Seek Not to Be Cumbered

Luke 10:39-42; Abraham 3:25; D&C 66:10. Man’s intense desire for meaning is not without its pitfalls. We can commit too soon and too deeply to things that are not needful. Jesus’s insightful rebuke to Martha has enduring truth for us as well. How many of the things we prioritize and sacrifice our time and efforts for are really needful? It has a number, and the number is one. Mary chose it when she sat at Jesus’ feet (she put aside every other consideration) and heard his word. That’s it. To single-mindedly hear Jesus’ word, with intent to hearken, is the one needful thing in life.

How do we hear Jesus’ word in our day? If Jesus is physically present, then our task is simple: lay all tasks aside, sit at his feet, and focus intently on whatever he has to say. If he is not physically present, then we must hear his word in other ways. The general contours, we all have in common, but the particulars will be adapted to us as individuals.

Phases of hearing: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1989/06/i-have-a-question/what-is-the-difference-between-the-holy-ghost-the-spirit-of-christ-and-the-light-of-christ?lang=eng

In a general conference address, President Marion G. Romney helped clarify the nature of the connection between the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. “There are three phases of the light of Christ that I want to mention,” said President Romney.

“The first one is the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world;

“The second phase is the gift of the Holy Ghost;

“And the third is the more sure word of prophecy.”

 

1. The light of Christ (commonly known as our conscience) teaches us in broad terms the difference between right and wrong. When we listen to that light, it grows stronger, just like using a muscle trains it to be stronger. Arm-wrestlers train arm-wrestling, and they improve commensurate to natural ability and effort. The light of Christ in an individual also is a nature/nurture equation. The nature (strength of conscience) may have (and likely does have) some of its roots in premortal diligence; but it will wither or grow to the degree we hearken to our conscience now. Do we hear and understand, obey and seek for further light? If we do, this light will burn brighter in us, and will attract others whose light seeks to burn brighter.

 

2. The voice of the Spirit will make God’s will known to those who are willing to follow it. The Spirit is a personage of Spirit who testifies of Christ and leads to His presence by a multitude of ways. Indeed, all things testify of Christ (Moses 6:63); and the Spirit is not limited in how it leads us to God (Moro. 7:24), except by a few iron-clad principles. It will never deny the Godhood of Christ or persuade to do evil and serve not God (Moroni 7:15-19). It will always persuade to believe in Christ, to do good, and to serve God. Its hallmarks include peace and clarity, and its fruits are gentleness, love, and other virtues (Galatians 5:22-23). We formally invite the Spirit by making and renewing an authorized baptismal covenant and receiving the laying on of hands by authorized priesthood holders.

 

3. The more sure word of prophecy. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that “after a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, … then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John.”

The scriptures testify that faithful Saints have received personal visitations from the Savior, and all Saints will re-enter His presence at some point in their eternal existence. Those who reach this stage in this life are frequently tasked with a much greater ministry and much greater gifts than their fellows (see e.g., Ether 3; 3 Ne. 28; JS-H 1). The scriptures teach the possibility of receiving the sure word of prophecy to all who have the faith to continue in the personalized path the Lord has laid for them (D&C 93). The next step in our personal path is always to hearken to the Lord’s voice to us, which will lead us back to His presence.

D&C 88:49-50; John 15:5 – A full understanding of God will come when we are quickened in him and by him. With that understanding will come the knowledge that he is the source of our goodness and our abundance.

There are other practical exercises that aid the Saints of God to hear Him. These include prayer (3 Ne. 18:15), scripture study (Matt. 4:4), serving others (3 Ne. 27:21), and pondering and acting on the words of God received so far (Luke 2:19; Ether 3:26; 1 Ne. 4:1-3; Alma 8:15).

Many things in life are beautiful and wonderful and add flavor and variety to it; but there is only one foundational, needful thing. Blessed are those who choose with Mary that good part, with the blessing uttered by the living Son of God: it shall not be taken from them.

