Between some of the stuff that we have been discussing in my Hebrew class as of late, some of the programming I caught on the BYU channel after returning home for a very early-morning maintenance call this morning, and other thoughts that have been on my mind as of late, I have inclination to address this topic.
As we have discussed the ancient Israelites in our class, we have often found ourselves discussing the circumstances that led to the Israelites entering into the wilderness in the first place. Too oft we begin our examinations of this story with the escape of the Israelites from the Egyptians through the Red Sea and onto dry ground, even though the parts of the story just before this are likely more signification to our salvation today than the story of the Egyptian pursuit through a divided body of water.
I refer of course to the prominence of the plagues of Egypt prior to the Israelite release from bondage. Though this series of events is seemingly random to the unlearned scripture scholar, and irrelevant to the non-Christian world, their significance is akin to the parabled words of the Savior in the New Testament. The resistance of the Egyptian Pharaoh in granting the release of the Israelites was not as entirely tyrannical as some might like to label it, but rather was pertinent to the growth and salvation of the Israelite people. Though this is a notion that is rejected by most Biblical scholars, they fail to note the reasoning behind the plagues in the first place.
It was necessary for the Israelites and Egyptians to be plagued for a time as an entire nation, and then for the Egyptians to be further plagued as the Israelites were spared in order for a proper refocusing to occur. We must note that the Israelites had been in bondage under the Egyptian empire for quite some time prior to their release. Over time, they had inevitably adopted many Egyptian customs and traditions that were not necessarily in harmony with the teachings of God, or even in direct recognition of His power and majesty. Thus, a "fall" of sorts had to be created such that the Israelites could again recognize their true God and learn about whom they should follow and worship during their journey into the wilderness and throughout all mortality. When recognizing this, then one can understand the reasoning behind the plagues sent by God to the entire people. It wasn't to wear down the Pharaoh, nor was it to inflict a form of vengeance upon the Egyptians, but rather to get the Israelites to fear God, and to debunk the mythical perceived abilities and powers of the Egyptian pantheon of Gods. In each plague, the Egyptians were shown the error of their religious or rather social beliefs, and the Israelites were reminded that only the God of the Old Testament - Jehovah - could triumph over any superstition or power of men.
Fast forward now approximately 1300 years just past the meridian of time to the life of an individual who would stem from the Israelites, become the greatest prophet in all dispensations of time, and would provide an Atonement that would allow for the return to the presence of heavenly parents - to Jesus Christ. Though innocent he approached John the Baptist seeking the saving ordinance that had already been performed on so many others before him. Failing to understand his divinity, nor his mission in mortality, the man questioned the necessity of performing such an ordinance on someone so pure. With a response so simple, but holding such magnitude as to become somewhat of a mission statement that would encompass all that He would accomplish during his sojourn in mortality, Jesus responded to John the Baptists question saying "for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." (Matt 3:15)
In more modern terms we might say that Jesus' response was that he needed to be baptized in order to fulfill the ends of the Law. The Law that is referred to is the Mosaic law that was prescribed by the premortal Jehovah to Moses merely 1300 years earlier. Christ obviously realized his own divinity and understood that he was fulfilling that Law which He, Himself gave to His mouthpiece year before, according to the will of the Father, but few others had that recognition, and even more still lack that recognition in our present day.
Though the law had been clearly stated, and was given as a result of prior apostasy by the Israelites because of their fear in ascending to the feet of Jehovah at Mount Sinai, the great temper, even Lucifer the fallen son of the morning had planted into the hearts of men the "philosophies of men mingled with scripture." What was once a pure and unblemished law intent on reminding the forbearers of Christ of the atoning sacrifice that he would one day accomplish that would fulfill the ends of that Law given them, had become a law that had been corrupted with a level of strictness and ritualism. No longer existed that original reminder that their actions were in similitude of a greater event, but instead the constant reminder of insignificant tasks that would drive them further from salvation than it would bring them closer, and concurrently bring with it a level of contention that would affect generations to the present time.
While Christ understood his purpose in life and sought to fulfill the Law given, more specifically to do the will of His father who had sent him to mortality to provide a means for the salvation of His children, his opponents during that sojourn in mortality were many. Even in this the dispensation of the fullness of times, ushered in by the Prophet Joseph, the variance in the teachings of Christ by many religions based on their interpretations of the new law given at the meridian of time is nearly as destructive and contentious as those prescribed by those during the time of Christ. Devoting his entire life to the servitude of others and the teaching of His father's will, Jesus sought to re-clarify the ends of the laws that He himself revealed and bring purity and godly order to the gospel once again.
