O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
I can so identify with Alma (the younger) in the Book of Mormon. Like Saul/Paul, he started out really rebellious then realized the love of God and how essential our relationship to Him is and became a really valiant disciple of Christ. That's what I want to be. But all I have is this blog, for whoever chances to read it, where I can share my testimony and the things I learn. This particular blog post is for those who are intimidated by the admonition to "Be ye therefore perfect" and probably misunderstand just what the Lord means by that. We don't have to do everything without errors nor do we have to be amazing scriptorians able to quote prophets with exact references. What we have to do is keep trying and be sincere in our desire to understand- enough to make a diligent search for information and a diligent effort to repent/change.
Lately I'm reading the book by Terryl and Fiona Givens entitled "The God Who Weeps". I want to share a quote:
"Holiness is found in how we treat others, not in how we contemplate the cosmos. The lovely paradox of compliance with what an ancient prophet called "the great plan of happiness" is that conformity to laws breeds both freedom and individualism. We may think a leaping child, in the euphoria of his imagination, enjoys unfettered freedom when he tells us he is going to land on the moon. But the rocket scientist hard at work in the laboratory, enmeshed in formulae and equations she has labored to master, and slaving away in perfect conformity with the laws of physics, is the one with true freedom; for she will land on the moon; the boy will not..... (William Law said)' All kinds of holy living and all kinds of virtue lie open to those who are masters of themselves.' In that freedom, we escape the conformity born of weakness, the bondage born of ignorance."
More and more, through prophets and students of eternal principles, we are being reminded that what we need most to do in preparing ourselves to meet the Lord- either at our own individual death or when He returns to the earth- is to gain self-mastery, or at least have the sincere intent to do so. Just as a drug addict cannot overcome an addiction simply by saying he wants to, we cannot be true followers of Christ simply by declaring that is our desire. Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." The hardest part of that is being Christ-like around others. When we're alone it's easy to be peaceful and feel kind. It's when faced with rambunctious children or nasty adults or impatient teens that we show our true mettle. It certainly is NOT easy, but if, by merely humbling ourselves enough to listen and motivating ourselves enough to try, we can look forward to spending eternity with others who are like Jesus Christ---- it will certainly be worth it.
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Weighed down..........
I copied this from an LDS Living article but neglected to write down the author- sorry-
"We do wrong because we make a decision to do so, and we feel guilty because we know we could have acted differently. That means we know we had other options than the one we chose. If we could have acted differently then we are free to act differently at that moment of choice.... Guilt is how we know we are free to choose. Nothing else we can say about our identity is as certain or fundamental. We are not born good or evil. We are born free."
Then this from "The God Who Weeps" by Terryl and Fiona Givens:
"We can treat guilt as an emotional inconvenience and tolerate or rationalize it until we grow spiritual calluses to deaden the pain. Or, we can treat guilt as a healthy prod to action, as a pain that signifies deeper injury in need of remedy- and actual injury signifying real spiritual harm. Guilt is what we feel when we have positioned ourselves in opposition to laws and principles that exist eternally and independent of the mind." (In other words, not just opinions) "Every moment of every day our choices enact our loves, our desires, and our aspirations. And we are molding ourselves into the God or gods we thereby worship."
I think about guilt a lot, probably because I feel it a lot. I feel guilt when I do or say something clumsy or incorrect. I feel guilty when I feel hurt or disappointed in someone I love because I don't know if I have a right to do that. Who am I to determine how someone else should use their agency to choose? On the other hand, I recognize that guilt can be an unjustifiable weight that impedes our forward progress or rise to happiness. The primary issue seems to be how to determine when our guilt is that "healthy prod to action" and when it is discouragement or self-loathing. Human emotions are so complex! I am truly grateful for words like, "let your hearts be comforted" and "I am with you unto the end" and "Therefore, dearly beloved.., let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." One of my very favorites- "Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; And none of them that my
Father hath given me shall be lost." I know we have been admonished to "Be ye therefore perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect"- but that's not today and now. It's a direction to head.