Transformation and #WalkAway

I recently became aware of the #WalkAway campaign, a movement started by Brandon Straka to encourage liberals to walk away from the Democrat party, principally because of its intolerance for robust discussion and individuality. As their webpage states: "The #WalkAway Campaign encourages and supports those on the Left to walk away from the divisive tenets endorsed and mandated by the Democratic Party of today." This movement fascinates me for several reasons, but the one I wish to explore here is how it serves as a microcosm of observing the phenomenon of humans changing a deeply held belief, with all that comes attached to that belief: patterns of behavior, friendships, activities, hopes, perspectives, etc.

Humans are a jumble of being, and we are constantly trying to make sense of our existence: thoughts, beliefs, actions, souls, minds, hearts, relationships. No pattern can capture all of the nuances, but one helpful pattern I've found in thirty plus years of trying to sort it all out is that offered by Jamie Utley of Outlook Development LLC. It can be summed up as follows:

results ⟷ actions ⟷ feelings/emotions ⟷ thoughts ⟷ belief

Belief is no mere stopping point on the journey of human change; it is both the source and the destination of our most fundamental activities. Every action you take is rooted in a belief you hold; every action you take nourishes a belief inside. Those beliefs manifest in different ways and times, and some lie dormant for years, but all of them are a part of our being, our decision making, our identity: us. Andrew Klavan, in a podcast posted January 19, 2019, stated (paraphrasing): "People don't change because they're given good advice. They change because they're loved and people support them in things they want to do and people are being there for them." He explained that the way to get someone to change their behavior is to speak to something that is already inside them. If you can awaken this belief inside, then you can awaken the thoughts, feelings, and ultimately behaviors that come along with that belief.

In the theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, everyone who is born on this earth made a choice in a prior life to come to this earth to have a chance to become more like God. In our prior life, we learned and accepted certain correct beliefs, but we passed through a veil of forgetfulness when we came to this life. However, when we re-encounter those beliefs we once held, they resonate because they are familiar; something we already have inside of us - a bit of spiritual DNA, if you will. In addition, the light of Christ dwells in every person, acting like a conscience to encourage people to believe truth and make good choices. It is possible to sear your conscience by conscious, repeated evil actions, but in most people, the voice of conscience is still audible and quietly pointing out the right choice as situations arise.

The theory becomes real with examples. In the case of Brandon Straka, he already held dear the beliefs that truth is more important than narrative, that respect is key to creating a sense of belonging, that a friendship based on forcing others to agree is not a true friendship, and that we should judge people by what they do, rather than the worst things people say about them. It took some painful experiences—being rejected by those he considered friends, a painful political loss (Hillary 2016), and some courageous outreach (notably, from a former babysitter who sent him a video giving context on Trump's apparent mocking of a disabled reporter)—to cause Brandon to examine these beliefs and ponder how to act on them; but to his credit, he did act.

There are numerous other examples of people examining beliefs they already hold, and acting on them. It is fascinating how those who successfully make radical changes in their lives don't view their transformation as radical or untenable—rather, it is the natural result of following beliefs they had held dormant for a long time. It is an expression of truths and beliefs they already held dear, but hadn't acted on fully before. 

There are numerous examples in ancient and modern times that shed light on transformation. Saul of Tarsus was a zealous believer in God. He believed in doing God's will with all his might. The Lord knew of this belief, and knew that it would sustain Saul through the things he would be called to suffer as Paul the apostle, testifying of the Lord before his peers. Abby Johnson (of Unplanned notoriety) always loved and hurt for women in crisis, and she redoubled her efforts to serve the vulnerable around her when God convicted her of the evil nature of the abortion industry and the incredible joy of nurturing all human life. The sons of Mosiah and Alma the Younger always had a sense of mission and were natural teachers, and it was the long-rejected beliefs of their fathers, instilled in their rebellious sons, that they reached out for at a pivotal moment, beginning the path to repentance and ministry.

