I've heard a cliche'd quote that one can go through life either viewing everything as a miracle, or nothing as one. I'm not sure that's true, but it does bring up a good point: a miracle is a personal experience, not just an objective, transcendental lifting of natural or social or psychological or neurological laws. In this regard, the most powerful miracles are not ones in which mountains depart, but ones in which things we thought impossible are brought to pass.
In the musical, Fiddler on the Roof, the tailor Motel (MOTT-uhl) sings it perhaps better than I can write it.
Of all God's miracles, large and small,
the most miraculous one of all is the one I thought would never be...
- whatever that thing is.
Thus:
"Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven ... giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope!
Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!"
(D&C 128:19-22, emphasis added).
You may wonder why I am titling each of these daily posts with a number, or, indeed, why I am posting daily now at all when my wont has been to post once a week or less. The number is an expression of faith in another miracle I am hoping for; I am sharing the number with the denizens of the ether as an added incentive for me to keep it increasing.
More importantly, it follows a hometeaching message from Pres. Eyring, a prophet of God: as we seek to see the hand of God, in our lives and working through others, we will be blessed to see it increasingly often. These daily posts, the daily count, and the fiction, are part of my record of that.
As with today, I will only record those evidences in appropriately vague terms; I cannot describe the complete effects of my experiences to you, nor am I inclined to try.* But I would be remiss in my duty to my fellowman were I to hide the record of my experiences with God.
This is my search for truth and my associated musings about it.
*(For a more thorough psuedo-secular explanation of this, see Kierkegaard's discussion of man's subjective relationship with the divine. For a more accurate explanation: oversharing things that should be kept personal can offend the Spirit.)
if you purpose is to share these things with other people, why didn't you say it the clear and to the point way in the first place?
ReplyDeleteBecause I did not choose to express myself that way. You are free to express yourself as you please on your own blog, but I reserve for myself the same privilege on mine.
ReplyDeleteand i am pleased you do so, i wouldn't stop by if it were otherwise
ReplyDeletei was merely taking advantage of this invitation:
"Excoriating, defenestrating, exfoliating (yes, that was intentional) remarks concerning my writing are welcome, of course."
because in your writing you said:
"These daily posts, the daily count, and the fiction, are part of my record of that."
i assumed the purpose of a record was to be clearly understandable, because if it isn't, it runs the risk of quickly being something completely obtuse and unreadable to the uninformed
then you said:
"But I would be remiss in my duty to my fellowman were I to hide the record of my experiences with God."
i am just pointing out that you have said this is all for the reader, so they can also partake in your blessings and how you have seen god in your life to mutual edification
but then you first say it in possibly intimidating academic-ish double speak
then drop obscure references to difficult philosophy most people, even in the academic world (especially the hard sciences) would not have read
before finally just saying what you mean
i think pres. hinkley had some things to say about that
you write well
i'm just pointing out, you say it is all open and for the reader, but that isn't quite what you are doing
no one questions your intelligence, your diligence, or your scholarlyness
just write and stop watching your back should someone come along and try to out academic you
its your writing, just write
don't try to cover your back and press forward at the same time
it divides your focus