The Greatest Gift

          God is a great giver of gifts.  They are timely, powerful, and personal.  They teach us, help us feel loved, and change our lives forever.  But not all gifts are created equal.  There is one gift that prophets have long said is greater than any other that we receive in mortality.  It is the gift of the Holy Ghost.  President Wilford Woodruff said the following, "Now, if you have the Holy Ghost with you—and every one ought to have—I can say unto you that there is no greater gift, there is no greater blessing, there is no greater testimony given to any man on earth. You may have the administration of angels; you may see many miracles; you may see many wonders in the earth; but I claim that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon man."

          The first time I heard of this concept, I didn't quite accept it at face value.  I immediately began thinking of other great blessings that seemed even more powerful.  But when I chose to accept this idea to its full extent in faith, faith that Wilford Woodruff was a prophet, and that he spoke for God, great power came into my life.

          In a talk about the Holy Ghost, Elder Bednar counseled missionaries not to worry so much if a specific prompting is from the Holy Ghost or not.  "Be a good boy, or a good girl," and you will be guided by the Spirit, whether you recognize it or not.  Such confidence could only emerge from faith in God, not in ourselves.  It sometimes matters a great deal if we are doing God's will as dictated by the Holy Ghost, following our own judgment, or being deceived by a less-altruistic source.  The faith that we have is that God is powerful enough to help us do His will even though we are not 100% sure what it is, that He is powerful enough to help us even though we do not consciously discern that help.  It is faith that as we follow Him, we will arrive at the correct destination, not matter how convoluted, surprising, or confusing the journey may be.

          We can have the same faith in God as we follow the prophets.  There are those who do not believe that we can trust every word that comes from a prophet because he is mortal and makes mistakes.  But people who believe that are not actually lacking faith in prophets; they are lacking faith in God.  When has God ever set up anything for the benefit of His children that we can sometimes trust and sometimes not?  Are there times when paying tithing does not open the windows of heaven?  No.  One ironic thing about people who believe the scriptures, but not all of the words of living prophets, is that the scriptures were written by prophets identical to the ones speaking in General Conference.  Ancient prophets had just as equal a propensity to err as modern ones.  Moroni even said, "Condemn me not because of mine imperfection, neither my father, because of his imperfection, neither them who have written before him; but rather give thanks unto God that he hath made manifest unto you our imperfections, that ye may learn to be more wise than we have been" (Mormon 9:31).  It's ludicrous to think that prophets have been perfectly guided by God for thousands of years and then, in modern times, suddenly began to spout out intermittent bursts of false doctrine. 

          As with the Holy Ghost, our trust is not that prophets are perfect, now or in the scriptures.  They are not.  But God the one being in the universe who can create something perfect from something imperfect.  Isn't that one of the most fundamental truths of the Plan of Salvation?  Isn't that exactly what he is doing with each one of us?  To say that we cannot trust that a prophet will never lead us astray is to lack faith in the omnipotence of God.  In saying that, we are also saying that God cannot use imperfect beings to guide us perfectly while at the same time honoring their agency.

          It all comes down to faith.

          Christ said, "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17).  As I have followed the prophets' council and have chosen to believe their words above my own understanding of the Gospel, I have been blessed.  My explanation of things is not airtight, but the testimony of action is.  I promise that if you follow the words of the prophet as if from the mouth of God Himself, you will know that the doctrine I have talked about today is true.  In fact, it is the only way you can know.  For this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, through Jesus Christ, and those He hath sent.

"Ice Water" by Pink Sherbet Photography, no changes made, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

"Icelandic landscape #20," by Alexander Shchukin, no changes made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode

Light and Law

          Last week I talked about seeing spiritually.  Today I will discuss what exactly it is that we see.  That is, the nature light itself.  Firstly, spiritual light is the same as spiritual law.  "The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed..." (D&C 88:13, emphasis added).  The light that illuminates our spiritual eyes enables us to judge between right and wrong (see Moroni 7:16-18).  We see that there are certain things in our lives that are not in harmony with God.

