Recently I read an article about a young man suffering from cancer. He asked for a blessing and the priesthood holder said something to the effect, "I know you have the faith to be healed if that is the Lord's will. Do you have the faith to NOT be healed?" (His cancer did go into remission at least temporarily but that's not the issue at hand.) The emphasis is on considering exactly how humble we are in accepting the Lord's will in all things. Do we really love, respect, and want to obey Him? Or is that only when He wants what we want? Today in church a returned missionary quoted the country song about "unanswered prayers". Do we sometimes think the Lord hasn't heard us or is testing our patience or too busy to answer?
Years ago I became acquainted with the book of Job in the Bible. I taught it as part of the course on the Old Testament to a group of teenagers. I must confess, I didn't like it very much. I mean, how can you really like a sad story where a really good guy loses everything? I have gained just a little more wisdom since then. I have come to realize how Job could say, "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." When we truly love the Lord and trust Him, we know that His promise that everything can be turned to our good is true. We may not know how it can be turned to our good, but we can choose to feel peace because we trust Him.
Growing up, I loved to sing. As a young child, I learned to sing the Lord's Prayer and sometimes would sing it at night to my family in our cabin in the Adirondacks as we laid in bed to go to sleep. Later I took some voice lessons when we moved to Ithaca, NY and spent quite a bit of time singing to entertain organizations, on radio, on tv, at the World's Fair in NY, at the State Fair, and even at a banquet on Broadway for some vocal coaches. I considered the idea of having a whole career in singing! But it was not to be. My life took a different turn and I sang in church instead. But now, despite the lovely voice the Lord gave me, it is gone. Age along with the fact that one of my vocal cords is now paralyzed, "the Lord hath taken away" my lovely singing voice.
In 1978 Russ and I were anxious to have more children. I won't go into the lengthy details but we went to a great deal of trouble to add to our two children that we had at the time. To our delight, in Dec. l979, Ammon David was born. He wasn't always a delight, but he was a gift from God. Then in 2008 a stunning accident ended his life. Once again, "the Lord hath taken away" a great gift He had given us.
I can't say that in either case, we have been just smiling and happy, ready to willingly accept the Lord's choice for us. Neither was Job. But we continue to be blessed every day. We have been greatly blessed in so many ways throughout our life! The disappointment when Russ didn't get what we thought was a really good job he had worked hard to get later resulted in getting a much better job more perfectly suited to him with terrific long-term advantages we still enjoy 20 years after he retired. The wife and children Ammon left us, along with her choice of a wonderful "new" husband and father for the kids, have all greatly blessed our life. Our son, James, and daughter, Angela that we had before Ammon have enriched our lives in countless ways. Added bonuses have been our younger daughter, Lisa, and our unofficially adopted son, John, with their attached families. We have been blessed to live in a free and prosperous country, notwithstanding the current moral decline. We have been blessed with good health and lots of wonderful opportunities to travel and experience so many things. Our extended family and multitudes of friends have been so supportive and loving we couldn't ask for more.
I don't know about tomorrow. There could be tragedy just around the bend. I hope I can be humble and trusting as I feel right now in accepting whatever form the Lord's love takes in my life. I don't want to just be a "fair weather follower". He gave me more than I could even comprehend. He has continued to love me even when I have been very un-lovable. If I strive to be what He wants me to be, I may succeed in enduring well- to whatever end I meet whenever I meet it.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Liberty or Security (Russ)
Benjamin Franklin is reported to have said, "any man who is willing to sacrifice liberty for security deserves neither." We LDS members believe this was the subject of the war in heaven before we came to earth. We also believe that all those who have come to earth chose the Father's plan of agency (liberty) over Satan's plan of no loses (security). We saw the wisdom of allowing us to make choices so we could learn to distinguish good from evil. We could not learn this if evil were not allowed to exist. I believe Satan proposed his plan with the best of intentions, "not one would be lost". I seems to me that many of us who once understood the wisdom of agency have now changed our minds. When faced with the reality of the risks involved, we have been frightened into wanting to surrender our agency in return for the promise of security. We have been warned repeatedly from the pulpit by our general authorities of the danger of socialism. (security) The church welfare system was begun to eliminate the curse of the doll. President David O. McKay said, " next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God's greatest gift to man."
