One troubling aspect of comparing spiritual light to normal light is that it's totally possible to have too much normal light.For example, if I stay out in the sun too long, I'm bound to get a sunburn. As a result, I try to spend most of my time indoors, which only increases my sensitivity to sunlight. However, there is a safe way to build a resistance to the sun's painful effects, and there's a way to interpret this "spiritual light" analogy that makes it clear that spiritual light isn't necessarily dangerous, just painful.
Spiritual light can be painful because God, in His desire to help us improve, often uses spiritual light to reveal our weaknesses. It's painful to acknowledge our weaknesses, and it's even more painful to try to overcome them. Some people try to spare themselves this pain by remaining in the darkness, but that makes them even more vulnerable to spiritual light, including the Light of Christ, which is in everyone. The longer one stays in darkness, the more they are pained by their own conscience, even without exposure to the harsh glare of gospel light.
Yet, exposure to that light can be a part of the solution. I've heard that, given the right amount of sunlight, people can become tan, which lowers their sensitivity to sunlight. In our analogy, this means spending time in the light of the gospel despite knowing that God will help us identify our faults. If we discover, acknowledge, and overcome our faults, that searing light will burn us less and less. Of course, it will always hurt a little bit, since we will always have areas fit for improvement, but if we keep improving, we can eventually reach the point where spiritual light doesn't burn us at all.
Of course, that doesn't mean that we should recklessly expose ourselves to as much light as possible, trusting that we'll gain a resistance to it. Getting too much exposure to light too quickly can give people painful sunburns and can turn them off from the idea of enjoying sunlight altogether. Instead, gradual exposure to light may be wiser. We can use gentle approaches, like daily scripture study and weekly church worship, to help us identify weaknesses and gradually overcome them. As we do, our regular exposure to spiritual light can help prepare us to be constantly in the presence of God's light. Normally, that level of scrutiny would be unbearable, but if we properly prepare for it, we can eventually grow pure enough to endure any amount of spiritual life.
We are nowhere near perfect, and as long as we're imperfect, spiritual light will always hurt us at least a little. We need to make sure that pain doesn't grow too great for us to endure. Instead, we should purify ourselves through regular exposure to light so we can grow comfortable even in the brightest spiritual light. As we are right now, we probably can't handle too much exposure to spiritual light, but if we expose ourselves to as much light as we can endure, we will eventually reach the point where there will be no such thing as too much spiritual light.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Friday, August 30, 2019
All The Light I Need
In my everyday life, darkness isn't much of a problem anymore. I don't stumble around, bumping into and tripping over things. I can generally get around just fine. Previously, that was because I carried a flashlight on my person. These days, I don't even need that. Whenever I find myself in darkness, I fish my phone out of my pocket, set it to a white screen, and use the light from my phone's screen to see what's in front of me. I don't get much light from my phone, certainly not as much as I'd get from a real flashlight or from regular lights, but it's enough light to help me get by, and I'm perfectly satisfied navigating only by the light of my phone for a few minutes at a time on a regular basis.
In spiritual matters, I'm much harder to satisfy. I usually want to know the reasons for things. I want to know the whole plan, not just the next step of my part in that plan. Basically, I want more spiritual light than I really need. On its own, there's nothing wrong with that. Spiritual light is a good thing, and wanting more of it isn't bad. Still, I need to be willing to act on whatever amount of light I have, even if it's far less than I would like. I may only have a vague idea of what God wants me to do, without knowing what (specifically) would be the best thing to do or why God wants me to do that. Still, a vague idea may be enough. It's certainly enough to allow me to stumble in the right general direction. If that's all God needs from me right now, then that's all the light I really need.
When I navigate by the light of my phone, I only ever get a few steps' worth of light at a time, but that's enough to get me around the house without any issues. Similarly, when I navigate by the light of my faith, I can only see a short distance, but that's enough to get me a short distance of progress, and if the light moves with me, then I'm sure I'll be fine. Sure, I may want to see the whole path, including a detailed look at the places I'll be visiting along the way, but I don't have that much light, and, in a sense, I don't really need it. I have enough light to have a general idea of where I'm going. As long as I follow that light, that's all I really need.
In spiritual matters, I'm much harder to satisfy. I usually want to know the reasons for things. I want to know the whole plan, not just the next step of my part in that plan. Basically, I want more spiritual light than I really need. On its own, there's nothing wrong with that. Spiritual light is a good thing, and wanting more of it isn't bad. Still, I need to be willing to act on whatever amount of light I have, even if it's far less than I would like. I may only have a vague idea of what God wants me to do, without knowing what (specifically) would be the best thing to do or why God wants me to do that. Still, a vague idea may be enough. It's certainly enough to allow me to stumble in the right general direction. If that's all God needs from me right now, then that's all the light I really need.
When I navigate by the light of my phone, I only ever get a few steps' worth of light at a time, but that's enough to get me around the house without any issues. Similarly, when I navigate by the light of my faith, I can only see a short distance, but that's enough to get me a short distance of progress, and if the light moves with me, then I'm sure I'll be fine. Sure, I may want to see the whole path, including a detailed look at the places I'll be visiting along the way, but I don't have that much light, and, in a sense, I don't really need it. I have enough light to have a general idea of where I'm going. As long as I follow that light, that's all I really need.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Divine Destiny
At Institute this afternoon, I saw a New Era article titled Divine Destiny. The article ended up being about a person named Destiny, but still, it got me thinking, do we have a divine destiny? If so, what is it?
I know that we all have a divine potential. Any and all of us can live righteously, follow the Gospel, and eventually become as God is. We can become divine. But there's no guarantee that that will happen. Destiny is, by many descriptions, certain. They say that one's destiny cannot be avoided. In contrast, it's so easy to avoid exaltation that most people do it by accident. We have divine potential, but we're not destined to achieve it.
However, we are "destined" to be resurrected. Everyone who has ever lived will be given an immortal body, the same kind of body God has. One might even call it a "divine" body. And everyone who has ever set foot on Earth will get one. So, in the sense that we are all "destined" to receive a "divine" body, I suppose one can say that we all have a divine destiny, but I don't think that's really what one thinks of when one thinks of having a Divine Destiny. I think we mean something more than just a body that never gets sick, injured, or tired, as awesome as that is. I want more from my divine destiny, but I know that I'm not guaranteed to get it.
There are diverging thoughts on the subject of destiny. Some say that destiny is something that is bound to happen, whether we want it to or not. Some say that whatever happens is what was destined to happen, even if it took work and/or luck to make it happen. Some say that destiny doesn't exist. I suppose I could pick a definition and start splitting hairs, but determining whether I have a "divine destiny" or not isn't going to change how the world works. We all have divine potential, but it's up to us to determine whether we live up to that potential. Sure, whether we end up getting exalted or not may have been "destined" (or rather, "predicted") since before the dawn of time or whatever, but it's still up to us to make it happen, and it's still on us if we don't. We determine our own destinies, and we decide by our actions whether our destinies are divine.
I know that we all have a divine potential. Any and all of us can live righteously, follow the Gospel, and eventually become as God is. We can become divine. But there's no guarantee that that will happen. Destiny is, by many descriptions, certain. They say that one's destiny cannot be avoided. In contrast, it's so easy to avoid exaltation that most people do it by accident. We have divine potential, but we're not destined to achieve it.
However, we are "destined" to be resurrected. Everyone who has ever lived will be given an immortal body, the same kind of body God has. One might even call it a "divine" body. And everyone who has ever set foot on Earth will get one. So, in the sense that we are all "destined" to receive a "divine" body, I suppose one can say that we all have a divine destiny, but I don't think that's really what one thinks of when one thinks of having a Divine Destiny. I think we mean something more than just a body that never gets sick, injured, or tired, as awesome as that is. I want more from my divine destiny, but I know that I'm not guaranteed to get it.
There are diverging thoughts on the subject of destiny. Some say that destiny is something that is bound to happen, whether we want it to or not. Some say that whatever happens is what was destined to happen, even if it took work and/or luck to make it happen. Some say that destiny doesn't exist. I suppose I could pick a definition and start splitting hairs, but determining whether I have a "divine destiny" or not isn't going to change how the world works. We all have divine potential, but it's up to us to determine whether we live up to that potential. Sure, whether we end up getting exalted or not may have been "destined" (or rather, "predicted") since before the dawn of time or whatever, but it's still up to us to make it happen, and it's still on us if we don't. We determine our own destinies, and we decide by our actions whether our destinies are divine.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Should Kharagon Kill the Carrots?
