What you WANT is what counts

     Years ago, the Rolling Stones had a song, "You Can't Always Get What You Want". I want to tell everyone that whatever it is that you really , truly want is exactly what you will ultimately get, so we all need to decide.  Our actions not only speak louder than our words but they are the result of our innermost desire. The Lord warned whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her in his heart. In the Book of Mormon, Moroni offers a lengthy explanation as taught by his father, Mormon:
     For I remember the word of God which saith by their works ye shall know them; for if their works be good, they they are good also. For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God. And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteh him nothing, for God receive none such. (Moroni 7:5-9)
     For every "cursing" there is a flip side blessing. Again in the Book of Mormon, King Benjamin offers solace to those who have pure intent in their hearts but are unable to give good gifts: I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give. And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received. (Mosiah 4:24-25) Maybe we wish we could bring about world peace but obviously can't do that. It doesn't matter. What matters is that we really wish for it. There are limitations of all kinds in this mortal world. They don't ultimately matter. What matters is the desires of our hearts.
     Jesus was very clear about wanting to bless us with any good thing we desire. He has promised over and over that anything that is good and right that we request will be given. The challenge to determine what is good and right is truly great. We are short-sighted and often self-serving. We may even want to see someone's pain alleviated simply because it hurts us to watch them suffer! Yet we know that "no pain, no gain" is a truth. If you always carry a child so they won't fall down and get hurt, they will never learn how or gain strength to walk. If you step in to bar uncomfortable consequences for someone, they will not learn. We are not to judge others, yet it's important that we stand aside and allow others to learn and grow. The most important thing for every single human being is the development of charity: the pure love of Christ. We must be compassionate, forgiving, tolerant, and willing to help when it is right. To know when it is right, we must ask. We must pray always so we can gain the wisdom God has to offer. He is the best giver of gifts. I love the explanation given to Peter about what John would receive and what Peter could expect. The Bible n't gives some of the conversation but Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery received this wonderful explanation in 1829:
     And the Lord said ..: John, my beloved, what desirest thou? For if you shall ask what you will, it shall be granted unto you, And I said...: Lord, give unto me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee. And the Lord said...: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. And for this cause the Lord said unto Peter; If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? For he desired of me that he might bring souls unto me, but thou desiredst that thou mightest speedily come unto me in my kingdom. I say unto thee, Peter, this is a good desire; but my beloved has desired a greater work yet among men than what he has before done.... Verily I say unto you, ye both have according to your desire for ye both joy in that which ye have desired. (D&C 7)
     A very dear friend wrote a book awhile ago entitled "The Gift of Hell" which may seem like an oxymoron to most but it is true. God will give hell or anything else to any of his children if that is what they truly desire in their hearts for eternity. For mortality, He continues to do what He can to prod us along the path toward righteousness; toward Him. That means we may suffer in order to grow. We experience pain so we develop compassion. We have to wait so we can learn patience and tenacity. We share close-up experiences with those who are very different that we can learn tolerance and awareness that there are so many different perspectives. Sometimes what we think we want most is not at all good for us. What we think we don't want may be just what we need. God is not looking to grant us our spontaneous "lusts". He is allowing us to develop in exactly whatever way we truly desire. He knows what we're capable of but we don't always have enough desire to motivate us. If it's not a priority to us in our innermost concept of what we want to do and who we want to be, we will give in to whatever IS a priority. We will lie, cheat, steal, lust, give in to gluttony, sloth, anger. OR, if it's what we truly desire, we will work at following Christ's example. We don't have to succeed in this life because we really can't quite reach perfection in these mortal bodies as our minds are veiled off from God's glory. God knows what's in our hearts because we display what's in our hearts. We can't just declare that we think His ways are a good idea then continue to pursue our own lusts, expecting He'll reward us generously simply because we are His children. He will reward us generously but it will be with what we have shown we truly want. If you truly want peace, you will work to avoid contention. If you truly want love, you will work hard to avoid anger, hatred, or revenge. If you want to receive kindness, you will show that it's an important quality to you. So you sow, so shall ye reap.

How did He do it???

