The Physicality of Zion: Question Two: How will Zion be governed?

Light version:

At any point in history, men and women gathered themselves together – either for protection, or commerce, or simply because their families got really, really big.  In doing so, leadership over the group always seems to form.  When Zion is formed, there will not be an election.  God will choose, and His choices for leaders will fulfill His purposes.  In this there is peace – why?  Because there is no hidden agenda and no hidden cost.  The leadership of Zion will be the best men and women for the job, and they will not be swayed by greed, power, or glory.  They will be working with one end in mind – the betterment of all men.


Full version:

Okay, so the entire topic of the Physicality of Zion arose from the fall out of the last few elections.  The first question: How will Zion be governed? might take a couple weeks to cover.  This is probably a post that will get me into trouble, since I’m combining the two most divisive topics under heaven – politics and religion.  However, in spite of it being a big no-no, I’m going to talk about them anyway.  Eat your spinach first and get it out of the way as it were.

At any point in history, men and women gathered themselves together – either for protection, or commerce, or simply because their families got really, really big.  In doing so, leadership over the group always seems to form.  The leaders were chosen either through their charisma, innate wisdom, strength of arms, or the size of their flocks.  Some were good.  Some were not.  Some were a mixture of both depending on the direction of the wind.  But good or bad, the people demanded that someone take up the lead.  Why?  Lots of reasons, probably; comfort, security…personally though, I think people wanted leaders so that they could have a scapegoat to blame when the crops failed or when things didn’t go the way that the group thought they should.

Whichever the excuse, by nature and spirit, we are beings of order.  We crave guidance and structure.  These desires are leftovers from the lives we lived prior to coming to mortality.  Our collective history has shown us good leaders and bad.  It has shown us where government has worked, and obviously where it has failed miserably.

I will confess that this last election was both, very disappointing and very disheartening.  Not so much for the outcome, but for the content of the campaigns.  For months we watched, listened to, and read about the various candidates.  Here in Jackson County, Missouri, the mudslinging between parties and candidates was harsh.  Likewise, I listened to and watched as vicious attacks unfolded in other states.  More and more, the issues are falling by the wayside and are being replaced by an unhealthy focus on personality and personal failures.

I am not disputing the need for leaders of integrity but, truthfully, I feel that our government has almost completely lost its integrity.  And that is what made me so depressed about this last election.  I no longer feel represented by the candidates that run for office.  And I doubt that I ever will be again.  It is a pessimistic mindset, I know.  Yet, I feel that the current criteria set forth, in order to simply qualify for an accepted candidacy are to blame for the poor choices running for office these days.  The standards for qualification are not leadership and moral integrity.  They are a stocked bank account, the number of powerfully influential people you know, and the ability to tow a party line.  To my mind and heart, it is literally a choice between the lesser of two evils each and every time I cast my ballot any more.

Some will criticize me for my cynicism.  “If you don’t like the system, change it!”  That’s the default, right?  And if one were to look at the recent meteoric rise of the Tea Party Movement, you would think that idiom was truly viable.  Yet, even this political movement, for all of its rhetoric, does not represent my ideals.  To be heard, you need money; lots and lots of money.  And it is in the gathering of that money, that so much compromise is made.

“I’ll endorse you, but I’ll expect you to represent my interests at a later date.”

“I’ll donate to you, but I need you to listen to what this lobbyist has to say first.”

“Here’s a contribution check, now let me introduce you to so-and-so.”

It is how the game is played: you give a little to get a little.  Yet, in complete contrast, that is not how God’s kingdom is run.

Christ, during his mortal ministry, did not go to the wealthy to bank his campaign.  Neither did He seek out those who were deemed wise, or the popular people of the time.  The men he chose were those of integrity, loyalty, and they had high standards.  In each of them, I suspect even Judas in the beginning, there was a reverence for Heavenly Father and His purposes.  The scripture is true: “Many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt. 22:14)

The leadership of Zion will be chosen not by man, but by God whose city it is.  There is confidence in that.  When our last Bishop was selected from our congregation, I felt comforted.  I knew the man hadn’t aspired to the position.  There was no campaigning, no empty promises, and no embellished speeches.  There was just a man, chosen by God, who quietly bore his testimony and through his actions promised to love us all and do his best for us.  That is the foundation of the leadership of Zion – love God, love his children, and a commitment to do whatever is necessary to get the job done.

There are many reasons why our government fails, but I think the two greatest reasons are its size and the lack of serious integrity and reverence for the commitment within our leadership.  That’s a pretty harsh criticism but, in the defense of our leaders the system has become the proverbial stone, cut from the mountain.  Our governing leadership cannot hope to fight against the sheer momentum of the social, economic, and political structures of power that are currently rooted in the governments of the world.  Some have quietly tried, and have been consumed by it.  True change can only come through a conscious unification between the men and women in leadership; but there are so many different voices and unique interests vying for their attention, how can they possibly draw together under one banner?
The sad fact is: they can’t.

The people of our nation, no…our world, are too divided on how they want to be governed for that to happen.  The early history of the United States is rife with social experimentation and reform.  Emerson was noted to have commented on the fact:

“We are all a little wild here with numberless projects of social reform. Not a reading man but has a draft of a new community in his waistcoat pocket.”

(From a letter to Carlyle in 1840, as cited in Sydney E. Ahlstrom, “The Communitarian Impulse,” A Religious History of the American People, (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1972), p. 491.

The desire was to see a perfect community built, but how could it be with so many disparate visions?  Now, like then, some want to be told how to live and others want to be left alone.  Some want their government to take care of them, and their neighbor wants as little government in his life as possible.  To some, financial security is all important.  To others, the concern is where their next meal is coming from.  The point is, man governing man doesn’t work.  It never has.  Why?

Simply because man does not have the vision to do so; their hearts are not one.  Neither one with each other, nor with God.

If we could see the Big Picture and love, as God does, then we would have a government that works.  Sadly, we get too caught up in our own issues for that to be a viable case.  It’s why every attempt at a utopian government has failed, and it is why they will continue to fail.  The difference between Zion and any other man-made attempt (socialism, communism, or otherwise), is the fact that the leadership of Zion answer to a higher power – a true King.  That King cannot be swayed by greed, anger, vengeance, or fear.  His purpose is perfectly pure, and we know up front that He is working for our joy and benefit.  He has no other ulterior motive.

In this, when he chooses someone to fill the hot seat, we can take comfort in the knowledge that that man or woman is the right person for the job.  There is a reason for them having the position.  And they, as leaders, will not place their faith in themselves.  They will be as Nephi of old:

2 Ne. 4:34
O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Zion will be governed by its Lord and King, Jesus Christ, who in turn takes his direction directly from the mouth of His Father.  When we place our trust in that more perfect system, we will have an abiding government that is truly successful.  Health care won’t be driven by capitalism, for what need does Heavenly Father have for money?  There will be no homeless or destitute, for with God all men have a purpose and a place.  There won’t be any more hidden agendas or lobbying.  There won’t be any need for anarchists, because our freedoms are assured by the highest power in the universe.

That brings me comfort.  That brings me peace.  I look forward to Zion, if for no other reason than I’ll be free from the mudslinging.

Until next week,
Jeffrey

The Physicality of Zion: Question One: Is Zion real?

Light version:

Okay.  In my research and meanderings, I came across a particularly frank criticism of the LDS and RLDS faiths; specifically their belief in a truly physical Zion here in the United States.  I won’t name the source here, simply because I found it terribly biased and negative.  It did bring to the forefront of my mind, the fact that a truly physical Zion here in Jackson County, Missouri (or anywhere for that matter) is going to be seen and judged as a fairy tale.  This is mainly due to the fact that so many other attempts at utopian societies have failed miserably over the course of time.  There are other reasons though.

One such reason is that a true Zion, here on the North American continent, is literally a slap in the face of the modern establishment.  The government “for the people and by the people” cannot coexist with Zion.  Zion is God’s city, not man’s.  He makes the rules and He is the ultimate authority.  The semblance of freedom that we enjoy in America and other Democratic states throughout the world will be sacrificed in Zion, for a much better way.  Do not misunderstand, Zion will be a place where freedom is sacred, more so than any other place on Earth.  However, the laws that govern her will be God’s laws, not man’s.  Those who shelter behind her walls, actively choose to live by those tenants.  Those who do not wish to live there, may freely leave at any time they desire.  Heavenly Father asks us to do what is right.  He tells us the benefits and the consequences of the choices laid before us.  He will never force anyone to live His laws.  However, the citizens of His Zion will live by those laws with exactness, because they love their God and choose to abide by His standards.

So, the questions before us are:
•    Is Zion real?
•    Can Zion exist here in the United States, where latter day prophesy says it must?
•    What do the ancient scriptures say about Zion?


Full version:

Okay.  In my research and meanderings, I came across a particularly frank criticism of the LDS and RLDS faiths; specifically their belief in a truly physical Zion here in the United States.  I won’t name the source here, simply because I found it terribly biased and negative.  It did bring to the forefront of my mind the fact that a truly physical Zion here in Jackson County, Missouri (or anywhere for that matter) is going to be seen and judged as a fairy tale.  This is mainly due to the fact that so many other attempts at utopian societies have failed miserably over the course of time.  There are other reasons though.

One such reason is that a true Zion, here on the North American continent, is literally a slap in the face of the modern establishment.  The government “for the people and by the people” cannot coexist with Zion.  Zion is God’s city, not man’s.  He makes the rules and He is the ultimate authority.  The semblance of freedom that we enjoy in America and other Democratic states throughout the world will be sacrificed in Zion, for a much better way.  Do not misunderstand, Zion will be a place where freedom is sacred, more so than any other place on Earth.  However, the laws that govern her will be God’s laws, not man’s.  Those who shelter behind her walls actively choose to live by those tenants.  Those who do not wish to live there may freely leave at any time they desire.  Heavenly Father asks us to do what is right.  He tells us the benefits and the consequences of the choices laid before us.  He will never force anyone to live His laws.  However, the citizens of His Zion will live by those laws with exactness, because they love their God and choose to abide by His standards.

