Recently, in honor of Mother's Day, the First Presidency and several members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared a few brief messages about things their mothers had taught them. Following their lead, I'd like to share something that my mother taught me.
As I was growing up, my mom was the leader of the Ward Activities Committee. As such, "Team Robarts" would always go to activities early to set up tables, chairs, and decorations, and we'd always stay late to take those things down and to clean up. Tonight, I got an opportunity to relive part of my childhood by taking down chairs after a play that one of my nieces and one of my nephews were in. Mom took a picture of my brother and I working, and posted it on Facebook with the caption: "Of course, [my sons] helped put up chairs after the show." And yes, of course we did, because we were raised to.
My mother always taught my brothers and I to be kind and quick to serve, both by example and by giving us opportunities to follow that example. Even now in my adulthood, I can honestly say that one of the emotions I feel quite often is the desire to help others. It's natural for my brothers and I to serve others, accept volunteer opportunities, and lend a helping hand, because that's how we were raised, and I'm grateful for that.
I will always be grateful for my mother instilling service into me from an early age. Though it may be a burden sometimes, more often, it's a blessing. It's part of what makes me a basically good person, and it's one of my attributes of which I'm most proud. The most central attribute of a paladin or knight is chivalry, which essentially means service and respect. I wouldn't be who I am without that attribute. Easily one of the greatest things about me is that my mom taught me to serve.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
"Thank God"
I recently overheard a conversation at school in which somebody said something that bothered me. By now, I'm used to hearing a little bit of profanity at school. People use the f-word and the s-word and the phrase "oh my God" in casual conversation there, and if I was ever offended by that, I'm not anymore. No, what upset me recently wasn't when somebody used the name of God in casual conversation. It was when they didn't.
I didn't hear the details or the context of the conversation, partly because I wasn't really listening until I heard the phrase that caught my attention. And when the phrase was said, it stood out to me so strongly that I wasn't paying attention to anything else. The phrase was "thank gosh." I appreciate that the person was trying not to say "God" too casually, but I also think that a person should give credit where credit's due. If you mean to thank God for a fortunate circumstance or turn of events, I think you should go ahead and say it.
Then again, who am I to talk? Just as with many vices I decry on my blog, I'm just as guilty as anyone. I say "thank goodness" instead of "thank God." Other people say "thank heaven," which is closer to what we really mean, but still not quite there. Why is it that we readily imply that there's someone or something to thank for our blessings, but then fail to thank, or even correctly identify, the One we should be thanking?
Part of the reason we don't say "thank God" very often is the same reason we don't use the full name of the priesthood, like the Old Testament prophets did. Simply put, we don't want to get comfortable using the names of God or Jesus casually. I pretty much agree with that. It doesn't really show God the respect He deserves if we say "God" too frequently. Then again, I've used the word "God" ten times in this blog post so far, not counting the title of this blog post or the that of the blog itself, and I think (I hope!) I've been doing so with sufficient respect.
I think that the key is remembering who we're talking about. God isn't a being who should be referred to casually. He's our Heavenly Father, our Creator, and our Eternal Judge. He is the most powerful being in the universe, and He's the source of all our blessings, for which we should frequently thank Him. I believe that we should "thank God" as frequently as we have reason to, but that we should do it with respect and sincere gratitude.
Had I been in the conversant's shoes, I know I wouldn't have said "thank gosh." I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have said "thank God" either, but I think that, in the future, I will. While it's true that we shouldn't speak of God too casually, it's my opinion that it's better to thank Him casually than to not actually thank Him at all.
I didn't hear the details or the context of the conversation, partly because I wasn't really listening until I heard the phrase that caught my attention. And when the phrase was said, it stood out to me so strongly that I wasn't paying attention to anything else. The phrase was "thank gosh." I appreciate that the person was trying not to say "God" too casually, but I also think that a person should give credit where credit's due. If you mean to thank God for a fortunate circumstance or turn of events, I think you should go ahead and say it.