"We do wrong because we make a decision to do so, and we feel guilty because we know we could have acted differently. That means we know we had other options than the one we chose. If we could have acted differently then we are free to act differently at that moment of choice.... Guilt is how we know we are free to choose. Nothing else we can say about our identity is as certain or fundamental. We are not born good or evil. We are born free."
Then this from "The God Who Weeps" by Terryl and Fiona Givens:
"We can treat guilt as an emotional inconvenience and tolerate or rationalize it until we grow spiritual calluses to deaden the pain. Or, we can treat guilt as a healthy prod to action, as a pain that signifies deeper injury in need of remedy- and actual injury signifying real spiritual harm. Guilt is what we feel when we have positioned ourselves in opposition to laws and principles that exist eternally and independent of the mind." (In other words, not just opinions) "Every moment of every day our choices enact our loves, our desires, and our aspirations. And we are molding ourselves into the God or gods we thereby worship."
I think about guilt a lot, probably because I feel it a lot. I feel guilt when I do or say something clumsy or incorrect. I feel guilty when I feel hurt or disappointed in someone I love because I don't know if I have a right to do that. Who am I to determine how someone else should use their agency to choose? On the other hand, I recognize that guilt can be an unjustifiable weight that impedes our forward progress or rise to happiness. The primary issue seems to be how to determine when our guilt is that "healthy prod to action" and when it is discouragement or self-loathing. Human emotions are so complex! I am truly grateful for words like, "let your hearts be comforted" and "I am with you unto the end" and "Therefore, dearly beloved.., let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." One of my very favorites- "Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me; And none of them that my
Father hath given me shall be lost." I know we have been admonished to "Be ye therefore perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect"- but that's not today and now. It's a direction to head.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Stick with the program!
"Can you imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God" (Alma 5:18)
This is the kind of self-lashing many of us think of when we consider the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Those of us who have made the choice to believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived on this earth and suffered for our benefit, generally struggle to be humble and obedient as we strive to follow His example. It can be pretty discouraging to beat ourselves up about how wicked we are and how much we owe for our evil thoughts, words, and deeds. Maybe we should think instead of these elements of Christ's sacrifice:
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:11,12)
True, He paid the price for wrongdoings we can never undo or pay for ourselves. He also lived as a mortal so He could know what we go through. He suffered pain so He can understand our pain. He suffered trials so He could understand our trials. He suffered grief so He could understand our grief. And so on and so on... Maybe we could think in terms of enrolling in a college degree program. We may really struggle with some of the required courses. We may do better than some people in some areas and not as good in others. We may even fail a course and have to re-take it. But as long as we keep working at it, we are still enrolled in the program. Maybe we can feel discouraged and want to quit trying to do good things even though we have no desire to do bad things. Maybe we can feel tired or worried about rejection which keeps us from making much progress. Jesus Christ understands those feelings. He told the Father, "If thou wilt, let this cup pass from me." We are not even close to suffering for the sins of mankind, but if He felt pain and sorrow, He understands what pain and sorrow feels like. If we take our sorrows to Him and pray for His encouragement, forgiveness, and whatever help is appropriate, He will be there for us. He has promised us that. He's not going to take away our needed growing experiences. He's not going to interfere in our education. But He is able to have empathy and will love us through. He cannot take the steps for us but He will walk beside us. There are days when it feels like we're just barely staying in the program. But there will be times when we ace a course! We just need to stay with it- endure to the end.
