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-

Predictability

The human spirit craves predictability. We fear the unknown; we fear losing control. The desire for order is a spark of the divinity in each of us. For who better able to control events and understand their causes than the God of the universe? Without control, without predictability, without obedience to eternal law, God would cease to be God. Yet if we desire this predictability too quickly, too ardently, we risk losing everything even as the fallen angel who sought to ascend God’s throne (Isa. 14:14).

We long for certainty in our predictions, but absent judgment day, we are faced with another reality of God’s making: free will. Individuals are too complicated to predict without universal knowledge; and universal knowledge is too great a burden for nearly all of us here. Our longing does not point to its own fulfillment in the near term, but it serves to keep us pointed to our long term goal: a heaven where the dominion of the righteous shall flow to them without compulsion forever (D&C 121:46).

All of us, like rough stones rolling, must be polished of some desires and guided by others if we are to reach ultimate fulfillment. But while predictability and stability are not for this time of testing, of growing, of developing, the God of the universe has not abandoned us to our laboratory. While we may not be allowed to predict the timing or the manner of His answers, He has granted us the certainty that He will infuse our question-saturated existence with everlasting, predictable, and indestructible truth (John 14:6). He will prepare us (Ether 2:25); He has prepared the way for us and the eternal rewards of following that way (Ether 4:19; 1 Ne. 3:7). He has commanded us to live by the word of God (Matt. 4:4), eschewing any lesser imitation of men or devils (2 Ne. 28:31). We may live in a world of unpredictable, changeable values and desires, but we are not called to be of this world. Only in the fixed quest for a better world will we find the anchor that allows us to be our best selves in this fleeting moment called life (Ether 12:4).

Because we are eternal beings, we don’t have the luxury of choosing an unpredictable or indeterminate eternity. Creativity and originality in our chosen sphere, granted, but the sphere of being must be according to a law: and a law is predictable, absolute, unchanging. Thus, whatever lies a man may tell himself to the contrary, he must (in simplest terms) choose life or death (2 Ne. 2:27-29; Alma 34:32-39). He must choose between the masters of life and death (which, to the chagrin of many a prideful soul, does not include himself). He must follow the Spirit of God or the spirit of the devil, for no other eternities exist (2 Ne. 9:39; 10:23-24; Hel. 14:31; Moro. 7:11-13), and light does not share with darkness (2 Cor. 6:14; 1 Ne. 14:7). The only decision that will matter after all will be the one our creator irrevocably gave to us when we entered our second estate: to choose the kingdom of God, or not. And the consequences are fixed and predictable: death to those who choose death, and life to those who choose life: and a continuation of the lives (D&C 132:22) of all who are bound in the new and everlasting covenant.

The Optimum Level of Business

What is the optimum level of business? The scriptures indicate that the Lord has definite interest in our level of activity. While idleness is evil in its own right ("Thou shalt not be idle"; “see that ye refrain from idleness”), regardless of whether there is work unfinished, the condemnation of idleness is even more severe if duties are neglected as a result of the idleness (1 Timothy 5:8).

On the other hand, excessive business in one area can lead us to neglect important opportunities in other areas. The classic example is Martha and Mary, where Martha’s industrious service is gently chastised (Luke 10:40-42); and Mary’s attention to one thing (listening to the Savior) is praised. The scriptures urge diligence, but they also warn us to avoid being cumbered (D&C 66:10) by things bad (parable of the sower), good (Martha’s serving), or neutral (riches).

In addition, over zealousness for the right cause is met with gentle rebuke (Mosiah 4:27; 9:3; D&C 11:15, 26-27); though the condemnation for being lukewarm is admittedly much harsher (Revelation 3:16; Matt. 25:24-30; 2 Ne. 28:24-25). It is important to find your pace, and be diligent until the results are achieved, or the race is ended. The punishment for the feeble-kneed and little-faithed is much gentler and short-lived than for the one who does not endure to the end (2 Ne. 31:16).

It is important to note that God places importance on some tasks that the world would label idleness or neglect. When Jesus lingered in the temple to teach the doctors, he met his mother’s rebuke with the calm explanation that his tardiness was so that he might be about his Father’s business. Similarly, the Savior instructed early missionaries to not provide purse or scrip for themselves. Being on the Lord’s business entitled them to the privileges enjoyed by the grass of the field (which has its clothing provided by God; see Matt. 6:30-34). Elsewhere, he positively commands, “Be still.” (D&C 101:16)

But being still spiritually does not mean relying on God to do the things we are meant to do ourselves. For example, the Lord chastised Oliver Cowdery for taking no thought about the revelation he asked God for (D&C 9:7). Similarly, he chastened the Jaredites for forgetting to pray and the Nephites for failing to record important events (Ether 2:14; 3 Ne. 23:11).