D&D is weird. Apparently, a wizard enchanted some carrots to enhance their flavor, but the enchantment had a side effect of making the carrots sentient. Seemingly, these carrots distributed themselves to various restaurants and got themselves eaten. Many of the people who ate the carrots subsequently transformed into rabbits, which was a major inconvenience. We have found a cure for the carrot-eaters' rabbitiness, so they'll all soon go back to normal, but the question remains of what to do with the remaining carrots. The wizard who made them strongly suggested burning them so they couldn't cause any more problems, and I initially agreed, but given more time to reflect, I'm no longer certain that my character, Kharagon, should help destroy the remaining sentient carrots.
The carrots that got themselves eaten are, arguably, worthy of punishment. They deliberately put themselves in a position where they knew it was likely that they would be eaten, and the result of being eaten was that those who had eaten them were magically transformed. This is similar to drugging a person, for which the eaten carrots should be punished, but they are no longer around. Besides, I'm not sure we can assume evil intent on the carrots' part. They knew they were likely to be eaten, but I don't know if they knew that they would transform those who ate them. Also, some responsibility falls on the restaurants for serving carrots that clearly had not been sufficiently tested, but I imagine that most of those restaurants were unaware that the carrots were magical. The carrots seemed to intend to be eaten, and I believe that it's partly their fault that they succeeded.
Yet, the eaten carrots are not the ones currently slated to be burned. It is the uneaten carrots that remain to be punished. Attempted drugging is certainly worthy of punishment (if we assume malicious intent), but how much punishment would be just? What punishment, if any, should the uneaten carrots face? Death by fire is too extreme a punishment for all but the worst crimes. I think that it's morally wrong to burn to death carrots who may not have intended to transform anyone into rabbits and, in fact, did not. And now that we know that the transformations are caused by eating those carrots, the transformations can be prevented simply by refraining from eating those carrots. All we have to do is spread the news about the carrots, and the transformations will probably stop. We don't really need to destroy the carrots until and unless they prove harmful even to those who know better than to eat them.
Of course, I'm probably overthinking this. There are weird, magic carrots transforming people into rabbits. We are obviously supposed to destroy them. But I like thinking through these odd moral situations and considering what should be done, even if it isn't what the characters will actually do. I suppose, then, that the best thing to do (besides not eating carrots) would be to put the carrots on trial, determine if they had malicious intent, potentially punish them (though probably not fatally), and find a place where the carrots can live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. If the carrots prove incapable of living in harmony with others, then more drastic measures may be considered, but burning the carrots alive shouldn't be our first choice. So, no, Kharagon should not kill the carrots, at least not in this way or at this time. There may yet be a peaceful solution to the problem with the carrots.
The carrots that got themselves eaten are, arguably, worthy of punishment. They deliberately put themselves in a position where they knew it was likely that they would be eaten, and the result of being eaten was that those who had eaten them were magically transformed. This is similar to drugging a person, for which the eaten carrots should be punished, but they are no longer around. Besides, I'm not sure we can assume evil intent on the carrots' part. They knew they were likely to be eaten, but I don't know if they knew that they would transform those who ate them. Also, some responsibility falls on the restaurants for serving carrots that clearly had not been sufficiently tested, but I imagine that most of those restaurants were unaware that the carrots were magical. The carrots seemed to intend to be eaten, and I believe that it's partly their fault that they succeeded.
Yet, the eaten carrots are not the ones currently slated to be burned. It is the uneaten carrots that remain to be punished. Attempted drugging is certainly worthy of punishment (if we assume malicious intent), but how much punishment would be just? What punishment, if any, should the uneaten carrots face? Death by fire is too extreme a punishment for all but the worst crimes. I think that it's morally wrong to burn to death carrots who may not have intended to transform anyone into rabbits and, in fact, did not. And now that we know that the transformations are caused by eating those carrots, the transformations can be prevented simply by refraining from eating those carrots. All we have to do is spread the news about the carrots, and the transformations will probably stop. We don't really need to destroy the carrots until and unless they prove harmful even to those who know better than to eat them.
Of course, I'm probably overthinking this. There are weird, magic carrots transforming people into rabbits. We are obviously supposed to destroy them. But I like thinking through these odd moral situations and considering what should be done, even if it isn't what the characters will actually do. I suppose, then, that the best thing to do (besides not eating carrots) would be to put the carrots on trial, determine if they had malicious intent, potentially punish them (though probably not fatally), and find a place where the carrots can live in peace and harmony with their neighbors. If the carrots prove incapable of living in harmony with others, then more drastic measures may be considered, but burning the carrots alive shouldn't be our first choice. So, no, Kharagon should not kill the carrots, at least not in this way or at this time. There may yet be a peaceful solution to the problem with the carrots.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Creative Limitations
I have an interest in writing in writing fiction, especially fantasy because I like the idea of writing characters and worlds into existence. I like the idea of having an image in my head, describing it, and having that image appear in others' heads as well. I like the idea of having others explore those worlds and those characters and the questions they raise. I want to create things and watch others interact with them.
If I become a god, I may or may not be able to do that.
Naturally, gods can create worlds. However, gods may have to limit their creations to worlds that are physically possible. I don't know if God could create worlds with floating mountains and dragons and magic. God created our world within certain physical limitations. Other creations may have the same limits, making some worlds impossible to create.
Also, God can create people, but I don't know if He can create specific people, according to a mental image in His head. I don't know if He can make people exactly the way He wants them to be, with all the abilities, weaknesses, backstory, and characteristics He wants them to have. Seems to me like He creates people and then lets them have whatever experiences they have and turn out however they turn out. God does not (maybe cannot) create specific people to fill specific roles in fabricated narratives.
And even if He could create whatever worlds and characters He could dream of, I'm not sure how well He can share His creations with others. Can gods visit each other and look at each others' creations? We never hear about God interacting with other gods. Maybe it can happen, and we just don't know about it, but my point is that we don't know.
We don't know if God has as much creative freedom with His creations as the average fantasy author has with his. I don't know if God can create worlds that defy the laws of physics. I don't know if God can create characters with personalities that perfectly fit the stories He wants to tell. And I don't know if God can share His creations with anyone other than His creations.
But I know I can. So, I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts. I'm going to create whatever convoluted worlds I can dream of and characters designed to tell the stories I want to tell, and I'm going to share them with whomever I want to share them with, because I know I might not be able to later. I know that Godhood grants greater power than I can imagine, and I look forward to exercising those powers when I can, but those powers may have limitations that the average mortal fantasy author doesn't have. So, while I strive to prove worthy of greater powers, I also plan on using the powers I have now while I still can, especially in ways that take advantage of my current relative lack of limitations.
I'll create whatever worlds I can when I can, but in the meantime, I'm going to write into existence whatever worlds I want to write into existence, whether or not they could ever actually exist.
If I become a god, I may or may not be able to do that.
Naturally, gods can create worlds. However, gods may have to limit their creations to worlds that are physically possible. I don't know if God could create worlds with floating mountains and dragons and magic. God created our world within certain physical limitations. Other creations may have the same limits, making some worlds impossible to create.
Also, God can create people, but I don't know if He can create specific people, according to a mental image in His head. I don't know if He can make people exactly the way He wants them to be, with all the abilities, weaknesses, backstory, and characteristics He wants them to have. Seems to me like He creates people and then lets them have whatever experiences they have and turn out however they turn out. God does not (maybe cannot) create specific people to fill specific roles in fabricated narratives.
And even if He could create whatever worlds and characters He could dream of, I'm not sure how well He can share His creations with others. Can gods visit each other and look at each others' creations? We never hear about God interacting with other gods. Maybe it can happen, and we just don't know about it, but my point is that we don't know.
We don't know if God has as much creative freedom with His creations as the average fantasy author has with his. I don't know if God can create worlds that defy the laws of physics. I don't know if God can create characters with personalities that perfectly fit the stories He wants to tell. And I don't know if God can share His creations with anyone other than His creations.
But I know I can. So, I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts. I'm going to create whatever convoluted worlds I can dream of and characters designed to tell the stories I want to tell, and I'm going to share them with whomever I want to share them with, because I know I might not be able to later. I know that Godhood grants greater power than I can imagine, and I look forward to exercising those powers when I can, but those powers may have limitations that the average mortal fantasy author doesn't have. So, while I strive to prove worthy of greater powers, I also plan on using the powers I have now while I still can, especially in ways that take advantage of my current relative lack of limitations.
I'll create whatever worlds I can when I can, but in the meantime, I'm going to write into existence whatever worlds I want to write into existence, whether or not they could ever actually exist.
Monday, August 26, 2019
Party Balance
In D&D and most other Role-Playing Games, there are a variety of classes one might play, including Fighters, Wizards, Clerics, Rogues, Druids, Paladins, etc., and each class has their own sets of abilities. Each class excels in different areas. Some specialize in combat, some wield potent magic, some do well in social encounters, and so on. Since each class has different skillsets, many adventuring parties try to have members in a variety of classes, so, no matter what comes up, they'll have at least one or two party members who can handle it. Having a balance of different classes is the key to some groups' success.