One of the most effective tools that Christ was able to use in accomplish this end was to show the power of God, the true giver of all commandments through the use of miracles. In examining the miracles manifest by the Savior, one can realize that many of these were similar in purpose to the plagues cast upon the Egyptians and Israelites. Though these were often seen as marvelous works by others and miraculous life-changing events to the recipients personally affected, they were also seen as outward violations of the rabbinical laws that were enforced by the Pharisees and Sadducees of the day. While many received strength to walk, sight to see, and ability to hear, the religious lawgivers of the day chose only to focus on the fact that Christ had violated their prescription of law and had done such things as kneaded material on the Sabbath, instructed the healed to walk with their beds on the Sabbath, bathe on the Sabbath, and a plethora of other things.
Rather than recognizing that Christ had been following the law correctly and had only violated a set of unrighteous standards that were wholly inadequate to teach the gospel, much less protect the sacred nature of the law in the first place, these lawgivers constantly attacked the Christ, questioning his authority, his purpose, his knowledge and his obedience. Ultimately an illegal tribunal that likely violated many of their own standards was held that would condemn Christ to death and continue to fuel a spirit of contention and animosity between the peoples dwelling in Jerusalem. Such confusion and hatred would lead to the destruction of the Church that Christ had established, the rejection of the Apostolic word that His disciples carried, and ultimately would deny immediate salvation and peace to many then and to countless numbers now.
Though we don't have the privilege of Christ walking amongst us today, nor do we find ourselves subjected to the bondage of a more powerful nation, we do have a living Prophet of God and we find ourselves subjected to the bondage of a spiritual nation of tempters and those that will openly decry the words of God and His appointed leaders. Even amongst ourselves in large concentrations of Zion, we find many amongst us that have sought to become Pharisaic in nature and focus on many of the outward elements of the laws given rather than the intent of those laws.
Chiefly amongst those opponents and misdirected individuals are those that bring the family unit under attack and seek to socialize and make mortal interpretation and practice of the eternal laws of marriage and home building. I do not reference to those that openly oppose the Church's support of the original commandment given to Adam and Eve in the garden and affirm the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, but rather I refer more to those that would attack this institution internally.
What do I mean by this? As of now I am a student at the Church's 2nd largest school - Brigham Young University - Idaho. On this campus we are surrounded by a spirit of intended progression and establishment of core gospel principles and values, including those related to the establishment of eternal families. Conversely, this spirit of progression and salvation is nullified by increasingly many who choose to focus on the outward qualities, situations, conditions, and possessions that the world suggests is necessary for "happiness."
Society has taught us, especially through modern media, that in order to build a successful marriage that we must contain a certain subset of qualities that are portrayed in their perceptions. Never mind the fact that it is all but impossible for an individual to contain an exact set of qualities and traits that fit that mold, many have chosen to try to seek for that claim instead of focusing on the elements of individuals that will lead them to Christ. We often find ourselves shaking our heads at the increase in the rise of divorces throughout the world, and the lack of commitment by individuals in seeking to build up marital unions and make them successful, yet oft times we have ourselves to blame for perpetuating those circumstances in the first place.
In a world where computer technology has become the normative form of communication and the means to do more with less, it has also led to a change in the paradigm of communication as it relates to building relationships. The terms "friendship" and "know" are tossed about casually to reference to anyone that someone has been introduced to and may communicate with a couple of times through electronic means. Along with that is introduced the world's term of "chemistry" which is to mean the cohesion of a relationship or the perceived success and concurrent interest of that relationship - all of which is seemingly derived in a few minutes with little regard to legwork and research that it often takes in order to allow those relationships to successfully progress.
Instead of focusing on one's ability to progress, knowledge and wisdom, Priesthood observance, charitable nature, goals in life, and views of family values and objectives - even Church members have become caught up in focusing on material goods, monetary potential and background, physical perfection, eloquence of speech, carnal desires (such as touching, kissing, physical contact, etc.), and a plethora of other qualities that the world has taught is essential for success in marital relationships. Where we have become a society with fast-paced technology that delivers us information quicker than the comprehension of the human mind at times, we have also become a society that has mirrored that fast-paced nature in our determining the potential aptitude of relationships and their subsequent success in the future.
