Not in entire forgetfulness, and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come,
From [Heav'n], which is our home...
- William Wordsworth, Ode: Intimations of Immortality
It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.
- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
I have thought, today, on how the Lord Jesus Christ not only aids us in the difficulties of sin and repentance, mercy and forgiveness, but also guides us through the difficult aspects of day to day living. He helps us to do difficult, (righteous) things we choose to do.
The commandment that we should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and, as agents unto ourselves, bring to pass much righteousness, (D&C 58:27) is not a commandment disassociated from the assistance of the Savior. I believe it is a commandment to use our resources as best we can, before being asked; but, in my experience, this opens the door to divine help.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Truth and personality
And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come...
Doctrine and Covenants 93:24
The real reward for pain is this: self knowledge. - Lance Armstrong
I think it is one of the hardest lessons to learn - that who we are is reflected by how we act; "Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 16:20). Our character is not something that can be taken off and put back on, nor does our accountability sleep. We are accountable for all of our actions, past the age of accountability, and it seems that much of who we are is the accumulation of our choices.
Who we are, then, is very important. Do we like who we are? Let me be honest: Do I like who I am?
I hope that I can consistently answer "Yes." But there are times when I cannot, and I believe that in these times the Atonement must be sought. Faith is a principle of action and power (True to the Faith), part of which includes a supreme, consistent effort to get better.
As faith is exercised over time through work, prayer, study, pondering, and worship, we - I - can be given the assurance that "I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me" (Phillipians 4:13), even change.
Joseph Smith put it beautifully: "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17).
This doesn't apply only to sin; I believe that it is through the Atonement of Christ that we become the type of person that we ultimately want to become. Here in mortality, that includes the major attributes of charity, humility, mercy, faith, hope, etc. over long periods, and also can help in the immediate: how will I behave tonight? Will my behavior this hour help me become more like Jesus Christ?
I think this leads up a path of ever-increasing consecration to God and His work. This is not to say that we do not pursue supposedly temporal interests; rather, our perspective on temporal things becomes more like God's:
"Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created" (Doctrine and Covenants 29:34)
We start to see our lives like the Lord sees them - times of rich and eternal opportunity. That, in turn, gives us greater motivation to become what we can and must become: children of our Heavenly Father; men and women of God; men and women of sound understanding, who hunger and thirst after righteousness; the Zion of our God.
Simply, this: Though I make mistakes, I know that God is faithful, and that through my Savior Jesus Christ, I can become like my Heavenly Father and dwell with Him again.
Doctrine and Covenants 93:24
The real reward for pain is this: self knowledge. - Lance Armstrong
I think it is one of the hardest lessons to learn - that who we are is reflected by how we act; "Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 16:20). Our character is not something that can be taken off and put back on, nor does our accountability sleep. We are accountable for all of our actions, past the age of accountability, and it seems that much of who we are is the accumulation of our choices.
Who we are, then, is very important. Do we like who we are? Let me be honest: Do I like who I am?
I hope that I can consistently answer "Yes." But there are times when I cannot, and I believe that in these times the Atonement must be sought. Faith is a principle of action and power (True to the Faith), part of which includes a supreme, consistent effort to get better.
As faith is exercised over time through work, prayer, study, pondering, and worship, we - I - can be given the assurance that "I can do all things through Christ which strengthenth me" (Phillipians 4:13), even change.
Joseph Smith put it beautifully: "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed" (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17).
This doesn't apply only to sin; I believe that it is through the Atonement of Christ that we become the type of person that we ultimately want to become. Here in mortality, that includes the major attributes of charity, humility, mercy, faith, hope, etc. over long periods, and also can help in the immediate: how will I behave tonight? Will my behavior this hour help me become more like Jesus Christ?
I think this leads up a path of ever-increasing consecration to God and His work. This is not to say that we do not pursue supposedly temporal interests; rather, our perspective on temporal things becomes more like God's:
"Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created" (Doctrine and Covenants 29:34)
We start to see our lives like the Lord sees them - times of rich and eternal opportunity. That, in turn, gives us greater motivation to become what we can and must become: children of our Heavenly Father; men and women of God; men and women of sound understanding, who hunger and thirst after righteousness; the Zion of our God.
Simply, this: Though I make mistakes, I know that God is faithful, and that through my Savior Jesus Christ, I can become like my Heavenly Father and dwell with Him again.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Giving
After an excellent lecture on the benefits of giving, I thought to ponder the question:
As a college student, how does one give? How ought I to give?
My first thought was that of giving blood. The sharing of life's blood seems a beautiful, symbolic action; and in few other daily circumstances can one directly save lives.
A charity run presented itself, incidentally, the same day. The Red Cross coaxes me into being 15 dollars more generous by allowing me to run a race. I do not find this type of incentivization (No, that's not a word; yes, it is now.) inappropriate; Is it better to do evil, or good? Indeed, a major thrust of the address spawning this article was to encourage us to give to others by describing statistically the economic, psychological, and sociological benefits of charitable giving. But I think all this talk of incentive rather misses the mark, which is to get beyond the incentive.
Quite frankly, giving is the right thing to do. In response to Cain's question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" the response is emphatically and absolutely, "Yes." In an ideal situation, we would give because we want to give - even when no when else will know; even when it wrenches our hearts to do so; even when we see no personal benefits from it. Perhaps, most of all, when we don't want to give and feel hypocritical for doing so.