We have something similar in the church. Instead of classes, we each have different Gifts of the Spirit. Some prophesy, some preach, some teach, some do service, some coordinate and/or supervise the doing of service, and so on. We don't all have the same role in the church, just as not all adventurers have the same role in the party. The system works when we all use our gifts, fulfill our roles, and work together.
The key is to have unity in spite of our differences and to use those differences as a strength. A party of all arcane spellcasters might be interesting, but they could quickly get into trouble if a physical fight broke out and they all started needing healing. Similarly, having a church or a ward whose members all have the same spiritual gifts might lead to interesting results, just probably not productive ones. In the church and in role-playing games, we need different kinds of people fulfilling different roles so we can, together, handle the various problems that come our way. We don't all have the right tools for every job. We need different people with different tools to make sure we can get the job done.
We have something similar in the church. Instead of classes, we each have different Gifts of the Spirit. Some prophesy, some preach, some teach, some do service, some coordinate and/or supervise the doing of service, and so on. We don't all have the same role in the church, just as not all adventurers have the same role in the party. The system works when we all use our gifts, fulfill our roles, and work together.
The key is to have unity in spite of our differences and to use those differences as a strength. A party of all arcane spellcasters might be interesting, but they could quickly get into trouble if a physical fight broke out and they all started needing healing. Similarly, having a church or a ward whose members all have the same spiritual gifts might lead to interesting results, just probably not productive ones. In the church and in role-playing games, we need different kinds of people fulfilling different roles so we can, together, handle the various problems that come our way. We don't all have the right tools for every job. We need different people with different tools to make sure we can get the job done.
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Hymns
Today, I was reminded that I love hymns. There are some hymns that I don't love, hymns that are sung too slowly or go on too long, but there are other hymns that have a lot of energy in them and that invigorate me when I sing them. I should probably make a list of hymns I love and make a point of singing them occasionally. I find that life is better with good music in it, and good hymns are about as good as music gets.
Saturday, August 24, 2019
The Good Life
In my favorite webcomic, The Order of the Stick, there's a moment in which one of the main heroes, Elan, learns that his father, Tarquin, is the brutal ruler of a vast evil empire. The two characters, both fully aware that they're characters in a story, discuss the narrative implications of Tarquin's position. Elan warns his father that some hero is bound to kill him because heroes always win (at least in fictional stories like theirs). Tarquin both agrees and disagrees. He knows that a hero will eventually defeat him, but he also knows that, until then, he'll get to live like a king. He accepts that he'll be killed, but everyone dies eventually, and in the meantime, he gets to live the good life as an evil emperor.
Yet, even accounting for his eventual death, Tarquin's worldview is short-sighted. There is such a thing as an afterlife, especially in their world, where the afterlife is a place that everyone knows about. Tarquin must know where his actions are taking him, and he certainly won't be "living the good life" there.
Furthermore, there is a lot of personal leeway in determining what makes a life "good." Certainly, wealth helps, and admittedly, Tarquin has that in spades, but "living the good life" doesn't always mean having wealth or power of many of the other things that people typically seek. One can have a good life by being content with their life, by having good relationships with their family and friends, and by enjoying the personal peace of having a clear conscience. Being good can contribute to "living the good life" in mortality, and it (plus a few ordinances) guarantees that one will have a good afterlife as well.
I admit that Tarquin was right that he would enjoy great wealth and power during his mortal life by playing the role of the evil emperor, but that's not all that matters, especially in the long run, and it's certainly not the only way to ensure that one has a good life. One can have a good life by being good. And while I acknowledge that trying to be good all the time can have its drawbacks, those drawbacks are far outweighed by the benefits in this life and the next. I want to live a good life, not necessarily by taking pleasure in being wealthy and/or powerful, but by finding personal peace and true happiness in being good.
Yet, even accounting for his eventual death, Tarquin's worldview is short-sighted. There is such a thing as an afterlife, especially in their world, where the afterlife is a place that everyone knows about. Tarquin must know where his actions are taking him, and he certainly won't be "living the good life" there.
Furthermore, there is a lot of personal leeway in determining what makes a life "good." Certainly, wealth helps, and admittedly, Tarquin has that in spades, but "living the good life" doesn't always mean having wealth or power of many of the other things that people typically seek. One can have a good life by being content with their life, by having good relationships with their family and friends, and by enjoying the personal peace of having a clear conscience. Being good can contribute to "living the good life" in mortality, and it (plus a few ordinances) guarantees that one will have a good afterlife as well.
I admit that Tarquin was right that he would enjoy great wealth and power during his mortal life by playing the role of the evil emperor, but that's not all that matters, especially in the long run, and it's certainly not the only way to ensure that one has a good life. One can have a good life by being good. And while I acknowledge that trying to be good all the time can have its drawbacks, those drawbacks are far outweighed by the benefits in this life and the next. I want to live a good life, not necessarily by taking pleasure in being wealthy and/or powerful, but by finding personal peace and true happiness in being good.
Friday, August 23, 2019
The Pink Piece of Paper
Earlier today, as I was out and about, I saw a piece of litter, a pink piece of paper, and decided to pick it up and trow it away. However, as soon as I lifted it, I put it back down because, underneath that paper, I saw a small lizard who, apparently, was using the paper for shade. So, I put the paper back down and walked away, figuring that I would leave the cute little lizard and his/her house alone.
As I walked away, I wondered what had changed. One moment, I saw the piece of paper as litter that I wanted to throw away, and the next, I saw it a a lizard's home that I wanted to leave where it was. I think that the main reason I started to see the piece of paper differently was that I now saw it from a different perspective. I, personally, didn't see much value in that piece of paper, but to the lizard, that piece of paper was a valuable source of shelter. Once I saw how much that paper meant to that lizard, I no longer saw it as a piece of garbage.
The same can be true of us. He don't always see our true value because we only see ourselves from our own perspective. However, if we look at ourselves from another perspective, specifically God's, we may begin to see the value that He sees in us. I hope that none of us sees ourselves as garbage, and I certainly hope that none of us want to throw ourselves away, because we all have far more value than we realize. God sees far more value in us than we see in ourselves.
As I walked away, I wondered what had changed. One moment, I saw the piece of paper as litter that I wanted to throw away, and the next, I saw it a a lizard's home that I wanted to leave where it was. I think that the main reason I started to see the piece of paper differently was that I now saw it from a different perspective. I, personally, didn't see much value in that piece of paper, but to the lizard, that piece of paper was a valuable source of shelter. Once I saw how much that paper meant to that lizard, I no longer saw it as a piece of garbage.
The same can be true of us. He don't always see our true value because we only see ourselves from our own perspective. However, if we look at ourselves from another perspective, specifically God's, we may begin to see the value that He sees in us. I hope that none of us sees ourselves as garbage, and I certainly hope that none of us want to throw ourselves away, because we all have far more value than we realize. God sees far more value in us than we see in ourselves.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Blessings Now and Later
In his Conference talk, The Immediate Goodness of God, Elder Kyle S. McKay of the Seventy explores the fact that some of God's blessings come on the Lord's timetable, and some come immediately. For example, peace in this life and eternal happiness in the next are both blessings that could take years, decades, or in the latter case, several lifetimes to manifest. Some blessings don't come until long after we've qualified for them. Meanwhile, other blessings, like inner peace, hope, and God's immeasurable love are all available to us immediately. As soon as we turn to God, He blesses us.
Some life lessons we can draw from this dichotomy include faith, patience, hope, and contentment. We know that, no matter how our lives are now, we have access to many blessings, and God has many more waiting for us in the future. We may sometimes feel like God is withholding blessings from us, and maybe He is, but that may only be because now isn't the right time for us to receive those blessings. We must learn to trust the Lord and His timing. In the meantime, we can enjoy the blessings that God already offers us, even as we wait for other blessings to become ours. It can be difficult to patiently wait for our promised blessings, but we have other blessings we can enjoy now while we wait.
Some life lessons we can draw from this dichotomy include faith, patience, hope, and contentment. We know that, no matter how our lives are now, we have access to many blessings, and God has many more waiting for us in the future. We may sometimes feel like God is withholding blessings from us, and maybe He is, but that may only be because now isn't the right time for us to receive those blessings. We must learn to trust the Lord and His timing. In the meantime, we can enjoy the blessings that God already offers us, even as we wait for other blessings to become ours. It can be difficult to patiently wait for our promised blessings, but we have other blessings we can enjoy now while we wait.
Perseverance vs Petering Out
You may or may not believe this, considering how long I've kept this blog going, but I generally struggle with perseverance. I get tired, I lose motivation, and sometimes, I feel like quitting. Usually, it's my sense of duty that keeps me going. On some occasions, I get my motivation back through healthier means. Sometimes, I just peter out.