So, the questions before us are:
•    Is Zion real?
•    Can Zion exist here in the United States, where latter-day prophesy says it must?
•    What do the ancient scriptures say about Zion?

There are more questions, many more, but for now I’m going to focus on these three; and we’ll take them in reverse order.

First: “What do the ancient scriptures say about Zion?

Within the King James version of the Bible, there are one hundred and fifty three references to Zion.  David is particularly fond of mentioning Zion in his Psalms (he mentions Zion thirty seven times), and Isaiah refers to it heavily throughout his work as well (forty seven times).  Other ancient prophets from the bible, such as Jeremiah, Micah, and Joel, touch on Zion too.  I do not claim to be a biblical scholar.  I do not understand the nuances of the history, culture, and language that ancient scripture represents.  What I do see represented in these ancient scriptures is a decisive acknowledgement that the concept of Zion was understood and celebrated by the old prophets.

Three scriptures that plainly, at least to my mind, distinguish Zion as a true place are:

Micah 4:2
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 59:20
And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 3:14
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Now, if we were to only reference the Old Testament, it would be plain that Zion is a real and physical place.  The Zion of the Old Testament references the City of David, which is Jerusalem.  It is the consecrated City of God, and a holy place, but I ask you this: is it the only City of God?  If there is one, can there not be more?  The answer is a resounding yes!  A city dedicated to God can be built up anywhere, by any of His children.

This is the entire focus of the New Testament.  Jesus Christ taught us how we were supposed to live our lives, in order to qualify for Zion.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the law that will govern the Holy City.  It is the standard by which men will live, and the entire reason why Zion will succeed where all other attempts at a utopian community have failed.

Thus, established by ancient scripture, we know that Heavenly Father expects His children to build up a city to Him.  The next question: Can Zion exist here in the United States, where latter-day prophesy says it must?

The establishment of Zion in the heart of the United States seems offensive to many.  How could anyone have the audacity to build up a city to God, in a country built on the tenants of religious freedom for all?  Wouldn’t we be infringing on the rights and freedoms of men and women, just contemplating such an enterprise?  I say yes, and I say no.  Yes, we would be coming together to build a community that believes in living the Gospel of Christ to its fullest expression.  Yes, that would most likely be offensive to various people.  However, as stated above, there is no requirement that states an individual must live in Zion.  The very thought of it may turn the stomachs of some, and they would likely not appreciate the environment growing around them.  Some will fight against it, but I suspect that the majority would simply choose to live elsewhere; someplace that conforms to their ideals.

But that still doesn’t answer the question of whether Zion can exist in Jackson County, Missouri.  The answer to this query hinges on one thing and one thing alone: Was Joseph Smith a prophet of God?  If no, then there is no worry, for such an endeavor is destined to fail, regardless of intent.  God would not support it, and without that support then Zion could never be built.  If yes, if Joseph truly was a prophet of God, then the city must be built, for it was prophesied to happen.

I subscribe to the latter over the former, as do millions of others.  So how, in a country where religion is becoming more and more a bothersome hobby, will such a community be built up?  Line upon line, precept upon precept.  There are many instructions and prophesies concerning the building of Zion in the Doctrine and Covenants.  In D&C 101:17, it states:

Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered.

The Saints were driven from Missouri, and scattered across the face of the continent.  Yet, Zion remains dedicated.  In the next verse (D&C 101:18) the Lord goes on to qualify that there will be a return.

They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion—

I find this scripture to be interesting, mainly because of the imagery in the last part of the scripture.  The pure in heart, and their children shall return “to build up the waste places of Zion…”  Now, I will freely admit that I am speculating here, and my interpretation may not be certain, so receive this in the spirit it is given.  No city is built overnight.  It takes time to build up a community.  Some believe that there will be some great cataclysm that will come and lay waste to the city, and it will be the Saints that rebuild it.  That very well may be true, but I have an alternate theory; one that can coexist with this point of view, or stand on its own.

It is my interpretation that God will gather together his children, those of like mind and pure hearts, slowly over the course of years and generations.  I submit He has already been doing so, for many years now.  The community of the Saints will continue to grow as the Lord needs and, as it does, the spirit of that community will slowly build to become more unified with God’s needs and spirit.  The undesirable “waste places” will be transformed into a beautiful community.  The laws and interests of the community will shift with the hearts of the people, and Zion will gradually blossom like a rose.  Such a gradual change requires the leadership of the priesthood, and an intimate trust in God’s purposes.  It requires unifying ourselves underneath God’s banner, setting aside personal desires and tired traditions.

But what of the opposition to such an initiative?  How can we justify supplanting an entire community?  Isn’t that what got the Saints driven from Missouri in the first place?  I find myself asking these questions a great deal.  Currently, I don’t really have any hard answers to these questions.  I have ideas, but no hard facts.  There has always been opposition to God’s work, and there likely always will be.  It is a necessary thing; otherwise the achievement of Zion would be meaningless.

The second question has always worried me yet, as I sit here and write this, the Spirit whispers that there need be no justification, because there will be no displacement.  Zion will be built by like-minded and like-hearted people that God has gathered from the four corners of the Earth.  They won’t all be LDS, (not at first ;)…) but they will be people who desire the same thing: a place of peace and safety.  From there everything will build and grow until the true Zion comes to fruition.

Heavenly Father alone knows how Zion will be built.  Whether the United States needs to suffer some calamity, just as the Nephites did prior to the visit of the Savior to this hemisphere, or Zion comes to pass slowly, in a gradual evolution – it doesn’t matter.  What does matter is the last question: Is Zion real?  I submit that Zion is as real as we desire it to be.  Some will scoff and deride Joseph Smith for even dreaming of such an idea, but I counter their defamation with the question: Why not?  What more laudable goal can mankind aspire to, than to build a city of such beauty and perfection that God Himself would feel welcome and comfortable walking its streets?

Is Zion real?  Yes.  Resoundingly, YES!

Until next week,

Jeffrey

The Physicality of Zion: Introduction

Light version:
In my studies of Zion, I came across a very interesting fact.  I stumbled upon it in passing and it shocked me to a great degree.  Did you know that Zion must be established before the second coming of the Lord?  In fact, the Lord will not come until it is founded.  Here’s the reference:

Doctrine and Covenants 49: 24-25

24  But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.

25  Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.

I know I’ve run across this reference before, and yet it didn’t have the same impact as it had on me recently.  Think about it.  The Lord cannot return until Zion is built.  That’s a prophesy, just as real as any other in the scriptures.  It brings new light to the mission of every prophet that has come after Christ’s resurrection.  Everything that they have done, everything that they have worked towards has been in fulfillment of that goal.

So, I set myself to pondering and dreaming some more over the last month.  The question: “What does Zion look like, physically?”


Full version:
In my studies of Zion, I came across a very interesting fact.  I stumbled upon it in passing and it shocked me to a great degree.  Did you know that Zion must be established before the second coming of the Lord?  In fact, the Lord will not come until it is founded.  Here’s the reference:

Doctrine and Covenants 49: 24-25

24  But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.
25  Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.

I know I’ve run across this reference before, and yet it didn’t have the same impact as it had on me recently.  Think about it.  The Lord cannot return until Zion is built.  That’s a prophesy, just as real as any other in the scriptures.  It brings new light to the mission of every prophet that has come after Christ’s resurrection.  Everything that they have done, everything that they have worked towards has been in fulfillment of that goal.

The latter day prophets, especially Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, have made this a singular focus in their lives.  Joseph’s Nauvoo, Far West, and Kirtland were all predecessors…physical attempts at laying the practice of Zion, preparing the saints for the day that they would create God’s City in Jackson County Missouri.  Likewise, Brigham Young did the same when he used Joseph’s plans for Zion to layout the City of Salt Lake.  And those plans were used to build many other communities by the saints over the years, fulfilling the first part of the prophesy in Doctrine and Covenants section 49:25:

“Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the mountains…”

Yet, it is the latter part of the prophesy that has settled so heavily on my heart.  “…and [Zion] shall be assembled together unto the place which I have appointed.”  The language used is interesting when you break it down.  Take the words “assembled together” – it brings to mind an idea that Zion will come together like a three dimensional puzzle, piece by piece.  While pondering it, the image of an engine – car or otherwise, came to my mind.  Zion is the force from which the Gospel of Christ flows, and it must be assembled carefully with each part taking its place in order and perfection, for the Kingdom of God to flourish.

The second set of words that jumped out at me were: “unto the place” – this implies that these pieces will be gathered together from different places.  This brings me to believe that these “pieces” are in reality people.  People who have perfected or excel at certain tasks – leadership, organization, missionary work, teachers, doctors, and the list goes on and on.  Yet, the one common factor that will bind all the disparate parts together is the desire to see Zion built physically. Lastly, is the phrase “which I have appointed” – meaning that Heavenly Father has reserved a physical location for this all to take place.  My lovely wife pointed out that Zion is as much a state of mind as it is a physical place; which I feel the first half of the scripture focuses on specifically.  Zion will be built in many places all over the world – in the “hills” and “mountains” and “wilderness.”  However, there is a place reserved for the City of Zion, the New Jerusalem:

Doctrine and Covenants 57:2-3

2  Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.
3  And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.

This is the focus of my studies.  We amy build Zion in our homes, and within our hearts; and this is the first step to seeing God’s City becoming a reality.  Everything that is built in reality, is first built within the hearts and dreams of men.  Building Zion from the spirit of a dream and breathing life into it requires a solid commitment.  It also requires us to be educated in what Zion needs to become. 

