I am a "Christian" by choice. I have read, studied, pondered, and prayed about religions and religious concepts. Along with personal experiences I have had, the information I have considered has caused me to feel that I would prefer to follow the example of Jesus Christ and accept the doctrine of His atoning sacrifice. The other choices are simply not appealing nor logical to me. I believe that every human being has the right to choose for themselves, even if they don't agree with what I choose to believe. Sometimes people can get hung up on semantics like what a sin is or who God is and what we should call Him. I don't think that's nearly as important as reaching out to know who He is. Since He doesn't communicate by cell phone or computer, we must take the time and make the effort to read His messages to us (that comes through prophets- but not everybody recognizes the same prophets, hmmmm) as well as prayer. When I was younger, I thought prayer was basically a one-way conversation where I could tell God what I was grateful for, praise Him in my childish and primitive way, and ask Him for whatever I felt I needed. But, why would a God just want His followers (or children) to join in a cacophony of pleas and praises? Is He so vain He just wants to hear countless expressions that reaffirm His superiority? I don't think so. Nearly everybody acknowledges that God has some expectations and when we don't live up to them, it's called sin. He is not pleased when we sin. So, how do we know if we are sinning? Would God be so unfair as to punish us for doing bad things that we didn't know were bad or even neglecting to do things He wanted us to do when we weren't aware that He wanted us to? I don't think so.
So, how can we, in all fairness, know who the "real" prophets of God are or what God expects of us? Would God not give us access to that information? From what I have been able to gather, most religious beliefs (not including radical or hateful ones) include some form of loving, being kind, and helping others. I think God wants us to know Him but He's not going to force Himself on anyone. I think we all get to choose to identify our heroes. We all get to set our own goals. We all get to make whatever level of effort we decide is worth whatever we want to achieve or receive.
When my children were young in my home, I gradually expected more of them as they grew older, had more experience, and were taught more. That seemed fair. A ten-year old should be able to pick up a roomful of toys without help better than a two-year old. A twelve-year old should be more averse to telling lies than a 6-year old. I think that same principle applies to God's children. In the scriptures (words of those I believe to be prophets) it says that much is expected of those to whom much is given. It also says that God wants to give His children ALL that He has. It also says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures where moth and rust doth corrupt." So, what is it we're after? We get to choose. But if we want what God would give us, we have to be willing to accept whatever covenant obligations require of us. We can't say we want God to love us and take care of us and help us or give things to us then ignore everything He says to us. Just like with children, the more responsible we are, the more responsibilities and privileges He can give us. It's not about whether He likes us or not. He wants us ALL to be happy. We are the ones who choose what that means. You wouldn't give a child who loves horses a book on sharks. You wouldn't prevent a child who loves gardening the chance to work in the garden.
We need to really ponder what kind of people we want to be. It doesn't matter whether you choose to be a doctor or an accountant or have 2 kids or no kids or live in a city or on an island. Those things are just unimportant details of how we spend our years as mortal beings. What matters is whether you want to be the kind of person who would be comfortable in the company of those who are loving, forgiving, helpful, and honest- ALWAYS. If we feel totally justified in telling occasional lies or being mean to some people who we feel have been mean to us or prefer to sit on the couch watching others work, we wouldn't feel comfortable living with the kind of expectations a God would have for us. He isn't there to be our servant, responding to whatever whims we may have as we bump along doing our own thing totally ignoring Him until we want Him. There is a plan for more than the birth to death Earth life of each person. We each get to choose how we want our plan to unfold. We have already started on that choice.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
A modern stripling warrior
In our stake (area of the church) in Arizona, Russ was introduced to the idea of awarding a genuine sword to young men who prove themselves valiant servants of the Lord by accomplishing good works. We decided that we could, on our own as grandparents, give Tanis a sword as an award for :
*graduating from seminary (a daily scripture study for teenagers that lasts through 4 years of high school and requires a great sacrifice of time spent early in the mornings before school)
*achieving the rank of Eagle in Boy Scouts (Russ flew up to help with Tanis's final project doing repair work on a building at the zoo which had been flooded 2 years ago)
*receiving his On My Honor (a church sponsored merit badge for scouting)
*graduating from high school (Tanis graduates with high honors even in accomplishing several advanced courses of study, some of which are for early college credit)
*and preparing/applying for serving a 2-year full time mission for the church.