I suppose that's normal, and, in some cases, it's not so bad. My blog may or may not be important, eternally speaking, but I know that my D&D games aren't. For example, if the Greenhorns never crash the Orzhov Gala and find out who and where Mazirek is and what he's up to, it won't be the end of the world. Well, not our world. It's okay if some things just end.
However, there are other things that should persist - things of eternal value and importance. I have some tasks that I must see through to the end, no matter how tired I get, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I can't just "peter out" when it domes to fulfilling my calling or helping my family. I have responsibilities.
I suppose that's my sense of duty again. I'm glad I have that. Sure, it makes me work when I feel like resting, and that can get annoying, but it gets me to accomplish things that I would otherwise be to lazy to do. My sense of duty helps me persevere, even when I don't want to. That's why I'm glad I have the responsibilities I have: They keep me going. Everyone needs something that keeps them going when they'd rather quit. For me, it's a sense of obligation. Not the greatest motivator, maybe, but for me, it works well enough.
I suppose that's normal, and, in some cases, it's not so bad. My blog may or may not be important, eternally speaking, but I know that my D&D games aren't. For example, if the Greenhorns never crash the Orzhov Gala and find out who and where Mazirek is and what he's up to, it won't be the end of the world. Well, not our world. It's okay if some things just end.
However, there are other things that should persist - things of eternal value and importance. I have some tasks that I must see through to the end, no matter how tired I get, physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. I can't just "peter out" when it domes to fulfilling my calling or helping my family. I have responsibilities.
I suppose that's my sense of duty again. I'm glad I have that. Sure, it makes me work when I feel like resting, and that can get annoying, but it gets me to accomplish things that I would otherwise be to lazy to do. My sense of duty helps me persevere, even when I don't want to. That's why I'm glad I have the responsibilities I have: They keep me going. Everyone needs something that keeps them going when they'd rather quit. For me, it's a sense of obligation. Not the greatest motivator, maybe, but for me, it works well enough.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Studying the Gospel at Home
In his Conference talk titled "Prepared to Obtain Every Needful Thing," Elder David A. Bednar stressed the importance of fulfilling our personal responsibility to study the Gospel, especially during the week, between Sundays. While it used to be the case that most Gospel learning happened at church and hopefully made it home, the new program is built around learning the Gospel at home and then bringing our insights to church. This pattern makes sense for a number of reasons.
For starters, Sunday is only one out of the seven days of the week. We go to church for only 2 out of the 168 hours of the week. In contrast, we spend a ,ot more time than that at home. Granted, much of that time is spent eating or resting, but we still spend a lot more time at home than at church, so it seems reasonable that many of us would have more time for Gospel study at home, especially if we made it a priority.
Learning the Gospel at home also makes sense because it allows us more flexibility. At church, we have to try to stay mostly on-topic and hope that the topic of the week contains a message for everyone. One or two hours is hardly enough time to cover every insight that can be gleaned from a study of a few chapters of scripture, so it's largely a matter of chance whether or not the Sunday School lesson shares the part of the message that's most important for you. However, when studying independently, we can follow whatever paths and tangents the Spirit prompts us to follow, leading us to whatever insight we need to hear, whether others find and share that insight our not.
But ultimately, a large part of the reason we study the Gospel at home more than at church is because studying the Gospel is our responsibility. We cannot passively sit and wait for a talk or Sunday School lesson to give us whatever spiritual message we need at the moment. It's up to us to actively studay and find those messages ourselves.
Of course, we should still study the Gospel on Sundays, both at church and at home, but the bulk of our Gospel study should be done at home.
For starters, Sunday is only one out of the seven days of the week. We go to church for only 2 out of the 168 hours of the week. In contrast, we spend a ,ot more time than that at home. Granted, much of that time is spent eating or resting, but we still spend a lot more time at home than at church, so it seems reasonable that many of us would have more time for Gospel study at home, especially if we made it a priority.
Learning the Gospel at home also makes sense because it allows us more flexibility. At church, we have to try to stay mostly on-topic and hope that the topic of the week contains a message for everyone. One or two hours is hardly enough time to cover every insight that can be gleaned from a study of a few chapters of scripture, so it's largely a matter of chance whether or not the Sunday School lesson shares the part of the message that's most important for you. However, when studying independently, we can follow whatever paths and tangents the Spirit prompts us to follow, leading us to whatever insight we need to hear, whether others find and share that insight our not.
But ultimately, a large part of the reason we study the Gospel at home more than at church is because studying the Gospel is our responsibility. We cannot passively sit and wait for a talk or Sunday School lesson to give us whatever spiritual message we need at the moment. It's up to us to actively studay and find those messages ourselves.
Of course, we should still study the Gospel on Sundays, both at church and at home, but the bulk of our Gospel study should be done at home.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Wisdom (and Foolishness) of God and the World
This week's Come Follow Me lesson includes a discussion on the contrast between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God, each of which look foolish to the other. To the world, belief and faith in God is foolish because there's little solid evidence for it. Almost every piece of evidence that could support belief in God could just as easily support various other conclusions. Believing in a being we haven't seen and answering to "promptings" (i.e. voices in our heads) seem very foolish, if not actually insane, to those whose confidence is in empirical evidence.
Meanwhile, for those who believe in God, all the wisdom of the world basically amounts to nothing compared to His. God is omniscient. In contrast, humans have mortal minds and short lifespans. Even though we pass our knowledge from one generation to the next, our knowledge is severely limited. We certainly don't know anywhere near as much as God knows. God's wisdom, based on His infinite knowledge, is infinitely greater than ours.
As far as I see it, the debate between God's wisdom and the world's wisdom basically boils down to the question of whether we believe that God exists and is omniscient. If we don't believe in His existence, then the wisdom of the world easily outclasses that of some non-existent God. However, if God does exist and is omniscient, then He clearly knows a lot more than we do. The only question is whether there is an omniscient God or not, but that question can be tricky to answer. The faithful take God's existence on faith, whereas those whose belief rests in evidence withhold their belief, citing a lack of evidence. Neither side can effectively make their case to the other because each side uses their own systems for establishing belief.
So long as the world relies on evidence and the faithful rely on faith, the wisdom of God will always seem foolish to the world, and the wisdom of the world will always seem foolish compared to God.
Meanwhile, for those who believe in God, all the wisdom of the world basically amounts to nothing compared to His. God is omniscient. In contrast, humans have mortal minds and short lifespans. Even though we pass our knowledge from one generation to the next, our knowledge is severely limited. We certainly don't know anywhere near as much as God knows. God's wisdom, based on His infinite knowledge, is infinitely greater than ours.
As far as I see it, the debate between God's wisdom and the world's wisdom basically boils down to the question of whether we believe that God exists and is omniscient. If we don't believe in His existence, then the wisdom of the world easily outclasses that of some non-existent God. However, if God does exist and is omniscient, then He clearly knows a lot more than we do. The only question is whether there is an omniscient God or not, but that question can be tricky to answer. The faithful take God's existence on faith, whereas those whose belief rests in evidence withhold their belief, citing a lack of evidence. Neither side can effectively make their case to the other because each side uses their own systems for establishing belief.
So long as the world relies on evidence and the faithful rely on faith, the wisdom of God will always seem foolish to the world, and the wisdom of the world will always seem foolish compared to God.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Why "Live and Let Live" Doesn't Work
In general, I have a "live and let live" kind of attitude, but that doesn't really work for two unfortunate reasons.
First, it's not really moral. Sure, I'm fine with people making their own choices, but if those choices lead to misery (their own or anyone else's), and if there's any chance that my warnings will prevent or reduce some of that misery, I have to try. I acknowledge that it's ultimately their decision, but if I know they're going down the wrong path, and if I don't do everything in my power to try to convince them to turn around, that (to a certain extent) is kind of on me.
Second, others agree with the first reason. Not everyone is willing to "live and let live." There are people who are wrong but who believe that they're right, and some of those people consider it their moral obligation to convince others to see things from their point of view. I acknowledge that I may be one of those people, which is part of why I generally would rather live and let live (that, and I'm not fond of confrontations or heated debates), but as long as some dangerously wrong people are trying to convince others to be just as wrong as they are, I have to try to stop them.
We can only "live and let live" if everyone in this society agrees to disagree, which isn't going to happen, but even if it could, it wouldn't be kind. I owe it to everyone to reduce the amount of evil in the world, especially when so many other people are calling evil good and good evil. I have to join the debates (as much as I'd rather not) because, if I don't, too much evil will go unopposed, and too much good will get squashed.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what the opposition believes as well.
Hopefully, a well-reasoned, non-heated discussion of important topics will result in more kindness and less misery. I know it's not likely, but it would be morally wrong not to try.