So, I set myself to pondering and dreaming some more over the last month.  The question: “What does Zion look like, physically?”  This inevitably led to other questions:

•    How does it differ from other communities?
•    What is the governing body look like and how is it organized?
•    What of its economy?
•    Would there be industry and a modern infrastructure like we enjoy today?
•    What about technology and technological advancements?
•    How would education work?
•    What will our children learn?
•    What about higher studies?
•    Would education be geared towards careers, as they are in today’s world?
•    And what about the community of Zion?
•    What will our houses look like?
•    Will we have policemen to keep the peace?
•    What about social interaction and entertainment, will there be holidays or movies?
•    What about dating?
•    Will there be medical insurance and other institutions like it that impact the community?

So many questions…and more besides.  Over the next few months, I’m probably going to explore a number of these questions.  They may or may not be organized in any particular order, but I feel that it is a good mental exercise.  As I said before: In order to make Zion a reality, we must first visualize and understand it before we can apply it.

I will be looking to the scriptures, and the documented words of the prophets as my study guides.  And encourage those who read this to do the same.  Help me out by checking my facts.  Toss out your own discoveries, and ask your own questions.  Let’s see if we can paint a picture of God’s Zion, and then begin to assemble it piece by piece by recognizing our place in this massive multi-dimensional puzzle.

Until next week,

Jeffrey

The alluring power of....Lunch?

Light version:

God gave us a world filled with all of the requisite necessity for our survival.  He commanded us to be fruitful and multiply.  He then commanded us to work hard and be industrious in our endeavors. Not long after that, Satan comes along and perverts and distorts everything so much, that we are now competing for the plentiful resources and opportunities.

This is contrary to God’s plan.  We must learn to have and exercise a little more faith in the idea that God will provide for our needs (not necessarily our wants).  We will need to practice a bit more compassion for our neighbors, and forget about the competition.  We can share a little more of ourselves, knowing that we have enough to give – acknowledging that God will provide more energy and resources to cover the expense we put out.


Full Version:

October is one of my favorite months.  It is the Month of Leaves here in Missouri, where all the trees begin preparing for winter.  The colors are amazing and the temperature is wonderful.  It is also, (for me at least) one of the only quiet months of the year.  It has a fun holiday at the end of the month, and there are no major birthdays for our family.  And at the beginning of the month we have the wonderful experience with General Conference.  For those non-LDS readers out there, General Conference is a bi-annual, two day meeting where the leaders of the LDS church address its membership throughout the world.  Speakers are chosen to talk on spiritual topics, report on the growth of the church, and sustain new leadership while expressing gratitude for the service of those leaders that are called to other service.  To my knowledge, it is a unique event in religious spheres.  I know of no other faith that collectively gathers so regularly, or puts out the effort to organize such a complex occasion.

It’s been a few weeks now since Conference, and for those who watched it…well, we’ve all had time to let things settle a bit.  It is probably a common thing, but I always tend to walk away from General Conference with a desire to make massive changes in my life.  In preparing for Conference, I step back and try to guess, based on the trends and events of the last six months, what messages the General Authorities of the Church will present.  As I looked back, I saw that one of the great and pervading issues of the last six months (and even the last few years), throughout the world, has been the overwhelming specter of the economy.

With whole countries fighting to stay financially afloat, the very real potential of financial institutions failing, and whispers of another Great Depression, there is a growing fear about when the other shoe is going to finally drop.  Talk of another stock market crash, governments scrambling to prop up failing businesses, raging credit card debt and vicious housing loans, and the global impact of an imperfect economic system…it all adds up to a very unnerving situation for families and individuals.  And it’s all going according to Satan’s master plan.

As a stay-at-home-Dad, it falls to me to get the kids ready for school each day.  The hustle and bustle of making sure that homework is done and accounted for, shoes are tied correctly, and appropriate clothing is washed and available for wear; remembering special school events, acting the chauffeur to and from said events, and more.  When taken all together, it’s all rather exhausting.  One of the duties I dread has always been fixing my kids their sack lunches.  Yet, all I have to do is take a look at the prices of the food that the school provides, and I feel much better about those nice little brown paper sacks.  This is, of course, about the time when I exert some executive authority as Dad and delegate the onerous task to the boys.  I figure that if they are going to eat it, then they might as well put the effort into making it.  This way they can’t blame me if their food doesn’t taste good.

Isn’t it a strange thing that, in today’s growing unrest, we can worry about something as common as…lunch?  I mean, it’s not just lunch.  We’re preoccupied with so many other things; things like car payments, water and electricity bills, internet and cable services, and cell phone plans.  All of these things, while seemingly vital to our survival, aren’t really meant to be worried about.

I must admit, this idea isn’t mine.  I read about it in Brother Hugh Nibley’s super awesome book: Approaching Zion.  Brother Nibley addresses the issue so much better than I could ever hope to.  To paraphrase his idea: God gave us a world filled with all of the requisite necessity for our survival.  He commanded us to be fruitful and multiply.  He then commanded us to work hard and be industrious in our endeavors. Not long after that, Satan comes along and perverts and distorts everything so much, that we are now competing for the plentiful resources and opportunities.

Nibley presents the concept better than I, but the idea is fairly straightforward.  Satan, in his diabolical cunning, has created a very logical system that requires us to spend all of our time, talents, and considerable focus on the irrational need to make enough money to buy the necessities that God provides to us for free.  As with all that he does, our eternal adversary takes something godly and perverts it so thoroughly that it becomes profane.   In this instance he’s selected to taint the commandment Heavenly Father gave Father Adam:

“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread…”
(Gen. 3:19 – see also: Moses 5:1)

Now Heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom, gave us the responsibility to work hard for our food.  There are a number of reasons for this, but the main one (to my understanding) is the lesson that hard work gives birth to deep and abiding gratitude.  There are other benefits as well: confidence, wisdom, intelligence…the list goes on and on.  Satan on the other hand takes this lesson and turns it on its head.  His initial whispered communication to us is terribly logical: “You need to eat.”  His second is even more logical:  “That guy needs to eat too.”  Both are true and without further influence, the two parties might pool their efforts to feed one another.  However, Satan doesn’t stop there.  His next line is a supposition that inspires the first seeds of doubt: “Dear me!  That certainly doesn’t seem like it’ll be enough to feed the both of you, does it?”

Thus is introduced the concept of rivalry, which in turn leads to hoarding, which inevitably leads to greed and covetousness.  The system was built slowly and subtly, and then at key intervals it was inflamed – at which point the system became self-perpetuating.  Now, we move forwards in time, to present day.  The system has mutated, pervasively expanding into all walks of life.  The concept of “Lunch” is still at the foundation of all that we do, and our needs are exploited by vast corporations in an effort to control more of the resource pie.  In order to be competitive in our careers, so that we can have a larger and better “lunch”, we have to begin preparing at younger and younger ages.  We learn to “distinguish” ourselves in academics, sports, and other activities – all for the express purpose of telling our prospective schools, colleges, and employers that we are more worthy of “Lunch” than that other schlep vying for the same position.  The competition becomes contentious, and we find ourselves at war with our neighbors over the most inane things.

Darwin’s theory of Natural Selection, which I believe was a divinely inspired concept that was again perverted for Satan’s pleasure, has become a self-fulfilling, man-made, prophesy.  Allow me to explain my take on Natural Selection.  If we look to nature, we see a divinely organized eco-system that is complex and balanced.  It is self-correcting, and self-sustaining, with no need for overly invasive outside guidance from man.  At least it was established that way at the beginning.  Left to itself, nature works to ensure propagation and balance.  Man misinterpreted the lesson to mean “Survival of the Fittest” instead of “Survival of All.”

There will come a day when Satan’s plan will implode.  All imperfect plans do, regardless of how many times it is nudged or corrected.  When it does, we will be faced with some very hard times, but at the same time we will finally be free of the massively overbearing societal machine that forces us to compete with one another for our necessities.  Zion will be built on the concept that there’s more than enough to go around.  The ideal of sharing that we are taught as children, will be revived and perfected, and nature will correct the imbalance that Satan has imposed upon it.  Will it be easy?  No.  But in order to make that shift, we must learn to have and exercise a little more faith in the idea that God will provide for our needs (not necessarily our wants).  We will need to practice a bit more compassion for our neighbors, and forget about the competition.  We can share a little more of ourselves, knowing that we have enough to give – acknowledging that God will provide more energy and resources to cover the expense we put out.

There is no doubt that we’re still subject to Satan’s system; however, as citizens of God’s kingdom, we can readily draw hope from the knowledge that such a flawed system cannot hope to sustain itself.  Take a moment this week to look at some of the ways that Heavenly Father has provided for you.  Not just financially, but in all aspects of your life.  The moments are there, were providence and serendipity meet your needs and your desires.  Look for them.  Celebrate them.  Take comfort in the knowledge that even though life is difficult, Heaven has provided more than enough lunch to go around.

Have a good week!

Jeffrey

The Farmer and the King

There once was a young man.  He was modest and pure, and largely content with his life.  He worked the fields of his family without complaint or discontent.  One evening, while weeding his crop, a man dressed in fine clothes came to him and begged water to quench his thirst.  The young man fetched the water readily and gave the man to drink.  Not only this, but he fetched the man a loaf of bread and block of cheese to eat.  When his thirst was sated and his hunger appeased, the older man looked to the younger and complimented his generosity.  He handed the young man a few coins in payment, but the young man pressed them back into the older man’s hands.  When asked why he refused payment, the young man smiled and simply said:

“What you have received was not mine to give, but the gift of Heaven.”

The man was astonished at the young man’s humility, and sought to question him further.

“To what do you aspire?”  He asked pointedly.

“I have been taught to be a good steward of all that I have been blessed with.  To that end I desire naught but to be a good son, a good worker, and someday a good husband and father.  And when it is time to inherit all that my father has, I pray that I am half the man that he has been.”

The older man was further astonished by the youth’s words, and he marveled greatly as they stood in borders of the field.

“Such a rare man, I have found in you.”  He told the young farmer.  “In you I have discovered kindness, and charity.  In you I have uncovered humility.”  He spread his arms wide.  “I have travelled the width and breadth of the world, and in every corner I find nothing but greed and the desire to hoard.  In every city they buy and sell of every commodity, and the worth of man’s souls are measured in the weight of gold and silver.  Why are you so different?”