Russ and I are really proud of this grandson, but I can't refrain from putting in a plug for our daughter, the mother of this wonderful young man. Tanis has reached a point in life when he is mature enough to be pretty self-motivated but there have been times in the past 18 years when, like all children as they grow, he needed a bit of prodding. Angela has gotten up early in the mornings to drive him to seminary no matter what the weather or how she was feeling. Angela has taught her boys to respect their baptismal covenants by regular church attendance, prayer, and reading scriptures. Angela has taught her boys how to clean, cook, and generally be responsible human beings. Angela has dealt with having a husband who is frequently absent, sometimes for long periods of time. Angela has struggled with rowdy groups of boys to support the Boy Scout program year after year, keeping them occupied, driving them to meetings and activities, seeing to it they have needed supplies, uniforms, etc. Scott (our son-in-law) has been a great example in keeping his commitments to the Air Force, tenacity in achieving his college degrees while being a husband and father, and being generally honest and hardworking. He has been a loving father. But Angela was the mom, as well as the dad when Scott was absent. There is a saying that says something like "behind every good man there is a good woman". Well, behind this tall, handsome young man is a diminutive ball of fire he calls "Mom". I am so pleased with the person my daughter has chosen to be.
*graduating from seminary (a daily scripture study for teenagers that lasts through 4 years of high school and requires a great sacrifice of time spent early in the mornings before school)
*achieving the rank of Eagle in Boy Scouts (Russ flew up to help with Tanis's final project doing repair work on a building at the zoo which had been flooded 2 years ago)
*receiving his On My Honor (a church sponsored merit badge for scouting)
*graduating from high school (Tanis graduates with high honors even in accomplishing several advanced courses of study, some of which are for early college credit)
*and preparing/applying for serving a 2-year full time mission for the church.
Russ and I are really proud of this grandson, but I can't refrain from putting in a plug for our daughter, the mother of this wonderful young man. Tanis has reached a point in life when he is mature enough to be pretty self-motivated but there have been times in the past 18 years when, like all children as they grow, he needed a bit of prodding. Angela has gotten up early in the mornings to drive him to seminary no matter what the weather or how she was feeling. Angela has taught her boys to respect their baptismal covenants by regular church attendance, prayer, and reading scriptures. Angela has taught her boys how to clean, cook, and generally be responsible human beings. Angela has dealt with having a husband who is frequently absent, sometimes for long periods of time. Angela has struggled with rowdy groups of boys to support the Boy Scout program year after year, keeping them occupied, driving them to meetings and activities, seeing to it they have needed supplies, uniforms, etc. Scott (our son-in-law) has been a great example in keeping his commitments to the Air Force, tenacity in achieving his college degrees while being a husband and father, and being generally honest and hardworking. He has been a loving father. But Angela was the mom, as well as the dad when Scott was absent. There is a saying that says something like "behind every good man there is a good woman". Well, behind this tall, handsome young man is a diminutive ball of fire he calls "Mom". I am so pleased with the person my daughter has chosen to be.
Much anticipated news!
He even had the excited congratulations from Aunt Victoria over Skype, along with cousins Jeremy, Kadon, and Brooklyn. Now he will be busy watching training videos on the church websited and listening to Spanish language tapes from the library. He'll be grabbing everyone he knows who speaks Spanish so he can practice as much as possible before he gets totally immersed in a language he currently doesn't speak!Proud but humble
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Covenants
At church our group of women were talking about the importance of marriage and how society is losing sight of its significance. The evidence of that is shown in examples of people living together without marriage, even to the extent of having children. Reasons for this practice include not being able to "afford the kind of wedding" they want, basically wanting it to just be a big party rather than a serious covenant between two people, in the presence of God and witnesses. Further evidence is an item in the paper where someone had written into an advice column. She and her husband had decided after 10 years of marriage to have an "open marriage". (I remember several decades ago there was a fad called "wife swapping". I guess this is a liberated women's term for the same thing.) Her concern was that she was getting more "dates" than her husband was and she didn't want him to feel bad. What should she do to "help" him?? Also, I know of a young couple who are separated and have decided, mostly for economic reasons, to not finalize a divorce right now. They will just live as if they weren't married, despite the existence of children who have always lived in their home with their "parents", mother and father, altogether.
As I pondered this trend toward trivializing what was previously considered a serious covenant, I realized that it extends to other areas of society as well. As we become more transient, family relationships in general are often neglected to the point of near non-existence. Siblings go for years without any contact. Parents and grown children actually lose track of each other to the point that when someone dies, it's difficult to locate a family member to notify.