Some patterns begin to emerge for successful transformers: 

1. There is a period where both good and bad beliefs coexist, but the bad beliefs are acted on. 
2. There is an often traumatic catalyst event that triggers re-examination of beliefs. 
3. There is an urge to share the new belief with others. 

I want to examine these patterns a little more closely.

1.The period of co-existence. This is the hard time for those who have helped instill good beliefs in their little Saul—because they don’t yet know if the transformation is coming, or when. Patience is key—there are many prayers that appear unanswered, and invitations and answers that seem to be ignored, and much bad fruit with all the attendant consequences. Brandon has mentioned his former promotion of leftism, as well as his alcoholism; Abby facilitated thousands of deaths of innocent babies; Saul and Alma set back the growth of Christianity significantly in their sphere of influence (and though we aren’t told, it seems likely that many who they proselyted left Christianity for good). Yet, their loved ones and friends continued to pray for them to “be brought to the knowledge of the truth” (Mosiah 27:14; see also 1 Tim. 2:4), and in God’s timing, those prayers were answered abundantly.

2. The catalyst event. The catalyst event appears to happen 100% of the time when the person is acting on the bad beliefs. Those who sit around on the couch don’t have these experiences – but those who get on the road to Damascus (Saul), who work in a political campaign (Brandon), who tackle a tough work assignment in an abortion clinic (Abby), or who break the law to spread their beliefs (Alma) do.

The re-examination of beliefs requires that a good belief already be present in the person – Saul already knew there was a Lord, so when he saw the Lord, he said, “Lord, what would you have me do?” Alma knew there was a Savior, so when he felt in need of saving, he cried out to that Savior. Brandon knew there was a conservative alternative to his dismissive liberal friends, and that it included people he could trust, like his former babysitter who had reached out to him when he called. Abby’s husband and parents had been quietly praying for and inviting Abby to get out of the abortion industry, and the pro-life movement had also assured her they would help her transition, so she had somewhere safe to run when she decided to run.

God and Satan have one thing in common: they move. The war for souls and for meaningful change on a meaningful scale takes place only as people act out their beliefs.

3. The sharing of the good news. When a good belief takes root, and bears fruit in you, it is natural if not compulsory to share the good news. It may be as simple as a journal entry for posterity, or as dramatic as founding the #WalkAway campaign, or ATTWN (a pro-life organization to help abortion workers walk away from the abortion industry), or becoming a full-time apostle or prophet for the Lord you used to persecute. But the outreach is inevitable if the change is genuine and permanent.

There will be no shortage of dramatic catalyst events in days to come. Beliefs will be examined, and choices made. Many will walk away from error, and walk towards light. Let us be humble, patient, and ready to help wherever we see an opportunity to change for the better. Rejoice that we have more history to profit and learn from than any people before us, and in the marvelous changes that are coming—and be prudent and prayerful, so that we will recognize when a true belief inside of us is ready to sprout and bear fruit.

Why We Do What We Do

I recently chatted with another blog writer who has the same proclivity as I do for going long periods of time without refreshing the blog, and offered: I'll write another blog post if you do. She said, Ok.

Life is a series of choices: do or do not. I think that there are usually multiple reasons why people make choices. Often, the decision-making process is so ingrained that people don't even recognize it working in their choices, but it is not less important for being unnoticed. One of the most important things a person can learn about themselves is why they make the choices they do.

How might such an introspection look? It could start simply. Take the choices of an hour, or a day; perhaps a week or a month or a year; and write the why behind the choices made. I am writing this blog entry because of the deal I made, but also because doing what I have said I would do is a crucial part of my identity.