Just as I don't believe that Satan had bad intentions, I don't believe that those who support socialism have bad intentions either. The problem is the promise is never fulfilled. LBJ was correctly motivated to provide aide to unwed mothers. What could be more loving and generous than that? The result? 73% of black households are of single mother parentage resulting in what we see in the streets today. Yes, there are many risks to giving men liberty and God knew this. That is why he provided a savior for those who saw the error of their ways and learned from them. My son was killed falling off a motorcycle without a helmet. I still do not support mandatory helmet laws. Would he be alive today if he had worn one? Possibly, but the choice was his to make and that is as it should be.
In the same way Satan said "give me thine honor". Socialists say, "Give me your resources". Conservatives give more of their personal wealth to charity than to liberals so it is not a lack of compassion. It is an understanding of the bigger picture. How can we learn the proper way to direct our lives if someone else does all the directing? Remember there is a safety net at the end called the atonement. Agency is the prime directive of the universe given by God himself. Don't allow Satan to scare you into giving it up.
I have tried very hard not to make this "political" but philosophical instead. I believe I am on solid gospel ground here. If God himself will not interfere with our freedom of choice who are we to do otherwise? Enough said, I have tried to make my point.
Just as I don't believe that Satan had bad intentions, I don't believe that those who support socialism have bad intentions either. The problem is the promise is never fulfilled. LBJ was correctly motivated to provide aide to unwed mothers. What could be more loving and generous than that? The result? 73% of black households are of single mother parentage resulting in what we see in the streets today. Yes, there are many risks to giving men liberty and God knew this. That is why he provided a savior for those who saw the error of their ways and learned from them. My son was killed falling off a motorcycle without a helmet. I still do not support mandatory helmet laws. Would he be alive today if he had worn one? Possibly, but the choice was his to make and that is as it should be.
In the same way Satan said "give me thine honor". Socialists say, "Give me your resources". Conservatives give more of their personal wealth to charity than to liberals so it is not a lack of compassion. It is an understanding of the bigger picture. How can we learn the proper way to direct our lives if someone else does all the directing? Remember there is a safety net at the end called the atonement. Agency is the prime directive of the universe given by God himself. Don't allow Satan to scare you into giving it up.
I have tried very hard not to make this "political" but philosophical instead. I believe I am on solid gospel ground here. If God himself will not interfere with our freedom of choice who are we to do otherwise? Enough said, I have tried to make my point.
Sunday, September 04, 2016
Who are you?
There have been times when I have been talking to people and they find out I know someone they happen to know. When they ask me questions like: Where do they work? or Where are they from? or How many kids do they have? I often don't know. I have felt awkward about it when they may be people I see at least weekly at church or maybe more often. On further thought, I don't feel so bad. It's not as important whether you are a doctor, electrician, fulltime parent, or teacher as it is that you are trustworthy, dependable, honest and hardworking in your chosen field. It's not as important where you were born as the character you have chosen to be. It's not as important how many children, or even if you have children, as it is how you treat children.
When we leave this life, or even earlier, when our kids are grown and gone or we are retired or we have lived in 10 places since the place of our birth, what remains will be our character. You are not defined by your occupation, that is just the way you have earned money to provide necessities and some level of luxuries. You are not defined by how many children you have had, adopted, natural birth or c-section or even if you have had any at all. You show what you are by whether you are irritated by, ignore, or treat with respect those who happen to start their earth life later than you did. You are not defined by the happenstance of the location of your birth. I did not choose to be born in the United States in a loving family but I sure am grateful that I was! There are millions who are born in places and under circumstances that may have been extremely difficult for them to survive, much less progress. Being born with the advantages I have had does not justify disdain for those less privileged. Being born without advantages does not justify hating those who happened to be born royalty or wealthy. You are not defined by whatever God-given talents you possess. Someone who plays the piano by ear is not in any way a superior person to someone who struggles for years practicing and taking lessons. Someone who is a good public speaker is not superior to someone who is painfully shy and stammers. You are not defined by your ancestry. If you had a horse thief, murderer, nun, alcoholic, king, or farmer in your family it doesn't pre-determine who you choose to be. You are not defined by your appearance. Besides being totally subjective (my body shape was much more attractive during the Renaissance than during the 1970's or even today), your appearance may influence how you are treated but not how you treat others. There are beautiful people who are whited sepulchres- lovely on the outside but full of rotten stuff: jealousy, greed, lust, sloth, hatred, etc. On the other hand, there are people who have deformities, are "too short" or "too tall" or "too fat" or "too skinny" but are really delightful to be around. We mortal creatures place WAAAAYY too much stock in what's on the outside. We do judge books by their covers. We could improve social relations by encouraging each other to develop who we are inside and not be so quick to categorize others in ways we don't like to be categorized.