          Herein is the great moral contradiction that each man or woman must deal with thousands upon thousands of times in their lifetimes, the mismatch between what we did and what we should have done.  There are only two options that a person can take when they discern a contradiction between themselves and divine law:  They may acknowledge that they are in error, or they may deny the integrity of the light by lying to themselves about its identity, existence, or authenticity.  The first option is more humbling because it requires us to accept that we are wrong and that we must repent, but the second option shuts off the indicated person from further light and truth.

          The greater a person's ability to see, the more light they receive.  Thus any contradiction between that person's actions and divine law will be more pronounced, as will the lie they would have to tell themselves in order to avoid incriminating themselves.  Therefore, "he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation" (D&C 82:3) because the rejection of the truth is greater.

          Jesus Christ is the light.  He said,  "I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (Doctrine & Covenants 10:57-58).  In other words, He is the light that we receive or reject.  For this reason, spiritual light is called the Light of Christ.

          With this understanding, even decisions that seem to have no bearing on Christ personally, such as whether we accept Thomas S. Monson as a prophet, seer, and revelator, are fundamentally reducible to a choice between accepting or rejecting Christ himself.  The Light bears witness that President Monson is His authorized servant on the earth today, and if we reject that truth we reject Him because He is the light.  That is why He can say, "He that receiveth you receiveth me" (Matthew 10:40).

          Those that reject the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in favor of another church that purports to worship Him are ironically rejecting Him.  It is my opinion that many times, if not always, those who do so have first lied to themselves about a standard of righteousness that they have not kept but have excused themselves from for some reason.  If Christ is the light, and light is spiritual law, then Jesus is literally the spiritual law by which all things are governed (see 3 Nephi 15:9; D&C 88:5-13).  Consider what this means in terms of the following scripture:  "That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law" (D&C 88:35).  Those that reject the light, and abide not by spiritual law, seek to become a law unto themselves through self-deception and cannot be sanctified by Christ.  They seek to create their own standards of morality and truth instead of accepting those of the Savior.

          Deep down, all of us know what is true and what is not, but depending on the amount of light we have accepted, our spiritual eyesight might not currently be strong enough to tell the difference in some cases.  Those that sin against light and knowledge damage their own ability to perceive light.  The only remedy is repentance, or acknowledging the hidden sin and turning the heart once more to God.

          On my mission one of my favorite scriptures was 3 Nephi 7:24, "Now I would have you to remember also, that there were none who were brought unto repentance who were not baptized with water."  In other words, all those who truly repent embrace the Gospel and are baptized.  This is because all those who repent clear their vision, accept the light, are redeemed by the Lord, and can once again see what is truth and what is not.

         I know that as each of us learn to repent and fill our lives with light, we will become more like it.  We will become conduits by which the light can shine into the lives of others.  Person by person, we can begin to cast darkness out of the world around us, bathing those we love in the iridescent gleam of life and truth.

"The One Light in the Dark," by Patrick Brosset. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode 
"Night Light," by Susanne Nilsson. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

The Beautiful Thing Is That It's True

          There are a lot of well-thought-out ideas in the world.  For centuries there have been men who have spent their entire lives thinking about their own existence, dissecting it various ways, and coming up with theories about what exactly it is.  They tried to tackle life at its roots, taking nothing for granted and having no assumptions.  All their powers of reason were focused like an arrow on the single objective of understanding.

          But the one assumption they never broke down, the one stipulation they never considered, was that the way to discover truth about life was not through reason at all.  We know things in our hearts, not in our minds.  The entire functionality of our lives is based on using knowledge that cannot be proven.  We know that the sun will come up, that oxygen will still be breathable, and that our watches will continue to tell time properly.  If we follow our train of logic far enough into its foundations, however, we inevitably find that our knowledge is based on assumption.