Then again, who am I to talk? Just as with many vices I decry on my blog, I'm just as guilty as anyone. I say "thank goodness" instead of "thank God." Other people say "thank heaven," which is closer to what we really mean, but still not quite there. Why is it that we readily imply that there's someone or something to thank for our blessings, but then fail to thank, or even correctly identify, the One we should be thanking?
Part of the reason we don't say "thank God" very often is the same reason we don't use the full name of the priesthood, like the Old Testament prophets did. Simply put, we don't want to get comfortable using the names of God or Jesus casually. I pretty much agree with that. It doesn't really show God the respect He deserves if we say "God" too frequently. Then again, I've used the word "God" ten times in this blog post so far, not counting the title of this blog post or the that of the blog itself, and I think (I hope!) I've been doing so with sufficient respect.
I think that the key is remembering who we're talking about. God isn't a being who should be referred to casually. He's our Heavenly Father, our Creator, and our Eternal Judge. He is the most powerful being in the universe, and He's the source of all our blessings, for which we should frequently thank Him. I believe that we should "thank God" as frequently as we have reason to, but that we should do it with respect and sincere gratitude.
Had I been in the conversant's shoes, I know I wouldn't have said "thank gosh." I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have said "thank God" either, but I think that, in the future, I will. While it's true that we shouldn't speak of God too casually, it's my opinion that it's better to thank Him casually than to not actually thank Him at all.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
The Spliced Line of Authority
Many ropes are formed of three cords spiraled around each other. If such a rope is broken or cut, the cords can unravel, but the rope can be fixed by interweaving the cords from one end or the rope with the cords of the other end of the rope. Through splicing, a broken rope can be remade.
Those who hold the Priesthood sometimes speak of being able to trace their "line of authority" back to God Himself, proving that the authority they have comes, indirectly, from God. The line began with God, who gave Jesus Christ the authority to speak and act for Him while He, Jesus, was on the earth. With that authority, Jesus Christ ordained Apostles and gave them the authority to bestow the Priesthood on others. Theoretically, had their been enough righteous candidates to worthily receive and carry the Priesthood and pass it on to others, the line of authority started by Jesus Christ at the meridian of time could well have lasted until the end of time.
Unfortunately, that's not what happened. After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, the church began to flounder. "Some members taught ideas from their old pagan or Jewish beliefs instead of the simple truths taught by Jesus" (Gospel Principles, Chapter 16). The Lord's Apostles tried to keep the early Christians on the straight and narrow path, but there were only a few of them and communication was slow. Rumors and falsehoods spread faster than correcting truth. "In addition, there was persecution from outside the Church. Church members were tortured and killed for their beliefs. One by one, the Apostles were killed or otherwise taken from the earth" (Gospel Principles, Chapter 16). When the last of the Apostles were taken from the earth, they took their Priesthood Authority with them. Some of teachings of Christ's church remained, but much of it was distorted or forgotten. But even if the remaining church members had a perfect knowledge of the ordinances of the church, they lacked the authority to perform those ordinances. The line of authority had been broken.
Yet, just as we can restore a cut rope by splicing it back together, God was able to remake the line of Priesthood Authority by having Peter, James, and John visit Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to bestow on them the Priesthood Authority they had received from Jesus. With this renewed authority, Joseph Smith reorganized the church, calling new elders and apostles in a line that remains unbroken to this day. Though the line of authority had been broken, it has been remade and is now as strong as it had ever been. I believe we even have the promise that the line would never be broken again, but I can't find any official revelation to confirm that. But even if it did break again, which I'm sure it won't, God could remake it again, so the Priesthood Authority will never be permanently lost.
This is really fortunate for us because this Priesthood Authority is essential to perform saving ordinances, such as Baptism. Without the Priesthood, the church couldn't grow or function, and when Christ's original Apostles were killed, it didn't. Without the authority to baptize new members, Jesus' original church eventually ceased to exist. Thankfully, about 200 years ago, He restored it. Now, with His authority, Christ's church grows and thrives like it never had before, and I myself hold part of the line of authority that had been broken and then remade.