     I can imagine the incredible pain Jesus might have endured when He carried a heavy cross through the streets of Jerusalem. I can imagine the stripes He suffered when His back was so cruelly whipped. The pain of having a crown of thorns thrust on His head must have been horrific. Then the ultimate agony of having crude, huge nails driven through His feet, hands, and wrists would have been beyond any pain I can conceive of.
     My wonderment begins before any of that happened to Him. He was a simple Galilean, with parents and siblings, friends and neighbors. He ate, slept, studied, and grew just like other humans. He was good, though. I don't know if He ever teased His younger siblings. I don't know if He ever felt rebellious or contentious. I don't know that He ever did anything "wrong" to repent of. He "grew from grace to grace". He didn't start out as a mature adult. But He was good- better than I have been or anyone I know. Nevertheless, He was not appreciated. People didn't praise Him for His efforts or intelligence or beauty. Despite doing good, people did not profusely thank Him for being a good example. Quite the opposite- He was mocked, falsely accused, betrayed, spat upon. Some people said He was a servant of the devil or, even worse, Satan himself while He was battling that very same demon to fulfill His mission. He was tempted and hurt in every possible way.
    But it's not even that which is what really causes me awe. I don't know how He endured what He endured but, even more, I don't know how He kept going. How did He not just give up? How did He continue to forgive, love, treat kindly even when mistreated? How could He continue to suffer for those very people who did Him no favors?
     We all want, and need, to be loved and appreciated. Every human has the need for nurturing and companionship, some more than others but some are trying harder to contribute more to the world than others. I can never be grateful enough for all that Jesus did- nor any of the others called by God to fulfill a worthy mission no matter how great or insignificant. The Lord has told me to do my small part. I plan to keep trying even when it's hard. I hope to endure to the end.............

How to judge righteously

     Lots of people like to point out scriptures that tell us not to judge because "as ye judge so shall ye be judged". Yet we all know that it can be difficult to determine right from wrong and truth from error without comparing choices and the possible consequences, which can be done by personal experience or from being aware of others' experiences. As we watch others make choices, we make "judgments" based on what we witness of results of those choices. This is especially obvious when you watch young children learn. I always found it frustrating yet amusing when observing very young children as they see a sibling or other small child get in trouble for doing something then they immediately do the same thing- like they're testing to see if the results would be the same. As we continue to experience life, we continue to do similar things, only with maturity we sometimes try to alter the choice a little, or sometimes not. It's sad to see an adult child leave the hospital room of a parent, dying of lung cancer or emphysema, to go outside for a smoke. It's also sad to see an adult abuse (verbally or physically) their own spouse and/or children after having grown up with that kind of relationships from childhood.
     Recently Russ and I watched a movie made in the early 1940's and I was struck by the blatant display of an old southern plantation and its slaves. Like it or not, there were slaves. (In fact there still are slaves in countries all over the world.) Hollywood has often been at the forefront of social issues- sometimes for the good and sometimes for the bad. Early in movie-making there were few roles for black (or Negro as they were called at the time) actors and actresses. By making a movie such as the one we watched, several blacks were given jobs they wouldn't have gotten in any other sort of movie. At that point in time, writing and producing a film engaging several black people would have been a progressive, good thing- despite the roles they were playing. Also, in most older movies, smoking and drinking alcohol even to excess were a common things and people rarely wore seat belts. At that point in time, that was the socially accepted norm.
     I spend a considerable amount of time working on genealogy- searching for long-gone relatives. As I find information, it isn't always flattering. I can't even begin to "judge" anything because I really don't know the circumstances or the environment. If a woman shows up married in a census then without a husband in a later census, I can't determine what happened without facts to back it up. The news these days is so full of discrepancies and accusations enough to make my head spin. I want to be a "responsible" citizen of the world- aware of what is happening around me. But there can be a shocking story one day then a few days later, a brief note that the previous story wasn't even true, or wasn't fully explained.
     I often wonder how God and Jesus Christ "judge". They are aware of inner thoughts that we don't have access to. They probably even know each of us better than we know ourselves. The principle that I am most impressed with is forgiveness, maybe along with love and patience and tolerance. It's not okay that we do bad things but we will be forgiven when we do. It's also expected that we try to learn from our mistakes and not just repeat them over and over again. So I guess that's the best way for us to "judge" whether it involves others or ourselves. Be willing to forgive but we need to do our best to improve and encourage others to repent, too.