The young man thought for a time, and then pointed to the setting sun.

“Can you create for me such a wondrous gift as that?”  He asked.


“No.”  The older man admitted.  “It is beyond me.”

The young man pointed to a tall fruit tree that cast long shadows against his small home.

“Can you make for me the seed that can blossom a tree, in this moment, as splendid or as bountiful as that?”

“I cannot.”

“What treasure then, could you give me that is the equal of the wealth that surrounds us?  And in turn, who am I to charge for that which has been so freely given?”

The older man smiled, and thought to confound the boy’s argument and teach the boy some worldly wisdom.

“Alas, your youth shines through, young son.  This land can be bought with gold and silver.”

The boy smiled and nodded, then pointed back to the trees and the majestic sky.

“Pray, good father, who is the author of such beauty; Man or God?”

The wealthy man weighed his words carefully, but could not deny the truth he knew to be in his heart.

“Surely, it must be God.”

“And did he sell it to the kings of old as property?”

“No.”  The man bowed his head in shame.  “It was gifted freely.”

“If it was a gift, then who are we to lay claim on that which was freely given to all?”

The man, who in truth was the king of the kingdom round about, left the young farmer with heavy thoughts.  But his arms were not empty, for the boy had further shared of his field and of his home to ensure the man’s comfort in his journey.  His heart was heavy with the boy’s message, and he kept the meaning of it within his soul all the rest of his days.  And his rule was just and generous.  When his sons grew, he taught them the lesson; and his kingdom prospered unlike any other from that day forth.

The young man grew to be an old man, and upon his death the sons of the king gathered round about his humble home.  They were received openly, and generously gifted of everything that the farmer’s family had.  And they spoke freely of all that the man had taught their father.  And on that day there were no princes or farm boys.  There were only men, and they saw eye to eye and were one family.

OooooO0OooooO

There are morals to be found in all things and all places, but when we look into the beautiful sunsets and round about this magnificent world we live in we must remember that it is not ours to own.  We are but stewards of all that we have, whether it be physical wealth, rich talents, an abundance of knowledge and wisdom, or the simple beauty of testimony.  Recognizing the fruitful blessings that Heaven has poured out upon us, how can we not share as freely as God has given?

Have a wonderful week!
Jeffrey

Endurance

Looking To Zion Lite
(The Condensed Version for Super Busy Moms)

Life requires us to constantly stretch beyond our comfort zone.  There are many times where we want to throw in the towel and give up.  Yet, the whole purpose of this life is to prepare us for life with God, in the Celestial Kingdom.  We cannot hope to endure the spiritual purity of that place, if we do not first purify ourselves.  Zion is going to be much the same.  In order to prepare for it, we must align ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally with God.  Such an endeavor takes time, personal sacrifice, and constant effort.


Here’s the challenge:

    Take ten minutes each morning to feel God’s spirit.  It doesn’t matter how you do it: prayer, singing, reading the scriptures, going to the temple, listening to uplifting music.  Whatever way that you connect with God best, do it.  When that becomes a habit, increase it by ten minutes until you reach the point where the majority of the day is spent in the company of the Holy Ghost.

 ________________________________________

Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(The “Everyone” Version)

It never ceases to amaze me, the lengths that Satan and his armies go to in order to undermine the great work of the Lord.  Yet, what amazes me more is the fact that their efforts are so very fruitless!  They know they cannot win.  They know that they are fighting a losing battle.  All their efforts are frustrated at the end of the day.  What is it that makes them hold so steadfastly to their course?  What is it that drives them, in the face of such a hopeless cause?  And yet, on the flip side of this metaphorical coin; how is that we, the children of God Almighty, can falter so easily when we are backed by such an unstoppable, unassailable force?  Considering the amount of opposition that we are flooded with, I feel our faltering comes more from a lack of spiritual endurance than anything else.

I can only speak for my own family in this thing but, in looking back over the last three months, the opposition we have faced has been rather fierce.  To give you an idea, I’ll list just a few things: Unexpected bills, our basement flooded, Janell was exposed to and had a serious allergic reaction to, poison ivy (she’s had it going on three weeks now, and still hasn’t been able to get rid of it), illness, new callings in church, and an increase in the activities outside of our home.  The pace has been horrendous, and the new challenges seem to constantly ride on the coattails of the old.  There is no time to breathe, and scarcely time to think.  Our attention is pulled in a myriad of directions at once, and each direction is necessary.

When I think about life, I liken it to any sport or physical activity that requires us to exert a serious effort over a prolonged amount of time.  In my youth, my sport of choice was running.  At just under five foot six inches, I was the shortest hurdler on the track team.  It was a challenge for me, racing against my peers who had longer legs and longer reach.  For those not familiar with the event, there are several obstacle runs: the short 110 meter high (39 inches) hurdle, the midrange 300 meter intermediate (36 inches) hurdles, and the long distance steeple run where heights and distance vary.

Coach Parker, the Head Coach of the track team, was of the opinion that the hurdlers should be the most adaptive part of the team; therefore we were encouraged to cross train in almost all the other running events.  So I ran cross country, long, short, and mid distances.  It was grueling, and I must confess to you that I was average at best.  Competitive running of any sort requires dedication.  There is a point in all events where your body tells you quite emphatically: “I’m done.  This is as far as I go.”  This is the point of the event where your mind, as the mediator between body and spirit starts to waffle too.  In the moment of agony, when your lungs are burning, your muscles are screaming, and your mind is telling you it’s time to stop, that is when you’re faced with a choice: give into their demands or let your spirit step forward and push you through to the finish line.

How often have you been faced with overwhelming opposition, or life itself seems to set an insane pace for you.  How often have you thrown up your hands in the air and said: “No more!  I can’t do it?”
It seems to happen to me about once a month.

Life requires endurance.  It’s mentioned frequently in the scriptures too: endure to the end, endure all things, etc.  Yet, physical and mental endurance aren’t the only forms of endurance that we need.  Let me ask you a couple of questions: Have you ever been to or experienced a particularly spiritual event?  When you walked away from that incident, did you feel happily drained or tired?

Like our bodies and minds, our spirits are subject to overwhelming stress and fatigue.  Our spirits require a training regime to build up our fortitude and durability.  Our spiritual self needs just as much attention as our bodies, in order to go the distance.  We have spiritual weights and exercises that need to happen on a daily basis if we are to see Zion established.


Life already requires us to constantly stretch beyond our comfort zone, just to survive.  We are already doing the work, but often times we forget where the finish line is.  And there are many times where we want nothing more than to throw in the towel and give up.  Yet, we must remember one thing: the whole purpose of this life is to prepare us for life with God, in the Celestial Kingdom.  We cannot hope to endure the spiritual purity of that place, or the immensity of our Heavenly Father’s loving presence, if we do not first purify ourselves.  Zion is going to be much the same.  In order to prepare for it, we must align ourselves physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally with God.  Such an endeavor takes time, personal sacrifice, and constant effort.

How else can we expect to live there, amongst all that purity and goodness, if we are still tied to a spiritual junk food diet and a wastefully meandering lifestyle?

Likewise, how are we going to be able to endure God’s presence, or withstand the excessively pure daily life of the Celestial Kingdom, if we don’t prepare ourselves in this life to do so?  In order to meet Zion’s, and Heaven’s, entry requirements, we will have to stretch our spirits slowly and carefully, over the whole course of our lives.  Such an endeavor cannot happen overnight, nor will it be very easy.  We must pace ourselves to avoid burn out and the naysaying voices of Satan and his armies.

We must give ourselves a solid and visual goal, one that will drive us during those times when our spirit cries out “No more!” and yearns to throw in the towel.  Satan knows he’s lost.  I suspect all that drives him now is the desire to see how many souls he can take down with him.  It’s a spiteful and petty desire, but what does he have left to hold to?  On the flipside of the coin, we know that God will win.  And in this race, it doesn’t matter what your finishing time is.  This race is simply about finishing as best you can.

So here’s the challenge:  Take ten minutes each morning to feel God’s spirit.  It doesn’t matter how you do it: prayer, singing, reading the scriptures, going to the temple, listening to uplifting music.  Whatever way that you connect with God best, do it consistently and frequently.  When that becomes a habit, increase it by ten minutes until you reach the point where the majority of the day is spent in the company of the Holy Ghost.


Until next week.

Jeffrey

The top ten things that I look forward to not having to deal with, once Zion is built.

My wife, Janell, has a seriously bad poison ivy rash covering the majority of her arms, neck and face.  We’re talking big time misery – large and nasty weeping blisters, terrible itching, and achy skin.  All in all, she’s feeling miserable.   So, rather than write a long winded post this week, I’m going to take care of her needs instead.  Therefore, I’ve come up with the “Top ten things that I look forward to not having to deal with, once Zion is built” list.  Drop me a note and tell me what your top ten are…or at least whatever annoying issues that will become extinct when God’s City is built.

My top ten:

10. Election Campaign Idiocy
09. Billboard Advertising
08. Pornography
07. Taxes
06. Unwieldy government
05. Health Insurance
04. People texting while driving their cars
03. Secondhand smoke
02. Banks in general and Money in specific
01. Telemarketers

See you next week!
Jeffrey

Anger

Looking To Zion Lite
The Condensed Version for Super Busy Moms

I got angry.  Not the type of anger that blows over after a few hours to cool down, but the kind of anger that made me resemble Mount Vesuvius.  It made me question how I could be worthy of building Zion.  We all have our bad moments, and negative emotions poison us.  We are inundated by Satan’s efforts to destroy us – within our environment, by all of the things (conscious and unconscious) that influence us, and even through our imperfect bodies.