When we leave this life, or even earlier, when our kids are grown and gone or we are retired or we have lived in 10 places since the place of our birth, what remains will be our character. You are not defined by your occupation, that is just the way you have earned money to provide necessities and some level of luxuries. You are not defined by how many children you have had, adopted, natural birth or c-section or even if you have had any at all. You show what you are by whether you are irritated by, ignore, or treat with respect those who happen to start their earth life later than you did. You are not defined by the happenstance of the location of your birth. I did not choose to be born in the United States in a loving family but I sure am grateful that I was! There are millions who are born in places and under circumstances that may have been extremely difficult for them to survive, much less progress. Being born with the advantages I have had does not justify disdain for those less privileged. Being born without advantages does not justify hating those who happened to be born royalty or wealthy. You are not defined by whatever God-given talents you possess. Someone who plays the piano by ear is not in any way a superior person to someone who struggles for years practicing and taking lessons. Someone who is a good public speaker is not superior to someone who is painfully shy and stammers. You are not defined by your ancestry. If you had a horse thief, murderer, nun, alcoholic, king, or farmer in your family it doesn't pre-determine who you choose to be. You are not defined by your appearance. Besides being totally subjective (my body shape was much more attractive during the Renaissance than during the 1970's or even today), your appearance may influence how you are treated but not how you treat others. There are beautiful people who are whited sepulchres- lovely on the outside but full of rotten stuff: jealousy, greed, lust, sloth, hatred, etc. On the other hand, there are people who have deformities, are "too short" or "too tall" or "too fat" or "too skinny" but are really delightful to be around. We mortal creatures place WAAAAYY too much stock in what's on the outside. We do judge books by their covers. We could improve social relations by encouraging each other to develop who we are inside and not be so quick to categorize others in ways we don't like to be categorized.
Thursday, August 25, 2016
FREEDOM
Most Christians recognize that God has granted ALL of His children the right (and responsibility and accountability) to choose for themselves. He gives advice through prophets and the Holy Ghost, but He does not force any of us to make any choices. He wants each of us to be who it is we have decided to be, on our own. The flip side of that is that He is sometimes silent when we approach Him for guidance. It is important for our development to try a little on our own. He may give hints through events or people around us, but mostly He wants us to try our wings. As I walked home from the temple today, I was thinking about the feeling of "freedom"; that thrill in a child's heart (and the teachers, too!) when school is out for the day and even more when it is out for vacation, or the thrill when the adult's work day is over or the weekend comes. We each treasure "freedom", except when faced with hard choices or dreaded inevitabilities. Then we prefer freedom with a little assistance. I wondered about what assistance God gets. He is in charge of a LOT! Does anybody ever offer Him counsel? Does our puny efforts at praise suffice to keep Him going with the confidence He needs? Since we are made in His image, do we have the potential to know enough to have the determination He has to forge ahead- eternally?
There is a saying, something about identifying a person's true character by what they do when they don't HAVE to do anything. In other words, how do you use your "free" time? I don't think the implication is that we all need to work relentlessly or we're simply, deeply lazy. I think there is something to be said for pondering or meditating. Creativity is only developed through minds allowed to wander a bit. When a child has "free" time, they often will watch a butterfly or throw pebbles in a puddle. They are viewing elements of the world to learn how things work and to simply feel wonder. As we grow older, rather than seek wonder or understanding, we too often resort to seeking mindless "entertainment". When we are simply spectators to the works of others, we advance very little. When we spend much of our communication with others simply describing the works of others, without gaining insights or stretching our understanding, we are mentally standing still.