Those who hold the Priesthood sometimes speak of being able to trace their "line of authority" back to God Himself, proving that the authority they have comes, indirectly, from God. The line began with God, who gave Jesus Christ the authority to speak and act for Him while He, Jesus, was on the earth. With that authority, Jesus Christ ordained Apostles and gave them the authority to bestow the Priesthood on others. Theoretically, had their been enough righteous candidates to worthily receive and carry the Priesthood and pass it on to others, the line of authority started by Jesus Christ at the meridian of time could well have lasted until the end of time.
Unfortunately, that's not what happened. After the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, the church began to flounder. "Some members taught ideas from their old pagan or Jewish beliefs instead of the simple truths taught by Jesus" (Gospel Principles, Chapter 16). The Lord's Apostles tried to keep the early Christians on the straight and narrow path, but there were only a few of them and communication was slow. Rumors and falsehoods spread faster than correcting truth. "In addition, there was persecution from outside the Church. Church members were tortured and killed for their beliefs. One by one, the Apostles were killed or otherwise taken from the earth" (Gospel Principles, Chapter 16). When the last of the Apostles were taken from the earth, they took their Priesthood Authority with them. Some of teachings of Christ's church remained, but much of it was distorted or forgotten. But even if the remaining church members had a perfect knowledge of the ordinances of the church, they lacked the authority to perform those ordinances. The line of authority had been broken.
Yet, just as we can restore a cut rope by splicing it back together, God was able to remake the line of Priesthood Authority by having Peter, James, and John visit Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to bestow on them the Priesthood Authority they had received from Jesus. With this renewed authority, Joseph Smith reorganized the church, calling new elders and apostles in a line that remains unbroken to this day. Though the line of authority had been broken, it has been remade and is now as strong as it had ever been. I believe we even have the promise that the line would never be broken again, but I can't find any official revelation to confirm that. But even if it did break again, which I'm sure it won't, God could remake it again, so the Priesthood Authority will never be permanently lost.
This is really fortunate for us because this Priesthood Authority is essential to perform saving ordinances, such as Baptism. Without the Priesthood, the church couldn't grow or function, and when Christ's original Apostles were killed, it didn't. Without the authority to baptize new members, Jesus' original church eventually ceased to exist. Thankfully, about 200 years ago, He restored it. Now, with His authority, Christ's church grows and thrives like it never had before, and I myself hold part of the line of authority that had been broken and then remade.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Founded on Revelation
One of those things is revelation. As a picture quote my mom shared on Facebook the other day says:
The heavens are not as closed as some churches believe. God does speak to His children. Anyone can pray for answers to their specific problems, and God will answer them. He also speaks to prophets who relay the messages God has for all the world. God's guidance is a major part of this church, and really, shouldn't it be? When Jesus Christ was one the earth, He said that He would build His church on the rock of revelation (Matt 16: 17-18). And He has.
Through revelation, God restored His church to the earth, along with all of the plain and precious truths that had been lost, and He's still revealing to us the things we need to know and apply. Through revelation, He led His followers through and out of fierce persecution, and He continues to lead the church today. Through revelation, He reinstated essential, saving ordinances that are now being performed in temples all over the world.
Yet, having a revealed knowledge about saving ordinances is virtually useless without the authority to perform those ordinances, which authority is another things that was lost and restored and that sets us apart today. I plan on blogging about that authority sometime soon, or at least studying about it soon enough that I can talk about it on Sunday. Along with modern revelation, Priesthood Authority is one of the central ideas of this church and one of the things that I really need to focus on when I give my lesson. But for now, what I need to do is wrap up this blog post so I can get to my next class.
I'm grateful for modern revelation. I'm grateful that God hasn't left us to our own devices, to try to figure things out on our own. I'm grateful for His loving guidance to help us find our way back to Him. I'm grateful for a knowledge of the precious truths that He has restored (which I should also blog about and incorporate into my lesson). I'm grateful that God still speaks to His children. I'm grateful that He spoke to a farm boy in 1820, and I'm grateful that He still speaks to me.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
A Gift from the Gideons
This morning, just after I arrived on campus, the Gideons offered me a free, pocket-sized book containing the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I accepted the gift, partly because it would have been impolite for me to refuse and I saw stacks of such books on a table across from the person who had offered it to me, and partly because, even though I have regular access to the scriptures, I thought I could benefit from having a copy of even a portion of the Bible that I could carry with me and pull out whenever I wanted to.