Young women in the Church seeking a potential suitor judge their potential based on the data found on social networking sites, their calling in the Church, their limited interactions in group settings or at Church, or potential economic reward vs the risk they take with one individual over another. After merely a few minutes a young man is judged to be fit for eternity or unsuitable for progression and tossed to the side with the rest of all other potential suitors despite having obtained little more than a name and a momentary introduction to that individual.
Young men in the Church are not without fault either. Also relying on the prevalence of access to social networking information, many young men rely on the quality of photos shown to them, the ability of a young woman to talk sweetly to them, or their perception of their ability to quickly build a relationship of some kind - most often physical without seeking first to establish those solid friendships that will allow these relationships to stand the test of time. They often find that by smooth-talking themselves and extravagantly spending to impress another end up producing moments of temporary happiness and success, and if lucky will generate a long-term relationship that the individual can enjoy.
Though clear communication and study of individuals - much like diligent prayer and scripture study work in the gospel - will produce far greater and more successful results to the desiring individual, many in this day and age choose simply to make potential life-altering decisions and rid themselves of countless opportunities with others, with careers and education, and with joy and happiness in this life and the next - all in pursuit of temporary pleasure or the worldly prescribed model that few can hope to ever become.
Later on in our lives we find that communication often affects relationships beyond our own families. Instead we choose to get offended with others based on a mistake that they made that was not intended for offense; choose to allow our emotions be governed by the natural man that is influenced by the adversary, and turn our backs on potential successes in family, social, and economical relationships that could benefit us should we choose to be more open, humble, and less prideful.
Is there a problem with seeking for physical compatibility? No, but we also have to recognize that we cannot seek for perfection in a companion without being perfect ourselves. Is there a problem with wanting certain qualities in an individual? No, but do we consider which ones we are seeking for? Are those qualities going to bring us happiness and joy in life because we will have someone with whom we can relate to, or are these qualities going to bring us only mortal happiness and leave us desolate in the life to come? Why is it that we focus so much on first impressions and the outward perceptions of individuals when that is likely the last thing that will bring us happiness for eternity?
In a society that has taught us that it is okay to discard marriages as quickly as we do leftover food, we have equally become as casual with our communication and our ability to truly seek for those things that will bring us happiness. Laid aside are those individuals that either choose not to play dramatic games or simply don't feel like wearing all of themselves on their sleeves or leaving themselves exposed. Instead brought to the forefront of society are fears of communicating because of lack of respect or because of the perpetuation of all to downplay the sacredness of some communications between individuals. In many instances where Christ healed a person, that person was charged to tell no one of the miracle that had previously occurred? It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the miracle or that is was bad in any way, but that it was sacred and the pearls of the power of God manifested to others need not be cast before the swine that the adversary and his followers had figuratively created.
It is my prayer that we choose to reevaluate our lives, our relationships, and our perceptions of things. May we be so inclined to focus on those things that will bring us the happiness of eternity and the joy of others and of God rather than focus on those outward things that we feel are important now but will bring us no progression in the life to come. May we consider that we are each children of a loving Heavenly Father who has bestowed upon each of us weaknesses and strengths that are not readily apparent, and sometimes need assistance and research in order to bring to the surface of relationships that we may have in home, family, school, work, Church or otherwise. If we are truly to become like God is and go where He is, then we must do as mentioned in 1st Samuel 16 and look not upon the outward appearances of others and of events in our lives, but look upon the hearts of individuals and the true intent and purpose of the situations that we are placed in.
31 January 2010
28 January 2010
Recognizing Where We Stand
I've taken a fairly good hiatus from this, and I apologize. There are a number of my followers that have asked me to put up a new blog soon though - so I will oblige and do my best to fill their needs.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to converse with a number of individuals about various turmoils, worries, fears, and the like in their lives. Over the duration of my conversations with them, I have come to not only the conclusion that there is a great deal that I've learned from each of them, but that the things that they are / were experiencing are more closely tied to each other than they realize. The common link that I have found between each of these situations is the topic that I wish to address in this post.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf summarized the eventual continuation of my post in his talk from General Conference October 2008's Priesthood Session titled "Lift Where You Stand." That in mind however, I wish to address the underlying point before his - and that is to discuss the understanding of where exactly an individual stands, or rather, the recognition of such. In doing so, this will allow us to lift where we stand, but in ignorance of such, we allow our lives to be governed by chaos, confusion, and utter lack of trust in anything or anyone that could potentially bring us to joy and allow us to move forward and progress in our lives.