          The thing that makes the way that the universe functions superior to other ideas is not its logic, poise, or presentation.  It is the fact that it's true.  If it weren't true, it wouldn't be of more use to us than any other idea we could come up with.  Truth is like this line:

          A person might feel like they have all the logic under the heaven that tells them that the line is really a square or a squiggle or a rectangle, but all that can never destroy its truthfulness or identity.

          Throughout my life, the barrier between myself and the line has grown more translucent.  Things that were once legitimate questions have faded into obscurity.  Although I am not perfect and do not have a perfect understanding, there are things that I believe, not because they are logical or because I have been brought up that way, but because I can discern their existence.  I can see them. 

          I think it is interesting how Christ phrased a description of discovering truth, "For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matt. 13:15-16).

          Jesus never once asked his disciples to logically probe the Gospel.  Rather, He asked them to open their spiritual eyes and look.  What naturally fell onto their retina was the truth.

          The idea of eternal families, of opportunities to help others with great power, of happiness and joy, and of the great change in our natures brought about by the Lord Jesus Christ are not just great ideas.  What makes them beautiful is that they are true.  And that truth is discernible.

          President Ucthdorf once said, "Today we can see...distant galaxies.  We know that they are there.  They have been there for a very long time.  But before mankind had instruments powerful enough to gather celestial light and bring these galaxies into visibility, we did not believe such a thing was possible.  The immensity of the universe didn’t suddenly change, but our ability to see and understand this truth changed dramatically. And with that greater light, mankind was introduced to glorious vistas we had never before imagined."

       I can see that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that there really are prophets in our day and age, and that the power of the priesthood is real.  I have used that power.  It is the power that makes all that is important in life binding and legitimate.  I know that through that power, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living Church by which we may be saved.  Everything that it stands for embodies truth which is eternal.

I see it with every step I take.

"The Light that Failed," by Bart https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode

Power in Simplicity

          After studying the same principles of the Gospel over and over again for years, it is sometimes easy to get distracted from what is truly important by a lack of interest in the basic,  seemingly ever-present doctrines that are the foundations of spiritual safety.  If you're like me, it's natural to try to push the borders of your understanding into the unknown rather than rehash something so familiar.  There is danger in doing that, however.  The danger is forgetfulness.

          When we recognize the need to repent we can make appropriate course corrections and move toward the Savior.  If we forget our duty, however, the commandments can slip away from us without our knowledge until by and by we find ourselves in serious trouble.  Focusing on the old can seem frustrating at times, but it is the only path to true safety.

          True perspective is finding beauty in familiar and simple things.  Isn't it better to be happy with what we have rather than to be constantly looking for something more?  Normal may sound boring, but maybe we just lack appreciation for something earth-shattering that is exceptionally readily available to us.  Normal, basic, Primary truths with change a person's life more surely than the study of behavior will change behavior.

          There are many things that I do not understand, including things that seem fundamental.  It is difficult to accept at times that, as a human, we live in a sea of imperfect knowledge.  But that is significantly easier than what we try to do, which is profess certainty about things that we don't know anything about.  That is when it is time to be quiet and to listen.

          Sometimes a person accepts something to be true, not because they really believe it, but because they want perfect certainty so bad that they put their confidence into something they don't have complete evidence for.  They act as though they have a perfect knowledge of something, even though perfect knowledge doesn't exist in this world except for a few rare cases.  Accepting that there are limitations to what we know and understand is not unbelief or faithlessness.  It is honesty.  It is remembering that there may be things that we think and feel that are off the mark.  Real faith is trusting that God will help us.  It is not convincing ourselves that we know the world nearly as well as He does.

          "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27).

          If we humble ourselves, repent, and come unto the Savior, He will show us the weakness of our understanding of things.  He gives us that limited capacity that we may be humble.  Truly His grace is sufficient for us as we humbly acknowledge what Elder Holland once called our "very mortal, very inadequate, and sometimes childish grasp of things" and have faith in God. 

