Love One Another

          There is something more that needs to be said about the power of relationships between people.  Those relationships bring us a comprehension of reality and give us happiness.  It is the only force powerful enough to break down certain pieces of our nature which aren't congruent with God's light.  Can you think of some examples of how this can be the case? 

          "[Y]e are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:8-9). 

          In all other aspects of life, being better at something separates a person from the rest of humanity and places him on a pedestal above his peers.  That is true even in a spiritual setting because those with increased spiritual perspectives and knowledge cannot express everything that they know in a way that will be understood.  However, the stronger we are at building relationships, the more connected we become.  Being stronger in that sense means drawing closer to those that we serve, independent of how good they are at doing the same.  It means understanding them more deeply.  That is why Jesus Christ can stand at eye level with us without compromising His identity as the Son of God.

          Does it make sense, then, why prayer is such a fundamental part of the Gospel?  It is the way we build our one-on-one relationship with God, the way our will is brought into correspondence with His.  As our relationship improves, the distance narrows between us.  And because He is never the one who moves, we draw closer to Him and become like him.

          Therefore, by binding ourselves to those that we love by way of relationships, (or rather, by them binding themselves to us), they become more like us.  Therefore, the way to help another human being to change is to form a relationship with them and then step to higher spiritual ground.  The combination of these two elements is critical.  Without the first, the person we are trying to help is just a project to us and they will not see sincerity in our actions.  Without the second, there is no progression.  If we are not standing on higher ground, as the people we love become more like us they will not move any higher.  Therefore, the reason why we should step to higher spiritual ground is not because we enjoy the view, but rather so that we can be a greater blessing to our fellow beings, so that we can morn with those that morn and comfort those that stand of need of comfort, that we may have the capacity to make more of them than they can make of themselves.  In other words, the reason why we choose to progress is so that they can progress.

          Another caveat to this is that we cannot progress without someone else to pull us up to a higher plane of living.  The Savior is in a position to do that for each of us, just the relationship He has with His Father enabled Him to reach perfection.  As we help others progress for their good, we benefit far more than they do.  But, ironically, the reason we change so much is because we are so focused on not benefiting from it.  Rather, our goal is to help our brother or sister be benefited.  We don't just receive spiritual strength from the experience, we also get charity, which is the foundation of godhood. 

          Elder Marlin K. Jensen said that the bottom line of everything is relationships.  Is it yours?

The One

          The Gospel is about individuals.  A person can study the scriptures all they want, learn all the doctrines and deep mysteries of the kingdom, know all the ingoings and outgoings and intricacies of how the Church operates, memorize everything there is to know about salvation, but unless they experience it in the life of another person, they will never truly understand.  The Gospel has always fundamentally been about the binding of one soul to another.  Before the world was, God bound himself to each of us with links of love that cannot end.  As sons of God, as daughters of God, we bind ourselves to each other in a way that differs in degree but not in kind.  The ability to love is one evidence that we are like Him. 

          Relationships make us happy.  They give us power to influence others for good.  They motivate us to do more and become more than we would on our own.  They remind us of what we are striving for.

          President Packer told a story once about a man who died pushing his daughter out of the way of an oncoming car.  At the funeral a few people criticized the man for leaving his wife and other children without a provider, a husband and father.  They thought he wasn't thinking straight, that he was taking too big of a risk.  President Packer said that he felt sorry for those that said that because they didn't really understand love.

          Do you?

          Love means not holding back anything.  It means never giving in, never giving up, never surrenders.  It has no bounds.  It is the higher law that justifies and sanctifies.  Understanding love is necessary to understand why Nephi killed Laban, why Abraham offered Isaac, why the sons of Mosiah went on a mission to the Lamanites.  The things love drives you to do pierces some imaginary veil between this world and things that can't possibly be explained.  It never faileth.

          It is.  The essence.  Of Godhood.

          It comes from the presence of God and fills the immensity of space.  It is the law by which all things are governed.  It is the life and light and hope of the world.  Love is what drinks the bitter cup and does not shrink.  It is what bends and breaks the rules.  It is what sets us free.  It chooses the right when no one else does.  It shines like a blazing sun when all the world is clothed in blackness.  It is life, hope, and salvation.

          In short, if you don't know love, then you don't understand anything about anything.

          On the flip side, if you understand love, you understand everything about everything.

          When you love an individual person, it suddenly doesn't matter how many other people you've helped.  It doesn't matter how much you have to sacrifice to help them.  It doesn't even matter what opposition you have to go through to get there.  You will never ever, ever, ever give up.  Your bond with them is stronger than the veil.  It is stronger than the cords of death.  Organizations in the world create relationships as a means to an end, but with God the other person is the end.  It is the end without an end.  It is the deepest part of who we are.

What does your love drive you to do?

Drive Darkness From Your Life

          Moments of darkness and opposition come.  Sometimes they stay a long time.  At times we may wonder about the best way to cope.  Is it better to sit tight and wait patiently for it to pass, or is it better to get up and do something about it?  Should we change things about our lives or rely in faith on the Lord?  Do we actually have any control of it, or is it something God only has control of?  At times darkness can seem to overpower us, but we should not be discouraged.