In truth, I have already benefited from being given this book because it gave me something I can blog about. In the introduction of this mini-Bible, the Gideons wrote the following about the Bible itself, "It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully." This, I believe, is part of the benefit of having a portable Bible. Because it's pocket-sized, I can carry it with me and "read it ...frequently." The more I do so, the more the words of Christ will "fill [my] memory." And the more they "fill [my] memory," the better they can "rule [my] heart, and guide [my] feet."
I started this blog over two years ago in the hopes that it would help me receive "more guidance, more strength, more help from God." Little did I realize that I didn't have to start an ambitious project to come closer to God - I just had to do what God has commanded us all to do since as long ago as any of us can remember: To read the scriptures regularly and prayerfully. The scriptures were written to give us guidance, strength, and heavenly help. The for frequently and prayerfully we read them, the better off we'll be. The Gideons have given me a Bible that I can carry anywhere and read as frequently as I'd like to. You probably already have something similar on your phone or mobile device. I'd encourage you to take the Gideons' advice (as well as that of every prophet that ever lived) by reading the scriptures as often as you can. There are great blessings to be found in these sacred books, no matter how small they are.
In truth, I have already benefited from being given this book because it gave me something I can blog about. In the introduction of this mini-Bible, the Gideons wrote the following about the Bible itself, "It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully." This, I believe, is part of the benefit of having a portable Bible. Because it's pocket-sized, I can carry it with me and "read it ...frequently." The more I do so, the more the words of Christ will "fill [my] memory." And the more they "fill [my] memory," the better they can "rule [my] heart, and guide [my] feet."
I started this blog over two years ago in the hopes that it would help me receive "more guidance, more strength, more help from God." Little did I realize that I didn't have to start an ambitious project to come closer to God - I just had to do what God has commanded us all to do since as long ago as any of us can remember: To read the scriptures regularly and prayerfully. The scriptures were written to give us guidance, strength, and heavenly help. The for frequently and prayerfully we read them, the better off we'll be. The Gideons have given me a Bible that I can carry anywhere and read as frequently as I'd like to. You probably already have something similar on your phone or mobile device. I'd encourage you to take the Gideons' advice (as well as that of every prophet that ever lived) by reading the scriptures as often as you can. There are great blessings to be found in these sacred books, no matter how small they are.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Another Day Without a Blog Post
You know what's really not fair? I now finally have another chance to actually post something to my blog here, and I'm not going to do it. I am choosing not to post a spiritual message to this blog today. Sure, I'll post May 1st's blog post and yesterday's blog post, but I'm not going to submit a blog post for today.
This isn't the first time I've made this kind of decision. In fact, a little bit over a year ago, I warned you that this might happen periodically. It hasn't happened in months, but it's happening today. Don't worry - I'll still write a blog post today - just not for this blog.
Anyhow, I should be able to post my 5/1 and 5/3 blog posts later today, so you'll get those, but you're not getting a blog post for today. Sorry.
This isn't the first time I've made this kind of decision. In fact, a little bit over a year ago, I warned you that this might happen periodically. It hasn't happened in months, but it's happening today. Don't worry - I'll still write a blog post today - just not for this blog.
Anyhow, I should be able to post my 5/1 and 5/3 blog posts later today, so you'll get those, but you're not getting a blog post for today. Sorry.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Beyond Our Control
You may have noticed - I didn't blog yesterday. As far as I recall, it was first time I missed a day of blogging (when I wasn't camping). I've come close many times, but every day, I've been able to type up at least some kind of blog post before (or at leas by) midnight. Except yesterday. Yet, I don't consider this a break in my so-far perfect blogging streak. I would have blogged yesterday afternoon, in fact, I have the blog post I wrote yesterday saved on my computer and ready to go, but that's when we lost our connection to the internet, and we won't get it back until some time on Monday. That's why I didn't blog yesterday, and why I won't blog tomorrow, either. Because I couldn't.
