Philosophy Trumps Politics

I'm currently having a conversation on a political topic, and I'm actually almost enjoying it. Part of the reason for this is that most, if not all of the participants are being fairly respectful, which is refreshingly rare for a political discussion. Another reason I'm enjoying the conversation is that it's helping me to think about my beliefs and opinions in a way that encourages me to evaluate them and potentially reconsider some of them. This is also refreshingly rare for the shouting matches that occasionally pass for political discussions. I would much rather talk about philosophy than argue about politics, and this conversation I'm having feels more like a philosophical debate than a political one.

Of course, preferring philosophy over politics is a personal opinion, and I expect that some people get more of a thrill out of political debates than they get out of philosophical musings, and that's fine. My philosophy is that as long as you're not hurting anyone, you can do what you want. If you and your pals want to argue and debate, go for it. Personally, I find such arguments draining, and I find philosophical arguments interesting. Whatever floats your boat.

But what I'm most grateful for right now is that I live in a country where people can speak their minds and share their opinions. Certainly, people disagree on many topics, and those disagreements sometimes turn physical, and opinions differ on what should be done about that, but I'm glad we live in a place where we can discuss these issues and share our thoughts on them. And sometimes, we can even be respectful and open-minded while we do that, which I deeply appreciate.

Three Ways to Worship God Whenever and Wherever

The next Conference talk I'm going to blog about is about worship. As I listened to it, I thought of a scripture we read in our family scripture study recently. In Alma 32, Alma taught a group of Zoramites that we can worship God anywhere, not just in our meetinghouses, and we can worship God every day, not just on Sundays. Listening to Bishop Dean M. Davies describe the true nature of worship, I began to wonder how it's possible to maintain that feeling of reverence constantly.

I don't know about "constantly," but I know how we can worship God daily, no matter where we are, no matter what day of the week it is, and so does almost every Primary child and seminary student. We can worship God daily by praying to Him and studying His words. These simple practices, often repeated as being essential and of great benefit, are just that, and they are also a good way to help us direct our thoughts to the Lord in worship.

Another way to worship God is through appreciation. Many of us spend at least a small portion of our daily lives outside, if only to travel from one building to another. Whenever we go outside or near a window, we can think about the wonders of nature and how grateful we are to the Lord, who created them. Also, we all have bodies and spirits, and as limited as our bodies and spirits may be, they are all still marvellous gifts from God, and we can be thankful to God for all that we can do with them. Additionally, though this may not be a gift from God, per say, but I find myself frequently impressed by the capabilities of modern technology (and the blessing of modern conveniences), and I occasionally remember to thank God for the many blessings we enjoy and often take for granted. Expressing thanks to God is a fine way to worship Him, and it's something we can do any time.

A third way to worship God daily is to keep His commandments and strive to become like Him. These two practices are actually the same because God's commandments were designed to help us become more like Him. As we keep His commandments, we develop His attributes. I've heard it said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I don't know if flattering God is quite what we're going for, and imitating God doesn't sound quite right to me, but emulating God is a decent way to worship Him.

Studying the scriptures, praying, giving thanks, and keeping God's commandments are all things we can do frequently - nearly constantly - throughout the day. It takes conscious effort, at least at first, but the blessings we'll receive for doing so can certainly be worth it. In the Sacramental prayer over the water, we're promised that we can "always have His [God's] Spirit to be with us," so long as we "always remember Him." Worshipping God through study, prayer, gratitude, and obedience is how we can "always remember" God. Emphasis on always. We don't have to wait until Sunday to worship God, and we don't have to be in a church either. Those things can help us worship Him, but if we put our minds to it, we can worship God any time, and anywhere.

An Uphill Hike With a Good Guide

In his talk "To Whom Shall We Go?" Elder M. Russell Ballard spoke of the importance of staying on the path of discipleship. In his talk, he acknowledged that doing so is not always easy. He related life to hiking up "a steep and arduous trail." He acknowledged that it is sometimes necessary and wise to "pause on the path to catch our breath, to recalculate our bearings, and to reconsider our pace." He also noted that these rest breaks are especially helpful when we "refresh themselves with the living water of the gospel of Christ."

Life is tough, and living the Gospel presents us with a unique set of challenges and blessings that make life simultaneously harder and easier for us than it is for others. If we focus on the wrong things, it could seem like life would be easier if we abandoned the Gospel path and walked downhill instead. However, living the Gospel gives us access to the living water and the bread of life, which sustains us through the added difficulty of trying to maintain Gospel standards as we try to get through life.