The Lord has told us that whatever principle of intelligence we gain here will go with us beyond mortality. Those who gain more intelligence, which has nothing to do with memorized trivia, will have so much the advantage in eternal life. Part of the use of our God-given freedom is choosing to think more. This would eliminate time spent gossiping (talking about and judging others for no purpose other than to pass along information- usually destructive), playing video games, repeatedly reading novels well-below our ability to understand, watching endless hours of games played by people we don't know personally, and especially any form of destruction of people or property- littering, breaking things (vandalism), pulling wings off flies, and similar activities.
The Lord is not going to have a list of required accomplishments for each of us. We can't "earn" our way into His presence. What He is hoping for is the development of our character. He is hoping we will want to spend eternity learning at His feet, gaining endless wisdom and knowledge. How we spend our "free" time on earth is our choice. We are developing our eternal character and will be housed in mansions accordingly. It's not about pass/fail or some kind of grading system. Our eternity will be decided by ourselves. We get what we want.
There is a saying, something about identifying a person's true character by what they do when they don't HAVE to do anything. In other words, how do you use your "free" time? I don't think the implication is that we all need to work relentlessly or we're simply, deeply lazy. I think there is something to be said for pondering or meditating. Creativity is only developed through minds allowed to wander a bit. When a child has "free" time, they often will watch a butterfly or throw pebbles in a puddle. They are viewing elements of the world to learn how things work and to simply feel wonder. As we grow older, rather than seek wonder or understanding, we too often resort to seeking mindless "entertainment". When we are simply spectators to the works of others, we advance very little. When we spend much of our communication with others simply describing the works of others, without gaining insights or stretching our understanding, we are mentally standing still.
The Lord has told us that whatever principle of intelligence we gain here will go with us beyond mortality. Those who gain more intelligence, which has nothing to do with memorized trivia, will have so much the advantage in eternal life. Part of the use of our God-given freedom is choosing to think more. This would eliminate time spent gossiping (talking about and judging others for no purpose other than to pass along information- usually destructive), playing video games, repeatedly reading novels well-below our ability to understand, watching endless hours of games played by people we don't know personally, and especially any form of destruction of people or property- littering, breaking things (vandalism), pulling wings off flies, and similar activities.
The Lord is not going to have a list of required accomplishments for each of us. We can't "earn" our way into His presence. What He is hoping for is the development of our character. He is hoping we will want to spend eternity learning at His feet, gaining endless wisdom and knowledge. How we spend our "free" time on earth is our choice. We are developing our eternal character and will be housed in mansions accordingly. It's not about pass/fail or some kind of grading system. Our eternity will be decided by ourselves. We get what we want.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Please share with me your thoughts
I was remembering that our church units used to do projects to earn money for our budgets. At the time we often complained about having to spend so much time doing "non-church" things just to earn money. (We now have our individual unit budgets totally funded through tithing.) However, it wasn't long before we found ourselves reminiscing about the hours spent on those projects, going over memories of experiences together. Now, unless you serve in a calling (church position) with someone, you only see them in passing going into church, going from class to class, or sitting in meetings together listening to a speaker or teacher and making occasional comments.
I then considered welfare, starting with the simple act of giving something to my own child. If a child works hard to earn something they want, they generally take better care of it and appreciate its value more than when it is just handed to them. Most long-term or multi-generational welfare recipients have little appreciation for the value of what they are given without requirement of work.
I then thought about scriptures like Matthew 7:14, "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." And John 6:60, "Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" And I wondered- WHY is it that it's so important for things to require our effort? Why is that anything worthwhile has to be hard? Really, if you could purchase an Olympic gold medal or forge one yourself, would you be as excited about having it as the Olympian who has worked countless hours to win one through great effort?