In life, somethings are beyond our control. There are some problems we can't solve and some tasks we can't accomplish. Sometimes, we show up late to work because our cars broke down, or because we get terribly sick. Once, I couldn't complete a homework assignment on time because I couldn't get accurate information as to what the assignment actually was. I ended up getting a perfect score on that assignment, not just because that teacher has a lenient late assignment policy, but because it wasn't my fault that it was late.
I think that God is at least as forgiving about obligations we can't keep because of circumstances beyond our control. He wouldn't hold our inabilities against us any more than we would hold a disability against anyone else. We excuse disabled people from standing for the National Anthem when they literally cannot stand, and I think I'm justified in excusing myself from blogging yesterday because I literally could not have blogged. Sure, theoretically, I could have blogged earlier in the day, when our internet was still working, but I didn't know our internet was going to go out, so I couldn't have planned for it. My inability to blog yesterday was linked to my inability to predict the future, and God probably doesn't hold that against me, either.
But you know what? Even though I do think that I was completely justified in not blogging yesterday, I feel kind of bad as I try to explain how justified I am. In a recent blog post, I said that a Paladin doesn't look for excuses, and now I feel like I'm making excuses. Perhaps I could have blogged yesterday. Maybe the Spirit had tried to prompt me to blog when I still could, but I ignored it or couldn't hear it. Maybe this is a bad example of a time when a person is justified by their inability to meet an obligation. Maybe I'm still "on the hook" for it.
To resolve that feeling, I plan to post yesterday's blog post as soon as I can - probably Monday, along with tomorrow's blog post, and a blog post for Monday as well. As I said, I've written yesterday's blog post already, and I'll write a blog post tomorrow, too, even though I know I won't be able to post it then. Maybe, instead of making excuses, I should be doing as much as I can to meet my obligation, even though actually meeting the obligation is beyond my power. When God asks us to do something we can't do, we shouldn't just give up. We should do what we can. I won't be able to blog tomorrow, but I will be able to spend some time with God's words and write a decent blog post to be posted later. It's not quite what I agreed to do, but I expect that, given the circumstances, God will understand.
In life, somethings are beyond our control. There are some problems we can't solve and some tasks we can't accomplish. Sometimes, we show up late to work because our cars broke down, or because we get terribly sick. Once, I couldn't complete a homework assignment on time because I couldn't get accurate information as to what the assignment actually was. I ended up getting a perfect score on that assignment, not just because that teacher has a lenient late assignment policy, but because it wasn't my fault that it was late.
I think that God is at least as forgiving about obligations we can't keep because of circumstances beyond our control. He wouldn't hold our inabilities against us any more than we would hold a disability against anyone else. We excuse disabled people from standing for the National Anthem when they literally cannot stand, and I think I'm justified in excusing myself from blogging yesterday because I literally could not have blogged. Sure, theoretically, I could have blogged earlier in the day, when our internet was still working, but I didn't know our internet was going to go out, so I couldn't have planned for it. My inability to blog yesterday was linked to my inability to predict the future, and God probably doesn't hold that against me, either.
But you know what? Even though I do think that I was completely justified in not blogging yesterday, I feel kind of bad as I try to explain how justified I am. In a recent blog post, I said that a Paladin doesn't look for excuses, and now I feel like I'm making excuses. Perhaps I could have blogged yesterday. Maybe the Spirit had tried to prompt me to blog when I still could, but I ignored it or couldn't hear it. Maybe this is a bad example of a time when a person is justified by their inability to meet an obligation. Maybe I'm still "on the hook" for it.
To resolve that feeling, I plan to post yesterday's blog post as soon as I can - probably Monday, along with tomorrow's blog post, and a blog post for Monday as well. As I said, I've written yesterday's blog post already, and I'll write a blog post tomorrow, too, even though I know I won't be able to post it then. Maybe, instead of making excuses, I should be doing as much as I can to meet my obligation, even though actually meeting the obligation is beyond my power. When God asks us to do something we can't do, we shouldn't just give up. We should do what we can. I won't be able to blog tomorrow, but I will be able to spend some time with God's words and write a decent blog post to be posted later. It's not quite what I agreed to do, but I expect that, given the circumstances, God will understand.
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