Little Things That Mean A Lot

This is a little, often insignificant, member of the insect family known as a pine beetle.  As this picture illustrates, the largest of these beetles is only 1/3 inches in length, about the size of a grain of wheat.  Most of the time, the pine beetle mates and lays its eggs in weaker, sickly trees, actually improving the overall health of a large forest.  It also provides a food source for Wood Peckers, and other grub feeders.  The trees that are attacked are killed by a combination of the beetle and its larvae feeding on its core, and by a blue colored fungi the beetle introduces into the tree.  The thing is, a tree killed by the pine beetle, while damaged on the inside, will not show outward signs that it is dead until about nine months after the beetles have done their damage.  By that time, the offspring of the beetle have moved on to other trees.  In protected, overgrown forests, like those I just visited near Grand Lake, Colorado, this has led to an epidemic infestation.  Literally millions of acres of forest- whole mountain sides- now look like this.  

Or like this, because the only way for the forest to recover is to remove the dead trees, so that the “baby” trees (as my daughter likes to call them) have access to the resources they need to grow. Isn’t it amazing that something so small and common, a natural part of the forests ecosystem, often fairly innocuous, if left unchecked can become such a source of devastation?  It seemed a perfect illustrative example of the things I had been thinking about during my scripture chain journeys brought about by considering Isaiah’s words upon seeing the Lord,

 “Woe is me! I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine yes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”  (Isaiah 6:5)

Now mind you, Isaiah’s reaction, while sobering, was of a completely different sort than, say, Alma the younger ‘s or Saul’s (Paul) upon seeing, not the Lord himself, but a mere angelic messenger.   Both Alma and Saul received their visits to receive extensive course correction, and they suffered keenly both in body and spirit.  But Isaiah was already striving to walk the path of the Lord. That is why Isaiah’s reaction is so sobering. And the Lord’s response so joyously hopeful. 

The sobering part is considering for myself what it might feel like to stand in the presence of the Lord.  Isaiah’s reaction illustrates what Alma, after tasting it for himself, taught about what it means to stand in the presence of pure light and truth so that we see things, including our own condition, as they really are:

Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch  that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned. For our words will condemn us, year, all our works will condemn us, our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.  But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory… and acknowledge… that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance.  (Alma 12:13-15 Also see Alma 36:12-13 for Alma’s description of his experience.)

Obviously Isaiah did not find the presence of the Lord so unbearable that he wanted to be buried at the bottom of a rock pile.  In fact, he is soon so confident in the Lord’s presence that he volunteers to be the Lord’s messenger.  The phrase he uses to answer the Lord’s call, “here I am, send me,” tell us a lot.  Isaiah was a learned man, he knew what that phrase meant.  That it had been used pre-mortally by the one who would come as the Messiah. (Abraham 3:27)  And that it meant he wasn’t just going on a mission or receiving  a calling that would end during his mortal life; his life would be wholly committed to being the Lord’s messenger and representative to His people, just as Moses’s and Abraham’s were. (Genesis 22:7, Exodus 3:4)

Considering those things, I found it particularly compelling to consider what it was that did trouble Isaiah, and made him unconfident and scared, as he stood in the Lord’s presence- his “unclean lips.”    The word used for lips in Hebrew is also sometimes translated and “language” or “speech.”  And this is where the image of those little beetles destroying literally millions of acres of forests tied with Isaiah’s lament and with what James, in the New Testament, writes about how we use our relatively little tongues and  the little words we think and say each day.  He uses the idea of a rudder on a ship, so small in comparison to the total bulk of the ship, and yet the way that rudder is turned can control which destination a very large ship will reach. (James 3:1-3)  He also tells us how we can become perfect before the Lord:

For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body.(James 3:2 American Standard Version)

So in one scripture is Isaiah, a faithful, righteous man who, when standing in the light of the Lord recognizes he still makes mistakes when he speaks, and in another James telling us that if we have righteous control of our tongues, we can become perfect.  It would seem that coming to understand and avoid what the Lord considers “mistakes” when we speak is a sure way to make progress towards becoming a confident student in the Lord’s presence.  Being a perfect teacher, the Lord has given instruction on that very thing:

“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish they thoughts unceasingly ; then shall they confidence wax strong in the presence of God. (Doctrine & Covenants 121:45)

Breaking the Lord’s instruction down into parts turned out to be most illuminating.  First, let’s look at the word “bowels.”  Most of us now associate that word with our intestines, especially the lower part.  However, that limited connotation is fairly modern.  Even today, if someone said “the bowels of the earth,” we would know they were most likely talking about the inner most part of the earth, and not about the earth having intestines.  That is a lot closer to the way “bowels” is used in scriptures that are giving gospel instruction. Literally it means “That which is deep within.”  Hence the whole area from neck to hips, where the vital organs reside, is, in the scriptural sense, the bowels. 
   
In addition this particular study did a lot to help me see what the Lord was teaching with the instructions he gives for sacrifices under the Mosaic Law.  The internal organs, with their fat, are completely burned on the altar of sacrifice.  Seeing the significance of that requirement meant recognizing and suspending the the idea of that the body is separate from the mind, or rational thought, which came with Greek philosophy.  Although you can’t miss the fact that conscious thoughts are organized in the brain, most ancient cultures believed that the seat, or origin, of all feelings, and both unconscious and conscious thought, was what we would today call the vital organs.  So the spirit or soul of man was inseparably connected to the state of his vital organs. The most important of these was the heart.

In the Old Testament two words are used for heart. The first is the most common.  It is the Hebrew word for the physical organ we call the heart and it literally means “the authority within.”  It is used like we commonly use mind or brain.  Thus, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (Psalms 23:7)

The other word means “something enclosed” and a more technical translation would be “internal organ”, often it is used for “kidney” or “liver.”   It is associated with feelings, so translating it “heart” comes closer to helping us understand the intention of the passage.  There is a word used only to refer to the “kidney”, and that is the one used in Leviticus when describing how blood sacrifices were to be performed.  Interestingly, it is also used for “reins” as in Jeremiah 17:10:  “I the Lord search the hearts (the authority within) and the reins (kidneys- which come from roots literally meaning “tamed for the yoke” or “complete”).

 So, in addition to the sacrifices signifying the atoning sacrifice of the savior, the way the sacrifice was offered was to teach Israel their part- “a broken and contrite heart.” ( Psalms 51:17 )  This sacrifice was offered to the Lord, as Hosea reminded Israel only a few years before Isaiah began to prophesy, by “tak(ing) with you words, and turn to the Lord; say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; so will we render the calves of our lips.”  (Hosea 14:2, And yes, the word there is “calves” as in young cattle- a clear reference to the sacrifices performed under the Mosaic Law.)

Isn't it interesting that what the Lord says will make us confident in his presence focuses on the internal talking we do to ourselves - “let(ting) (that which is deep within)our bowels be filled with charity and let(ting) virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly.”  After all, nothing has ever passed my lips, nor have my hands ever done an action, but what it has been part of my feelings and thoughts first. 

Which brings us back to the boundary, or threshold (and yes the word for doorway or threshold is related to the word used for lips by Isaiah and Hosea) through which what is deep inside us most often passes to those around us.  Christ taught:

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him; but those things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man, that proceedeth out of his heart….whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man in cannot defile him; because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught…that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts… All evil things come from within and defile a man.  (Mark 7:15-23 also Matthew 15:)

You might notice that I didn’t quote that reference in entirety.  In there is a long list of the evils that can come out of the heart – and I’m not trying to downplay the reality of murder, lying, stealing. I just want to emphasize how what Christ taught here has great import to everyone.  One thing that helped me see the personal application was the incident that initiated the discussion.  In Mark 7:2 it says the Pharisees were intentionally joining along with those who came to hear Christ teach for one purpose- to see if they could “find fault” with him. They found it- he didn’t wash his hands before eating. (See Matthew 15 for a parallel account.)   In Luke 6:7 it describes their outlook as watching him “that they might find accusation against him.”  Later in that chapter Christ teaches:

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.  Judge not , and ye shall not be judged; condemn not and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven…Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they both not fall into a ditch?...And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceives not the beam that is in thine own eye. (Luke 6:36-41)                                                                                                                     Now if that quote seemed somewhat familiar, but different, it is because we most often quote the more lengthy and detailed account found in the Sermon on the Mount.  But I love the way Luke’s account makes it clear that it is the “beam” of being critical and accusing others that causes the blindness.  Surely it is not a coincidence that Satan means “the accuser.”  And “the temptations of the (accuser)…blindeth they eyes and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men.” (1 Nephi 12:17)

And that is the greatest tragedy of thought habits that arise from an accusing heart; the blindness doesn’t stop with not seeing others clearly.  Our accusations ultimately are accusation of God- of his plan, of him giving others too much agency, of his character for not being good enough to give us the good things we asked for, and so on.  Just like it did for the Pharisees’ when Christ walked and a performed vivid, visual miracles among them, an accusing heart blinds us so we can’t see truth when it is right in front of our eyes.  Even if we don’t voice the accusations, as we carry them in our hearts, they blind us spiritually- killing from the inside out the way the pine beetles kill trees. 

And yet, we live in a world where there is hurt, injustice, as well as others accusing us. So I think it a beautiful treasure that Matthews’s record intertwines the parallel quote about what defiles a man with the parable of the blind leading the blind, with one important addition: He tells his disciples to “Let them (the accusers) alone.”  (Matthew 15:14)  I understand that to mean exactly what a modern apostle taught in more detail:

 As true disciples, our primary concern must be others’ welfare, not personal vindication. Questions and criticisms give us an opportunity to reach out to others and demonstrate that they matter to our Heavenly Father and to us. Our aim should be to help them understand the truth, not defend our egos or score points in a theological debate. Our heartfelt testimonies are the most powerful answer we can give our accusers. And such testimonies can only be borne in love and meekness…. By arguments and accusations, some people bait us to leave the high ground. The high ground is where the light is. It’s where we see the first light of morning and the last light in the evening. It is the safe ground. It is true and where knowledge is…. We are always better staying on the higher ground of mutual respect and love. (Robert D. Hales, “Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship,” Ensign, November 2008)

It has been over 17 years since I was told in a very clear and personal revelation to stop fretting over a family member’s obviously wrong choice, to stop trying to argue them into admitting I was right, and instead concentrate on “get(ting) the beam out of (my) own eye.”  So some of things I’ve shared here have been a part of my thought processes for some time-thankfully- and some just got added to the ongoing effort.  I can’t begin to express my gratitude for the experience that started me on that path and I have no idea how far I have to go, but I love to look back and see the difference in how it feels to be alive and how precious, in general, I now find other people.  The changes happened little thought by little thought, slowly over time and at first I was more than a little discouraged at how this approach didn’t seem to take care of the problem!  I gratefully found encouragement in the Lord's response to Isaiah.  An angel of the Lord took a coal from the temple altar and laid it upon his mouth and said:
“Lo, this has touched they lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and they sin purged.”

There is some beautiful symbolism there, but I think this entry is past long enough.  So for the  purposes of this discussion, the most salient point is that the Lord did not say anything accusing or condemning.  Rather he showed him how, because he had done his part and offered a contrite heart, the atoning sacrifice of the Savior, typified in the temple sacrifices made on the altar, would do the rest.  We don’t have to do it alone. We weren’t meant to do it alone.  In fact, the atonement is there because we absolutely can’t do it alone.