I have been pondering this for several days and have brought it up to a couple of people who I thought might be interested in seeking a greater understanding, too. It's not really a searchable subject in the scriptures. I'm sure some sociologist or anthropologist has studied this issue and derived at least one theory about the cause and effect. God knows that much of mortal life is hard. He said to Adam, "cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread..." (Personally, I believe the phrase for thy sake refers not to a punishment like God felt Adam deserved to suffer but a consequence of Adam's choice to know good and evil. God wanted him to understand fully what the consequences of evil would be. Slothfulness, greed, and gluttony are all sins too easily embraced by mortal beings!)
I would really appreciate any input on this issue. Here are the thoughts I have come to:
First of all, humility is essential for education. You simply cannot teach anyone who thinks they already know everything. But humility is not a natural characteristic for most mortals. That's why we have so many warnings about PRIDE. It's our knee-jerk reaction. If someone criticizes us we are much more likely to be offended than to consider we might have some improving to do. If someone tries to teach us something we are more likely to tune them out as boring, thinking we have sufficient knowledge already. When things are hard, when we have to actually struggle to accomplish something, we are brought down a peg to being more humble. Then we can finally learn. God, as our Father, wants us to learn. He will be teaching us for eternity, if we make that our choice.
Secondly, when things are hard, we feel weak and alone which usually causes us to reach out for help. The Lord has sent prophets who have kept records (scriptures) to let us know He is there willing to help us any time. All we have to do is ask. There are words in a hymn that say, "God will force no man to heaven." He also will not force Himself on us. He may reach out to smite evil people to try to get their attention but He does not force us to accept His Son's atonement, to follow His Son, or to love Him. "Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you." God wants to be a part of our life, just as any loving parent feels toward their child.
A similar result is reaching out to others. The Lord wants us to love one another. One of the best ways to develop that love is to serve and to be served. Most people will automatically feel love toward someone who thankfully receives help. Most people (unless they have a pride issue!) will feel love toward someone who helps them. If we are to be one as the Father and Son are one, we need to be willing to open up to each other- acknowledge weakness and a need for help then give and/or receive help.
I don't have God's wisdom but I'm striving to gain tiny parts of it. I don't want to just acquire knowledge of earthly matters. What I gain in knowledge and wisdom, along with relationships, is all I will take with me when my mortal probation is over. It won't matter if I can quote movie dialogue or dates of major world events or the names of big sports stars. I'm 65 and I figure I have about 20 years left, unless the Savior returns sooner which would be alright with me. I don't want to waste any time on stuff that doesn't matter. I want to learn how to be like Jesus. I want to learn how to truly help people and not just bake them bread or a casserole. I want to learn how to overcome those elements of the natural man (which is an enemy to God) so I will not be His enemy.
I then considered welfare, starting with the simple act of giving something to my own child. If a child works hard to earn something they want, they generally take better care of it and appreciate its value more than when it is just handed to them. Most long-term or multi-generational welfare recipients have little appreciation for the value of what they are given without requirement of work.
I then thought about scriptures like Matthew 7:14, "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." And John 6:60, "Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" And I wondered- WHY is it that it's so important for things to require our effort? Why is that anything worthwhile has to be hard? Really, if you could purchase an Olympic gold medal or forge one yourself, would you be as excited about having it as the Olympian who has worked countless hours to win one through great effort?
I have been pondering this for several days and have brought it up to a couple of people who I thought might be interested in seeking a greater understanding, too. It's not really a searchable subject in the scriptures. I'm sure some sociologist or anthropologist has studied this issue and derived at least one theory about the cause and effect. God knows that much of mortal life is hard. He said to Adam, "cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread..." (Personally, I believe the phrase for thy sake refers not to a punishment like God felt Adam deserved to suffer but a consequence of Adam's choice to know good and evil. God wanted him to understand fully what the consequences of evil would be. Slothfulness, greed, and gluttony are all sins too easily embraced by mortal beings!)