In the midst of all my reasons for doing (and not doing) the things I do, one desire is preeminent and reoccurring. As the prophet Ether in the Book of Mormon wrote:

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God. (Ether 12:4)

Surely, the best single motivation in life is a fixed desire and determination to please God. If we would run every decision through the filter of pleasing God, we would find within us a growing sense of peace and calm, even an anchor, capable of weathering any storm. We are not machines, and God knows we will fall short. But even in falling short, if we will turn immediately to God, then He is quick to hear us and deliver us. He is always most interested in where we are headed right now. Our velocity and even our motives can be improved over time as long as we do not allow ourselves to be taken off course. The best time to repent is always right now.

The desire to please God is the central motivation of a righteous life, but it is a spiritual lens, and can only be used correctly consistently as we are spiritually attuned to God. What happens when we try to use our perfect lens to measure a complicated decision, and we feel like we don't know the answer? It is easy to revert to our natural, lower motivations in such cases. I have made the choice many days not to blog, through laziness, perfectionism, preoccupation with other things, etc. Choosing not to act is a decision, and bears just as much weight (or more) than choosing to act (Matthew 25:14–30).

I think it is a mark of spiritual maturity to persevere in asking when the answer is not obvious at first. Anyone can find reasons not to act. Anyone can find reasons to quit. Anyone can get water to run downhill, or bend beneath the wind. It takes a thoughtful, and patient, and diligent person to press on in asking when the answer does not come at once; to seek a greater awareness of the Lord and His purposes and priorities as they relate to ourselves and everyone around us. The spiritual law that we have received for this time is to study it out in our own minds, decide, and then ask the Lord if what we have decided is right. If the answer is yes, go on your way rejoicing. If the answer is no, the process is repeated. New information may be obtained, and a new conclusion may be reached. If the answer is not given, then we must exercise our own judgment, and continue to seek confirmation as we proceed. (See this talk for more information on acquiring spiritual knowledge.)

So, what to say of those who do not believe in God, let alone in pleasing Him? There are a band of do-good atheists in the world, men like C.S. Lewis was, or Austin Petersen is, who do not acknowledge the existence of God in their words, but in their deeds. If there truly is no God and no law, then there is no punishment and no reason for guilt for anything a man does. (2 Ne. 2:13; Alma 30:17) There is also nothing to have faith in, no power over death, no reason to plan for an existence beyond this world. In short, our understanding of life as a species is eternally incomplete and inconclusive; the answer to the central longing of every human heart for knowledge (what is truth?) and understanding (why?), an unending silence.

The very fact that we believe there should be an order to things; that questions should have answers, and wrongs be righted, and parents love their children, is heaven's whisper that answers and justice and love exist. The existence of "should" is a testimony of the existence of law. As a quote from Lincoln's day states: "When I do good I feel good, when I do bad I feel bad, and that’s my religion." If we didn't feel these things, that would be a very different world indeed. But we do feel them, universally, and there is a why.

I desire to have thoughts flow uninterrupted and to provide light and meaning with plainness and without impurities to everyone who seeks light. I want to persuade other people to come unto Christ, become like Him, and be perfected in Him. I want everyone who chooses to be influenced by me in any way to feel the Savior's love shining through me to them, urging them to believe in and rise up to their divine potential. Our potential in even one lifetime is so staggering that it can be overwhelming, but it helps to remember that we don't live life one lifetime at a time, but one moment at a time, and God is willing to work with us in any and every moment that we turn our hearts, minds, and souls to him. I know He is real and I am very excited to meet Him in person some day and better understand the what and the why of everything that has been, and of what is and is to come.

In the meantime, I am very grateful for little tender mercies that help me make slightly better choices along my journey; mercies like a fellow blogger who knows what it is to want to write again, who was willing to provide a little nudge in the direction of doing. Thanks!

Light of the World

It's Christmas time! I know the Savior lives and loves His children. Truly, He is "a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death" (Mosiah 16:9). Here is a song to Him.

