simply "recreational" chemicals in alcohol or drugs- then the resulting "high" is the reward we can expect. We won't be any closer to ability to deal with watching a loved one suffer in pain or dealing with a rebellious child who yells at us that they hate us or endure the death of a loved one or loss of marriage through divorce. The temporary high is what we'll have- then it will be gone. We must be vigilant in realizing that Satan's counterfeit offerings to deal with the inevitable trials of mortality- instant gratification- will never be enough. They simply don't work. All they do is distract us from the source of true healing- our relationship with our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. So, I would repeat and repeat, obey the commandments, especially to pray, search the scriptures and love others as you want them to love you.
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