First, it's not really moral. Sure, I'm fine with people making their own choices, but if those choices lead to misery (their own or anyone else's), and if there's any chance that my warnings will prevent or reduce some of that misery, I have to try. I acknowledge that it's ultimately their decision, but if I know they're going down the wrong path, and if I don't do everything in my power to try to convince them to turn around, that (to a certain extent) is kind of on me.
Second, others agree with the first reason. Not everyone is willing to "live and let live." There are people who are wrong but who believe that they're right, and some of those people consider it their moral obligation to convince others to see things from their point of view. I acknowledge that I may be one of those people, which is part of why I generally would rather live and let live (that, and I'm not fond of confrontations or heated debates), but as long as some dangerously wrong people are trying to convince others to be just as wrong as they are, I have to try to stop them.
We can only "live and let live" if everyone in this society agrees to disagree, which isn't going to happen, but even if it could, it wouldn't be kind. I owe it to everyone to reduce the amount of evil in the world, especially when so many other people are calling evil good and good evil. I have to join the debates (as much as I'd rather not) because, if I don't, too much evil will go unopposed, and too much good will get squashed.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what the opposition believes as well.
Hopefully, a well-reasoned, non-heated discussion of important topics will result in more kindness and less misery. I know it's not likely, but it would be morally wrong not to try.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Moral Honesty
If I haven't already, I should try to explain what I mean by Moral Honesty. Moral Honesty involves admitting one's own flaws and not trying to hide them, especially from others. In essence, it means being Honest about exactly how Moral (or immoral) you are. Moral Honesty is directly opposed to hypocrisy, which I understand to mean pretending to be better than you are (that, and telling others to be more moral than you are, but that's not how I'm using it here). A Morally Honest person admits their flaws and makes no attempt to hide them.
In some situation, Moral Honesty can be a good thing. After all, Honesty is usually good, and hypocrisy is usually bad. Honestly admitting one's own faults is, in most cases, an essential step in overcoming them. Yet, Moral Honesty can get in the way of personal growth, especially when others might observe it.
Let's say that a certain kid knows that he's not allowed to eat cookies before dinner, but he's a kid, so he sneaks into the kitchen for some cookies anyway. But just before the kid grabs the cookie jar, his mom walks in and asks the kid what he was doing. A dishonest kid might lie and say that he came into the kitchen for some other reason, but a Morally Honest kid would admit that he came into the kitchen for some cookies. After that, he might express either shame or a persisting desire to eat cookies, depending on how he feels at that moment, and if he's especially Morally Honest, he might continue to go for a cookie anyway, despite knowing that his mother is watching him.
Moral Honesty is the evil twin of integrity. Integrity means being just as moral when you're not being observed as you are when you are being observed, and Moral Honesty means being just as moral when your are being observed as you are when you aren't. When a person has integrity, they are just as good when they're alone as they are when they're being watched. When a person has Moral Honesty, they are just as bad when they're being watched as they are when they're alone. Moral Honesty means always acting the way you would normally act -- no better, no worse. In that sense, Moral Honesty has some integrity in it, but integrity is always a good thing, and Moral Honesty sometimes isn't.
Moral Honesty can be a bad thing by reducing the positive effects of positive peer pressure. Good people can bring out the best in us, and we sometimes find ourselves on our best behavior when we're around them. However, if we are Morally Honest we would have to acknowledge that this would lead those good people to have a skewed perspective of us, making us seem better than we truly are. Moral Honesty may convince someone to show their true colors, regardless of any positive influences. Moral Honesty stunts spiritual growth.
While honesty is generally commendable, Moral Honesty is a terrible vice. Moral Honesty compels people to show others their "true self" rather than their best self, while the actual best solution is for people to make their best self become their true self. One wouldn't even need to lie to do so. One can admit to having faults and weaknesses and can still strive to overcome them. We can even allow other people to be a good influence on us, especially if we let them know that they are. We shouldn't cover up our vices, but we shouldn't give in to them either, whether we're being observed or not.
In some situation, Moral Honesty can be a good thing. After all, Honesty is usually good, and hypocrisy is usually bad. Honestly admitting one's own faults is, in most cases, an essential step in overcoming them. Yet, Moral Honesty can get in the way of personal growth, especially when others might observe it.
Let's say that a certain kid knows that he's not allowed to eat cookies before dinner, but he's a kid, so he sneaks into the kitchen for some cookies anyway. But just before the kid grabs the cookie jar, his mom walks in and asks the kid what he was doing. A dishonest kid might lie and say that he came into the kitchen for some other reason, but a Morally Honest kid would admit that he came into the kitchen for some cookies. After that, he might express either shame or a persisting desire to eat cookies, depending on how he feels at that moment, and if he's especially Morally Honest, he might continue to go for a cookie anyway, despite knowing that his mother is watching him.
Moral Honesty is the evil twin of integrity. Integrity means being just as moral when you're not being observed as you are when you are being observed, and Moral Honesty means being just as moral when your are being observed as you are when you aren't. When a person has integrity, they are just as good when they're alone as they are when they're being watched. When a person has Moral Honesty, they are just as bad when they're being watched as they are when they're alone. Moral Honesty means always acting the way you would normally act -- no better, no worse. In that sense, Moral Honesty has some integrity in it, but integrity is always a good thing, and Moral Honesty sometimes isn't.
Moral Honesty can be a bad thing by reducing the positive effects of positive peer pressure. Good people can bring out the best in us, and we sometimes find ourselves on our best behavior when we're around them. However, if we are Morally Honest we would have to acknowledge that this would lead those good people to have a skewed perspective of us, making us seem better than we truly are. Moral Honesty may convince someone to show their true colors, regardless of any positive influences. Moral Honesty stunts spiritual growth.
While honesty is generally commendable, Moral Honesty is a terrible vice. Moral Honesty compels people to show others their "true self" rather than their best self, while the actual best solution is for people to make their best self become their true self. One wouldn't even need to lie to do so. One can admit to having faults and weaknesses and can still strive to overcome them. We can even allow other people to be a good influence on us, especially if we let them know that they are. We shouldn't cover up our vices, but we shouldn't give in to them either, whether we're being observed or not.
Friday, August 16, 2019
The Lying Paladin
When I make a conscious effort to be good, especially when I try to behave like a Paladin, I sometimes worry that I'm just putting on a show, that I'm not really changing myself, that I'm only temporarily changing my behavior or even just how I talk. In short, I worry that I lack something I call Moral Honesty. I'm trying to be (or worse, just appear to be) better than I really am. A Morally Honest person would admit their flaws rather than trying to act as though they didn't have them. But Moral Honesty may not actually be a good thing. Sure, it keeps a person from being a hypocrite, but it also keeps a person from growing. I need to grow. And if lying to myself, telling myself that I am a good, moral person, is the best way to talk myself into growing, then maybe I should exercise enough Moral Honesty to accept that I am a liar and a hypocrite, and keep lying to myself until the lie affects my behavior.
I am not a Paladin, nor am I anything like one. If I were an honest man, I would admit that. But I am honest enough to admit that I am not always honest, and I have enough Moral Honesty to admit that I am a hypocrite. So, no, I am not a Paladin, but, being a liar and a hypocrite, I will keep telling myself that I am one. And maybe, if I keep pretending to be a Paladin, it will stop being a lie.
I am not a Paladin, nor am I anything like one. If I were an honest man, I would admit that. But I am honest enough to admit that I am not always honest, and I have enough Moral Honesty to admit that I am a hypocrite. So, no, I am not a Paladin, but, being a liar and a hypocrite, I will keep telling myself that I am one. And maybe, if I keep pretending to be a Paladin, it will stop being a lie.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Two Bagfuls of Compassion
I'd like to share a passage from Elder Gerrit W. Gong's General Conference talk titled Good Shepherd, Lamb of God.
Yet, I can perfectly understand why someone would want to pay for someone else's groceries. Elder Gong's friend felt great sympathy for the young man. I'm not sure if the young man looked like he deserved help, and judging by the fighting he reportedly did, I kind of doubt it, but that's not the point. Elder Gong's friend didn't help the young man because he deserved her help but because he needed her help. That's just about all there is to it. We may not deserve mercy, but deserving isn't part of the equation. The main question is whether or not we need mercy and whether we'll accept it and make good use of it.
Jesus Christ offers His mercy to all of us, whether we deserve it or not, largely because He can, He loves us, and we need Him to. His offer has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with compassion. The thing is, I can understand compassion on a human scale, but I can hardly imagine the kind of compassion Jesus must have. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of how He can love everyone so much. Yet, down-to-earth examples like this one, with Elder Gong's friend and the young man who stole groceries, can give us a glimpse into the nature of Christ's compassion.
If we can love someone enough to want to help them, even at great cost, whether they deserve it or not, so can He.