The well of negativity often times runs deep.  Escaping it won’t happen in a day, nor will it be an easy effort.  Change, no matter what the venue, requires patience and perseverance.  Just as Zion will not be built in a day, improving our lives will come one stone at a time.  Our journey to Zion will begin with one small step but, in order to endure the hardships of the road, we must keep the positive vision of where we are going at the forefront of our minds at all times.  I wholly believe that if we do this, the changes that we are so desperately seeking will subtly enter our lives without our conscious knowledge.  Imagine our surprise, when we look back over the long journey to realize just how far we walked?

We, each and every one of us, are all on the same path.  Our burdens are unique in detail, but alike in the challenge they present to us.  As we comfort one another, we begin to recognize that we are all of the same heart.  We yearn for the same things.  And when we recognize that our hearts are beating to the same rhythms, how long before our minds acknowledge that we’re thinking alike as well?

One step at a time.  One stone at a time.  One prayer at a time.  And, before you know it Zion will be built.
________________________________________

Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(The “Everyone” Version)

A few weeks ago I had a monumentally bad day.  It was one of those once in a year bad days, where everything goes wrong and you are left holding nothing but ashes for all of your suffering.  For those reading that do not know me personally, I have a bad case of Fibromyalgia – or so my many doctors think.  The trial of functioning from day to day, amidst the constant and chronic agony and fatigue, is terrible.  Tack onto that the hormonal imbalance of a teenager, a precocious seven year old, and a toddler that has been savoring the Terrible Twos for the last six months…well, you can probably imagine that my patience.

I view my lot in life as challenging.  There are people out there who have it much worse than me, and I don’t want to give the impression that I’m complaining for my lot in life.  I am trying to set the stage though.  The day in question was probably the worst I’ve had in the last five years.  The tension had been building for some time, and I’m ashamed to say that my fuse lit all too easily.  When I erupted, it was like Mount Saint Helens.  The blast was big and the resulting fall out was just as bad.  I was hurt, and those I love were hurt as well.  When faced with the prospect of healing those wounds, I feared that they would be too deep.

Inevitably I looked in the mirror, metaphorically speaking, and I wondered just how I’m supposed to build a Zion in my heart and home when I’m so quick to anger?  How do we hope to lay a foundation of God’s city, when we cannot escape the weight and poison of negative emotions?  The truth is, we can’t.  Anger, depression, apathy, loneliness, feeling slighted, and a host of other negative feelings are all very self-centered in their origin and their focus.  After much thought and pondering, I’ve come to the conclusion that part of problem comes from environment, part of it comes from direct influence, and the lion’s share comes from this imperfect body that our spirits are stuck in.

The environmental factors are pretty straight forward.  If we live in a messy house, then chances are we aren’t going to feel good.  Part of it comes from the physical problems that such an environment introduces, but another aspect is that our spirits are naturally orderly.  There are many contributing factors to the environmental side of things – too many in fact to really discuss here.  Our physical surroundings do have an impact on how we judge and perceive the world, and those perceptions, in turn, influence how we feel.

Likewise, direct influence from outside sources separate from our physical environment will also have a severe impact on how we feel.  We are assaulted by so much negative information, whether it be from the news, the complaints of our family and co-workers, or even the adversary and his minions.  Satan’s media campaign against us is harsh and has a great deal of momentum.  It’s no wonder so many people suffer from depression and apathy!  What is there, out in the world today, uplifting enough to overshadow the noise that the devil and his band of miscreants are making?

Now toss in the Natural Man and the recipe for disaster is complete.  This imperfect body is constantly breaking down, gaining weight, or distracting us with all those silly urges.  We’re always having to take away from important things to feed it, and bathe it, and ensure it gets enough sleep.  Everything we experience, good or bad, is channeled through it.  And because of it, we invariably find ourselves thinking and feeling that we are the center of the universe.  We can’t help it.  It’s the nature of our body.

The problem with negative emotions is the “feedback loop” that forms once we start to feel them.  Ask any person that has dealt with serious depression, and they will tell you that they feel trapped.  A person who feels apathetic can’t seem to gather enough energy to care.  A person with anger issues can’t let go.  With any negative emotion, I feel it is safe to say that we become prisoners – slaves even – to those feelings.  So how do we build Zion in our hearts and homes, when we are so easily swayed and enslaved by negative emotion?
It takes little steps, and small realizations.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  Well, that’s the beauty of the gospel.  It is.

The first step is acknowledging that we are not the center of the universe.  Being the center of the universe carries with it a great deal of weight and responsibility.  The person at the center of the universe affects everything!  It’s their fault if it rains, and they are responsible for the long series of unfortunate events that happen to, not only themselves, but everyone else around them!  Trying to be the mortal center of the universe is like being a black hole.  It sucks.  Heavenly Father is the only being capable and empowered to fill that task.  When we realize that and let go, there will be a great weight lifted from our shoulders.

The second step is a bit harder.  It requires a great deal of self-discipline and acknowledgement.  Breaking habits is harsh.  Anyone who has struggled with addiction can testify to that.  Yet, once we’ve accepted that we are the only people that can change our situation, we can actually start to change our situation.  Our first desire is to shift the blame, because we don’t want ownership of the problem.  Why would we?  It’s making us miserable!  However, in taking ownership of the small (and sometimes not-so-small) things, we exert control over our situation.  When we exert control, we feel a boost of confidence; and confidence is a positive emotion.  The more positives we have in our life, the better our outlook will be.

This concept is not really new.  Nephi, the son of Lehi, taught it to us in his second book:

For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do. (2 Ne. 25:23)

We can’t do everything ourselves, and many of the solutions to our problems require outside intervention.  Yet that does not mean that we are absolved of responsibility and effort.  We must take ownership of what we can, and actively do our part to change those things that we are able.  Once we have, this is when God steps in and fills the rest of the gaps that we missed out on.  That’s when the miracle comes.

Those three fonts of negativity: our imperfect bodies, the incessant voices that influence us throughout our day, and our environment – each one of these can be influenced by us, in some small fashion, to affect change.  For those with clinical depression, it means acknowledging the problem, making an appointment with the appropriate specialist, and then getting into the car and keeping that appointment.  For those with strained relationships, it might be as simple as taking a deep breath and actively praying for the person that offended you.  For those trapped in an undesirable environment, making just one lasting improvement (no matter how small or insignificant) goes a long way.

The well of negativity often times runs deep.  Escaping it won’t happen in a day, nor will it be an easy effort.  Change, no matter what the venue, requires patience and perseverance.  Just as Zion will not be built in a day, improving our lives will come one stone at a time.  Our journey to Zion will begin with one small step but, in order to endure the hardships of the road, we must keep the positive vision of where we are going at the forefront of our minds at all times.  I wholly believe that if we do this, the changes that we are so desperately seeking will subtly enter our lives without our conscious knowledge.  Imagine our surprise, when we look back over the long journey to realize just how far we walked?
Imagine the joy!

So, how am I going to build Zion when I am so quick to anger?  I’m going to be just as quick to love.  I’ll find small moments to express compassion and understanding.  I’ll change the things about my environment that upset me, and I will actively choose to listen to positive and uplifting voices more often.  These small steps will eventually give me more patience.  And with more patience, I will be slower to react and more thoughtful in my actions.  Will I still get angry?  The obvious answer is yes.  But my hope is that the times between my anger will grow longer and more joyful, actively progressing towards the day when it vanishes altogether.

“…the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness;

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12: 26-27)

 I couldn’t say it any better.  I look forward to the day that my weaknesses become my strengths.  I look forward to the day that my broken body is made strong, or the day that my short temper becomes a deep well of compassion towards all men.  I look forward to the day that I express joy instead of feeling the pressing weight of depression all the time.  I hunger for the day when I can be a friend…instead of yearning for friendship.

We, each and every one of us, are all on the same path.  Our burdens are unique in detail, but alike in the challenge they present to us.  As we comfort one another, we begin to recognize that we are all of the same heart.  We yearn for the same things.  And when we recognize that our hearts are beating to the same rhythms, how long before our minds acknowledge that we’re thinking alike as well?

One step at a time.  One stone at a time.  One prayer at a time.

And, before you know it Zion will be built.  That’s how we build Zion when we feel angry, or depressed, or unjustly persecuted.  So here’s my first step, for both you and I.  I pray for a good week, filled with little moments of active improvement in our lives.  I pray for our visible success in overcoming all the negativity in our lives.  I’ll let you know how my prayer was answered next week.  Feel free to drop me a note and let me know how it went for you.

Until next week.
Jeffrey

A Perfect Moment and moments of perfection

Looking To Zion Lite
The Condensed Version for Super Busy Moms
(This is in no way discriminating against Super Busy Dads – Moms are simply a lot scarier…)

We are all looking for unconditional love and acceptance in our lives.  We felt that love and sense of belonging in the pre-mortal world, and we spend our whole lives looking for that same experience without really actively recognizing it.  We might find perfect moments, or moments of perfection, but this hardly satisfies our quest.

If we ever desire to feel that again, we will have to build a place where that spirit can thrive.  It will first take shape in our hearts, and then in the confines of our homes.  From there, the spirit will touch others, incrementally growing until it fills the small circle of friends and family around us.  From there it grows until soon the entire community is filled with that spirit of love and unity.  It will move slowly at first, but its momentum will grow steadily and shortly, we will again experience that singularly perfect moment.

This world needs dreamers.  It needs Dreamers and Doers.  Men and women who will step up to that improbable task and believe in their ability to see it accomplished.  I share all of these things with you in the hopes of helping build the momentum to see that dream become a reality.  Even if you have but one moment this week, one instant, wherein you love perfectly or can look someone in the eye and embrace them unconditionally, then we are one step closer to building God’s City.  Look for them.  Beg God to help you to experience them more and more frequently.  And once you feel them, do all that you can to make yourself worthy of sharing that feeling with someone else.

Is it hard?

Yes.  Terribly so.  We have to give up so much of ourselves in order to make this a reality.  Can it be accomplished in this lifetime?  Yes.  One instant, one perfect moment and one moment of perfection at a time, we will build it until it becomes an eternal reality.

