The Mission

(written on August 8, 2010)

Moses 1:4
And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for the never cease.

So I was performing my new Sunday ritual this morning; wake up, ignore the haze of pain that was working my body over like a prize fighter, stumble into the dining room where my laptop was set up, and pulled up the Mormon Channel (http://radio.lds.org/).  I pulled up the link for the Mormon Messages (which I discovered last week for the first time – here’s the link for those that haven’t found it yet - http://www.youtube.com/MormonMessages) and began watching all the clips that I had missed.  My eldest son, who just happens to turn fourteen this week, (HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!) decided to sit down beside me.  We watched a few and then I tried to be sneaky and watch some of the clips that they have specifically for youth.

Imagine my surprise, when I pulled up a clip called “The Magnificent Priesthood”- featuring a talk by David L. Beck, the Young Men General President.  My intent was to reiterate the importance of my son’s commitment to his priesthood covenant since he’s being ordained a Teacher next week.

(I’m sure that you can see where this is going.)

 As is generally the case, my intent backfired on me.  Well, to a certain point.  Chris got the message I was hoping for, but while I was sitting there feeling all smug in my parental wisdom, celebrating the fact that I had gotten to him, the Spirit snuck up and blindsided me.

The video clip streamed to a point, about three quarters through, where Brother Beck summarizes the scripture I opened this post with:

“Behold thou art my son and I have a work for you…”

I have had moments in the past where the Lord has spoken to me, where His spirit has fallen upon me with the strength and weight of a freight train.  They are beautiful, mind-boggling, sacred moments that I cherish dearly.  This was one of those moments.

I came again to the sudden and intimate realization that I was a child of God, that I was loved, and that I had a purpose in this grand farce called life.  Me…can you imagine?!  This imperfect man, with this broken body, and this wandering mind stuffed so full of dreams…the guy who loves playing video games and watching cartoons as much as his kids.  I am His son, and He has work for me to do.

I am important to His plan, in some unfathomable way – as in, I have things that only I can do; people that only I can connect with, or jobs that I am uniquely qualified for.

It was…it was a “WOW!” moment.  And no, I’m not talking about the game with all the Orcs and Elves.  It was a one in a million moment of perfect clarity.  It was something that I needed to capture and share.  So I immediately set down to write; and while I wrote, I asked myself what it was that God could want of me.  I knew it would tie in with building Zion in some way, because everything else in my life has seemed to be on the same track.

So, in my meandering way, I pondered.  And while I pondered, my youngest rampaged around the house channeling Godzilla taking a stroll through Tokyo proper.  The middle son was desperate for me to help him with a logic puzzle he was stuck on, and my oldest was trying to teach himself a song on the piano…with lots of repetition.  Contrary to what most would believe, these are the perfect conditions to ponder in for me.  It was due to all the background noise that I understand a portion of the work that my Heavenly Father has reserved for me.

It will be, without a doubt, my greatest work too.

My mission is to raise my children in righteousness.

Some of you will say: “Cliché!” or “What a Primary answer!”  But, it is true.  How does this all relate to Zion?  Simply put, the family is the foundation of Zion.  The family is the foundation of any society, and all the ills or triumphs attained by a people can be directly traced back to the families that live within the confines of that society.  If our families are broken and dysfunctional, then can we expect anything less for our government?  If our families are bound together in love, acceptance, and selfless service what then will our society look like?

The family is the keystone of Zion.  Plain and simple.

I freely admit that every family situation is different, and my lot in life is not going to reflect yours.  No family unit is perfect, regardless of what they may look like on the surface.  No parent is perfect, and their relationships with their children always have room for improvement.  I know a number of single mothers, and more than my share of divorcees, or the children of divorcees.  I’ve known a few widowers too.  They live difficult, but still fulfilling, lives.  Do we label them as broken and dysfunctional?  Are they contributors to the decline of our society?  Do we shower them with our pity and say: “Poor you…”

No.

Not just no, but emphatically no!

All families have a place in Zion, regardless of size or struggle, for Zion is the greatest and most close knit family experience we will ever know.  I know a beautiful family from when we lived in Austin, TX.  And one of the parents comes from what we would traditionally call a “broken home” – and yet they are the single most righteous and loving family I have ever seen.  There are a few that come very close to their example, and I’m sure you know families like them.  They serve their fellow man faithfully, in spite of, or even because of, open adversity inside and outside of the church.  They love openly, and take time to do the little things that every family seems to struggle with.

They sound perfect don’t they?  Well, they’re not.  But they are still my Zion Poster Family, and if I knew it wouldn’t embarrass them so much to be labeled such, I would be using their picture to show the world what a Zion family looks like.  When you sit in their presence, they make you desire to do more and be better.  They are an inspiration; not for what they do – that is a byproduct of their belief.  They are an inspiration because they believe so passionately in the gospel’s two great laws: Love God, and Love thy neighbor as thyself.
I have been blessed to see a handful of such examples in my life.  The number is small, but growing.  No doubt you have someone that you know who fits into this category of family.  They are the people who strive to do good, just for the sake of doing good, and not for the recognition of man or God.  They are the people who love easily, and include you in their lives free of condition.  They are the people who remember your birthday, or the birthday of your spouse, or some other small frivolous detail.  They are the people who step up and serve, as a family, without regard for themselves.

They are the people you desperately measure yourself against.  They are the people who you expect to be translated at any moment.  Are they perfect?  No.  But, they are perfecting themselves one moment at a time.  That is what we see.  That is the spirit that we feel.  That is the spirit that will build Zion.

So, I’m reviewing and taking stock of the lessons that I am teaching my children.  I’m looking towards their future and praying that I’m giving them the things that they need to not only survive the World, but to overcome it.  I’m trying to find and maintain that spirit of unity and love, to develop a spirit of Zion in my home.  Am I making mistakes?  Ask my sons or my wife, and they will undoubtedly giggle or outright laugh.  Invariably though, they will nod their heads enthusiastically.  I make a ton of mistakes.  But I, like many of you out there reading this, understand the importance of messing up and learning from our mistakes.  We learn and move onward, looking forward to something better.

We learn how and who to be from our parents and those that raise us.  We absorb their actions and examples from a young age, and live in similitude to those we emulate.  I often find myself channeling my mother or father, and I cringe.  Not because they were bad parents, but because I had vowed long ago to be my own person.  I love my parents, and they loved theirs.  But rather than emulating them, and invariably their imperfections, what if we chose someone else to pattern our lives after?  What would our world be like if we chose our elder brother Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father to those examples?  What would our lives be like?  How would we be different in just one little thing?  What would our world and relationships look like?

Plainly put…Zion.

May your week be fruitful and filled with joy!
Jeffrey