Let us consider the scripture from Matthew 16:15-19 in the New Testament which reads:
Note here the identification of not only the status of Simon Peter, but also of Christ himself. We must remember that despite Christ's innocence, he was mortal as we all were. Inevitably he had stresses upon him, he had doubts, and a plethora of other emotions that he dealt with. I'm sure Simon Peter's statement in the Bible was just as much of a recognition of Christ's status as the Christ as it was to the Savior himself - in reminding him that he was the Christ and he had a much greater mission to perform yet in his mortality, and though things were tough, that he had a grander purpose than they all understood. Though Christ understood that he would have to perform the miraculous sacrifice in the Garden later on in His ministry, we know that through modern revelation and observation that even He could not anticipate the pain that he would endure at that time.
Nevertheless, despite the risk of pain and the depravity of a world that would reject His teachings and ultimately sacrifice him inhumanely, Christ was not only willing to accept the pain and risk that he would endure, but he did it with charity in his heart and prepared his chief disciple for the continuation of His word following his sojourn in mortality. Concurrently, with his recognition of the divinity of the Savior and His mission, Simon Peter was also not only recognized as a successor to the kingdom of heaven on earth, but was also reminded of where he stood at that time and where he had the potential to stand in the future.
Though we may at times lament the trials that come upon us and suffer from the carnal lusts of the flesh or the natural-man emotions of pride, fear, and rejection, we will find that oft times these situations are placed into our lives - not as the result of an inhumane, vengeful God, but rather through the wisdom of a loving Father in Heaven who recognizes that there are times in this life when we need to be reminded just where we stand in the grand scheme of things and the potential that we have within each of us to attain to the highest blessings which He can offer us.
Consider if you will the situation of a young woman that has encountered much pain and turmoil in her life. She has recently left home and with that hopefully a past that she has struggled to overcome for some time. In arriving at her new location she has found a young man that she is interested in and appears to be equally interested in her as well. As the relationship develops, she finds herself worrying about things from her past, and the revelation of such to this young men that she fears may drive him away for good and with it invite more heartache and pain that she had hoped to avoid.
Consider another separate situation of a young man and a young woman who have recently met and have realized an attraction to each other. Together they feel a sense of belonging and commonality, but apart the young woman feels fear in not knowing if she's good enough for the young man. The young man worries about potential other missed opportunities with other young women, or if the young woman is attractive enough for him - mainly based on what others think of her. Each of them have fears about moving too fast - not because of the physical nature of the relationship - but the willingness to commit to another individual so quickly despite the fact that they feel right about doing so.
Finally - consider the situation of a mother whose kids have moved out of the home. She feels a sense of disparity because she doesn't have the closeness of a family in her home anymore. Her husband is out of the home at work all the time; she has ailments that don't allow her to do all of the stuff that she would like to do, and a family that is less than cordial to her at times, leaving her to seek solace in other places. She gains acceptance in online games, and other social networking venues as a means of sharing her feelings and reaching out to others. She struggles daily in her own mind to discern ways to reconnect with her family and deal with the ever-mounting stresses of life.
In each of these situations, seemingly unique circumstances govern the forefronts of these scenarios, but there is much common ground to be found with all of them. To each of these individuals I would exhort them to spend a little time getting to know themselves. Further, I would remind each individual of the uniqueness and overlying power of the Lord's Atonement for each of them. Too often we think of the Atonement as simply a remedy for sin and wrongdoing while failing to recognize its healing power in relation to those, as well as its equalizing balance on our minds, and the penetrable effect that it can have on our hearts in softening them and allowing the Spirit to come forth and dwell within each of us.