Along with familial weakened relationships, there is a major trend toward what I would call "pop religion". Anyone can easily get "ordained a minister" in order to perform "marriages". You don't even need to believe in God, much less know anything about Him! People consider themselves "religious" but don't belong to any specific church. I guess that's all well and good, but why consider themselves religious? If you're not even sure there IS a God and have no intention of finding out anything about Him, why bother "considering yourself religious"? I can remember being shocked at the results of a study that showed how many students in seminaries- people actually intending to become some form of religious leader- who weren't sure they believed in God and more who weren't sure of the divinity of Jesus Christ, which means they weren't sure of the truthfulness of the Bible which has been considered by millions of people for centuries to be the written witness of people who taught about and communicated with God. I guess the advantage for these doubters is that they don't have to worry about accountability. Their relationship with God is totally self-centered and one-way. They feel free to assign to God whatever attributes they choose: He will always forgive no matter what, He is so mighty that He doesn't need me for anything but I need Him- but only when I'm desperate. They seem to feel He is at their beck and call to take away burdens, ease pain, give guidance, or what-have-you. But He doesn't require payment of any kind back. If you can claim that you're not sure about the Bible, you can ignore "If you love me, keep my commandments." After all, who knows who God really is? He becomes whatever is handy for you at the time. Isn't that like the ignored parent who suddenly becomes so loved and fawned over when the "independent" son or daughter desperately needs help/money? I think that if anyone was truly honest about it, they would WANT to know who God is. They would make the effort to search, ponder, and pray. God is NOT mysterious, although we don't always understand all He does. Those who say God loves them no matter what are right. He does. However, if we want to let Him know that we love Him back and don't just want Him to be our occasional instant source of money/help/comfort when we selfishly remember Him and desperately call on Him, we need to work harder at figuring out how to let Him know we appreciate Him ALL the time. He is not going to whip us if we don't. But He will justifiably be disappointed. And we are going to want to hide under the rocks for shame when we realize how we treated Him.
Jesus Christ suffered beyond our comprehension all for love of us. He wasn't forced to do it. It wasn't just some pointless ceremonial rite. Our Father has given us the opportunity to make our own choice, too. Don't we owe Him something?
As I pondered this trend toward trivializing what was previously considered a serious covenant, I realized that it extends to other areas of society as well. As we become more transient, family relationships in general are often neglected to the point of near non-existence. Siblings go for years without any contact. Parents and grown children actually lose track of each other to the point that when someone dies, it's difficult to locate a family member to notify.
Along with familial weakened relationships, there is a major trend toward what I would call "pop religion". Anyone can easily get "ordained a minister" in order to perform "marriages". You don't even need to believe in God, much less know anything about Him! People consider themselves "religious" but don't belong to any specific church. I guess that's all well and good, but why consider themselves religious? If you're not even sure there IS a God and have no intention of finding out anything about Him, why bother "considering yourself religious"? I can remember being shocked at the results of a study that showed how many students in seminaries- people actually intending to become some form of religious leader- who weren't sure they believed in God and more who weren't sure of the divinity of Jesus Christ, which means they weren't sure of the truthfulness of the Bible which has been considered by millions of people for centuries to be the written witness of people who taught about and communicated with God. I guess the advantage for these doubters is that they don't have to worry about accountability. Their relationship with God is totally self-centered and one-way. They feel free to assign to God whatever attributes they choose: He will always forgive no matter what, He is so mighty that He doesn't need me for anything but I need Him- but only when I'm desperate. They seem to feel He is at their beck and call to take away burdens, ease pain, give guidance, or what-have-you. But He doesn't require payment of any kind back. If you can claim that you're not sure about the Bible, you can ignore "If you love me, keep my commandments." After all, who knows who God really is? He becomes whatever is handy for you at the time. Isn't that like the ignored parent who suddenly becomes so loved and fawned over when the "independent" son or daughter desperately needs help/money? I think that if anyone was truly honest about it, they would WANT to know who God is. They would make the effort to search, ponder, and pray. God is NOT mysterious, although we don't always understand all He does. Those who say God loves them no matter what are right. He does. However, if we want to let Him know that we love Him back and don't just want Him to be our occasional instant source of money/help/comfort when we selfishly remember Him and desperately call on Him, we need to work harder at figuring out how to let Him know we appreciate Him ALL the time. He is not going to whip us if we don't. But He will justifiably be disappointed. And we are going to want to hide under the rocks for shame when we realize how we treated Him.
Jesus Christ suffered beyond our comprehension all for love of us. He wasn't forced to do it. It wasn't just some pointless ceremonial rite. Our Father has given us the opportunity to make our own choice, too. Don't we owe Him something?
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Payment
What's in it for me? That is a frequently asked or implied question. Whenever we offer something we value: time, money, effort, etc.- we expect something back. My husband hears from me, "It's not always about the money!", all the time. I started pondering what forms of "payment" we might receive one day when I was feeling somewhat put upon for what I felt was a waste of time.
