Retain in Remembrance

Happy Sunday!! Today I would like to continue a thought from last week regarding having a "broken heart and a contrite spirit." More specifically, how do we know when we are broken and contrite? What does this feel like?

First off, why is it even important to know when we are "becom[ing] as a little child"? (Mosiah 3:19) I personally believe this is because empowerment happens through repentance and application of the Atonement, which is first put into motion by a broken heart and contrite spirit. In Doctrine and Covenants 136: 32-33 we read:

Let him that is ignorant learn wisdom by humbling himself and calling upon the Lord his God, that his eyes may be opened that he may see, and his ears opened that he may hear;

For my Spirit is sent forth into the world to enlighten the humble and contrite, and to the condemnation of the ungodly.

As we see here, the Spirit will enlighten our minds if we are humble, contrite, and teachable. And I think we can tell if we are "there" if we are constantly striving to improve our spiritual well-being. Going against the grain becomes ever more salient, and it must become a lifestyle. In its nature, however, there is no sensitization that exists that causes one to experience less opposition as he or she consciously and sincerely tries to improve. It will be a constant fight, but it is one that I am confident we can win, as long as we stay by the Master's side. King Benjamin elucidated this fact quite poignantly:

And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true. (Mosiah 4:10-12)

I really like how King Benjamin explains that we will inevitable find joy if we retain in remembrance our own nothingness. It almost seems counter-intuitive, but luckily Heavenly Father's intuition transcends our own! I like how he also promises here that we will grow in knowledge of the glory of Jesus Christ, the source of all truth and goodness.

It is my hope that this week we can remember God's greatness, and remember our nothingness before him. Let us not wait until the last moment to let him sit at our side; let us develop a relationship with divinity here and now, that we may be filled with the joy and love of which Benjamin speaks.

Have a Great Week!!

Peace, Be Still

My thoughts this week center on the Spirit of God. More specifically, how do we recognize the still, small voice that many have been taught about since their youth? And as we hear it, how do we find the courage to follow it?

I would like to start this conceptualization by recognize the our connection with God the Father, Jesus Christ, and in turn with the Holy Ghost. God the Father and Jesus Christ are two exalted, resurrected Beings who both have perfected, tangible bodies. The Holy Ghost is the third member of the "Godhead," which is sent to the hearts of men to bear testimony of the other two. How do we "feel" this testimony? Well, it comes to many in various forms, but most often there is a feeling of peace, comfort, familiarity, or just logic (the Spirit causes things to just "make sense"). This communication is made possible because each of our bodies is coupled with its own spirit, which makes up the human "soul." Like a radio receiver, our spirit picks up signals from the Holy Ghost, and converts them into meaningful thoughts, ideas, and expressions. However, we only receive the message if we are "tuned in" to the proper channel by which the Spirit testifies.

With that said, how do we "tune in" to what God would have us know as testified to us by the Spirit? By divine design, the channel of the Spirit is very specific, and we only pick it up if we are listening intently. Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated:

"The proud can hear the clamor of the crowd, but a person who, as King Benjamin said, 'becometh as a child, submissive, meek, [and] humble' (Mosiah 3:19), can hear and follow the still, small voice by which our Father in Heaven guides his children who are receptive."

So how does our spirit receive that voice of "perfect mildness?" (Helaman 5:30) It comes as we recognize the Lord's hand in our lives, and use the opportunities he gives us to bless the lives of those around us. As we do this with a willing and unassuming heart, we will gain the tools (submissiveness, meekness, humility--often referred to as a "broken heart and a contrite spirit")
necessary to enable us to hear, recognize, and follow that voice that sometimes seems unrecognizable, or just too minuscule to be of true substance. This takes great humility, which can only be attained through a refining process that will prove to be far more taxing than any of us could ever comprehend.