          The way to drive darkness out of your life is the same way you remove darkness from a pitch black room.  As hard as you might try to scoop it up in buckets and shovel it out the door, to coerce it into leaving, or to physically remove it in some other way, all your well-intentioned efforts are doomed to be met with frustration.  Yet the very moment you turn on the light, the darkness vanishes.  Instantly.  Isn't that how it is in life?  We struggle so hard to make the darkness, the opposition, both spiritual and physical, to go away.  Yet the single most consistent way of making it leave is to flood our lives with light.

          Moses provides a prime example of this.  Confronted with darkness in a very real, and vivid sense.  "Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me.  And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength (Moses 1:19-20 emphasis added)."

          The way to rid your life of darkness is to flood it with light.  It is a light you can feel as you read the scriptures, listen to the prophets, or ponder on the things of eternity.  It comes as we act in faith on the promptings of the Spirit, exercise power, and attend the temple.  It shines from family history, selfless service and concern for others, and from priesthood ordinances.  It comes especially from keeping covenants.

          Some of that light is a part of who we are.  We let is so shine before men so that they may use that light to cast away their own darkness.  So many times, when we need it, they will do the same for us.

          Often, increased opposition follows those who are offering the most resistance to the darkness of the world.  The spiritual component of that opposition is not to be endured, but rather to be expelled.  The trials that consist of temporal or emotional circumstance are to be endured, but that can happen with peace if the conscience is pure, and they can end quickly if we are patient.  Long-term tests of faith constitute an opportunity to bind ourselves to the Lord at all hazards.  Short-term decreases in spiritual power are to be seen as an opportunity to move forward in the service of God.  All of these forces have the cumulative effect of making us polished shafts in the quiver of the Almighty, if that is what is most important to us.  And it should be.

          For some reason, there is a common consensus that although we covenant each week to always remember the Savior, we won't actually do it.  I wonder what the impact on our lives would be if we actually believed that we would.

          This post is designed for a very specific group of people.  The people who understand the things that I write about will have power to act on them and make them a part of their life.  Jesus Christ, the light of the world, shines through each of us.  If we as a people bring our eye single to the glory of God, the whole Earth will be filled with Light.

Faith and Uncertainty II

          The Prophet Joseph Smith once declared that doubt and faith cannot exist in the same person at the same time.  The statement almost makes it sound like God wants us to live in a state of absolute certainty.  Paradoxically, though, uncertainty is a critical element of faith, without which our testimonies cannot grow.

          Uncertainty can take many forms.  Often it casts a dark cloud over our distant future.  Sometimes it confounds difficult decisions, causing us to worry if we are really on the right path.  We may exert every-increasing effort towards a desirable objective without knowing for sure how much progress is being made.  Personal insecurity is particularly troubling because our uncertainty is directed towards ourselves.  Whatever the source of uncertainty, it is bound to make us uncomfortable, especially when that uncertainty continues for long periods of time.

          Uncertainty is not altogether undesirable, however.  Alma explained, "there are many who do say: If thou wilt show unto us a sign from heaven, then we shall know of a surety; then we shall believe.  Now I ask, is this faith? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for if a man knoweth a thing he hath no cause to believe, for he knoweth it."  Faith is a principle of power, but it cannot exist without uncertainty.  If we were never exposed to uncertainty, would we still benefit from the power of faith? 

          Great peace can come during uncertain times.  During the midst of war, one group of disciples of Christ recounted that, "it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith."

          In contrast, doubt breaks down our faith and causes us to despair.  It debilitates our ability to act and diminishes our sensitivity to the Spirit.  While acting the midst of uncertainty can call down miracles, the only thing faith calls down is our spirits.

          The choice between faith and doubt is a decision of where we will place our beliefs.  We can choose to believe that God is at the helm in this situation, just as He has been in so many others, or we can choose to believe that the outcome depends solely on our own efforts and chance.

          There is a common difficulty of  internal uncertainty that society has labeled "low self-esteem."  Personally, I believe that this perspective misses some key points because "self-esteem" lumps pride, individual worth, certainty, and confidence into the same concept, each of which is completely distinct and not necessarily compatible with the others.  While individual worth and  confidence are critical to a person's well-being, I believe that people who worry about low self esteem can neglect a more important problem:  a focus on one's personal difficulties and needs rather than on the needs of others. 

          When a person turns the focus of their life onto other people, they will be able to accept the uncertainty and insecurities that they feel, including those pointed at themselves, and will be able to keep moving forward.  They will also understand their own identity more deeply because of the promise that those that lose themselves in God's work will find themselves.  God will take care of the things that they choose to set aside in order to serve.  He will help them feel their worth and build their confidence far more effectively than what they could do for themselves.  It just takes faith.

          I know that we can find great happiness and peace, even when life is a whirlwind of uncertainty.  When we choose to believe in faith instead of doubt and turn the focus of our lives outward instead of inward, we become more like the Savior and can conquer our inner difficulties.  I know that all things are possible to them that believe.