A young mother spends countless hours caring for children starting with physical discomforts throughout pregnancy and body changes that, each time, make it more impossible to have the shape she had before bearing children. Her immediate "rewards" are sleepless nights, leaking breasts, endless diaper changing and cleaning spit-up. But the warmth and total trust of a sleeping baby in her arms more than makes up for all those inconveniences. That first big smile with open eyes looking at you with naked honesty, and maybe even a little giggle, are also payments.
Hours spent playing boring scales and stumbling through simple songs are what a budding musician sacrifices in hopes of the payment of enjoying listening to himself play something pleasant. Payment can also come in the form of applause, first by proud parents as he plays "Mary Had a Little Lamb", then maybe if he works long and hard enough he will enjoy the wholehearted applause when he plays Mozart.
Cash in the form of a paycheck isn't truly the best part of payment for a doctor that heals a sick or injured patient, or for a builder who has created a beautiful and useful dwelling, or for a law enforcement officer who stops a "bad guy" from further harming innocent people, or for a teacher who watches the lights come on in a student's eyes when she finally gets it. I have chosen to believe in God and Jesus Christ. I try to understand commandments given for my benefit to help me be a better being. Sometimes people don't admire my efforts. Others have questioned why I try so hard to obey commandments. Am I afraid God will punish me? Some have ridiculed me, preferring to hold the opinion that God will forgive everybody for everything all the time so it doesn't really matter if I resist temptations. Some have even disliked me when they feel I am being self-righteous because I avoid doing things that others may do (smoke, swear, cheat just a little) or go "out of my way" to do things others don't feel are worth it (attend church every week, visit the sick or lonely, give service whenever I can to whoever I can). I have pondered what I might say if asked, "What's in it for you?" I don't expect money or popularity. I guess I would have to say I am trying to achieve a conscience devoid of regret. I want to feel I can be totally honest in saying, "I did my very best", no matter what the circumstances. When I leave this life, I want to know that people really miss having me around because their lives were made better by me in some little way. I want to look forward to eternity spent with people who also made the effort to try to make the world just a little better. I don't want to feel unworthy or ashamed to be in the presence of good people. I don't want to spend eternity with people who made excuses, trying to justify being rude, inconsiderate, lazy, or even downright mean. My payment is the hope I have of peace and good will toward all... forever.
A young mother spends countless hours caring for children starting with physical discomforts throughout pregnancy and body changes that, each time, make it more impossible to have the shape she had before bearing children. Her immediate "rewards" are sleepless nights, leaking breasts, endless diaper changing and cleaning spit-up. But the warmth and total trust of a sleeping baby in her arms more than makes up for all those inconveniences. That first big smile with open eyes looking at you with naked honesty, and maybe even a little giggle, are also payments.
Hours spent playing boring scales and stumbling through simple songs are what a budding musician sacrifices in hopes of the payment of enjoying listening to himself play something pleasant. Payment can also come in the form of applause, first by proud parents as he plays "Mary Had a Little Lamb", then maybe if he works long and hard enough he will enjoy the wholehearted applause when he plays Mozart.
Cash in the form of a paycheck isn't truly the best part of payment for a doctor that heals a sick or injured patient, or for a builder who has created a beautiful and useful dwelling, or for a law enforcement officer who stops a "bad guy" from further harming innocent people, or for a teacher who watches the lights come on in a student's eyes when she finally gets it. I have chosen to believe in God and Jesus Christ. I try to understand commandments given for my benefit to help me be a better being. Sometimes people don't admire my efforts. Others have questioned why I try so hard to obey commandments. Am I afraid God will punish me? Some have ridiculed me, preferring to hold the opinion that God will forgive everybody for everything all the time so it doesn't really matter if I resist temptations. Some have even disliked me when they feel I am being self-righteous because I avoid doing things that others may do (smoke, swear, cheat just a little) or go "out of my way" to do things others don't feel are worth it (attend church every week, visit the sick or lonely, give service whenever I can to whoever I can). I have pondered what I might say if asked, "What's in it for you?" I don't expect money or popularity. I guess I would have to say I am trying to achieve a conscience devoid of regret. I want to feel I can be totally honest in saying, "I did my very best", no matter what the circumstances. When I leave this life, I want to know that people really miss having me around because their lives were made better by me in some little way. I want to look forward to eternity spent with people who also made the effort to try to make the world just a little better. I don't want to feel unworthy or ashamed to be in the presence of good people. I don't want to spend eternity with people who made excuses, trying to justify being rude, inconsiderate, lazy, or even downright mean. My payment is the hope I have of peace and good will toward all... forever.
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