I would really appreciate any input on this issue. Here are the thoughts I have come to:
First of all, humility is essential for education. You simply cannot teach anyone who thinks they already know everything. But humility is not a natural characteristic for most mortals. That's why we have so many warnings about PRIDE. It's our knee-jerk reaction. If someone criticizes us we are much more likely to be offended than to consider we might have some improving to do. If someone tries to teach us something we are more likely to tune them out as boring, thinking we have sufficient knowledge already. When things are hard, when we have to actually struggle to accomplish something, we are brought down a peg to being more humble. Then we can finally learn. God, as our Father, wants us to learn. He will be teaching us for eternity, if we make that our choice.
Secondly, when things are hard, we feel weak and alone which usually causes us to reach out for help. The Lord has sent prophets who have kept records (scriptures) to let us know He is there willing to help us any time. All we have to do is ask. There are words in a hymn that say, "God will force no man to heaven." He also will not force Himself on us. He may reach out to smite evil people to try to get their attention but He does not force us to accept His Son's atonement, to follow His Son, or to love Him. "Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you." God wants to be a part of our life, just as any loving parent feels toward their child.
A similar result is reaching out to others. The Lord wants us to love one another. One of the best ways to develop that love is to serve and to be served. Most people will automatically feel love toward someone who thankfully receives help. Most people (unless they have a pride issue!) will feel love toward someone who helps them. If we are to be one as the Father and Son are one, we need to be willing to open up to each other- acknowledge weakness and a need for help then give and/or receive help.
I don't have God's wisdom but I'm striving to gain tiny parts of it. I don't want to just acquire knowledge of earthly matters. What I gain in knowledge and wisdom, along with relationships, is all I will take with me when my mortal probation is over. It won't matter if I can quote movie dialogue or dates of major world events or the names of big sports stars. I'm 65 and I figure I have about 20 years left, unless the Savior returns sooner which would be alright with me. I don't want to waste any time on stuff that doesn't matter. I want to learn how to be like Jesus. I want to learn how to truly help people and not just bake them bread or a casserole. I want to learn how to overcome those elements of the natural man (which is an enemy to God) so I will not be His enemy.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Random??
I realize much of the country and even the world is really intent on politics and the Olympics. I'm sorry but I think of them as only temporary issues in the eternal scheme of things. Eventually there will be no United States or any other country for that matter. We are all God's children and have just made up boundaries between us. The Father and His Son would prefer that we love each other and work together for good rather than compete or attempt to beat each other. (Lest there be misunderstanding, I realize that many athletes only have it in mind to do the best they can and actually feel a bond with other excellent athletes no matter where they come from. ) I continue to be amazed here in Nauvoo by "coincidences" which are not really just coincidences at all. I have wondered how it is that there are so many experiences of what my son calls "small world" incidents. Is it really just a random coincidence that 50 years ago a man visits some friends of his parents in Utah that he really doesn't know, then finds out over a dinner conversation in Illinois 50 year later that he and his wife are working in the temple where the daughter of that family he visited is serving as a temple matron? Is it just coincidence that a man born and raised in Germany, later immigrating to the US, works in the temple and happens to be assigned to an area where he meets a young woman who happens to be visiting from the small town where he was born and raised in Germany? I understand that coincidences truly do happen to lots of people all over the world. However, if there could be such a study, I would guess that a study of such "coincidences" would show that there are more of them among LDS Church members than in most places among most people. Why?
As I read the scriptures in the temple today, I came across what could be an answer to that question. I read in John 10: "The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep... My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.... I and my Father are one." Most people in the LDS Church to whom these experiences happen are fully aware they are orchestrated by a higher power. We call them "tender mercies" of the Lord, using a term coined by a modern-day apostle. It makes sense to me that when you have a group of people who are focusing on obeying and serving the Lord, trying to be "one" with Him as He is with the Father, they are going to be where He wants them to be when He wants them to be there. And that loving Father wants us to know each other and love each other so we are put in circumstances where we are brought together. He wants us to realize in a world that can be scary and chaotic that we are not alone. Hearing the still, small voice of the Comforter can be pretty difficult when the world is shouting in your ears and flashing in your eyes and inside your head you have mounting doubts and fears. If we take the time to read about Him so we can be reassured of His love for us and His promises that things will be alright, like for the sparrows of the air and lilies of the field, we can receive comfort. But sometimes we just don't take the time to try to make contact with Him. He tries to send us messages but we don't always get them. It's not that He doesn't try to contact us, it's that we don't listen and receive.