A dear friend shared how she gained her precious testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. She grew up believing sin always brought great punishment, borne by us alone. She pleaded to God to understand the possibility of divine forgiveness. She prayed to understand and know how Jesus Christ can forgive those who repent, how mercy can satisfy justice.
One day her prayer was answered in a spiritually transforming experience. A desperate young man came running out of a grocery store carrying two bags of stolen food. He ran into a busy street, chased by the store manager, who caught him and began yelling and fighting. Instead of feeling judgment for the frightened young man as a thief, my friend was unexpectedly filled with great compassion for him. Without fear or concern for her own safety, she walked straight up to the two quarreling men. She found herself saying, “I will pay for the food. Please let him go. Please let me pay for the food.”
This story stood out to me because I, much like Elder Gong's friend, sometimes struggle with the idea of mercy. I understand the concept of justice and paying the price for wrongdoings, but I sometimes struggle to understand why Jesus Christ would be willing to pay that price for me.Prompted by the Holy Ghost and filled with a love she had never felt before, my friend said, “All I wanted to do was to help and save the young man.” My friend said she began to understand Jesus Christ and His Atonement—how and why with pure and perfect love Jesus Christ would willingly sacrifice to be her Savior and Redeemer, and why she wanted Him to be.
Yet, I can perfectly understand why someone would want to pay for someone else's groceries. Elder Gong's friend felt great sympathy for the young man. I'm not sure if the young man looked like he deserved help, and judging by the fighting he reportedly did, I kind of doubt it, but that's not the point. Elder Gong's friend didn't help the young man because he deserved her help but because he needed her help. That's just about all there is to it. We may not deserve mercy, but deserving isn't part of the equation. The main question is whether or not we need mercy and whether we'll accept it and make good use of it.
Jesus Christ offers His mercy to all of us, whether we deserve it or not, largely because He can, He loves us, and we need Him to. His offer has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with compassion. The thing is, I can understand compassion on a human scale, but I can hardly imagine the kind of compassion Jesus must have. It's hard for me to wrap my head around the idea of how He can love everyone so much. Yet, down-to-earth examples like this one, with Elder Gong's friend and the young man who stole groceries, can give us a glimpse into the nature of Christ's compassion.
If we can love someone enough to want to help them, even at great cost, whether they deserve it or not, so can He.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles
What little scripture study I did today reminded me of why I need to do more. Elder Juan Pablo Villar of the Seventy said that spiritual gifts, such as the ability to perceive spiritual messages, are like physical muscles. We need to make a habit of "Exercising Our Spiritual Muscles" in order for them to grow. This means that we need to do more than just pray and read the scriptures. We also have to use our spiritual gifts, just like we use our muscles. If we don't use our spiritual gifts frequently enough, we can lose them, just as muscles can atrophy if we don't use them.
I'm afraid that may be what happened to me. I used to be better at blogging, but then I got complacent in looking for spiritual messages, and now I'm lucky if I can come up with anything blogworthy at the end of the day. Fortunately, I have already begun to work on the solution to this problem. One way we can strengthen or regain our spiritual muscles is by exercising them. Thus, the way to get better at noticing spiritual messages is to make a conscious effort to do so. The same goes with other spiritual gifts, as well as almost everything. If you want to get better at anything, the only necessary step is to practice it. Studay and training can help, of course, and they can sometimes be essential, but it is always essential to practice. That's the main reason I really ought to practice what I preach. I can blog about righteousness until my fingertips bruise, but unless I actually practice said righteousness, I'm not really doing much, if any good.
I want to do good and become better. To do that, it is essential for me to exercise my spiritual muscles by regularly using them.
I'm afraid that may be what happened to me. I used to be better at blogging, but then I got complacent in looking for spiritual messages, and now I'm lucky if I can come up with anything blogworthy at the end of the day. Fortunately, I have already begun to work on the solution to this problem. One way we can strengthen or regain our spiritual muscles is by exercising them. Thus, the way to get better at noticing spiritual messages is to make a conscious effort to do so. The same goes with other spiritual gifts, as well as almost everything. If you want to get better at anything, the only necessary step is to practice it. Studay and training can help, of course, and they can sometimes be essential, but it is always essential to practice. That's the main reason I really ought to practice what I preach. I can blog about righteousness until my fingertips bruise, but unless I actually practice said righteousness, I'm not really doing much, if any good.
I want to do good and become better. To do that, it is essential for me to exercise my spiritual muscles by regularly using them.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
On Not Looking for Blogworthy Thoughts
I know that there are spiritual messages all around us, and I know that, if I paid better attention, I would notice some of them, and I know that if I spent more time pondering those messages, I would probably remember them long enough to blog about them. Yet, that's not what happens. I go about my life, not really paying enough attention to anything, and then the night comes, and I grasp at straws to find something even vaguely blogworthy. If only I spent more time thinking about spiritual matters throughout the day, rather than just at the end of the day. I suppose that's part of the reason missionaries typically hold their personal and companionship studies in the morning. I suppose I should, too.
I often struggle to find things to blog about, and I think that's because I don't start trying until it's late and I'm tired. That may be why, ages ago, I decided to set a goal to always blog during the daytime. I won't promise to bring that back, but I will promise to read some scriptures before sunset tomorrow. Maybe there'll be something blogworthy in them.
I often struggle to find things to blog about, and I think that's because I don't start trying until it's late and I'm tired. That may be why, ages ago, I decided to set a goal to always blog during the daytime. I won't promise to bring that back, but I will promise to read some scriptures before sunset tomorrow. Maybe there'll be something blogworthy in them.
Monday, August 12, 2019
Willing but Weak
My family and I spent part of our evening trying to unpack Romans 7-9. In these chapters, Paul continues teaching about the law and justice, and some parts of it were easier to understand than others. One part that I understood a bit too well was when he talked about his struggle against what he called "sin that dwelleth in me" (Romans 7:20). His struggle, though awkwardly worded, is fairly common among those who try to follow Christ. The natural man is a part of each of us, and it resists many aspects of righteousness and tempts people towards certain sins, putting otherwise righteous people at odds with themselves. Our hearts and minds want to be righteous, but our bodies want to sin. Thus, self-mastery is a goal that many of us strive for, so we can keep our bodies under the control of our spirits.
Naturally, we don't always succeed at this, and apparently Paul didn't either. Thankfully, I have it on high authority that God judges people, not so much by their bodies, but more by their hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). Of course, God judges us by our actions as well, but Paul seems to suggest that, as long as we're trying to be righteous, God won't judge us too harshly when we slip up.
What's important is that we try to be righteous. We need to try to behave righteously and maintain control of ourselves. As long as we are trying to keep the commandments, the weaknesses that hold us back won't be held against us, or at least, I hope they won't. God is certainly concerned with whether or not we try to keep His commandments, but I'm less sure how much He cares whether or not we succeed. As long as we are willing to obey Him, I don't think He cares much if we, on our own, are too weak to do so.
Naturally, we don't always succeed at this, and apparently Paul didn't either. Thankfully, I have it on high authority that God judges people, not so much by their bodies, but more by their hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). Of course, God judges us by our actions as well, but Paul seems to suggest that, as long as we're trying to be righteous, God won't judge us too harshly when we slip up.
What's important is that we try to be righteous. We need to try to behave righteously and maintain control of ourselves. As long as we are trying to keep the commandments, the weaknesses that hold us back won't be held against us, or at least, I hope they won't. God is certainly concerned with whether or not we try to keep His commandments, but I'm less sure how much He cares whether or not we succeed. As long as we are willing to obey Him, I don't think He cares much if we, on our own, are too weak to do so.
Sunday, August 11, 2019
No Broken Laws
In Priesthood this afternoon, we discussed Tad R. Callister's talk titled The Atonement of Jesus Christ, in which Brother Callister shared an analogy of a skydiver. Without a parachute, the skydiver would be subject to the full consequences of the laws of physics. The skydiver would fall like a rock until he or she hit the ground, hard. But with a parachute, the skydiver could survive, not because the parachute broke or nullified the laws of physics, but because the parachute worked within the laws of physics to bring about the desired outcome.
Similarly, the Atonement doesn't break or nullify the laws of justice, but rather works within those laws to bring about the desired outcome. Without the Atonement, we would be just as doomed as a skydiver without a parachute. Our spiritual debt would come due, and our spiritual death would be certain. However, through the power of the Atonement, we can avoid that grisly fate, not by breaking the laws of justice, but by cleverly working within them. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ paid our spiritual debt in full, satisfying the demands of justice, and in turn allows us to repay our debt to Him by repenting and keeping His commandments. By buying our debt, Jesus worked within the laws of justice to prevent our otherwise inevitable spiritual death.