          In many ways we are spiritually blind, acquiring our somewhat vague sense of direction from running into a wall here or stumbling up a step there.  But how arrogant we would have to be to loudly proclaim a detailed floor plan to those around us, loud enough to drown out the voice of the One person in our entire civilization who has eyes to see!  Well did the Savior say, "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:41).

          Are you man enough to accept that?

"Flower" by Sunny_mjx
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"Blindfold game 1" by Lee Carson
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The Parable of the Prodigal Friend

A certain young man had two friends:

The young man had known his friends for a long, long time.  They were special to him, and he could see goodness in them that few other people possessed.  He thanked God day by day for their association.  He hoped that their friendship would continue forever.

12 And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.

The young man noticed a few things about one of his two friends that troubled him slightly.  They weren't necessarily big things, but they were significant.  He hoped that with time and concentration they would be worked out.  He was confident that he would.  He had learned so much from his friends; the thought of them reaching anything less than their monumental potential was unthinkable.

Something had been stirring inside the young man's friend recently.  He was determined to do what was right, but confused as to what that might mean.  He hoped that he and his Father could figure it out soon.

13 And not many days after the younger friend gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country.

The day, when it came, hit the young man like a landslide.  The sting of separation was real, but he comforted himself in knowing that many separations do not last forever.  "You may be gone, but my heart will be with you always," he said.  He had great confidence that his friend would find his way to their Ultimate Destination.

The young man's friend thought perhaps it was best to leave for a time so that he could work some things out on his own.  He wanted to make his decision with his whole heart, not looking back.  He would miss his friend, the example he had been to him, but he hoped to see him again someday.

and there wasted his substance with riotous living.

The young man's friend began to feel that the best thing he could do for his Father was to follow a path that differed from that of his youth.  It was a great sacrifice for him, and occasionally he had very poignant doubts, but ultimately he was convinced that this was the course of action that his Father wanted him to take, even though it meant travelling even farther from home.

When the lost one is your son or your daughter, your brother or your sister, and he or she has chosen to leave...after all we can do, we love that person with all of our hearts and we watch, we pray, and we wait for the Lord’s hand to be revealed.

Elder Brent H. Nielson, April 2015

Initially the young man was shocked at the plight of his friend.  He realized that the signs had been there for awhile, but the genuine goodness of his friend had blinded him from seeing how bad things had gotten.  His first reaction was a knee-jerk, almost spasmodic desire to rush into the far country and rescue him.  But the young man's Father knew better than he did and He held him back.                                                                                                                     "But anything could happen out there," pleaded the young man, not because he didn't believe his Father, but because the danger of his friend seemed so real.                                                                                                                "I am watching over him," said his Father.

 14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

The young man's friend found happiness--at least that's what he thought it was.  He told himself that his Father was pleased that he was willing to take such a drastic course of action for Him.  His Father was testing him.  Wasn't that what this famine was?  He would soon see the miracles that would come because of his obedience.

The young man lived what seemed to be a normal life, but his heart was far away.  The struggles of his friends motivated him to fight harder against his own weaknesses.  If someone so powerful could be so threatened with destruction, then but for the protection of his Father, the young man would be in the same place. 

15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

At times, a happy ending to the story seemed almost impossible to the young man.  The few letters his Father had asked him to send to his friend, which he had sent with great joy and hope for the future, seemed to have no effect.  There was often no reply, and when there was it was empty; there was something missing that had been there before.  For short periods of time he gave up, but something deep inside the young man would not let him let his friend go.

The friend thought the young man a bit pretentious in his haphazard attempts to convince him to come back, but he could see that the young man loved him, and that was enough to help him see past his overbearance...most of the time.  But often the messages served only to push the young man's friend farther away.

When you feel that there is only a thin thread of hope, it is really not a thread but a massive connecting link... Strive to live worthily and place your trust in the Lord.

Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2013

16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.