I know that those I love have the freedom to make choices just as I have. I know I can't force them to pay attention to or follow the Lord. My heart just aches with the desire that they could ALL feel His love and could choose to be among His sheep, listening for His voice. He truly does bring peace and goodwill for ALL of us- if that's what we choose.
As I read the scriptures in the temple today, I came across what could be an answer to that question. I read in John 10: "The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep... My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.... I and my Father are one." Most people in the LDS Church to whom these experiences happen are fully aware they are orchestrated by a higher power. We call them "tender mercies" of the Lord, using a term coined by a modern-day apostle. It makes sense to me that when you have a group of people who are focusing on obeying and serving the Lord, trying to be "one" with Him as He is with the Father, they are going to be where He wants them to be when He wants them to be there. And that loving Father wants us to know each other and love each other so we are put in circumstances where we are brought together. He wants us to realize in a world that can be scary and chaotic that we are not alone. Hearing the still, small voice of the Comforter can be pretty difficult when the world is shouting in your ears and flashing in your eyes and inside your head you have mounting doubts and fears. If we take the time to read about Him so we can be reassured of His love for us and His promises that things will be alright, like for the sparrows of the air and lilies of the field, we can receive comfort. But sometimes we just don't take the time to try to make contact with Him. He tries to send us messages but we don't always get them. It's not that He doesn't try to contact us, it's that we don't listen and receive.
I know that those I love have the freedom to make choices just as I have. I know I can't force them to pay attention to or follow the Lord. My heart just aches with the desire that they could ALL feel His love and could choose to be among His sheep, listening for His voice. He truly does bring peace and goodwill for ALL of us- if that's what we choose.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
The great conflict
I have made no secret of my disdain for conflict, whether arguments, fights, abuse, or war. I don't even like stories involving scaring innocents! Mortals fear death a great deal. The greatest threat a human can give is to end life, "I'm gonna kill you!" Those who recognize God and our immortal souls know that death is NOT the worst thing that can happen in mortality. Actually, pain is the worst. Whether physical pain, mental anguish or emotional pain- having to go on with pain is the worst part of being mortal. Death causes an end to mortal experience and a temporary disruption in relationships, which can be deemed a great tragedy.
Before any of us came to this earth, we were with our Heavenly Father and there was a conflict about how our mortal experience should go. God didn't want to force any of us to return to live forever with Him under perfect rules. He knew forcing us wouldn't work. He wants us to be happy. Satan had the idea that we could all live our mortal lives and be guaranteed to return to God. We could have the chance to get a body but not be accountable for how we use it. Then Satan wanted the credit for bringing us all back. Jesus offered to come to earth, live as a sinless mortal, and give His life as a sacrifice so we would have the opportunity to return to live with God. All we would have to do is accept His gift of the atonement, acknowledge our sins and repent, and be willing to take His name upon us (not be ashamed to be called Christians).
In the temple today I was reading how it will all end:
And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven. And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies. And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all. For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb. This is the glory of God, and the sanctified; and they shall not any more see death. (D&C 88:112-116)
This final battle, just like the first conflict, will not involve guns, knives, warships, planes, or even nuclear weapons. These beings cannot be killed in the mortal sense. The "death" referred to is a permanent separation. The conflict is over ideals. We either choose to live righteous laws or we choose to live according to our rules, whatever they may be. The outcome of the battle has already been decided. God is superior but Satan is determined to keep trying to gain more strength. We cannot affect the outcome but we do have the right and responsibility to choose what side we want to be on. It's not simply deciding that we don't like the Mafia or people like Hitler. It also means deciding we don't like the natural man in ourselves. It means we want to overcome even the slightest desire to live by our own lusts: greed, laziness, hatred, sex outside marriage as ordained by God, covetousness, or anything that causes conflict with other beings. There WILL be conflict and we each must choose what side we want to be on.
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