Is it worth it to listen? Is it worth it to push against the world, to go against the "natural" grain, sending splinters of what our lives might have been had we followed the easy path in our wake? I am here to say yes, it is. If we refer to the figure at right, we notice that there are two arrows that lead off the page. One, we may say, leads to joy, happiness, love, and a mutual trust between ourselves and the Lord that causes more blessings and opportunities to flow into our lives. The other, garnished by the great sin of apathy and its twin complacency, inevitably leads to endless torment, if we are unrepentant.

This seems like a lot to take in, but there is a reason for this statement: the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real, and only through it may we progress; we are just too imperfect to live without it. I am grateful to overflowing for the Atonement which, when applied properly, helps us keep our tuners sharp. Moreover, it provides our tuners with a "live update" system when used properly. Oh what joy this brings to my heart!

It is my testimony that this process can and will still the storms that overwhelm our lives. Just as He commanded to the waters, Christ commands to each of us to "be still." May we do so as trials present themselves, that we may be able to properly listen to the voice of the Spirit that only resides in reverence.

Have a great week!

The Nature of Man

This week I mused the idea about the nature of man. I have long held the belief that man is naturally good, and if put in the right situations, will be successful and self-actualizing. However, I had trouble reconciling this notion with King Benjamin's famous words that depict the natural man as an enemy to God (Mosiah 3:19). My search this week ended quite abruptly, however, as I was not led to ponder as I found the answer as explicitly as it could be. In 1976 Spencer J. Condie was asked to answer this same question in the Ensign. As I could never explain it as eloquently as he, here is the short article:

How does one reconcile President Brigham Young’s statement that “it is natural for the child to be influenced by the Spirit of God” with King Benjamin’s assertion that “the natural man is an enemy to God”?

Spencer J. Condie, “I Have a Question,” Ensign, Oct. 1976, 32–33

Spencer J. Condie, chairman, Sociology Department, Brigham Young University To dispute the proper meaning of the word “natural” would miss the message which Brigham Young, King Benjamin, and the apostle Paul sought to convey by their references to the natural man. President Young’s statement, placed in the context of his speech, included the following points:

“I wish to inform you that it is nature for the child to be influenced by the Spirit of God. It is nature for all people to be influenced by a good spirit; and the evil that is spoken of is the power the Devil has gained upon this earth through the fall. He gained power to tempt the children of men, and wickedness is produced through their yielding to his temptations; but it is not nature in them. They are not ‘conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity,’ pertaining to their spirits. It is the flesh that is alluded to in that passage. Then why not follow the dictates of the good Spirit?” (Journal of Discourses, 6:330.)

President Young’s statement seems to be entirely congruent with the thought expressed in Doctrine and Covenants 93:38: “Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state innocent before God.” [D&C 93:38] Thus, the natural man is a child of God, a child of light, at least until he reaches the age of accountability. Doctrine and Covenants 29:46–47 proclaims: “Little children are redeemed from the foundation of the world through mine Only Begotten; Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me.” [D&C 29:46–47] In other words, children, prior to the age of accountability, despite the occasional acting out of undesirable influences in unapproved ways, are nevertheless naturally good.

After reaching the age of accountability, children become susceptible to the temptings of Satan alluded to in section 29. [D&C 29] However, through baptism for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, they also become susceptible to the enticings of the Holy Spirit as proclaimed by King Benjamin in his benedictory address: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, … and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord. …” (Mosiah 3:19.)

When one yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, he will then put off the natural man and become “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19.) It then becomes more natural for him to do good than to do evil, and he is in a position to follow the admonition of the late President Joseph Fielding Smith, who asserted that it is just as easy (or natural) to keep the commandments of God as it is to break them. (New Era, July 1972, p. 23.)

The word “natural” in the context in which Brigham Young uses it (similar to the word “normal”) refers to the nature of the young child, who is naturally devoid of evil. In the context of the words of Paul and King Benjamin the word “natural” may be construed to mean that type of behavior which is most prevalent, most common, or most easily engaged in by most of those who have reached the age of accountability.