One day the young man's Father gave him permission to visit his friend in the far country.  The moment he saw his friend again felt a little surreal.  It had been so long.  The friend was as wonderful as he ever had been, but he was still very far from home, even though he was only a few miles away from the place where he had grown up.  The young man wanted desperately to pull his friend out of the pig sty and take him back.  But by now listening to his Father has made him wiser about such things.                                                                                                                     "I can't feed the pigs for you," said the young man.  "That isn't my role.  And anyway there's already someone who's done that for you."  He took a few steps away, then stopped, turned, rushed back to his friend, embracing him, and said, "But if I could, I would."

The young man's friend was touched deeply by his concern.  Although he was the same person he had always known, there was something different about him.  Different in a good way.  The young man reminded the friend of someone, though he couldn't quite put his finger on who.  He knew that he could always rely on him.  He was impressed as to how much he had grown, and grateful for his desire to help him.

17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

Day by day, the young man's belief in his friend remains active.  He doesn't hear from him for awhile, and so he has no idea what is going through his friend's mind, but he trusts that the integrity of his heart will see him through.  If anyone can pull through, it is his friend.  He also trusts that his Father will allow him to help his friend in the way that would be best for him, and that the many mistakes he has made in his over-anxiety for his friend have been mercifully planned for.  Against hope, he believes in hope.

Almost against his every effort, the young man's friend felt another change happening in his heart.  It confused him considerably.  Hadn't he been following his Father out here in the wilderness for these many years?  Hadn't he sacrificed everything for Him?  What more could he have done that he hadn't done?  He kept his doubts deep in his heart, but said nothing about them to anyone.

The children of Father in Heaven can do amazing things when they feel trusted. Every child of God in mortality chose the Savior’s plan. Trust that given the opportunity, they will do so again.

Elder Richard G. Scott, April 2014

18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

The young man prayed for his friend every day by name.  He started to see more clearly how his love for his friend had changed his own heart.

The young man's friend knew he had to do something.  Life could not go on in this way.  He had to make a change.  But what that change would entail, he didn't know.

20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Almost on a whim, the young man's friend decided to return to the house where he had grown up.  It seemed like a good place to rethink things and orient his life once more.  But as he drew closer to the house a man that reminded him of his Father came around the house and sped rapidly over the grass toward him.  Immediately doubts began to emerge once more.  The young man's friend had promised himself that he would not go back.  He felt distant, out of sorts, and out of place.  How would his Father react to him being here after he had promised not to return?  No.  He would not go back on the commitment that he had made.  The young man's friend slowed to a stop, paused, and set his feet to turn around. 

With tears in His eyes, the Father told the young man what He has longed to say to Him for so long, "Thy brother cometh.  Go ye out to meet him."  Like a cry from an angel the milk pail the young man was holding clattered to the ground as its former wielder sprinted into the yard.  Seeing his friend in the distance, he crashed through the gate and ran with all his might toward him.  Not even letting him speak, the young man caught his friend in a tight embrace and never lets go.

[H]e grabbed me, held me, and refused to let me fall.

Elder Jeffery R. Holland, April 2015

21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

In a blinding moment of revelation, the young man's friend knew instantly that he has done wrong and that for many, many years he has been far, far away.  How could he face his Father now?

The young man took his friend by the arm and lead him back to the house.  "Father sent me to come get you.  He would have come himself, but He sent me to go for Him.  He said it was the same as if He were to come personally, but that you might react better if you saw me first."

 

22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:

23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

"We've been planning your return party for awhile now," said the young man.  "Father asked me to kill the fatted calf for you."                                                                                                                                                                  "What do you mean?" asked his friend.  I've done nothing but wrong.  I've been gone for so many years, and I haven't even written home."                                                                                                                                             "That's of no concern to us," said the young man.

25 Now his younger son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

26 And he called one of his friends and asked what these things meant.

"Why would you celebrate my coming home after so many years of apostasy?" asked the young man's friend.         "Because of what you have done for me," said the young man.

27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.

