Too Much Liberty?

The national mood right now seems very much like the feelings a child in a candy store might have with a pocket full of imaginary money. The problem is, the clerk seems to be accepting that form of payment.

Thomas Jefferson wrote this about George Washington, "He has often declared to me that he considered our new Constitution as an experiment on the practicability of republican government, and with what dose of liberty man could be trusted for his own good; that he was determined the experiment should have a fair trial, and would loose the last drop of his blood in support of it." (The Norton Reader, 5th edition, p. 329)

Our republicans (representatives) are pushing the liberty limit. (See 2 Nephi 10:11-14) This spending spree may end in the demise of the "fair trial." Where are the parents (statesmen) that will protect us from ourselves? Where are the grandparents (historians) that will show that such spending did not work in the past? What must happen to get our attention so that we will listen to parents and grandparents?

"The revered Abraham Lincoln accurately described our plight: 'We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power.…But we have forgotten God....we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own....we have become...too proud to pray to the God that made us.'" (quoted by President Monson, Ensign, Nov. 2000)

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Why Pain

I had a conversation yesterday with at teacher about dealing with sensitive topics in literature. Euthanasia was brought up. I said I would have my students find out what their religion had to say about it. She didn’t think it was a good idea to bring up religion. I told her that my religion would decide it for me. She felt that there were situations where euthanasia might be right and that the students ought to grapple with the question. I wished later that there was a better way to explain the certainty I felt in following prophets.

This morning I was reminded of a talk by Elder Faust. In it he quoted President Kimball saying “If pain and sorrow and total punishment immediately followed the doing of evil, no soul would repeat a misdeed. If joy and peace and rewards were instantaneously given the doer of good, there could be no evil—all would do good and not because of the rightness of doing good. There would be no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency. … There would also be an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life, and godhood.”

He also said “Now all this suffering might indeed be unfair if everything ended at death, but it doesn’t. Life is not like a one-act play. It has three acts….”

I felt bad that my friend might never read these words…and that she would bring up problems without connecting students to the peace that would come with real answers. If I had a chance to do it again, I would tell her that this life is a test and that how we endured suffering had a great impact on the final grade. She would probably not pursue my reasoning but she might better understand why I found my answers in my religion. (See Moroni 10:4-5)

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

He Lives

"With all my heart and the fervency of my soul, I lift my voice in testimony today as a special witness and declare that God does live. Jesus is His Son, the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh. He is our Redeemer; He is our Mediator with the Father. He loves us with a love we cannot fully comprehend, and because He loves us, He gave His life for us. My gratitude to Him is beyond expression." President Thomas S. Monson

I just watched again the DVD called "Finding Faith in Christ". I was impressed that He is not only our Redeemer in the next life, but able and willing to be our Savior here and now. It fills me with awe and hope. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He continues to speak to us, usually through His prophets by the Holy Ghost. Because of Him we can receive the miracles of physical and spiritual health. He lives and continues to love each of us.

Elder Wirthlin said, "The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in. He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong. " (See Ether 12:27)

(If you click here and scroll to the bottom of that screen, you can watch the DVD "Finding Faith in Christ.")

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Them Church Girls

I was walking up to a door with my companion one summer day. We went past an open window. Through it we heard "There's them church girls. Get rid of 'em." To that person, the idea of a "church girl" was obviously something negative. The same sentiment is felt when some speak of "organized religion." Too often churches are seen as places where an honest but fallible person wouldn't fit in and church people are thought to have a false sense of superiority. Elder Wirthlin's words are more inviting.

“The Church is not a place where perfect people gather to say perfect things, or have perfect thoughts, or have perfect feelings. The Church is a place where imperfect people gather to provide encouragement, support, and service to each other as we press on in our journey to return to our Heavenly Father.”

If people were perfect then there would be no need for mercy. Mercy was promised as the Savior came “with healing in his wings.” (2 Ne 25:13) I hope that when people see a building with “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” on it, they think of a place where Christ, and people trying to be like Him, would welcome them. (See also 3 Ne 27:7-9)

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

How to Read Scripture

Reading scriptures has been an important part of my life. It is one way that I have felt close to God. I’m not a fast reader, but people usually don’t go fast when they are reading for understanding. Elder Christofferson described an excellent way to study scriptures.

“I see you sometimes reading a few verses,

stopping to ponder them,

carefully reading the verses again,

and as you think about what they mean,

praying for understanding,

asking questions in your mind,

waiting for spiritual impressions,

and writing down the impressions and insights

that come so you can remember and learn more.

Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God,

and He will be speaking to you.”

The New Testament testifies of Jesus Christ. Reading it this way would certainly help a person come closer to Him. Another book that testifies of Christ is the Book of Mormon. By reading this book, pondering, waiting and writing, as described above, we can gain an even deeper appreciation of our Savior.

The way we read books has everything to do with the value we get from them. In The Book of Mormon there are further reading instructions that will help you find truth. It involves remembering, pondering, asking in the name of Christ, with real intent, with a sincere heart, and having faith in Christ. (See Moroni 10:3-5)

Our loving Father in Heaven never meant for us to make this earthly journey alone. He wants us to rely on Him and to follow the example of His Son. His words, coming through the mouths and pens of His prophets, can comfort and guide us. They help us become His children in deed.

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Genius Times

"These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman."
Abigail Adams

I believe we live in times when minds are "animated by scenes that engage the heart"...if considered the right way. Too often we are tempted to see ourselves as victims of difficulties instead of grabbing them up as opportunities as Abigail would.

There is another great comfort in times that we need it. If we can "remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men" then we can be assured that he will deal that way with us now (Moroni 10:3). A merciful God gets us through hardships when we turn to Him for help. This has been and continues to be my experience. My job is not exactly secure at the moment, but I trust that I will be helped through whatever comes...and that brings me great peace.

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

Talents and Gifts

In one of the axioms below, I wrote that if we were not charitable, we would lose talents. It seemed to be what the scripture was saying, but it was a new idea to me. I wondered why that was so.

The purpose for having a gift is to bless the lives of those around us. (See Doctrine and Covenants 46:8-9) It makes sense that if you are not going to use your gift for its original intent, that you might not keep it long. And yet, we are all acquainted with people of great talent that appear to be full of themselves, without giving much thought towards using talents to help others. This brings to mind the axiom about not seeing clearly cause and effect. It is difficult to see the coming and going of gifts in ourselves let alone in others.

As for the coming of gifts in ourselves, I found a quote recently that could be very helpful in identifying what our gifts are. "Your successes highlight your gifts; your disappointments help you learn your limitations and identify areas to work on. These important lessons directly affect who you are in God’s plan and play a major role in helping you determine your true identity." Elder Robert C. Oaks

Father in Heaven has a plan for all of his children collectively and a plan for each of his children individually. Knowing what our gifts are will help us understand His plan for us individually. (See also Moroni 10:9-19)

(The views written in this post are the views of the author and do not necessarily represent The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)