The statement of President Brigham Young obviously concurs with the words which the angel put into the heart of King Benjamin, for Brigham Young speaks of following the “dictates of the good Spirit” while King Benjamin advocates “yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit.”

One of the most significant lessons that Latter-day Saints can learn is that the Holy Ghost plays a very active role in our lives in enticing and persuading us to do good (Mosiah 3:19; Ether 4:11) and in striving with us (Moro. 8:28; 1 Ne. 7:14) in our attempts to achieve perfection and to be naturally attracted to that which is “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy” (A of F 1:13).

According to King Benjamin, the natural man is an enemy to God unless he yields to the Holy Spirit. Upon yielding to the Spirit he is no longer an enemy to God but rather a friend of the Savior, who has said: “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.” (John 15:14.) Perhaps President Joseph Fielding Smith best described this transition in our “natural” inclinations as we ascend our secret Sinais, subdue devilish drives on Damascus Roads, and seek sanctification in sacred groves:

“When a man confesses that it is hard to keep the commandments of the Lord, he is making a sad confession—that he is a violator of the Gospel law. Habits are easily formed. It is just as easy to form good habits as it is to form evil ones. Of course it is not easy to tell the truth, if you have been a confirmed liar. It is not easy to be honest, if you have formed habits of dishonesty. A man finds it very difficult to pray, if he has never prayed. On the other side, when a man has always been truthful, it is a hard thing for him to lie. If he has always been honest and he does some dishonest thing, his conscience protests very loudly. He will find no peace, except in repentance. If a man has the spirit of prayer, he delights in prayer. It is easy for him to approach the Lord with assurance that his petition will be answered. The paying of tithing is not hard for the man, fully converted to the Gospel, who pays his tenth on all that he receives. So we see the Lord has given us a great truth—his yoke is easy, his burden is light, if we love to do his will!” (New Era, July 1972, p. 23.)

This article has provided me with a lot of peace, and I hope it does the same for anyone who has had the same question. Have a great week!

Dedicated to Nathan Shurtliff and his family. Nathan was an example to all of us. He was and is one of the Lord's chosen soldiers.

Commitment to a Cause

I would first like to wish everyone a Happy Birthday, for if you are American, it is your birthday. One thing that has pressed on my mind more than ever this Independence Day Weekend has been the importance of t he formation of this great country in realizing the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was no other place at that time in which such a singular event could take place, and if not in America, the Restoration would have been delayed for literal decades. Go America! With that said, there has been another topic that has been weighing down on my mind this last week, being the idea of commitment. Some people have this in spades, and others (e.g. all men in regards to relationships) require a little more coaxing and encouragement. Where does the difference lie?

In researching "Commitment" in the Topical Guide, I was impressed first with how many scriptures listed refer to worshiping with "all your heart." For example we find this in the Book of Joel:

Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.

--Joel 2:12

What is it about the individual that causes him or her to be willing to, and then to actually offer the full conviction of heart? It is is my belief that it is a result of a personal conversion to and love of a principle that causes action. Take Ammon as an example. In Alma Chapter 17 we see that Ammon was committed to serving King Lamoni and the Lamanites, stating that he intended to serve them "perhaps until the day I die" (v. 23). Ammon loved Lamoni and his people, which love was perpetuated by the Gospel, and Ammon's conversion to it.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

--Alma 17:9

Ammon and the Sons of Mosiah desired nothing more than to be instruments in the Lord's hands. This is another characterstic of commitment to a cause--the selfelss desire to perpetuate it, not looking for any gain but the personal satisfaction that comes from helping others become converted to that same cause.

I am grateful for the Founding Fathers who also had this in pespective. They knew their cause was just, and they knew that they were instruments in the hands of the Lord. They were committed, and for that I am also grateful. In this season I hope to be able to emulate their examples, as well of all the other more immediate Gospel heroes. To end, I am reminded of the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

--Doctrine and Covenants 128: 22

Have a great week!