28 And he was confused, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him.

29 And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do your elder son serve thee, neither transgressed he at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest him a kid, that he might make merry with his friends:

30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

"I don't deserve any of this," said the young man's friend.  "Why are you celebrating for me. when your elder son is the one who has been faithful?"                                                                                                                                 "He was faithful because his love for you made him so," said the Father.  "But your heart was true to me even when you were far away.  Even in the error of your ways you tried honestly to do my will.  Now that you are safely home, I know that you will never depart again."

And there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof...and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.

Zenos, Jacob 5:73-74

31 And he said unto them, Sons, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.

32 It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

The Most Important Person In YOUR Universe

          Last week I talked about the person that the entire universe revolves around.  Today I flip the coin to the other side and discuss YOUR universe, its ins, outs, and focus.  Who do you suppose the focus of your universe is?  And, more importantly, why do you suppose it needs to change?

          The focus of your universe is yourself.  I say that with confidence because, were that not true, you would not still be living in a Telestial state.  It may be that some of you may have friends and family that you are deeply concerned about and that you put others first in many things, but if you had accomplished that completely you would be very different from how you are now, which I will explain a little later on. 

          First of all, let me start by explaining that the happiness of others is the only motivation that is truly selfless.  Many other good-sounding motivations are really just another way of saying that you are seeking your own happiness.  For example, wanting your children to be well-mannered so that they aren't a nuisance in public can be another way of saying that you don't want to feel uncomfortable.  Self-honesty is key, because it is the only way we can really evaluate how we are doing.  Seeking another person's happiness, rather than even the happiness that comes from seeing them happy, is the only time our focus really shifts away from ourselves.  Every other motivation, if you study it long enough, has a core root that is burrowed ever so deeply inside of yourself.  

          It is also important to recognize that celestial beings cannot be selfish.  If you have imagined to yourself a celestial being that is selfish, you have created in your mind a being that is not like God.  If, therefore, you are to become a celestial being, you cannot have most of the motivations that naturally guide your daily decisions.  There is a great disparity between where you are and where you should be.  If that isn't obvious, think about the irony of the fact that I just attempted to motivate you to focus less on your own happiness by explaining that such is a requirement for celestial joy.  Potentially even your motivation for wanting to be selfless is inherently self-centered.

          There are certain things that we will be readily selfless about.  In a serious medical emergency, we are not likely to walk away rather than call 9-1-1.  Parents generally want the best for their children, often at the sacrifice of all else.  However, at certain point, as the prophet Joseph Smith so eloquently put it, "[we] set up stakes and say thus far will we go and no farther." At a certain point of selflessness our nature chafes.  For example, most people making a career choice place more weight on what they want from life than on what is best for the people around them.  If you knew that becoming a menial factory worker for the rest of your life would help more people than anything else you could do with your life would you do it?  Most people get married for their own happiness rather than because doing so will bring about far greater happiness to others than anything else they could do.

          Do you feel the chafe?  In the city of Zion, the new Jerusalem, the concept of self will be considered barbaric.  Hearing that, isn't there a little voice inside you that says, "Surely I'll get to think of myself some time.  Maybe a few minutes working on my golf putt or playing video games by myself.  Maybe reading a science fiction novel."

          If you feel at all this way, you have run smack dab into the natural man of King Benjamin fame.  To be clear, I do believe we will have both individuality and opportunities to enjoy and appreciate the things that God has created for us in Zion and in Heaven.  I believe that a "self" will exist in some sense.  But I also think that because of how far we all are from selflessness, thinking of Zion as a place where self is barbaric is far more accurate than our current conception of what it will be like.

          What should now be obvious, if it wasn't already, is that this is precisely the entire purpose of the Atonement.  Christ can change us into creatures that thrive rather than chafe at the thought of perfect selflessness.  If you notice, the times in your life that you grew the closest to God were a result of the most selfless things that you did.

          Jesus instructed his disciples, "For behold, ye are they whom I have chosen to minister unto this people. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"  Now, I have heard many people say that this does not apply to the general membership of the Church because we are not called to the same calling that they were.  To that I say, it is just as applicable to us as Christ's injunction to "feed my sheep."  That is, it may not apply to us in the same capacity as the Nephite disciples, but to say that it doesn't apply at all is preposterous.  If we are seeking the happiness of others the Lord will provide for us.