This is the kind of self-lashing many of us think of when we consider the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Those of us who have made the choice to believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, lived on this earth and suffered for our benefit, generally struggle to be humble and obedient as we strive to follow His example. It can be pretty discouraging to beat ourselves up about how wicked we are and how much we owe for our evil thoughts, words, and deeds. Maybe we should think instead of these elements of Christ's sacrifice:
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:11,12)
True, He paid the price for wrongdoings we can never undo or pay for ourselves. He also lived as a mortal so He could know what we go through. He suffered pain so He can understand our pain. He suffered trials so He could understand our trials. He suffered grief so He could understand our grief. And so on and so on... Maybe we could think in terms of enrolling in a college degree program. We may really struggle with some of the required courses. We may do better than some people in some areas and not as good in others. We may even fail a course and have to re-take it. But as long as we keep working at it, we are still enrolled in the program. Maybe we can feel discouraged and want to quit trying to do good things even though we have no desire to do bad things. Maybe we can feel tired or worried about rejection which keeps us from making much progress. Jesus Christ understands those feelings. He told the Father, "If thou wilt, let this cup pass from me." We are not even close to suffering for the sins of mankind, but if He felt pain and sorrow, He understands what pain and sorrow feels like. If we take our sorrows to Him and pray for His encouragement, forgiveness, and whatever help is appropriate, He will be there for us. He has promised us that. He's not going to take away our needed growing experiences. He's not going to interfere in our education. But He is able to have empathy and will love us through. He cannot take the steps for us but He will walk beside us. There are days when it feels like we're just barely staying in the program. But there will be times when we ace a course! We just need to stay with it- endure to the end.
Sunday, January 21, 2018
On the soapbox!!
Recent statistics concerning advancement of technology, medicine, space exploration, alternative energy exploration, etc. have shown that the United States is falling behind several other nations. Since this nation was founded, it has often attracted the best minds who found the freedom and potential prosperity here to be helpful in their desires to find a "better way". Major inventions, scientific discoveries and advancements have occurred in various places all over the world. In the past century, the United States was taking the lead. It's not that there is some kind of competition. Hopefully, stopping the spread of disease, discoveries of better and safer ways to do things is for the good of ALL mankind, wherever they live. My gripe is not that "we are losing" at all! It's more that I am concerned with the direction this country is headed. It's a great blessing to not have to struggle to find food to avoid starving or to build and maintain shelter to keep us out of the elements. We have a wide variety of "labor saving" devices. That allow us more time--------- for what exactly???
I am concerned that the increase of "free" or "leisure" time is being used in ways that ultimately spell disaster to our society. At this point, I think the only "resource" the United States leads in is the number of entertainers! We have movie stars, music stars, sports stars, film makers, video game designers, tv announcers and all related personnel in numbers far beyond any other nation. Well, maybe Japan is doing pretty well in that department, too. Most teens spend far more time on their phones/computers playing games or engaging in social media than studying actual educational material. For that matter, it appears many adults would rather watch old sitcom reruns that a documentary. Sci-fi or fantasy books are more popular than biographies or books with helpful information or history. Golf is more popular among seniors than charity work. It's not that I think entertainment is totally evil. It's only becoming disproportionate. It's like the food pyramid or plate or whatever device you may use. Fruits and vegetables should far outweigh fats and sugars in our diets but too often they don't which is resulting in an epidemic of obesity and related health problems. (I'm not even overly concerned with life expectancy- just quality of life- like not having to be on countless medications and visiting medical facilities on a regular basis because of lifestyle choices.) Time spent on frivolous entertainment or recreation should be a similar limited option. Too many people feel like that out of a 24 hour period, they should spend 10 sleeping, 3 or more eating, 2 personal grooming and hygiene, 5 or so actually performing a labor, and the rest having fun. We really only need 8 hours of sleep. And why is it more desirable to sleep from midnight to 8 am than to go to bed at 10 and get up at 6? If you are the food preparer, that could be considered time spent in labor. If you are not, like when you go to restaurants, than you really don't need more than an hour for each meal, if even that much. As for watching television or playing video games or checking Facebook or Twitter or whatever social media you might choose, that should not occupy more waking hours than constructive labors, whether physical like housecleaning, lawn mowing, or paid employment work, or if it is more mental, like designing, analyzing and researching, balancing your budget, whatever! Why do people feel the need to justify a messy house or unmowed lawn or stacks of laundry by "not having gotten to it" when, truthfully, they simply used too much time entertaining themselves?? I know I will not change the world. I can't. I'm only putting this on record as a warning that if we don't make more effort to use our time better, we're going to be REALLY SORRY!