Why I go to- and love- the temple

     As I consider my current efforts to exercise and eat healthy foods, I remind myself of why I want to do that. It's surely, in part at least, that I dislike being sick or taking medications or not being able to use my body to perform whatever activities I choose. It's also for a higher purpose. Paul told the Corinthians (1 Cor 3:16) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? Also (1 Ne 15:34) The kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God. Personally, I have every desire and intention to enter the kingdom of God and want His Spirit to enter me. That won't happen if I am "filthy". Why would the Spirit want to try to influence me if I am too lazy to exercise or too hooked on _____ (drugs, alcohol, coffee, even chocolate or Diet Coke) to have the ability to control what or who I am going to heed? This is not an attempt to judge ANYONE. I am only considering, for myself, what I most want.
     Last night Russ and I were in the temple, first for an interview and setting apart to be workers, then for a session sealing those on the other side of the veil, then for taking our turn to clean the building after-hours. It felt so good to once again be a part of a small army of covenant keepers. There are many levels of willingness to make covenants with God and keep them. For some, just saying an occasional prayer or attending church shows their acknowledgement that God exists. For me, that level would be like my really casual acquaintance with someone that I may or may not ever see to say hello or click "like" on their Facebook post. It's just not really a meaningful relationship. In the temple, there is a minimum standard that some of God's children choose to do their best to live up to. It's not so much about being a part of an "elite group" as it is about being a part of a group of people who think for themselves but squelch rebellion, who love others enough to sacrifice of their time, efforts, and resources to serve, who strive to be contributing citizens of the world while not succumbing to the world's excuses for greed, lust, sloth, pride, competition, etc. It's a good feeling to be able to relax, not fearing someone else's unrighteous judgment of me, not feeling the need to be wary of being abused or used but rather being encouraged, helped and loved. I wish I could share this with the whole world! But apparently, even when Jesus offered it Himself as a mortal on earth, many people weren't interested.
     And a thought about sealing couples in eternal marriage and children to parents for eternity- the binding only takes effect if it is accepted. Just the way the Atonement works- Christ died for every single one of us but it only counts if we accept the Gift. He will not force anyone to follow Him back into the Father's kingdom. He only offers. It's up to us to accept.

What's the news?

     I have been watching a "Great Course" (recorded college lecture) on archaeology. One of the points this particular professor emphasizes over and over is the unbalanced study of ancient civilizations. Most of the artifacts and, later, the records kept, focuses on leaders and royalty. Since they are usually well-preserved and quite impressive, the study of those civilizations often stops there. But, what about the thousands of non-leaders? What was life like for the majority of the people living at that same time? Discovering information about them requires a lot more patient digging and analyzing of scraps here and there. (I have had this same frustration while doing family history. my ancestors were not royalty nor leaders. For the most part they were average farmers so until the more general records kept in the mid-1908's, there is nothing to tell me about them.)
     A similar issue has developed today. Our view of the world at large is through the news- on television, internet, magazines, and, decreasingly, newspapers. We don't hear about the people who get up in the morning to study scriptures, exercise, help their neighbor, work diligently at home or a job, nurture and encourage their children and grandchildren, and generally try to be responsible world citizens. We hear about terrorists, dishonest politicians, vain entertainers, cruel world leaders, and, occasionally, royalty. What about the rest of us? We really need to regularly remind ourselves that the news bombarding us is NOT the majority of people on the planet. Sure, there would be some incidents of dishonesty or vanity or cruelty among the rest of us, but it's minor. I don't have any statistics to back it up, but I truly believe the good done in the world is more prevalent than the bad. It just doesn't make sensational news so it's not reported. We should be careful that we don't judge the world by the reported minority. We need to be wary of peer pressure to panic or feel we have to join the ranks of the violent and vain. Someone once quoted me a distorted "golden rule"- Do unto others before they have the chance to do it unto you. It's not about being naive and seeing the world through rose colored glasses. It's not about letting people walk all over you. Being in the world but not of the world means we need to be aware of potential evil as we participate in the world but not end up becoming like the world in order to defend ourselves. It also doesn't mean giving up on true doctrine. There are many varied beliefs throughout the world concerning a supreme being. Political correctness would say all those beliefs are of equal value. How could that be possible? If indeed, a supreme being truly does exist, it will not be as widely varied as people's interpretations of it are. As the world advances technologically, we develop a pride about our wisdom and intellectual prowess. Old wives tales and mythology are treated with academic curiosity. Religion becomes meaningless to the point that it doesn't matter what you believe or even if you believe anything.
     The Apostle Paul warned about this attitude in his second letter to Timothy, ch 4 vs 3-4: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. I have always been struck by that description- "itching ears"- meaning wanting to hear some new thing. His whole epistle to Romans, the sophisticates of his day, was full of warnings about what constitutes true wisdom and what is foolishness and vanity. God has told us over and over that He is the same yesterday, today, and always. We are not going to change who He truly is because we are bored with the old stories and want to update Him to be more politically correct according to man's "wisdom" and deluded view of "fairness". We need to be honest but not self-righteous, confident but not proud, meek but not cowardly, determined but humble. If ever we have doubts about how to do that, we can ask- but we must ask the Only One who really knows.