1. Over the city of Bethlehem far,
Darkness had fallen and doubts troubled men.
Angels of light and a heavenly star
Lit up the heavens and proclaimed then:

Chorus:
Light of the world, hope of all men -
Angels sing anthems of praise at his birth -
King of the meek, conqu'ror of sin:
Jesus the Savior has come to this earth!

2. Over the nation of Judah oppressed,
Black chains of sin cast a shadow of fear.
Light burst the sky and the people witnessed
A Savior was born who would make their way clear.

3. Over the hearts of each one that He loves,
Darkness will sometimes becloud or abide,
Swift is the mercy from heaven above
Rescuing all who have faith to have cried:

4. His is a light that no night can endure;
His is a will that leads ever above;
His is a heart that is precious and pure;
His, an eternal and unchanging love:

A Time for Song

I don't like how long I've let this go without a new post! I think I will supplement the prose with some of the song lyrics I've been blessed with. Hopefully they will be a blessing to you as well.

Baptism for the Dead

There must be a welding link
between the generations;
Were it not so, a scourge
Would come on all the nations.

The welding link is baptism
For those now past the veil;
Immersion in the water
By those who love them well.

The gospel unto all the world,
the living and the dead,
Is now proclaimed by angels
With Jesus at the head.

And those who heed the heav'nly call
And are buried 'neath the wave
Shall rise up, bound by covenants,
Conqu'rors of the grave.

D&C 128:18

On Creation

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:8)

The happiest plane of existence is occupied by the doers of deeds. If we would be happy, we must create. It is as essential to our being as it is for the sun to rise in the morning. So why don’t we create constantly? What distinguishes the productive from the unproductive?

There are as many rationalizations for bad behavior as there are people to make them, but here are five notable ones, with my comments (of course).

1. Fear of underachieving. We’ve all experienced the high of doing something really well: and we know (sometimes even in the moment of creation) when what we are producing is below that level of quality.

It’s incredibly comforting to know that as long as you don’t create anything in your life, then nobody can attack the thing you created. (See full article here - warning: there's some colorful language.) 

For the less famous among us (and even for some better known creators), the most biting critic is usually ourselves: like Gordon Ramsay at the hot plate in a fine dining restaurant, we are extremely anxious about letting the quality of our creations fall beneath what we have been capable of producing in the past.

I think we would be much happier in life if we approached our opportunities more like a child approaches day dreaming or a dog approaches his dinner. This is our nature, and in the long run, this will be our inheritance – we were born creators, children of the Greatest Creator, and everything we do with love, from the humblest stick figure to the mightiest waterfall, from a clumsy birthday composition to the most transcendent symphony, adds love and beauty into the world. When God made the world and looked over all his creations, still in their imperfect state, He pronounced it all very good. Some ideas need maturation, but that doesn’t detract from their essential goodness. Only evil can do that.

2. Lack of collaboration. How many great ideas never take flight simply for lack of a little interest and encouragement and participation from those with means? Anyone who has directed a ward choir knows how precarious the balance between creating something beautiful and falling short. By contrast, how many lives have been blessed by a wonderful spirit of cooperation as we saw in the glorious virtual choirs of Youtube fame, or the stunning efforts of the Piano Guys and other similar creators. The same is true in virtually every field of endeavor – movies, plays, the best books, often (if not always) come with a long list of acknowledgments and believers who help creation take flight.

3. Laziness. I’m too lazy to write this paragraph. That says it all…

4. Lack of time/inspiration. The world is so full of signals that it is not only easy, but it requires effort not to be exhausted by the vast amount of information and stimulation available to us. Missing in the rush of constant doing can be the quiet moments of reflection and inspiration where genius speaks to each of us. There is a tangible difference between creators who are driven to create, and those who are not. Of course, it is much more subtle than the rather huge gap between these creators and those who create nothing, but it is noticeable. If you don’t want your creation to say something, chances are, it won’t.