This uphill hike is difficult, but we're not alone. Christ is walking with us, offering us help and support and guidance every step of the way. Following the Gospel path is difficult, but it's even more difficult to try to make our own paths without the strength and nourishment the Gospel provides. Jesus Christ is leading us to a great destination which we cannot reach by following any other path. Following Him may be harder in some ways, but it's also easier in others, so while we may need to pause on the path every now and again, this is definitely the right path to be on.

The Forgotten Fount of Inspiration

I keep finding myself in the position of trying to think of something to blog about, trying to come up with something clever or meaningful or analogous about something that happened to me recently, forgetting that I have a wealth of inspirational messages available to me in the Gospel Library app, on LDS.org, and in the nearest set of scriptures. It's incredible that, even after all my years as a member, I forget that we always have access to the inspiring (and blogworthy) word of God. Next time I don't know what to blog about, I know where I'll go to look for inspiration.

Words Are Small Hinges

Not long ago, I had a conversation about conversations, specifically about how any particular comment could influence a potentially meaningful decision. Case in point, we were trying to decide whether to buy bananas, and which bunch(es) of bananas to buy, and everyone involved made comments that swayed the decision. Now, it probably wasn't a terribly important decision, but some decisions are, and many of them are determined by the culmination of countless subtle forces, including what we say. They say that the world turns on small hinges, and as far as hinges go, words can be about as small as they come. A comment or suggestion may be quickly forgotten, or it may change the course of a person's life. So be cautious when making comments and suggestions. Someone might actually listen to them, and, more importantly, act on them.

Peace With or Without Answers

I was about to write a blog post about how I worry too much and how I shouldn't let my questions and concerns bother me, and that's still both perfectly true, But while I should make peace with my questions for as long as I still have them, a comment that was made on my last blog posted reminded me of something: I may not be able to answer or even articulate my questions, but that doesn't mean that God can't answer them.

Last night, I expressed my doubts that I would be able to understand God's answers to my questions, assuming I could even figure out how to ask them, but God knows what my questions and their answers are, even if I don't. In saying that I wouldn't be able to understand God's answers, I may or may not have been underestimating my ability to recognise and understand the whisperings of the Spirit, but I was certainly underestimating God's ability to speak and explain.

I know that God knows everything, and I know that He can do anything. Why, then, should it seem impossible to me for Him to (miraculously) convey a message to me in a way that even I could understand? Stranger things have happened. If He wanted to explain agency and sociology to me, or how I can know whom I can trust, or how I can determine what choices I should make, He could do that. He has the ability to tell me everything I ever wanted to know, and then some, in a way in which I could understand.

The fact that He hasn't already done so was momentarily troubling for me, but I realise that, again, God has His reasons. In this case, I would guess that there are many possible reasons why God hasn't explained certain things to me yet. Maybe I just haven't asked Him enough times yet. Maybe He wants me to figure things out on my own. Maybe I'm not supposed to know yet, in that knowing the answers now might spoil part of God's plan for me. Or maybe God hasn't told me the answers because it doesn't really matter.

I don't need to know everything right now. I don't even need to know everything I'm curious or concerned about right now. I know that God can answer my questions, but I may not need Him to. I can have inner peace and a fulfilling life, even if I don't understand everything about that life. I can let go of my concern and let my questions go unanswered for as long as God sees fit. I'll still ask about them, ponder them, and study about them, but I won't worry about them. Not any more.

Wrestling With and Without Questions

I've found myself wrestling with some pretty deep concepts lately, and most of them are interconnected in ways that makes them difficult to blog about. I wonder about personal freedom in the face of social influences. I worry about trust in the face of dishonesty and deception. I anguish over the spiritual importance of making the right decisions and the difficulty of determining what the right choices are. I have more questions than answers, I have more concerns than questions, and I'm not sure how to find the answers to my questions and concerns. I suppose I could pray about it, but I doubt my ability to correctly interpret any answer that comes. I wish I understood these things well enough to blog about them, or at least well enough to have meaningful questions to ponder, but all I really have right now is a vague dissatisfaction with life and a non-optimistic desire to learn more about it.

I still feel like I can trust God enough to trust in His plan and have faith that everything is going to make sense eventually. I just wish it all made more sense in the here and now.