I am concerned that the increase of "free" or "leisure" time is being used in ways that ultimately spell disaster to our society. At this point, I think the only "resource" the United States leads in is the number of entertainers! We have movie stars, music stars, sports stars, film makers, video game designers, tv announcers and all related personnel in numbers far beyond any other nation. Well, maybe Japan is doing pretty well in that department, too. Most teens spend far more time on their phones/computers playing games or engaging in social media than studying actual educational material. For that matter, it appears many adults would rather watch old sitcom reruns that a documentary. Sci-fi or fantasy books are more popular than biographies or books with helpful information or history. Golf is more popular among seniors than charity work. It's not that I think entertainment is totally evil. It's only becoming disproportionate. It's like the food pyramid or plate or whatever device you may use. Fruits and vegetables should far outweigh fats and sugars in our diets but too often they don't which is resulting in an epidemic of obesity and related health problems. (I'm not even overly concerned with life expectancy- just quality of life- like not having to be on countless medications and visiting medical facilities on a regular basis because of lifestyle choices.) Time spent on frivolous entertainment or recreation should be a similar limited option. Too many people feel like that out of a 24 hour period, they should spend 10 sleeping, 3 or more eating, 2 personal grooming and hygiene, 5 or so actually performing a labor, and the rest having fun. We really only need 8 hours of sleep. And why is it more desirable to sleep from midnight to 8 am than to go to bed at 10 and get up at 6? If you are the food preparer, that could be considered time spent in labor. If you are not, like when you go to restaurants, than you really don't need more than an hour for each meal, if even that much. As for watching television or playing video games or checking Facebook or Twitter or whatever social media you might choose, that should not occupy more waking hours than constructive labors, whether physical like housecleaning, lawn mowing, or paid employment work, or if it is more mental, like designing, analyzing and researching, balancing your budget, whatever! Why do people feel the need to justify a messy house or unmowed lawn or stacks of laundry by "not having gotten to it" when, truthfully, they simply used too much time entertaining themselves?? I know I will not change the world. I can't. I'm only putting this on record as a warning that if we don't make more effort to use our time better, we're going to be REALLY SORRY!
Thursday, January 18, 2018
How do we choose??
Good or bad? Right or wrong? Truth or falsehood? These categories are not as absolute as we might think on first approach. For instance, is it good or bad when you don't get a job you were hoping for? If you continue unemployed with bills piling up, it may seem bad. However, if shortly after applying and being turned down, an even better job appears that you would never have noticed if already employed, it could be good that you didn't get the first job. Right and wrong can be flexible, too. For instance, helping other people is definitely the right thing. However, if taken too far for too long, it can create a dependence that cripples the person being helped and cause some resentment for the helper. Truth or falsehood? I really prefer knowing the truth as much as possible but I'm realizing it's not as clear as I wish. For instance, there are LOTS of opinions shared on Facebook, mostly derived by things people have heard or read. Their opinions are definitely sincere and based on what they understand to be true. However, any incident or quote presented can be taken out of context or manipulated so that, even though "true", it's not the WHOLE truth. As a result, it can be terribly misleading causing very wrong judgement of a person or event.
Everywhere I look, I realize how important it is to be sincere, humble (teachable), forgiving (for mistakes made toward you or just in general), and willing to give the benefit of the doubt. I may think of myself as hard-working but others may interpret me as obsessive. I may see someone as undependable but not understand all they are dealing with to make it where they promised when they promised. Evidence and statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever anyone may want to prove. They just have to use the right figures, the right words in the right order and can support whatever point they choose to make. So where does that leave us? How can we ever really know what is true or right or good? I don't know if we can. I think it's all a matter of faith- faith in other people, ourselves, and God. If we decline to trust anyone, we can be frozen by indecision, never being able to move forward. However, if we choose carefully who to trust and believe in our own abilities to make choices and be dependable to the best of our ability, we can continue to make progress until such time that we gain new information which may cause us to alter our direction a little.
I am grateful to be following a perfect being who was kind, helpful, loving, standing firmly for his principles, and telling the truth. Jesus Christ lived as a man a couple thousand years ago. That much is accepted history. We each get to choose whether He was who He said He was, or to believe that He was the very worst kind of charlatan making blasphemous claims and deceiving eventually millions of people throughout the history of this planet.