What is the key? Being ever open to and turned towards God, and his revelations. Jacob summarizes: “to be learned [or busy] is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.” (2 Ne. 9:29). To those who busy themselves with anything else, heavy punishment lies in store. (See v. 28; 30; 39; 42)

I pray that when the Lord needs me, he will not find me a rich, busy person with no time for Him; but rather a poor, maimed man who will heed his summons to come and feast on His goodness (Luke 14:15-24; Hymn 270).

Solutions

A man walks into heaven, and asks an angel: “Have they solved chess up here?”
“Yes,” the angel replies, “but we don’t want to spoil their fun just yet.”

It seems quite probable, if not undeniable, that God has already in hand a perfect solution for every possible human problem. Perhaps there are multiple solutions (the Lord seemed happy to let the brother of Jared feel his own way through the problem of lighting submerged vessels); and perhaps there is only one (witness Jesus’ plea for the cup to pass from him, if there is any other way to solve the infinite puzzle which only the Atonement could resolve). But there is a solution, and God reveals the solution to willing minds in His time and according to His pleasure.

From the witness of scripture, the Lord seems much more interested in what we are willing to invest in finding a solution, than in our solving any given problem. After the lesson is learned, the Lord may even step in and make a problem go away, in some cases. Consider Nephi and the brass plates; Mahonri and the stones; Gideon and the Midianites; Daniel and the lions’ den; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace; etc. In some cases, the problem may not be solved at all in this life, and the only important test is if we were faithful. (Alma 14:8-11; Moro. 9:6; D&C 103:28; Matt. 16:24-27)

How long we have to suffer through the problems may increase with our past disobedience or the Lord’s desire to test and try us (Mosiah 23:21-22). Some workers in the vineyard had to labor the full day; while others were given a day’s wage after working one hour. The children of Israel earned 40 years’ wandering in the wilderness with their angry unbelief in the God who had offered them so many miraculous solutions. Joshua and Caleb wandered with the rest; but God rewarded their faithfulness by giving them a long life and the health to enter into and obtain the promised land.

In all the cases presented and countless more, God has the ability to step in and take away the problems. In a future day, He will reveal all things and wipe away all tears (Rev. 21:4). So why the wait? Does God find our efforts to succeed beautiful, like a parent rejoicing in the journey of a baby learning to be a kid, and a kid learning to be a man or a woman, and a man or woman learning to be a spouse and a parent? Was our Fall and the long struggle back to our divine nature a necessary part of the process? Perhaps for some of us, the answer is no. Many wonderful souls come to earth only to obtain their bodies and speedily return to heaven; or they receive a body with physical and mental handicaps, and are shielded from having to endure the full heat of Satan’s fiery darts. But for many if not most of us, the test is real, and is necessary, and is not allowed to end early. And just like the parent, or the mentor, God seems to find true joy in watching the slow, halting progress of his babes here below.

For those who do attain to a perfect knowledge of things, strict commands are given to not reveal more than God will allow. If the only point of problems was that they be solved, this would not make sense. Alma wished, with all his heart, to solve the world’s problems by proclaiming the irresistible force of the gospel with the full heraldic powers of angels (see Alma 29). To mortal minds, this seems like an excellent plan: deniers and fence-sitters would be shaken to their core, and doubtless many thousands would come to a knowledge of the truth much quicker than they would have sans angels. But the Lord has reasons for not doing it this way; and comprehending them is one of the deepest mysteries of godliness. Perhaps if the solutions came too fast, we would remain like spiritual infants forever, or else we would perish like the baby who is given meat when they still needed milk. Is our ignorance what frees God’s hand to offer mercy to the weak and the stumbling and the sinners among us? Too much knowledge and too many solutions could bind mercy and unleash the full fury of justice on us before time.

Still, one wonders what it would be like to know, as one knows he is alive, the proper way to be happy, or even as small a trifle as the solution to chess.

Infinite Power, Infinite Knowledge

In One Punch Man, Saitama, a bumbling young Asian man, decides he wants to be a hero. He gradually realizes that not only can he withstand all attacks without being damaged (a vastly underrated superpower), but he can also defeat all enemies with one punch. Unable to find challenges from conventional monsters, Saitama seeks for challenges in other areas in life (bargain hunting, killing mosquitos, observing others), but he secretly longs for an adversary who can give him a fight.

While a somewhat cheesy setting, the question at the anime’s core is a brilliant one, well suited to our world with its Omnipotent ruler: if all conflict can be instantly resolved by overwhelming power, is meaningful existence still possible? (Of course, an even more foundational question is: what is meaningful existence? or even simpler, Why? We will deal with this question in due time.)