________________________________________

Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(The “Everyone” Version)

During the first two weeks of July, my wife, my sons, and I took our first real vacation in years.  There was no other design or purpose to our trip, outside of coming together as a family and exploring our world a little more.  The motto of our trip became “Adventure!” early on, as we detoured (seemingly endlessly) throughout the back roads of eastern Missouri.  It wasn’t a term of excitement or endearment; but more an expression of pleading exasperation to the Lord, and longsuffering amongst one another.  We used it quite frequently as we made our way from Independence up to Nauvoo, and then back down to Saint Louis.

There was much grumbling, a little murmuring, and every once in a while our tempers frayed.  The five plus hour trip from Independence to Nauvoo took a fair bit longer than we planned – due to a number of unexpected detours.  Instead of arriving around lunch time, we made it closer to late afternoon.  We were left with just enough time to visit a few of the sites, starting with the Visitor’s Center and ending with Lucy Mack Smith’s home.

My wife imparted some precious family history to us as we stood in that small home.  Her ancestor, Joseph Bates Noble, was the original owner of the home.  When it came time for the saints to leave Nauvoo, the home was passed on to Sister Smith, in order to care for her needs in her last years.  It was humbling to stand where my sons’ ancestor lived, and it brought home the fact that, in spite of being a convert to the church, I can share in the pioneer heritage of the early saints.

From there we moved on, eating a light dinner and then watching the Nauvoo pageant.  The production fanned the flames of my preoccupation to see Zion built.  It showed me that Zion, as a physical place, was a reality that could be achieved.  The characters came alive for me in a way that my readings have never allowed.  King Follet, Parley Pratt, Joseph and Emma Smith…a vision of Nauvoo came alive for me.
Granted, it was an idealized vision of Nauvoo that ignored the majority of the harsher lessons the Saints were faced with.  Yet, for one perfect moment while watching the actors play out the lives of some of my personal heroes, I saw what Zion looked like.  I was filled with such a sense of longing afterwards, words alone cannot adequately describe.

As we drove down to Quincy, to our hotel, my wife and I discussed what I had felt at length.  The whole experience reminded me of a dream that I’d had in the first month of my mission.  I remember this dream clearly, as if I had just woken from it, to this day.  I have struggled with the thought of sharing this in such a public forum, yet, in order to touch on the topic that has been weighing on me, I need to.

In the dream I had been wandering, searching and exploring the world alone for something…it was not clear what I was seeking, but the sense of weariness and exhaustion were evident in the way I felt.  My legs were tired of walking, my once sturdy clothing was threadbare, and I walked with the aid of a tall walking stick.
The ground beneath my feet was rocky and desolate, having the feel of being high on a mountain…or perhaps in a desert filled with dunes of loose stones and sparse vegetation.

I remember cresting a rise, or perhaps it was a dune, the imagery wasn’t clear.  What was clear was how uncertain my footing was.  I had to take great care in moving downward, a task that took a great deal of time and active choice on my part.  I wasn’t mindful of much beyond the precarious nature of my path, and therefore I was quite surprised to hear a deep voice call out my name.  I stopped, leaned on a large stone that was easily twice my size, and looked up to see Brigham Young standing not twenty paces down the slope from me.  He radiated authority, looking quite severe, and made me feel very small.  I must admit that out of all the prophets that I have studied, Brigham Young intimidates me the most.  Perhaps it was because of this dream, but I feel that, in some strange way, I have failed the man.  I don’t know how, and I don’t know why I feel this way, but I do.

We stood looking at one another for a time, and then he simply said, “You’re late.” and beckoned me to follow.  I did so, and after an indeterminate amount of time, we arrived at the gates of a walled city.  The massive barrier was made of white marble, and polished so that it gleamed in the sun.  As we entered, I noted that the whole community was out in droves, and that there were a profusion of buildings being erected; as evidenced by the abundance of scaffolding.  It was like being amidst an ant colony.

There was a driven sense of purpose in every person I saw.  No one stopped to talk to me, but I saw a host of familiar faces amidst the crowds as they went about their industry.  Every building was white, like the walls of the community, but there was one edifice that stood out above them all in beauty.  At the center of the city, the temple stood, more magnificent than any building I have ever seen.  Even unfinished as it was, it shamed the monoliths and monuments built by man.  Even the Salt Lake Temple seemed dull in comparison.  Brother Brigham led me to the foot of a particular scaffold that stretched high up one of the walls of the edifice and motioned upwards, saying: “He’s been waiting for you.”

Now, it should be known that I am deathly afraid of heights – more specifically, falling from them.  Therefore, being presented with the prospect of climbing a rickety scaffold (in a nice steady breeze mind you), was anything but appealing – even in I was being bade to do so in a dream.  It took me several minutes of fierce battling with my terror, with Brother Brigham standing at my back, before I made to scale the skeletal structure.  The going was horrific, and I vaguely remember waking from the dream later and feeling sore and exhausted.  But I pushed forward, albeit at a snail’s pace, in spite of the swaying and the groaning of the wood, and the increasingly strong wind that seemed to want to sweep me off the side of the building.  I moved upward to the silhouetted figure I could see above me.  It took forever, but I did, at long last, attain my goal.

Upon cresting the level that held my mysterious appointment, I am not ashamed to say that my eyes looked neither left nor right.  They were glued to the grain of the narrow planks of wood that separated me from a long fall.  Thus, I didn’t see who my appointment was with until I was all but on top of the man.  The hand that suddenly entered my vision patted to the worn and dirty wood beside him, ever so close to the far edge of the scaffold plank.  I crawled like a baby, on hands and knees, to his side.  It felt so embarrassing, and I was at once ashamed of my weakness and terrified at the thought of being picked up by the winds and dashed on the flagstones a hundred meters or more below.  Yet, the man’s smiling face, and patient demeanor proved his kindness as he was content to wait me out.  When I was finally able to settle myself and meet the man’s eyes, I saw that it was Joseph Smith Jr., the Prophet of the Restoration.

There was no glow about him, nor were there Heavenly choirs announcing his identity.  The man before me was just a man.  He sported work-stained clothes, and his dusty boots dangled over the side of the scaffold.  His skin was dusty and bruised, and his hands were weathered and worn from hard work.  Even his tanned face was dirty.  He looked neither majestic, nor mighty…at least until I looked into his eyes.  I feel wholly inadequate in my ability to describe what I saw in those eyes.  They were deep, and filled with a wisdom that only a long or frightfully hard life brings.  In them, in that moment, I saw unconditional acceptance and love.  In them I saw an unshakable faith and an unwavering trust…in me.  I can’t describe how I knew all of this was directed at my person, but it was.  He was pleased to see me.  He knew me.  Not the me that I callously present to the rest of the world, but that secret me – the imperfect, dirty, broken part of me that I’m so ashamed of.  He saw it all and was still glad to see me!

There are no words in any living language that could hope to convey what I felt in, and still feel about, that moment.  And all of those feelings pale next to what I felt when he smiled and said, “I’m glad you could make it.  We’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.”

Then he calmly reached to his side and produced a humble, brown paper-sack lunch.  He pointedly told me that Emma had made extra, and offered me half of his lunch.  We sat and ate, looking out over the sprawling city, and the joyful industry that played out below.  My fear left me, like fog burning away in the open sun.  The rest of what was said is sacred to me, therefore, I will not share it.  However, I will say this: I had never felt such a perfect and abiding sense of acceptance and love until that moment.  As the years have rolled by, I have been able to digest this dream and ponder its meaning many times.  And at the end of it all, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is what it must feel like – on some miniscule and wholly imperfect level – to be in the presence of the Savior.

Since that day, I have spent great, if entirely unconscious, effort searching for that feeling again.  I looked for it throughout my mission.  I hungered for it in my wards and stakes.  I tried to recreate it within my marriage.  I chased after it in my friendships and other social relationships.  All of my considerable efforts were wasted though.  It was a perfect moment; one that could never be recaptured.  At least until I felt the powerful spirit of Nauvoo through the eyes of the pageant.

Do I recognize that Nauvoo was anything but perfect?  Yes.  I know the history of the saints well enough to see the City Beautiful for what it was.  Nauvoo wasn’t perfect, but the dream that built it was.  Given enough time and freedom, I know that Joseph could have seen a Zion built there.  I didn’t see the real Nauvoo that night, I saw the power and majesty of Enoch’s city staring me in the face.  And let me tell you it was a beautiful place; a place where I had no fear of being myself – warts and all.

We spend our whole lives looking for acceptance and a sense of belonging, in a world that is actively working against us and God’s plan.  We waste our lives trying to “fit in” or adhere to the “way things are” – fruitlessly searching for that perfect moment of acceptance and unconditional love that our spirits remember from another life.  It makes us sick.  It makes us question and doubt.  It makes us look towards that great and spacious building from Lehi’s dream and wonder how they can look so happy and yet so empty at the same time.

I’ve driven myself to illness looking for that sense of peace.  It is only now, almost twenty years after having that dream, I realize that I will never find that sense of acceptance or experience that perfect moment of unconditional love in the world that surrounds me.  If I ever desire to feel that sense of perfect love again, I will have to build a place where that spirit can thrive.  I have to build it.  With my very own hands.  It will first take shape in my heart, and then in the confines of my home.  From there, the spirit will touch others, incrementally growing until it fills the small circle of friends and family around me.  They will to grow in turn, until soon the entire community is filled with that spirit of love and unity.  It will move slowly at first, which requires patience on my part.  But its momentum will grow steadily and soon, I will again experience that singularly perfect moment.

So, yeah.  I’m a dreamer.   But this world needs dreamers.  It needs Dreamers and Doers.  Men and women who will step up to that improbable task and believe in their ability to see it accomplished.  I share all of these things with you in the hopes of helping build the momentum to see that dream become a reality.  Even if you have but one moment this week, one instant, wherein you love perfectly or can look someone in the eye and embrace them unconditionally, then we are one step closer to building God’s City.