Everywhere I look, I realize how important it is to be sincere, humble (teachable), forgiving (for mistakes made toward you or just in general), and willing to give the benefit of the doubt. I may think of myself as hard-working but others may interpret me as obsessive. I may see someone as undependable but not understand all they are dealing with to make it where they promised when they promised. Evidence and statistics can be manipulated to prove whatever anyone may want to prove. They just have to use the right figures, the right words in the right order and can support whatever point they choose to make. So where does that leave us? How can we ever really know what is true or right or good? I don't know if we can. I think it's all a matter of faith- faith in other people, ourselves, and God. If we decline to trust anyone, we can be frozen by indecision, never being able to move forward. However, if we choose carefully who to trust and believe in our own abilities to make choices and be dependable to the best of our ability, we can continue to make progress until such time that we gain new information which may cause us to alter our direction a little.
I am grateful to be following a perfect being who was kind, helpful, loving, standing firmly for his principles, and telling the truth. Jesus Christ lived as a man a couple thousand years ago. That much is accepted history. We each get to choose whether He was who He said He was, or to believe that He was the very worst kind of charlatan making blasphemous claims and deceiving eventually millions of people throughout the history of this planet.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Who is HE??
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; .......So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. (Gen. 1:26-27)
There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. (D&C 131:7-8
"The mind of any one member of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost) is the mind of the others; seeing as each of them does with the eye of perfection, they see and understand alike. Under any given conditions each would act in the same way, guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity. The oneness of the Godhead, to which the scriptures so abundantly testify, implies no mystical union of substance, nor any unnatural and therefor impossible blending of personality. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are as distinct in their persons and individualities as are any three personages in mortality. Yet their unity of purpose and operation is such as to make their edicts on, and their will the will of God." -James E. Talmage
It is this "seeing with the eye of perfection...guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity" that Heavenly Father wants us to learn and Jesus taught during His mortal life. This is what they are hoping we will learn so we can see right and wrong, truth and error as they see it. We cannot use only our own inexperienced, self-centered logic to discern and judge. The hope is that one day in the eternities, we will each come to a better understanding of why God's laws are as they are. Truth cannot be created, it just IS. Just as a child learns that poking a balloon will permanently deflate and thereby destroy it, each of God's children needs to learn that universal laws exist and cannot be changed no matter how much we wish it could be. We cannot justify our own weaknesses by using man's principles because man's principles are faulty. We cannot form groups of learned men of worldly importance for the purpose of defining God or any of His commandments. God promises that if we want to seek, we will find. If we knock, He will open. We CAN LEARN TO BE LIKE HIM.
There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter. (D&C 131:7-8
"The mind of any one member of the Trinity (God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost) is the mind of the others; seeing as each of them does with the eye of perfection, they see and understand alike. Under any given conditions each would act in the same way, guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity. The oneness of the Godhead, to which the scriptures so abundantly testify, implies no mystical union of substance, nor any unnatural and therefor impossible blending of personality. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are as distinct in their persons and individualities as are any three personages in mortality. Yet their unity of purpose and operation is such as to make their edicts on, and their will the will of God." -James E. Talmage
It is this "seeing with the eye of perfection...guided by the same principles of unerring justice and equity" that Heavenly Father wants us to learn and Jesus taught during His mortal life. This is what they are hoping we will learn so we can see right and wrong, truth and error as they see it. We cannot use only our own inexperienced, self-centered logic to discern and judge. The hope is that one day in the eternities, we will each come to a better understanding of why God's laws are as they are. Truth cannot be created, it just IS. Just as a child learns that poking a balloon will permanently deflate and thereby destroy it, each of God's children needs to learn that universal laws exist and cannot be changed no matter how much we wish it could be. We cannot justify our own weaknesses by using man's principles because man's principles are faulty. We cannot form groups of learned men of worldly importance for the purpose of defining God or any of His commandments. God promises that if we want to seek, we will find. If we knock, He will open. We CAN LEARN TO BE LIKE HIM.