5. Lack of desire. “I’m not good enough.” “No one cares if I do this or not.” Anyone can enjoy creation when everything is going well – but how do we cope with the valley of the shadow of death? When creation takes more effort than we want to put in, where do we find the calm certitude that we were born for this, and we will be successful? Sometimes, the best response to a simple argument is a simple response. “I am good enough for God”; “God cares if I do this or not.”

1 John 4:19 We love him because he first loved us. 

Matt. 5:14-16 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

While we are here, let us be found doing our Father’s work: let us create and inspire and edify each other, and leave a legacy of love as the Savior did.

John 14:12-14 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Exercising the Powers of Godliness

In the Dragon Ball Z universe, a major theme is Earth’s superhero Goku’s huge improvements in strength and skill. Late in the series, he is granted God-like powers that enable him to go toe to toe with the almost omnipotent Lord Beerus. To Beerus’ surprise, Goku admits he is upset that he doesn’t enjoy his new God-like powers because he couldn’t attain them by his own efforts.

This fictional dilemma is interesting because of the parallel to our own development as humans. What are powers we can't reach on our own? If we rely on God for every breath, isn't it practically everything? Clearly, a human baby would die on its own. Yet, while we all owe life and the good things in our lives to the sacrifices of others, we tend to value most the things we have personally invested the most in.

“You didn’t build that,” sends waves of jarring pain through us; we want credit for our efforts (and sometimes, just for our desires or intellectual property, so to speak). In one sense, this is completely true: without the gift of life, agency, and resources (including principally the wonderfully engineered environment we call Earth), we could not have accomplished a task as simple as breathing. Truly, as King Benjamin proclaimed, we owe all we are and hope to be to our God (Mosiah 2:34), whether we acknowledge it or not. Physically, this is self-evident (if you do catch humans building another solar system on their own steam, get back to me). Spiritually, the Atonement also abundantly does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. God is not only the Creator but the Redeemer of all things that will be redeemed.

But even knowing all this, we still long to say, “I did it myself,” or, “I earned it.” Where does this urge to provide for ourselves (and our families) come from? The Lord condemns those who do not work. But if even the hard-working are unprofitable servants, why would he distinguish between the two? The only explanation is the one God gives: that He loves us. It is not for a short-term profit, but for our own eternal good, that God sacrifices everything to give us an opportunity to inherit everything He has.

Even though God is technically still the owner of all things, He lets us make real choices with real consequences. Witness pollution, famines, diseases, extinction, etc. that man’s poor choices have caused; witness also the incredible advances in technology, new species created, medical cures, etc. God could swoop in like an overprotective parent and give us the right answers, but he usually is content to gently guide us, with only occasional flashes of pure inspiration to further our progress. As far as current parameters permit, He wants us to be independent and improve on our talents with as little or as much help as He chooses to bestow.

And what are those parameters? Like Goku, we have the potential to exercise the very powers of God. This is our birthright and our potential. But if we ever attempt to take these powers on our own terms, the most we can accomplish is to cut ourselves off from the powers of heaven and join the prince of all liars, the great would-be king whose quest for Godhood on his own terms has inexorably brought misery. (D&C 121:34-37) “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” (1 Pet. 5:5) So, like so many other things we observe, the impulse to be independent and work hard for what we receive is two-edged: it is the driving engine of enormous good as long as we recognize God and glorify Him in our efforts (D&C 59:21; Matt 5:16); but the instant we put Him second, it pulls us toward damnation. As C. S. Lewis put it, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” (Mere Christianity, book 3 ch. 8)

Ultimately, our potential lies not in weaning ourselves from God as quickly as possible, but in accepting the full partnership He wishes to bestow on us: “The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.” (D&C 121:46)

See also: https://www.lds.org/topics/becoming-like-god?lang=eng, http://www.fellowshipofthemartyrs.com/articles/60-spiritual-tuneup/191-mere-christianity-chapter-8-qthe-great-sinq-cs-lewis-