The Atonement doesn't break the laws of justice any more than a parachute breaks the laws of physics, yet they both save physical and/or spiritual lives through clever applications of those laws. God is a God of justice, but He is also a God of mercy, and that isn't a contradiction; it's the result of what one hymn calls "redemption's grand design, where justice, love, and mercy meet in harmony divine" (Hymn 195).
Similarly, the Atonement doesn't break or nullify the laws of justice, but rather works within those laws to bring about the desired outcome. Without the Atonement, we would be just as doomed as a skydiver without a parachute. Our spiritual debt would come due, and our spiritual death would be certain. However, through the power of the Atonement, we can avoid that grisly fate, not by breaking the laws of justice, but by cleverly working within them. In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ paid our spiritual debt in full, satisfying the demands of justice, and in turn allows us to repay our debt to Him by repenting and keeping His commandments. By buying our debt, Jesus worked within the laws of justice to prevent our otherwise inevitable spiritual death.
The Atonement doesn't break the laws of justice any more than a parachute breaks the laws of physics, yet they both save physical and/or spiritual lives through clever applications of those laws. God is a God of justice, but He is also a God of mercy, and that isn't a contradiction; it's the result of what one hymn calls "redemption's grand design, where justice, love, and mercy meet in harmony divine" (Hymn 195).
Good Listener
We often receive promptings to do good. Usually, these promptings come from the Holy Ghost. Occasionally, these promptings come from other people. Regardless of the source of those promptings, the promptings do not invalidate the good we do in following them. For example, if someone asks you to help them, and you do, then you did a good thing in helping them. Now, would it have been better if you had thought of helping them on your own? Maybe, but it still doesn't change the fact that you're the one doing the good. Other people may give you good ideas you may not have thought of on your own, but still, if you choose to follow them, you are a good person for doing so.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Free Will vs Determinism
I've been thinking a little bit about free will vs determinism, which is a big debate in philosophy. Some people argue that we have free will and can thus make our own choices. Others argue that our actions are determined by our circumstances and are thus completely out of our control. Thankfully, we know from the scriptures and from other revelations that mankind has agency, the ability to choose. Yes, there are circumstances beyond our control, and they can limit our options and influence our behavior, but despite that influence and our sometimes narrow range of choices, the choice is ultimately up to us. There is no fate or destiny controlling us, and we're not just products of our circumstances. We can decide who we are and how we act, no matter what situations we find ourselves in.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
A More Merciful Justice System
I'm glad that God is the one who will ultimately judge our souls. As I listened to President Dallin H. Oaks' talk Cleansed by Repentance, it occurred to me that man's laws focus mostly on justice and punishments while God's laws give people a greater opportunity for mercy through repentance and the Atonement. When a crime is committed, there almost always has to be a punishment. When a sin is committed, the just punishment can be avoided through sincere repentance. Naturally, it's better not to sin in the first place, and if we sin deliberately, thinking we can just repent later, that's all the worse, but I'm glad that God allows a way for people to escape some of the punishment they have coming to them. It's kind of Him to give us that chance, and it's certainly better than we deserve. In a completely just system, we would always face the full consequences of our actions. I'm glad that God's system, while still just, is also more merciful than that.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Karmic Justice
In the adventuring franchise in a D&D game I'm playing, my character's role is the Karmaccountant. (The official job title is Occultant, but the position seems to have been designed for Necromancers and/or Warlocks, which my character is not.) His job in this position is to track the franchise's karmic balance to keep track of whether they're due for good karma or bad karma.
I only partially agree with the concept of karma. I believe that God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked, but I also know that it's not that simple. Sometimes, God allows good people to experience afflictions they don't deserve, and sometimes God allows bad people to enjoy blessings they don't deserve. It's not fair, but that's life. Life isn't always fair, though it will eventually be made fair through the Final Judgment and the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, everyone will get what they deserve (with exceptions made for those who repent of their wrongdoings). In that sense, there is such a thing as karmic justice. However, we shouldn't necessarily expect to see karmic justice play out in this life, so, unless you're thinking about the long game, it doesn't usually make sense to track your own karmic balance. Life doesn't owe people good things just for doing good things, and people can't "pay off" evil deeds by doing good ones. Karmic justice may work like that in fiction, but in real life, God's justice works very differently.
I only partially agree with the concept of karma. I believe that God blesses the righteous and punishes the wicked, but I also know that it's not that simple. Sometimes, God allows good people to experience afflictions they don't deserve, and sometimes God allows bad people to enjoy blessings they don't deserve. It's not fair, but that's life. Life isn't always fair, though it will eventually be made fair through the Final Judgment and the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Ultimately, everyone will get what they deserve (with exceptions made for those who repent of their wrongdoings). In that sense, there is such a thing as karmic justice. However, we shouldn't necessarily expect to see karmic justice play out in this life, so, unless you're thinking about the long game, it doesn't usually make sense to track your own karmic balance. Life doesn't owe people good things just for doing good things, and people can't "pay off" evil deeds by doing good ones. Karmic justice may work like that in fiction, but in real life, God's justice works very differently.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Walking Errands
Today, I went on some errands. I traveled on foot, by bus, and by light rail train. I took my time, explored my environment, and had fun. This is something I've been missing, spending most of my Summer on the Internet. Sure, I played games that involve exploration and discovery, and I let my curiosity lead to learning new things online, but it's very different to do those things outside, in person, in real life. I wandered through a park on a rooftop. I looked at art in a parkway by the Capitol. I even talked to a few people, including at least one person I didn't already know. It wasn't just an experience; it was a series of experiences, and I would have missed most of them if I could have driven from one errand to another or run all those errands digitally online. Running (or rather, walking) those errands on foot and on public transportation was really good for me. There are therapeutic elements to light exercise, appreciating art and nature, and interacting with people. I should engage with those things more often, and I probably shouldn't wait until school starts up again to do it.
Sure, the Internet and other modern conveniences make our lives faster and easier, and that's great, but by zipping from place to place as we normally do, we miss the opportunities to explore our environment along the way.
Sure, the Internet and other modern conveniences make our lives faster and easier, and that's great, but by zipping from place to place as we normally do, we miss the opportunities to explore our environment along the way.
Monday, August 5, 2019
The Heart and the Hand
Tonight, during Family Home Evening, we talked about how the Romans (or somebody; Paul's a little hard to follow sometimes) had the Gospel and were practicing the religion, but it seemed like their hearts weren't really in it. They were going through the motions, but maybe they weren't actually being righteous. (I don't know for certain. I'd have to reread a few chapters before I knew certainly enough to pass judgment. But whatever, it's what I thought of as I listened to those chapters.) Paul's point seemed to be that, even if we do good works, those good works mean nothing unless our hearts are in the right place.
However, the opposite is also true. A person could have a good heart and good intentions, but unless they're also doing good things, that's not all that great. The stories of history and fiction contain dozens of villains with supposedly good intentions. They had good desires, but they committed evil acts, assuming that the ends justified the means. Similarly, in life it's easy to have good goals and desires, and then to not act on them for any number of reasons, and that's not great either.
To be righteous, we need to both have righteous desires and perform righteous actions. We need to both want good with our hearts and do goo with our hands. Just doing good isn't good enough without good motivations, and good motivations aren't good enough unless they're strong enough to lead to actually doing good. Neither the heart nor the hands are sufficient on their own. To fully be righteous, we need both to want to do good and to actually do it.
However, the opposite is also true. A person could have a good heart and good intentions, but unless they're also doing good things, that's not all that great. The stories of history and fiction contain dozens of villains with supposedly good intentions. They had good desires, but they committed evil acts, assuming that the ends justified the means. Similarly, in life it's easy to have good goals and desires, and then to not act on them for any number of reasons, and that's not great either.
To be righteous, we need to both have righteous desires and perform righteous actions. We need to both want good with our hearts and do goo with our hands. Just doing good isn't good enough without good motivations, and good motivations aren't good enough unless they're strong enough to lead to actually doing good. Neither the heart nor the hands are sufficient on their own. To fully be righteous, we need both to want to do good and to actually do it.
Heed the Warning
One of the lessons from this week's Come, Follow Me lesson is that God's warnings are only helpful if we listen to them. Paul warned his centurion guard that, if they sailed at that time, great harm would come to the ship and everyone on it. Yet, the centurion listened instead to the ship's owner, who said that everything would be fine. They sailed despite Paul's warning, and, sure enough, they got caught in a devastating storm. Often, we can avoid certain hardships and problems simply by heeding God's warnings against them, but if we don't listen to those warnings, they won't do us any good. Just hearing a warning is never enough. For a warning to help us, we also need to heed it.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Helping Clean the Building
For the last month, I've been serving as the Brighton Ward Building Cleaning Coordinator. My job in that calling is mostly to invite and direct volunteers from the Ward to help clean the building and to make sure that the building gets clean, no matter how many (or how few) volunteers I get on any given week. Usually, this means that, after directing a few volunteers to the highest-priority tasks, I help clean the building as well, working with my volunteer team or in other areas of the church building, as the situation requires. This morning was different. This morning, I hardly got a chance to help clean the building, but according to one of my volunteers, I was helping.