          I mentioned earlier that if we were truly selfless that we would be very different than we are.  One of the reasons for this is that selflessness and sin cannot exist at the same place at the same time.  To rid yourself of selfishness is to rid yourself of sin, and those that we know of who have done that, such as John the Beloved and the three Nephites, were translated.

          Personal happiness is a byproduct of true selflessness, not what you should be going after.  Something to be grateful for, but ever willing to sacrifice.  There are people who say that our salvation should be our highest priority, but I believe that seeking the salvation of others is our salvation.  Not just a facet of it, but the thing itself.  Through the Atonement our natures can be changed and we can become completely selfless.  A people of love, life, and miracles.

The Most Important Person in the Universe

          The universe is a big place.  A lot of work goes into its maintenance.  From glittering cosmos to the point on a pin, each detail has a significant place.  As I sat pondering recently, it occurred to me that it was all wrought, all created, all meticulously held in balance, all for a single individual.  Who do you suppose that might be?

          After all, God created it for everyone.

Didn't He?

          Moses asked Him that question once.  "And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?  And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me" (Moses 1:30-31).  Interesting answer, don't you think?  Especially considering His answer to a very similar question just verses later, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39).

          So God's purpose in the creation of the Earth is at least slightly different than what He defines as His work and Glory.  The firsts question He did not answer.  The second He did.  What I am about to teach is not found explicitly in any single scripture.  But I know it is true.  As Moroni teaches, "By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5).

          But what do you think?  A farmer goes out into the country, buys a piece of land, farms it, builds a house on it, sells his crop and buys food for his family.  For which of his children did he do it?  For all of them?

          "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16).

          It's easy to see that everything that God does is in some way linked to love.  But the way He loves may not be the same way that we envision that He does.  You see, love, or truth, is "independent in that sphere in which God has placed it."  If love is independent, it is also unconditional.  It is separate and distinct for each person and is neither increased, decreased, or affected in any other way by the existence of other people who are also loved.  He loves as if each person were His only child.

          The person that God created the universe for is you.  Yes, you.  The sky, the flowers, the sun, the worlds without number, all for you personally.  If you ever stare out at the sunset and feel like He is putting on a show for you personally, you're right.  An interesting parallel might help you grasp the idea.  After Conference in April, one of my friends posted on Facebook something to the effect of the following:  "I feel bad that you all had to sit through 10 hours of talks made just for me."  Of course, this was said with a bit of a sarcastic overtone, but it is literally true.  Just as each talk in General Conference was designed personally for every single person who would listen to it, so has everything, EVERYTHING in life been designed for every single child of God simultaneously.  There isn't any kind of trade-off between one person's interests and another.  Each person is favored absolutely and completely.  You may just as well sit back and feel bad because everyone else in the world has to experience a universe that God made specifically for you.

          It is easy to see error in our lives.  It's much more difficult to see perfection.  But it is there.  In fact, it is everywhere.  Every detail.  Every haphazard attempt by a friend to make your day.  Every moment of "bad luck."  All of it is perfect.  All of the difficulties, pain, unfairness, awkwardness, insecurity, and sadness are part of what makes your life ideal for you.

          The incredible thing is that God does this for every single person in the universe.  The next time you have trouble forgiving someone who has hurt you, remember that they are literally the one person that God created the entire universe for.  Maybe then you'll see them in a different light.

          The other incredible thing is that while God controls every single aspect of your life, so do you.  It sounds impossible, but it is true.  You are in just as absolute control of your life through your agency as God is through the priesthood; the best decisions in life are a team effort, a combination between your agency and God's power and inspiration.

          The farmer builds his house and harvests his crop not for all his children, but for each one individually.  Your love for one child or spouse or friend does not destroy your love for another person.  Each piece of your life is a personal manifestation of the great, eternal Whole.