Look for these moments.  Beg God to help you to experience them more and more frequently.  And once you feel them, do all that you can to make yourself worthy of sharing that feeling with someone else.  Is it hard?

Yes.  Terribly so.

We have to give up so many of our short-sighted dreams, and so much of our imperfect selves in order to make this a reality.  Can it be accomplished in this lifetime?  Yes.  One instant, one perfect moment and one moment of perfection at a time, we will build it until it becomes an eternal reality.

May God preserve and protect you, and may you experience that perfect moment of clarity this week – this is my prayer and desire for all who read this.  I leave you in the name of our beloved Savior, even Jesus Christ.

Amen.

The Fourth Cornerstone: The Family

Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(The Yogurt Version)

The Fourth Cornerstone:  The Family

To Qualify as a cornerstone:
•    It must be an eternal principle
•    It must support and sustain itself
•    It must be sanctioned by Heavenly Father

The family is the skeleton of society.  It supports the growth or stagnation of any culture.  Families are spiritual as well as physical entities.  God established that from the very beginning.  Its purpose is to propagate the species, as well as teach God’s Law.  It is a mirror for our cultural problems and our cultural successes.

Today, the family is an endangered species.  Satan is attacking it from all sides.  If we are to build Zion, we must choose to follow God’s laws, rather than the laws of man.  By establishing this last cornerstone, we finally have a foundation that will support the weight and calling of God’s Zion.

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Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(The Lasagna Dinner Version)

The Fourth Cornerstone:  The Family

Okay, I’m putting on both my geek and artist hats for this post.  For those film buffs out there, you may or may not know the name Ray Harryhausen.  Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects wizard.  He is probably best known for his work on the original King Kong (1933) and Mighty Joe Young (1949).  He’s done a great number of other sci-fi and fantasy classics, notably the 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) and Jason and the Argonauts (1963).  The special effect that he is most noted for is stop-motion model animation.  For those who do not know what stop-motion model animation is, it is an animation technique where you physically manipulate an object to make it appear to move on its own.  The animator manipulates the object and then takes a picture, repeating this process over and over until the desired result is achieved.  Each one of these frames is then sped up and you achieve the illusion of motion.  Some of the more recent, and famous, examples of this technique are: The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, and Chicken Run.  My family and I are big Wallace and Gromit fans and we just recently discovered a new favorite in Shaun the Sheep.

You’re probably wondering what this all has to do with Zion, cornerstones, and the family.  Well, it ties in with the process of producing the models for the animation.  You see, in producing Claymation, which is what most of us are more familiar with, the animator has to double as a sculptor.  All of those little models are built of wire and clay.  The wire skeleton beneath the clay is called the armature, and gives the sculpture the necessary support and range of motion in order to withstand the rigors of the animating process.  In essence, the Fourth Cornerstone is Zion’s skeletal armature.  It stands as a “type and shadow” of the much larger community.  The family unit is the framework that supports any society.

A few weeks ago, I talked about how the family is the Keystone of Zion.  I should have qualified it by saying that it was one of the keystones of Zion.  The bonds of family are the first strings binding any society together.  In fact, the greatest lessons of socialization are learned within the confines of the homes from the youngest of ages.  The family is where we practice connecting to one another, it is where we learn, either through good examples or bad examples, how relationships work.  Is it any wonder that Satan has targeted the family for extinction?  Is it any surprise that he is trying so hard to undermine and outright destroy the sanctity of this essential building block to God’s kingdom?  No.  Not in the least.  More and more, I’m seeing just how sacred the family is – mainly due to the fact that it is being so actively attacked and hunted.  Will we allow it to be hunted to extinction?  No, but I fear that it is already an endangered species.

So what makes a family, a family?  That seems to be the big question on everyone’s mind these days.  Well, let’s start there.  The family is the oldest form of organization known to mankind.  Traditionally, it has been considered the basic societal unit, consisting of a father, a mother, and their children.  Natural and Eternal Law supports this definition.  If we look to nature, we see that there is a Natural Order to things.  The family, as it is represented in nature, is a vehicle for procreation.  I submit to you that this is how God planned it.

Yet the Eternal Order of things builds beyond procreation.  When Heavenly Father created the Garden of Eden, He established the Eternal Order first, establishing a foundation for all of creation to follow.  He created Heaven and Earth and all the things that within them are.  And to govern and care for them, He created His last and greatest creation – man and woman.

As a follower of Christ, it is my belief that all things were created spiritually before they were created temporally. Before we came to this Earth, we were spirits, and as spirits, the relationships were cultivated and nurtured, were in fact – spiritual.  God created the family structure that He introduced to Adam and Eve, long before we ever came to the Earth.  It was a close knit experience, and one founded on the other three cornerstones that I have already spoken about.  We have been endeavoring, since the day we could recognize the need, to emulate that sense of society and the intimate bonds we formed there.  Is it wrong for a single parent, regardless of the reasons for their circumstance, to feel a void where their partner is supposed to be?  No.  It is natural.  Is it wrong for a homosexual to want a family?  Not in the least.  We all yearn “to belong to” and “to be accepted into” close knit relationships.  It’s the default for our spirits to look for and build relationships towards that end, since it’s what our spirits naturally recognize.

Spiritually speaking, do today’s choices of lifestyle conform to God’s vision of the family?  Sadly, no.  Alternative lifestyle choices step outside of God’s plan, promoting individual desire over adherence to divine plans.  The voices of commerce, entertainment, sensuality, acceptable theoretical scientific fact and logic, and political opinion, all sow seeds of discord.  If we don’t wear a certain brand, we are socially less than our peers.  If we do not watch certain movies or television shows, play certain video games, or listen to the most popular music we are not current.  If we do not drink or smoke, or indulge in some other form of bodily gratification, we are missing out on all the fun.  If we do not accept traditional scientific views, then we are uneducated quacks.  If we believe in God, who cannot be empirically or mathematically defined by our limited understanding of the universe, then we are religious wingnuts. If our politics conform with God’s values, then we are bigots. However, as we make choices that conform to worldly views, they wear away at the unity that ties our families together by focusing on philosophies that center around the importance of the individual rather than a unified whole.  Additionally, we as individuals can influence what our children believe. If we are seduced away from God's plan, how much more likely will our children be as well?

We cannot escape the fundamental organization of the family.  God established it in the Garden of Eden.  He could have chosen an alternative option.  We could all be amorphous, shape-shifting beings that become whatever we desire on a whim (which I must admit would be really cool from a personal stand point).  But the scriptures tell us that God didn’t do it that way.  Have you ever asked yourself why?  Did He perhaps have a reason for establishing such a precedent?  Yes.  Yes He did.

He created Adam and Eve, and gave them a commandment – go forth and multiply.  Build a great big family.  There was a purpose in this commandment, and it had nothing to do with civil rights.  In lieu of being created, they were now subject to the Laws of the Universe – both natural and eternal.  As their children, we are subject to those laws as well.  Satan, over time, has tempted mankind with the idea that he can get around the laws that are laid down.  That too started in the Garden of Eden.  Man’s run with the concept, and made all of his laws fluid and in many cases paradoxical.

So we find ourselves at an impasse.  Do we follow the desires of man or God?  Do we define ourselves as of the family of man, or of the family of God?

Satan will inevitably and collectively drive a wedge between mankind and God.  It’s what he does, and he’s become exceptionally good at it.  The world will inevitably accept a change in definition on what the family is, in order to appease the desires of men.  And then we will have Man’s definition of family versus God’s definition of family.  Man’s definition will change to suit the whims of the mob, wherein God’s definition will fulfill a long-term and eternal plan.  In the end, mankind will choose as it best suits their desires.  Heavenly Father reserved that agency for us all, making it sacrosanct and inviolate.  We will choose for ourselves the course we desire and, in turn, we will be subject to those choices.

Yet, where some will choose to walk their own way, others will choose to embrace God’s vision and follow His way.  This will be the way to Zion; and in Zion the family is a sacred thing, established and sanctified by our Heavenly Father.  At its heart, the family is meant to espouse peace and understanding, unity of mind and spirit.  If we are at war, it is because our families are at war within themselves.  If we are, societally, loving – that is a reflection of the love that is built and nurtured within the confines of our own homes.

So, with Zion in mind, I challenge you to look at the family from God’s perspective.  Make the family a sacred thing.  Fight for it.  Defend it with all your might, mind, and strength. And remember, there are many levels of family.  You have mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Close friends become an integral part of your family.  President Gordon B. Hinkley was wont to encourage the idea that God’s Church “…has become one large family scattered across the earth…” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Stone Cut Out of the Mountain,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 83–86).

As we build to Zion, we build to family.  As we build to Zion, we build to a life founded on God’s Law.  As we build to Zion, we build to a life filled with Faith, Hope, and Charity.  As we build to Zion, we build to Jesus Christ.  Four stones.  Four very large and oft times intimidating stones.  I look at all of them together and look at how to lay these four cornerstones in my life, and how they will apply to the actual building of the physical city of Zion.

My personal relationship with Christ will act as my guiding light.  He is the King of Zion, and it is only under His leadership that the city will be raised and governed.  Accepting that and abiding by His direction will see the city built sooner rather than later.  Faith, Hope, and Charity are the attributes that need to fill my life’s every action.  I look forward, hoping.  I believe in myself and my God, faithfully serving.  I love unconditionally, unifying myself with my brothers and sisters – regardless of race, financial circumstance, politics, or creed.  In these there is safety.  In these there is life.  With these attributes guiding my every action, exact obedience to God’s laws will not only be easier, obeying will become a pleasure instead of a hardship.  All three of these bind my family closer to me, making them immovable stones, stones that will support Zion’s weight and allowing it to endure every hardship the world has to offer.