Sunday, January 07, 2018
Spiritual laziness
For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance (in other words change) until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in eternal world. Alma 34:32-34
As usual, you can read something, especially scripture, and get something different from it every time- if that's what you're endeavoring to do. (Just as listening and having something go in one ear and out the other as the saying goes, you can read and let it just go by.) Reading this scripture, I have been considering one of the aspects of difference between individuals. We know our spirits existed before being placed in our mortal bodies and there were characteristics about those spirits which we brought with us. For instance: Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. (First Presidency Proclamation on the Family) Anyone who has ever raised children or closely witnessed the development of children knows without a doubt that everyone has their own characteristics, some of which change through mortal years and some of which may strengthen through mortal years- depending on the choices we each make. I recently read something that helped me to understand some differences in individuals.
"When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption we must begin with the pre-mortal life. I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the war in heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer were going to force everybody to obey. Most people don't want to be forced. As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That's the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing. We have certain aspects in our life today where things are awkward. Something for nothing- a free lunch, we sometimes call it- with certain kinds of subsidies which promise to guarantee a reward without effort. On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits." (Robert J. Matthews "The Price of Redemption" - 11th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium- New Testament, Jan. 29, 1983)
Aha! We too often think of laziness as being a strictly mortal issue referring to willingness or aversion to physical effort. It can also be a spiritual characteristic and will remain with us so long as we choose to hoard and nurture it. It is common for people to decry the "award for participation" which has come to mean no real award at all. If everyone gets the award, it doesn't signify anything special about anyone. On the other hand, it is also common for people to say things like, "Why can't you just accept (reward?) me as I am?" (currently, without effort on my part to improve....) As Amulek tells us in the book of Alma, this life is the time for us to decide- by observation of consequences and the actions of those around us- to stay the way we are or repent, change and improve. There is absolutely no point in thinking that we will magically be willing to sacrifice, serve, and work like Jesus did once we are out of our mortal bodies or into a resurrected body. Inside we will still be the same person, lazy, rebellious, or whatever we are sincerely striving to be. It would certainly behoove us to ponder the wisdom of changing (repenting) NOW! (And remember- you can always ask for help- but you will only get it if you want it.)
As usual, you can read something, especially scripture, and get something different from it every time- if that's what you're endeavoring to do. (Just as listening and having something go in one ear and out the other as the saying goes, you can read and let it just go by.) Reading this scripture, I have been considering one of the aspects of difference between individuals. We know our spirits existed before being placed in our mortal bodies and there were characteristics about those spirits which we brought with us. For instance: Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose. (First Presidency Proclamation on the Family) Anyone who has ever raised children or closely witnessed the development of children knows without a doubt that everyone has their own characteristics, some of which change through mortal years and some of which may strengthen through mortal years- depending on the choices we each make. I recently read something that helped me to understand some differences in individuals.
"When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption we must begin with the pre-mortal life. I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the war in heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer were going to force everybody to obey. Most people don't want to be forced. As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That's the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing. We have certain aspects in our life today where things are awkward. Something for nothing- a free lunch, we sometimes call it- with certain kinds of subsidies which promise to guarantee a reward without effort. On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits." (Robert J. Matthews "The Price of Redemption" - 11th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium- New Testament, Jan. 29, 1983)
Aha! We too often think of laziness as being a strictly mortal issue referring to willingness or aversion to physical effort. It can also be a spiritual characteristic and will remain with us so long as we choose to hoard and nurture it. It is common for people to decry the "award for participation" which has come to mean no real award at all. If everyone gets the award, it doesn't signify anything special about anyone. On the other hand, it is also common for people to say things like, "Why can't you just accept (reward?) me as I am?" (currently, without effort on my part to improve....) As Amulek tells us in the book of Alma, this life is the time for us to decide- by observation of consequences and the actions of those around us- to stay the way we are or repent, change and improve. There is absolutely no point in thinking that we will magically be willing to sacrifice, serve, and work like Jesus did once we are out of our mortal bodies or into a resurrected body. Inside we will still be the same person, lazy, rebellious, or whatever we are sincerely striving to be. It would certainly behoove us to ponder the wisdom of changing (repenting) NOW! (And remember- you can always ask for help- but you will only get it if you want it.)
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