We all sin and make mistakes, but it is a measure of our maturity and understanding of the Lord's Atonement which allows us to fully put it behind us and move forward in our lives. Such things such as past dealings that have been repented of, cognizant poor decisions, willful rebellion, and pride all effect us in ways similar to junk foods on the human body, but in more of an internal sense. The empty spiritual calories that each of these generate pile into the body and build up in areas that over time become ugly to us and others. In a sense we become spiritually obese to the point where it becomes difficult for us to carry out the most spiritual tasks of breathing and enjoying the spirit around us. Additionally we become so burdened with the weight of such that we often live in the past with regret for picking up that extra weight and our inability to cope as we should.
Rather, it is a spiritual exercise for each of us to invoke the Atonement in our lives and spiritually tone our bodies to the point where we are spiritually fit. Oft times this may mean putting off some things that we currently enjoy in our lives. Do we spend too much time playing games, watching television, or participating in empty activities that leave us not only unfulfilled but with regret for not having been more productive with our time? Do we shy away from others because we are afraid of being hurt or worn down by their actions or opinions? Do we date the prettiest or most handsome opposites because it is what is most convenient? Do we give up on relationships or commitments because we don't think they look right or we don't have the knowledge to know how to build them properly?
We may each do some or all of this, but if we properly invoke the Atonement in our lives, we will be able to find the balance necessary to do things we enjoy, to have fun, and to find the greatest potential in our lives. As with the modern-day food pyramid, and the word of wisdom - we need to let the bread of Christ's gospel be the base of our lives, with His manna from heaven and the herbs of wisdom that we have to obtain each day be the main parts of our spiritual diets. There is nothing wrong with taking time for one's self, or having doubts at times, or enjoying games or other activities, so long as we understand that those things are to be used sparingly, and that we must work to equalize out those spiritual impurities that we might sometimes ingest.
The Disney character Pumbaa in the movie The Lion King said it wrong when he said "you gotta stick your behind in your past." Timon immediately corrected him, and said that we need to put our past behind us, but I sometimes wonder if we all do a little bit more of the former instead of the latter. Have we each become spiritually obese to a point where we are unable to pull our behinds out of our past? Further, if we are concerned with our past, are we truly able to embrace our futures? I say to that - no!
We must recognize that the past is in the past, and leave it there. If there are things that we need to take care of from our past, then we need to do so quickly and with the penitence of young child, but after it has been placed in the past by the necessary authority it needs to be left there. If we are still holding on to those things, it is impossible to discern where we currently stand because we are obviously not where we should be in the present. We travel as spiritual herds, but sometimes we have to stand alone because of what we know to be right. No matter the case, we must recognize where we stand if we are to eventually lift others and if we are to attain all that God has promised to us.
Upon this recognition, we must realize that we have to keep trying. We are going to encounter those instances in life where our past may sneak up on us and try to invade, but through the recognition of the Lord's Atonement, we can overcome those things. Should we encounter those individuals that we fear may be unable to overlook that, we must either move on our place our faith in the Lord that His Charity will prevail in their hearts. Charity is not a passive thing or something we attain to - but something that we are and that we hold. We may reach a point of charity at some time in our lives, but it is only momentary because the natural man causes us to lose that rather quickly. With that, we cannot claim to have it just because we have had it once, but rather must strive to continually keep it. The Lord's Atonement is such that we can enjoy those tender mercies that will allow us to partake of levels of faith, hope, and charity in our lives so that we can grow and progress towards our ultimate goal of complete charity towards others. In doing so, we are able to fully claim the blessings which the Atonement has to offer us. Our falling short of this does not mean that we are a failure, but rather means that we must continually press forward and frequently rededicate ourselves to doing the will of the Lord.
Spiritually, we cannot be in two places at once, for this defies the law of Spiritual physics. Thus, I encourage everyone to evaluate where you stand right now so that you can know where you want to go in the future!
Over the last couple of weeks, I have had the opportunity to converse with a number of individuals about various turmoils, worries, fears, and the like in their lives. Over the duration of my conversations with them, I have come to not only the conclusion that there is a great deal that I've learned from each of them, but that the things that they are / were experiencing are more closely tied to each other than they realize. The common link that I have found between each of these situations is the topic that I wish to address in this post.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf summarized the eventual continuation of my post in his talk from General Conference October 2008's Priesthood Session titled "Lift Where You Stand." That in mind however, I wish to address the underlying point before his - and that is to discuss the understanding of where exactly an individual stands, or rather, the recognition of such. In doing so, this will allow us to lift where we stand, but in ignorance of such, we allow our lives to be governed by chaos, confusion, and utter lack of trust in anything or anyone that could potentially bring us to joy and allow us to move forward and progress in our lives.