Unless it is coupled with infinite knowledge, I think the answer is no. Thus, Saitama is fundamentally bored because he is omnipotent without knowing why or how to best use his abilities. The Lord, by contrast, knows everything – not even time is a mystery (since all is as one day with Him, and time only is measured unto man). While there are many things He does not reveal to us collectively, we can observe some truths about how an unstoppable force creates meaning.

He creates and inspires many different things that point us back to Him. Each individual strand of music (Sidenote: how do beings without time experience music? Maybe it is similar to us remembering a song we have already heard.), each medical cure, each new invention, every new species and new member of every species, literally all things are made to testify of God (Moses 6:63). They may not all do it perfectly (because pure testimony should flow from our own will and not from external force), but that is what they were created to do.

He continues doing the things that brought Him to this point. The course of God is one eternal round. There is not even a shadow of changing in Him, even though we are constantly being tempted and enticed from all sides. The oceans move about, but the Lord holds all things in the palm of His hand.

The Lord’s work and glory is centered around beings who are still capable of experiencing real conflict between good and evil. His energies are not devoted against His enemies directly (because he could one punch them into oblivion, or dismiss them with a snap of his fingers, as Hugh Nibley once said), but indirectly as He advocates tirelessly for us and our advancement.

Sailboats and Wind

Sailboats can use a headwind (a wind blowing directly opposite of the direction they want to go) to move forward by tacking. A tailwind is obviously much easier and more efficient to use, because you just open your sails, and go in a straight line.

In our life, we similarly can draw energy and motivation from negative examples and positive examples. Negative examples directly oppose the thing we want to do; but just like a tacking ship, we can draw extra energy from opposing forces – the simplest example is by our being determined to prove they can't keep us down. They can also remind us of what not to do when we have the chance to influence someone else. A tailwind, by contrast, takes our ship and always lovingly pushes it forward: it is constant, and unfailing, and always contributes as much energy as our possibly weak and damaged sail can hold at that time. But it only ever pushes us in the right direction.

There is, of course, another kind of phenomena in sailing: no wind. A ship that’s designed to run on wind cannot go very efficiently with no energy directed at it. Modern ships get around this problem by storing energy (fuel) that can be used to power an engine through calm seas. In life, we meet people who simply don’t care about us one way or the other. In stark contrast to the forces of good and evil, which continually seek to persuade us (Moro.7:12-13), some people are indifferent to our choices and our quality of life here and hereafter. Many of these people are absorbed in other (often very worthy) pursuits (such as helping their friends and family they have already committed to) or afraid of giving offence; some are afraid of us or doubtful of their own ability to provide help to even their dearest friends, let alone strangers. Whatever the excuse, all of us let opportunities to help our neighbor go unrealized, and the lack of caring is keenly felt in people who are designed to run on caring the way a sailboat runs on wind or a car runs on gasoline (that includes all people, and their dogs too).

Just as long dead matter can be converted into the fuel that powers an outboard motor, humans can also harvest incredible amounts of energy from the memory of even one small act of genuine encouragement. On a day when a brother or sister is suffering from abuse or indifference, the memory of even one person’s belief in them, and interest in their success, may be the fuel that keeps them moving forward. O that we would internalize this truth; and not withhold little acts of encouragement from our neighbor! Be the tailwind that pushes always in the right direction, be it ever so gently, but let your love be felt by any sail that is open to you.

One secret that Christians wish were not so secret is that there is a free source of inexhaustible caring for every human being that has ever walked the planet. To the woman at Jacob’s well, Jesus declared,

“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)

Nothing gives more meaning to life and hope to the weary than the Savior’s declaration: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) “And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall believe on the Son of God, the same shall have everlasting life.” (Hel.14:8) Do we forget sometimes, that all of our trials can literally be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ?” Infinity from the Atonement outlasts every finite sorrow (and even the wrath of infinite punishment).

Of course, some headwinds are not able to be tacked successfully; some sails and even sailboats are completely destroyed by storms caused by powerful winds; and some sailboats rot on dry land. But the design of the sailboat is clear; it was made to travel across the water by the power of the wind. Similarly, we were made to progress through triumphs and trials by love. Not one person who came to earth was sent to fail: all of us have an inexhaustible supply of love to draw on, even in our darkest hour; even after we think we’ve lost our sail or our soul: the master carpenter is ever ready to repair us and supply us with wind for our voyage (see Ether 6:8). If we truly understand who we are, and that we were designed to run on love, how much more we can bless and be blessed by the wind all around us. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)