Four immovable, eternal cornerstones that will lay the foundations of the greatest city the world has ever known.  The thought of it sends chills down my spine and fills my heart with such a majestic longing…

Laying these stones requires a great deal of effort and even more maintenance.  But we only have to look as far as the Salt Lake Temple, or any temple for that matter, in order to see a type and shadow of just how magnificent Zion will be.


Until next week,
Jeffrey

The Third Cornerstone: The Law

Looking To Zion Lite
The Condensed Version for Super Busy Moms
(Still with fewer calories!)

The Third Cornerstone:  The Law

To Qualify as a cornerstone:
•    It must be an eternal principle
•    It must support and sustain itself
•    It must be sanctioned by Heavenly Father

The world is in constant motion, and the adversary of man is tirelessly working for our undoing.  Therefore, our Eternal Father, has blessed us today with a series of records that detail His workings among His children of the ancient and recent past.  He has also given us a prophet who gives us modern instruction and guidance, direction that when followed faithfully will help to keep us safely out of Satan’s clutches.

The laws are eternal.  They support and sustain themselves when applied in the correct spirit and without our own spin on things.  And since they were given to man, by God through His prophets, I think we can safely say that they are sanctioned by our Heavenly Father.

These laws and duties are given for our benefit, to help us govern ourselves and to draw us together.  Will we be able to follow these laws perfectly, 100% of the time?  Eventually, after a great deal of hard work and personal sacrifice. So, if we can’t follow the laws perfectly right now, and He knows that, what does Heavenly Father truly expect of us?

Nothing more than to be better than we were the day before! One step at a time.
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Looking To Zion Not-So-Lite
(Meat and Potatoes!  Mmmmm!)

The Third Cornerstone:  The Law

You know, it’s really simple to intellectualize all of this stuff; but, it’s a bear to put it into practice.  I keep reminding myself that I need to take baby steps, rather than sweeping changes.  Baby steps have staying power.  I need to take more baby steps in my life – in applying these things that I’m writing about (so I’m not a hypocrite) and in just about every other aspect of my life.  So, in honor of baby steps, I’m scaling back to just the Sunday posts.  I’ll eventually work myself back into multiple weekly posts, but for now, baby steps…

That said, let’s look at the third cornerstone: The Law.

Man!  Just writing that gives me the chills!  There’s so much weight backing that one little, three letter word.  Why does it have such a heavy, and dare I say it – negative connotation?  Are laws bad?  No.  Inconvenient perhaps, but they are not bad.  God, over the course of human history, has established rules and laws for us to follow.  He has given us organization through the spiritual leadership of His prophets.  This has been his model since the days of Adam, and it has been a model that has worked wonders in keeping God’s Children on track.  The Old Testament testifies of this, as do the New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants.   Why would He deviate from a process that works so well?

He gifted unto Moses ten laws that would guide Israel to lay down the foundation for their own Zion.  He sent us His Anointed to fulfill all the old promises, and give us new rules that were more in tune with His ultimate goal.  Did He abolish the old laws?  No.  They are still as valid today as they were to the Israelites in times past.  They are there in the new laws too, being fulfilled as we obediently follow the principles that are so much more flexible, but require us to actively think more about what we are doing and how we are doing it.

But the world is in constant motion, and the adversary of man is tirelessly working for our undoing.  Therefore, God, our Eternal Father, has blessed us today with a prophet who is doing the same thing as Moses did.  Giving us laws and guidelines that will keep us safely out of Satan’s clutches.  These laws aren’t for His benefit, and in fact, I believe wholeheartedly that He’d much rather not have to constantly spell out what we need to do…repetatively.

How many times, as parents or caregivers to young children, do you wish that you didn’t have to repeat yourself over and over, sasying the same things again and again?  How many times have you looked Heavenward and wondered: “When will they get it?” – I feel that our Father in Heaven often has similar feelings about us.  The difference between our reaction and His, is that He hopes we will take advantage of all the hard earned knowledge we’ve gained from our previous hundred thousand mistakes and apply it to our current situation – and He does it with a smile, and without the eye rolling exasperation and frustration that so often accompanies our reactions.

I’m sure that we all can agree that the Laws of God are many and diverse.  Some feel restrictive, while others seem simple and straightforward.  Some feel written just for us, personally, while others…we wonder who they were meant for.  Some we feel a desperate need to cling to, and some we dismiss as being less important, or perhaps less directed towards us.  And this is all before Satan gets involved and starts splitting hairs by getting us to interpret the Law in order to justify our actions.  That is where trouble really begins.  I apologize to any attorneys out there (especially my brother-in-law Kevin), but I feel that the moment we try amending the Law to rationalize our personal beliefs and to ensure our personal gain...that’s the moment we have stepped from the safety of the straight and narrow, and into the confounding mists.  God's law is straightforward, and it embraces both justice and mercy, so all of our needs are taken care of within the laws He sets down.  It may not accommodate all of our wants, and therein lies the point of contention that Satan seeks to exploit.

When I find myself falling into this practice, or entertaining my desire to tailor the laws to justify my choices, I wonder if I’m doing any better than the Children of Israel did.  There are moments that I ask myself – am I making a golden calf, or am I remaining faithful to God’s Law and the covenants I’ve made?  And believe me, I do my fair share of rationalizing and loop-hole hunting.  Why do I do it?  I don’t like losing, or feeling like a failure.  Our world places too much emphasis on success, and it isn’t even the correct vision of success!  God’s laws aren’t about who’s better than whom, or who can be the most obedient to such and such principle.  These laws are our road map to salvation and exaltation. They are the things we have to do in order to return to live with our Heavenly Father again.

In Zion, these rules and laws are meant to give us structure and to teach us how to live harmoniously.  They draw us together and bind us as one.  We aren’t meant to punish each other over them, and they aren’t meant to be used to judge one another harshly or without compassion.  We are all on different mile markers of the same road.  And we all have a unique perspective of the journey we’ve taken on that road back home to God.  That is not to say we will not be punished for transgressing God’s laws.  No, God’s laws are very much black and white.  He does not work in gray, nor does He muddy the waters.  He is a God of Justice and Mercy, and is bound by a strict code.  He is exact in His obedience and observance of that code.  If we expect to enter into His celestial kingdom how can we expect any less of ourselves?  Does this mean we need to obey perfectly in order to qualify for Zion?

Eventually, yes. Please note that I said eventually.

It will take time for us to develop solid habits.  We’re actually laying the groundwork as we speak.  Each of the small tasks we are given to do, is a Law of Heaven applied to a real life circumstance.  When given a small task that doesn’t make sense, ask yourself this: “How does this build Zion?” or “What Law is being fulfilled by this precept that my leaders are handing down to me?”  In all truth, doing the small things is more difficult than doing the big things.  I personally believe that the big things cost us less in the long run.

We currently do not have the social structure backing us that will make fulfilling the simple tasks an easy prospect.  We are constantly at war with the world around us, just to set aside one night in seven for the sole benefit of strengthening our family.  When we think about the Law of Tithing, our thoughts are also drawn to the mind-numbing amount of bills that we are required to pay.  Visiting the sick and the needy are challenges of a completely higher magnitude altogether, in light of the taxing requirements demanded of us just to survive in the world, let alone live in it.

Being one hundred percent obedient, one hundred percent of the time is a great challenge.  Yet, when we apply the lessons we’ve learned so far…when we have laid the first two cornerstones securely, we gain strength and momentum.  Our relationship with the Savior grants us patience and an understanding, not to mention the knowledge and comfort His love brings to our lives.  Our application of the Triumvirate of Faith, Hope, and Charity makes fulfilling the multitude of little tasks that our Prophet, the scriptures, and the general leadership of the church, asks of us less burdensome and easier to bear.  Heavenly Father expects a great deal of us.  Likewise, He promises a great deal in return.

So, just what does He expect of us?

For us to progress steadily from one day to the next in perfecting ourselves.  He desires exact and abiding obedience to all of His laws – big and small.  He also expects us to falter a great deal in the process of our perfecting ourselves.  He even made concessions for when we do in the form of the Atonement!  Can we honestly believe that we will suddenly walk into Zion and…BOOM!...we’re magically going to be perfect in our obedience?  Not in the least!  And we’re being very silly if that is our expectation.  Like I hinted above, it takes time, effort, and a great many small steps in order to reach the pinnacle that we are reaching for.  Zion will come, but not until we are faithfully living all of the laws that God has given to us.

I liken it to climbing a mountain.  When I was a kid, my family and I went out to Utah to be sealed in the temple.  While there, friends took us up to Mount Timpanogos.  Somehow they convinced us to hike the trail, up to the caves.  I was eleven at the time.  I will tell you plainly, there came a point in the trek, when I was simply looking at my feet and saying to myself: “Just one more step.  Just one more, and then I’ll stop.”  That mantra got me to our destination, and through the cave, and back down the mountain again.

God knows our abilities, and it’s only when we get comfortable in our routines that He sends us trials, and challenges, and new understanding.  Each and every one of these things promtps us to take just one more step along the path to perfection.  Yet, on the other end of the spectrum, in our zeal to perfect ourselves, we often bite off more than we can chew or entertain unrealistic expectations of ourselves.  We try to run long before we’ve perfected walking.  In the immortal words of the wise old tortoise: “Slow and steady wins the race.”
We cannot perfect ourselves in a day, but within our day we can discover perfection.  We must be exact in moments, and those moments will incrementally build upon themselves.  The more exact in our obedience to these laws that we become, the closer we are to our Heavenly Father.  The closer we are to our God, the closer we become to Zion.

Do not be discouraged if your journey seems longer than your neighbor’s.  We are all unique and though the road is the same, we each will experience different things as we travel along it.  We must be true to the ideal of being better than we were the day before, as we strive to perfect our obedience.  You can only judge yourself, against yourself; and even then, do so lovingly and with an eye single to the prize.  Are you closer to your goal than you were yesterday?  Yes indeed!  Even if it is only one step closer!  That, in the end, is what makes all the difference!

Until next week,
Jeffrey