Let us consider the scripture from Matthew 16:15-19 in the New Testament which reads:
15. He saith unto them, But whom say yet that I am?
16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18. And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Note here the identification of not only the status of Simon Peter, but also of Christ himself. We must remember that despite Christ's innocence, he was mortal as we all were. Inevitably he had stresses upon him, he had doubts, and a plethora of other emotions that he dealt with. I'm sure Simon Peter's statement in the Bible was just as much of a recognition of Christ's status as the Christ as it was to the Savior himself - in reminding him that he was the Christ and he had a much greater mission to perform yet in his mortality, and though things were tough, that he had a grander purpose than they all understood. Though Christ understood that he would have to perform the miraculous sacrifice in the Garden later on in His ministry, we know that through modern revelation and observation that even He could not anticipate the pain that he would endure at that time.
Nevertheless, despite the risk of pain and the depravity of a world that would reject His teachings and ultimately sacrifice him inhumanely, Christ was not only willing to accept the pain and risk that he would endure, but he did it with charity in his heart and prepared his chief disciple for the continuation of His word following his sojourn in mortality. Concurrently, with his recognition of the divinity of the Savior and His mission, Simon Peter was also not only recognized as a successor to the kingdom of heaven on earth, but was also reminded of where he stood at that time and where he had the potential to stand in the future.
Though we may at times lament the trials that come upon us and suffer from the carnal lusts of the flesh or the natural-man emotions of pride, fear, and rejection, we will find that oft times these situations are placed into our lives - not as the result of an inhumane, vengeful God, but rather through the wisdom of a loving Father in Heaven who recognizes that there are times in this life when we need to be reminded just where we stand in the grand scheme of things and the potential that we have within each of us to attain to the highest blessings which He can offer us.
Consider if you will the situation of a young woman that has encountered much pain and turmoil in her life. She has recently left home and with that hopefully a past that she has struggled to overcome for some time. In arriving at her new location she has found a young man that she is interested in and appears to be equally interested in her as well. As the relationship develops, she finds herself worrying about things from her past, and the revelation of such to this young men that she fears may drive him away for good and with it invite more heartache and pain that she had hoped to avoid.
Consider another separate situation of a young man and a young woman who have recently met and have realized an attraction to each other. Together they feel a sense of belonging and commonality, but apart the young woman feels fear in not knowing if she's good enough for the young man. The young man worries about potential other missed opportunities with other young women, or if the young woman is attractive enough for him - mainly based on what others think of her. Each of them have fears about moving too fast - not because of the physical nature of the relationship - but the willingness to commit to another individual so quickly despite the fact that they feel right about doing so.
Finally - consider the situation of a mother whose kids have moved out of the home. She feels a sense of disparity because she doesn't have the closeness of a family in her home anymore. Her husband is out of the home at work all the time; she has ailments that don't allow her to do all of the stuff that she would like to do, and a family that is less than cordial to her at times, leaving her to seek solace in other places. She gains acceptance in online games, and other social networking venues as a means of sharing her feelings and reaching out to others. She struggles daily in her own mind to discern ways to reconnect with her family and deal with the ever-mounting stresses of life.
In each of these situations, seemingly unique circumstances govern the forefronts of these scenarios, but there is much common ground to be found with all of them. To each of these individuals I would exhort them to spend a little time getting to know themselves. Further, I would remind each individual of the uniqueness and overlying power of the Lord's Atonement for each of them. Too often we think of the Atonement as simply a remedy for sin and wrongdoing while failing to recognize its healing power in relation to those, as well as its equalizing balance on our minds, and the penetrable effect that it can have on our hearts in softening them and allowing the Spirit to come forth and dwell within each of us.
We all sin and make mistakes, but it is a measure of our maturity and understanding of the Lord's Atonement which allows us to fully put it behind us and move forward in our lives. Such things such as past dealings that have been repented of, cognizant poor decisions, willful rebellion, and pride all effect us in ways similar to junk foods on the human body, but in more of an internal sense. The empty spiritual calories that each of these generate pile into the body and build up in areas that over time become ugly to us and others. In a sense we become spiritually obese to the point where it becomes difficult for us to carry out the most spiritual tasks of breathing and enjoying the spirit around us. Additionally we become so burdened with the weight of such that we often live in the past with regret for picking up that extra weight and our inability to cope as we should.