I got a lot of volunteers this week, nearly twice as many as I was expecting. As much as I wanted to help clean the building with them, I had my hands full directing the volunteers, keeping track of which had and hadn't been done yet, managing cleaning equipment, and resolving the volunteers' concerns. Especially toward the end, I tried to help clean the building alongside my volunteers, but the team didn't need another set of hands. The team needed a leader, and I was it.
I apologized to one of the volunteers that I had tried to help, but she assured me that I was already helping. Being a supervisor doesn't always seem like working because it's mostly just telling others what to do, but directing the work-flow can, as it turned out, be a full job. It certainly kept me busy this morning, too busy to help in other ways. But even though I couldn't help my team clean the building directly, I was able to help them by making sure that every important task was getting done and that no one ended up accidentally cleaning a room that someone else had already cleaned. It wasn't the kind of work I wanted to do, but it was a job that needed doing, and I was the one assigned to do it.
In life, there are many roles that need to be filled, and people can help each other in different ways. Some jobs may seem more useful than others, but all the jobs that need doing are jobs that need doing. Today, I needed to do more coordinating than cleaning. Other days, it's the opposite. Mostly, my job is to keep track of what needs doing and to make sure that somebody's doing it. Today, we had a lot of volunteers to coordinate, and the one who had to coordinate them was me.
I promise that I'll help clean the bathrooms and vacuum the chapel when I get an opportunity to, but the task that I have been assigned is to coordinate. That task needs doing just as much as the others do, and I need to learn to be okay with that. I couldn't do much to help clean the building today, but I still did my part to help the team get it clean.
I got a lot of volunteers this week, nearly twice as many as I was expecting. As much as I wanted to help clean the building with them, I had my hands full directing the volunteers, keeping track of which had and hadn't been done yet, managing cleaning equipment, and resolving the volunteers' concerns. Especially toward the end, I tried to help clean the building alongside my volunteers, but the team didn't need another set of hands. The team needed a leader, and I was it.
I apologized to one of the volunteers that I had tried to help, but she assured me that I was already helping. Being a supervisor doesn't always seem like working because it's mostly just telling others what to do, but directing the work-flow can, as it turned out, be a full job. It certainly kept me busy this morning, too busy to help in other ways. But even though I couldn't help my team clean the building directly, I was able to help them by making sure that every important task was getting done and that no one ended up accidentally cleaning a room that someone else had already cleaned. It wasn't the kind of work I wanted to do, but it was a job that needed doing, and I was the one assigned to do it.
In life, there are many roles that need to be filled, and people can help each other in different ways. Some jobs may seem more useful than others, but all the jobs that need doing are jobs that need doing. Today, I needed to do more coordinating than cleaning. Other days, it's the opposite. Mostly, my job is to keep track of what needs doing and to make sure that somebody's doing it. Today, we had a lot of volunteers to coordinate, and the one who had to coordinate them was me.
I promise that I'll help clean the bathrooms and vacuum the chapel when I get an opportunity to, but the task that I have been assigned is to coordinate. That task needs doing just as much as the others do, and I need to learn to be okay with that. I couldn't do much to help clean the building today, but I still did my part to help the team get it clean.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Losing Well
Sometimes, in games, you hit a point where you realize that you can't win. The opponent has too many points, and/or you have too few, and there's no way to make up the difference before the game ends. Sometimes, defeat is inevitable. We can learn a lot from how we play the game beyond that point.
Some people quit, feeling that, if they can't win, there's no point in playing. Some people get aggressive, trying to take others down with them. And some people still play their best, knowing that, even though they can't win, they can still play well.
Jesus and other martyrs kept telling the truth and living their convictions, even though they were being killed for it. Satan, on the other hand, lost the war in heaven and is now trying to drag as many souls as he can get down to hell with him. When we're losing, we're usually tempted to get upset and take our frustration out on others. Will we?
Losing is a part of the mortal experience. We all face failure and trials and obstacles we cannot overcome. How we respond to those losing situations will speak volumes about who we are.
Occasionally losing is inevitable. Sometimes, the question is not whether we will lose, but how well.
Some people quit, feeling that, if they can't win, there's no point in playing. Some people get aggressive, trying to take others down with them. And some people still play their best, knowing that, even though they can't win, they can still play well.
Jesus and other martyrs kept telling the truth and living their convictions, even though they were being killed for it. Satan, on the other hand, lost the war in heaven and is now trying to drag as many souls as he can get down to hell with him. When we're losing, we're usually tempted to get upset and take our frustration out on others. Will we?
Losing is a part of the mortal experience. We all face failure and trials and obstacles we cannot overcome. How we respond to those losing situations will speak volumes about who we are.
Occasionally losing is inevitable. Sometimes, the question is not whether we will lose, but how well.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Mixed Feelings
Near the end of the last talk of the Sunday Morning Session of the April 2019 General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson gave some advice that I'm a bit afraid to follow: "Ask [God] how He feels about you. And then listen.” I hesitate to follow this advice because I'm afraid that God might have mixed feelings about me.
Of course, He loves me, but He loves everyone, and that doesn't necessarily means that He likes me; there is a difference. It's possible that He loves me because we're family, but doesn't necessarily like me as a person. I'll admit that that felt wrong as I typed it, so I think that God may like me, but still, I can think of several things He probably doesn't like about me. I have many flaws and failings. I have faults that I haven't overcome yet and sins that I still haven't fully repented of yet. I'm facing the right direction, but I'm making very little progress, if any. If God had to judge my soul right now, I'm not certain that He would assign me to the Celestial Kingdom. I don't feel worthy of that. I know that my worthiness (or lack thereof) doesn't affect God's love for me, but it would affect whether God is proud of me or disappointed in me. I sometimes suspect the latter.
Still, it would be good to know for sure. I should ask God exactly how He feels about me, even if I expect those feelings to be mixed. Besides, I wouldn't mind knowing approximately where I stand in my relationship to Him. I may be doing better than I think, but even if I'm not, it'd be good to know. Doctors need to know how well (or poorly) a patient is doing in order to know what treatment to prescribe. It'd be good for me to know how well (or poorly) I'm doing so I can know where and how much I need to improve.
So, I think I have to ask Him. I'm not sure what the answer will be, and I'm not sure that I'll like it, but I have to ask. God may or may not have mixed feelings about me, but I think it may be important for me to know what those feelings are.
Of course, He loves me, but He loves everyone, and that doesn't necessarily means that He likes me; there is a difference. It's possible that He loves me because we're family, but doesn't necessarily like me as a person. I'll admit that that felt wrong as I typed it, so I think that God may like me, but still, I can think of several things He probably doesn't like about me. I have many flaws and failings. I have faults that I haven't overcome yet and sins that I still haven't fully repented of yet. I'm facing the right direction, but I'm making very little progress, if any. If God had to judge my soul right now, I'm not certain that He would assign me to the Celestial Kingdom. I don't feel worthy of that. I know that my worthiness (or lack thereof) doesn't affect God's love for me, but it would affect whether God is proud of me or disappointed in me. I sometimes suspect the latter.
Still, it would be good to know for sure. I should ask God exactly how He feels about me, even if I expect those feelings to be mixed. Besides, I wouldn't mind knowing approximately where I stand in my relationship to Him. I may be doing better than I think, but even if I'm not, it'd be good to know. Doctors need to know how well (or poorly) a patient is doing in order to know what treatment to prescribe. It'd be good for me to know how well (or poorly) I'm doing so I can know where and how much I need to improve.
So, I think I have to ask Him. I'm not sure what the answer will be, and I'm not sure that I'll like it, but I have to ask. God may or may not have mixed feelings about me, but I think it may be important for me to know what those feelings are.
Voicemails From Strangers
This morning, I caught a small glimpse of how many people there are in the world. A videographer named Austin McConnell gave out a phone number, and more than 6000 people called it. Many of them left voicemails, some of which Austin compiled into a video, which he then shared with the world. As I listened to the first handful of people talk about how their day was going and what they had recently experienced, it struck me that there are countless people on this Earth, and God personally knows each and every one of them. God knows all about the lives of those who called Austin McConnell, all 6000+ of them, and He also knows all about the lives of th several billion people who didn't call Austin, including you and me. I can't imagine how God keeps track of all of us, yet He knows and loves each and every one of us. I think it's incredible that, despite how many people there are in the world, God personally knows us all. Austin McConnell got 6081 voicemails from strangers recently, but not one of them was a stranger to God.
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