And what type of giving? Blood and money have both been mentioned, and both are important. Time costs us so very dearly, but is so very precious to those who receive it; no amount of money can buy the satisfaction in a child's eyes from a few minutes of interaction. Don't believe me? Try to correct the opposite - the hurt in a child's eye from a lack of interaction - with cash, or a gift. (I may be biased - gifts mean much less to me than time. But the point remains.) Service, kind words, a smile, a touch - given freely, sweeten and strengthen our lives.
Gary Chapman, author of the Five Love Languages, would say correctly that what I am describing generally is love. (In fact, I borrowed or rounded out that list using his book, The Five Love Languages for Singles, which I heartily recommend.) Giving is the key to opening our hearts.
As a side note, I think the sweetest romantic relationship would be one of mutual giving; of the mutual pursuit of both parties' happiness, carried out indefinitely.
You want to love someone? Serve them. Help them. Give to them, in all of the ways mentioned here. Have problems with a person or group? Serve, help, give of yourself to the people with whom you have problems.
How wonderfully the Savior expressed this principle, in Matt 5:44-45, and 3 Nephi 12:44-45 - "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven..."
This is something in which I have a long way to go. I think we all do. The conclusions of those chapters are a commandments to be perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect. The primary attribute of God? Love. If love is expressed by giving in some way, then one interpretation of the Savior's command is "Give, even as I, or your Father in heaven has given." (3 Ne 12:44). We cannot perform the Atonement; we cannot lay down our lives and take them up again for the salvation of mankind. But we can lose our lives for the sake of the Savior, in the service of our fellow man.
How is this done? We return to the original question: How ought I to give?
Pres. Monson speaks ofen of how the Savior went about doing good. Christ's life was and is an example of service; consistent, and throughout.
From His example, then, the question ought not to be - How ought I to give? But rather - Where am I holding back, and how can I correct that? (This requires a delicate balancing act between personal renewal and improvement, fulfilling our needs and desires, and using the tools at our disposal to bless and enrich the lives of others. I submit that success in this endeavor requires revelation. Pray about it.)
I think the first corrections I can make are running for chairty, and giving O- blood. But I'm not perfect in love, or in my motives, or in my giving. I take comfort in an incentive offered by Christ "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt 26:25)
To the extent that I've done that, I have experienced that. It's true. Christ makes so much more of us than we can of ourselves - as we give.
As a college student, how does one give? How ought I to give?
My first thought was that of giving blood. The sharing of life's blood seems a beautiful, symbolic action; and in few other daily circumstances can one directly save lives.
A charity run presented itself, incidentally, the same day. The Red Cross coaxes me into being 15 dollars more generous by allowing me to run a race. I do not find this type of incentivization (No, that's not a word; yes, it is now.) inappropriate; Is it better to do evil, or good? Indeed, a major thrust of the address spawning this article was to encourage us to give to others by describing statistically the economic, psychological, and sociological benefits of charitable giving. But I think all this talk of incentive rather misses the mark, which is to get beyond the incentive.
Quite frankly, giving is the right thing to do. In response to Cain's question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" the response is emphatically and absolutely, "Yes." In an ideal situation, we would give because we want to give - even when no when else will know; even when it wrenches our hearts to do so; even when we see no personal benefits from it. Perhaps, most of all, when we don't want to give and feel hypocritical for doing so.
And what type of giving? Blood and money have both been mentioned, and both are important. Time costs us so very dearly, but is so very precious to those who receive it; no amount of money can buy the satisfaction in a child's eyes from a few minutes of interaction. Don't believe me? Try to correct the opposite - the hurt in a child's eye from a lack of interaction - with cash, or a gift. (I may be biased - gifts mean much less to me than time. But the point remains.) Service, kind words, a smile, a touch - given freely, sweeten and strengthen our lives.
Gary Chapman, author of the Five Love Languages, would say correctly that what I am describing generally is love. (In fact, I borrowed or rounded out that list using his book, The Five Love Languages for Singles, which I heartily recommend.) Giving is the key to opening our hearts.
As a side note, I think the sweetest romantic relationship would be one of mutual giving; of the mutual pursuit of both parties' happiness, carried out indefinitely.
You want to love someone? Serve them. Help them. Give to them, in all of the ways mentioned here. Have problems with a person or group? Serve, help, give of yourself to the people with whom you have problems.
How wonderfully the Savior expressed this principle, in Matt 5:44-45, and 3 Nephi 12:44-45 - "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven..."
This is something in which I have a long way to go. I think we all do. The conclusions of those chapters are a commandments to be perfect, as our Father in Heaven is perfect. The primary attribute of God? Love. If love is expressed by giving in some way, then one interpretation of the Savior's command is "Give, even as I, or your Father in heaven has given." (3 Ne 12:44). We cannot perform the Atonement; we cannot lay down our lives and take them up again for the salvation of mankind. But we can lose our lives for the sake of the Savior, in the service of our fellow man.
How is this done? We return to the original question: How ought I to give?
Pres. Monson speaks ofen of how the Savior went about doing good. Christ's life was and is an example of service; consistent, and throughout.
From His example, then, the question ought not to be - How ought I to give? But rather - Where am I holding back, and how can I correct that? (This requires a delicate balancing act between personal renewal and improvement, fulfilling our needs and desires, and using the tools at our disposal to bless and enrich the lives of others. I submit that success in this endeavor requires revelation. Pray about it.)
I think the first corrections I can make are running for chairty, and giving O- blood. But I'm not perfect in love, or in my motives, or in my giving. I take comfort in an incentive offered by Christ "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt 26:25)
To the extent that I've done that, I have experienced that. It's true. Christ makes so much more of us than we can of ourselves - as we give.
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