Rather, it is a spiritual exercise for each of us to invoke the Atonement in our lives and spiritually tone our bodies to the point where we are spiritually fit. Oft times this may mean putting off some things that we currently enjoy in our lives. Do we spend too much time playing games, watching television, or participating in empty activities that leave us not only unfulfilled but with regret for not having been more productive with our time? Do we shy away from others because we are afraid of being hurt or worn down by their actions or opinions? Do we date the prettiest or most handsome opposites because it is what is most convenient? Do we give up on relationships or commitments because we don't think they look right or we don't have the knowledge to know how to build them properly?
We may each do some or all of this, but if we properly invoke the Atonement in our lives, we will be able to find the balance necessary to do things we enjoy, to have fun, and to find the greatest potential in our lives. As with the modern-day food pyramid, and the word of wisdom - we need to let the bread of Christ's gospel be the base of our lives, with His manna from heaven and the herbs of wisdom that we have to obtain each day be the main parts of our spiritual diets. There is nothing wrong with taking time for one's self, or having doubts at times, or enjoying games or other activities, so long as we understand that those things are to be used sparingly, and that we must work to equalize out those spiritual impurities that we might sometimes ingest.
The Disney character Pumbaa in the movie The Lion King said it wrong when he said "you gotta stick your behind in your past." Timon immediately corrected him, and said that we need to put our past behind us, but I sometimes wonder if we all do a little bit more of the former instead of the latter. Have we each become spiritually obese to a point where we are unable to pull our behinds out of our past? Further, if we are concerned with our past, are we truly able to embrace our futures? I say to that - no!
We must recognize that the past is in the past, and leave it there. If there are things that we need to take care of from our past, then we need to do so quickly and with the penitence of young child, but after it has been placed in the past by the necessary authority it needs to be left there. If we are still holding on to those things, it is impossible to discern where we currently stand because we are obviously not where we should be in the present. We travel as spiritual herds, but sometimes we have to stand alone because of what we know to be right. No matter the case, we must recognize where we stand if we are to eventually lift others and if we are to attain all that God has promised to us.
Upon this recognition, we must realize that we have to keep trying. We are going to encounter those instances in life where our past may sneak up on us and try to invade, but through the recognition of the Lord's Atonement, we can overcome those things. Should we encounter those individuals that we fear may be unable to overlook that, we must either move on our place our faith in the Lord that His Charity will prevail in their hearts. Charity is not a passive thing or something we attain to - but something that we are and that we hold. We may reach a point of charity at some time in our lives, but it is only momentary because the natural man causes us to lose that rather quickly. With that, we cannot claim to have it just because we have had it once, but rather must strive to continually keep it. The Lord's Atonement is such that we can enjoy those tender mercies that will allow us to partake of levels of faith, hope, and charity in our lives so that we can grow and progress towards our ultimate goal of complete charity towards others. In doing so, we are able to fully claim the blessings which the Atonement has to offer us. Our falling short of this does not mean that we are a failure, but rather means that we must continually press forward and frequently rededicate ourselves to doing the will of the Lord.
Spiritually, we cannot be in two places at once, for this defies the law of Spiritual physics. Thus, I encourage everyone to evaluate where you stand right now so that you can know where you want to go in the future!
15 January 2010
In Reference to the Book of Ruth
Holy cow! Its been a while since I've sat down and written one of these. Admittedly I've been a bit lazy with it, while at the same time being insanely busy with a lot of things. I figured that I'm not doing anything else at 0115 in the morning though so I should write some thoughts down.
A friend of mine recently asked about my thoughts on the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament, so I thought I'd give it a shot:
The book of Ruth is a very short book - comprising of only five pages in the scriptures. The problem is of course that there is very little genealogical tie to anything other than knowing that the seed of Ruth would produce David - which subsequently would lead to Jesus Christ further on down the line.
I believe to some extent that this is somewhat allegorical in nature. The story begins with the story of Naomi, her husband and her two sons - all of which ended up dying, leaving Naomi to care for her two daughters-in-law. Naomi decides that she will return to her home of Bethlehem and commands her two daughters-in-law to return to their homes. The one decides to return immediately and the other, Ruth, decides to pledge her devotion to Naomi and stay by her for the rest of her life.
Naomi already carries with her a virtuous reputation which is also mirrored by Ruth also. She (Ruth) decides to go out into the fields of Boaz, the kinsmen of Naomi's late husband, to glean some of the grain left from the harvest. Boaz is impressed with her integrity, beauty, and other characteristics that he allows her to enter in with his maidens and commands his servants to protect her, all while being oblivious to his familial and concurrent social ties to her. Over time she grows closer to Boaz and eventually seeks to marry him. Boaz consents because he knows that she is a woman of integrity and he is also. As a gesture of goodwill, Ruth gives her firstborn to Naomi to raise.
Now for the allegorical part to this. This is similar to the process of repentance and conversion. Each of us go about our lives at some point mired in the repetition of our daily lives and weighed down by the worries and cares of the world. When we choose to embrace the spirituality that the gospel has to offer, we find ourselves allowing the previous ties we had to die off. Only the truly honorable and praiseworthy will stick by our sides as Ruth did. Though we will find it difficult to maintain who we are, we know that by our devotion to the path that we have chosen, we will one day be blessed beyond measure for our devotion to it. Once we have committed to that path we begin to recognize our own kinsmen (Jesus Christ) we will eventually bow at his feet and seek to become a member of His family. He will - as he did with Ruth and Naomi - buy us into his family with a price where we will have protection and we will have an inheritance and dwelling place far greater than we could previously imagine.
Obviously, the key to all of this is contingent upon our devotion to the paths that we have chosen, more importantly our exercise of faith in those things which we cannot see or discern immediately in front of us. There are going to be those times in life when we feel that we cannot go forward another day, or that we have not the means to provide for ourselves or our families - but we know that through our devotion that we will receive "blessings beyond measure."
That's my take on things. Take it or leave it.
A friend of mine recently asked about my thoughts on the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament, so I thought I'd give it a shot:
The book of Ruth is a very short book - comprising of only five pages in the scriptures. The problem is of course that there is very little genealogical tie to anything other than knowing that the seed of Ruth would produce David - which subsequently would lead to Jesus Christ further on down the line.
I believe to some extent that this is somewhat allegorical in nature. The story begins with the story of Naomi, her husband and her two sons - all of which ended up dying, leaving Naomi to care for her two daughters-in-law. Naomi decides that she will return to her home of Bethlehem and commands her two daughters-in-law to return to their homes. The one decides to return immediately and the other, Ruth, decides to pledge her devotion to Naomi and stay by her for the rest of her life.
Naomi already carries with her a virtuous reputation which is also mirrored by Ruth also. She (Ruth) decides to go out into the fields of Boaz, the kinsmen of Naomi's late husband, to glean some of the grain left from the harvest. Boaz is impressed with her integrity, beauty, and other characteristics that he allows her to enter in with his maidens and commands his servants to protect her, all while being oblivious to his familial and concurrent social ties to her. Over time she grows closer to Boaz and eventually seeks to marry him. Boaz consents because he knows that she is a woman of integrity and he is also. As a gesture of goodwill, Ruth gives her firstborn to Naomi to raise.
Now for the allegorical part to this. This is similar to the process of repentance and conversion. Each of us go about our lives at some point mired in the repetition of our daily lives and weighed down by the worries and cares of the world. When we choose to embrace the spirituality that the gospel has to offer, we find ourselves allowing the previous ties we had to die off. Only the truly honorable and praiseworthy will stick by our sides as Ruth did. Though we will find it difficult to maintain who we are, we know that by our devotion to the path that we have chosen, we will one day be blessed beyond measure for our devotion to it. Once we have committed to that path we begin to recognize our own kinsmen (Jesus Christ) we will eventually bow at his feet and seek to become a member of His family. He will - as he did with Ruth and Naomi - buy us into his family with a price where we will have protection and we will have an inheritance and dwelling place far greater than we could previously imagine.
Obviously, the key to all of this is contingent upon our devotion to the paths that we have chosen, more importantly our exercise of faith in those things which we cannot see or discern immediately in front of us. There are going to be those times in life when we feel that we cannot go forward another day, or that we have not the means to provide for ourselves or our families - but we know that through our devotion that we will receive "blessings beyond measure."
That's my take on things. Take it or leave it.
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