The second salient point is that Isaiah believed the Lord.  Whatever doubts Isaiah had about himself, his faith in the Lord was firm. 
Whenever I think of Isaiah’s experience I think of Enos, another less than perfect soul who felt his imperfections keenly and went contritely to the Lord in prayer.  The Lord also accepts his offering and sends the message, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.”  Enos then writes “I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore my guilt was swept away.” (Enos 1:5-6)

A modern prophet expressed the same eternal principle this way:   Only when we truly accept the undeserved love of the Lord, do we begin to become free to love others the same way. (President Gordon B. Hinckly, Ensign, Nov. 2006, p. 115)

That “undeserved love of the Lord,” is also called “the pure love of Christ” or “Charity” in the Book of Mormon.  In fact, it is a scripture about charity that caused me to start thinking of the Book of Mormon as my “how to” book.  Whenever I think of that scripture I think of what happened for Isaiah, for Enos, for Nephi, for Peter- you get the idea- and how this scripture gives me the “how to” to have it happen for me.

“Wherefore, my beloved bretheren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ, that ye may become the sons(daughters) of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.”  (Moroni 7:48)

From here on out, the words of Isaiah will deal with some of the most difficult, inhumane things that can happen in this life side by side with the infinite power of the atonement of Christ.  He was told straight out by the Lord how hard his mission would be- yet he moved forward in confidence because he had “this hope.”  Above all Isaiah has taught me that when it comes to the most important personal goal of this life- what I am becoming- never, never limit or doubt what the Lord can do.

Wrestling

I've written before about being directionally challenged and my propensity to get lost. It has been one of my greatest challenges because job changes have meant a move every few years for our family. A new place meant trying to find my way to church, schools for the kids, doctors and dentists, libraries, visiting teaching routes, and so on and so on. Now, mind you, having learned early on - long before the kids came along - that I had this penchant, I learned to obtain directions when going to a new destination. The preparation paid off, and getting a GPS device for Christmas one year, well it made this last move a whole lot easier. But in hindsight, I am grateful for the experience of occasionally getting lost because it has become a "personal parable" for me. (See "Of Babies and Birds" or "Personal Parables")

You see, there was always a moment when I would begin to suspect I was no longer headed in the right direction. A niggling wrestling within myself that I'd somehow gotten off course and that if I truly desired to get my appointed destination, I'd have to stop, make changes, and get back on course. I have a particular memory of wrestling with that feeling. It was the second time I had gone to this particular location, so I knew the name of the street I had missed and knew the name of some of the streets that intersected with that street. I was in the process of turning around when I saw a cross street by the same name as a cross street that intersected with the road I was to turn on to. I reasoned that this was the same street and would take me back on course. I reasoned it would be quicker and easier, and managed to convince myself. The truth was that I was near the edge of two townships- both which had streets of that particular name- but this one, rather than connecting into the cross street I desired, actually turned and headed in an entirely new direction. It took a while for me to give in to the growing wrestling that my assumption had been wrong, and then I had to back track even further to get back on course. I found out later, from the very person who had given me the directions, that there was only one road that led from where I got lost back to the crossroad I desired- and I turned off it when I tried to take the "shortcut."

This became a "personal parable" for me as I explored how the Lord describes our lives as a journey in which we have the choice to follow his directions in order to be able to get on and stay on His path, if we desire the eternally "good end" He promises. The word for "righteousness" used in the Old Testament literally means "to walk the path uprightly," whereas the word most frequently translated as "wickedness" literally means "to step off the path." "Repent" means "to turn" and is always coupled with the idea of returning to the path. Even the word "punish" is related. It means "to turn the head," meaning that the Lord allows circumstances sufficient to encourage a person to reconsider the path they are on- to see that what they have put their faith in will fail; end in a dead end- and consider getting on the only eternally profitable path.

All these words, and many others, convey that finding and staying on the correct path takes some diligent work on our part. In life, as in my own "personal parable," desiring to get to a certain location is not enough. Reasoning out my own directions, while disregarding those given by someone who actually knew the area led to a substantial waste of time, gas, and irritated, frustrated energy. How much more is wasted when we disregard the Lord's instruction!

I had this "personal parable" fresh in my mind when I came to the Book of Enos in the Book of Mormon. It caused me to more deeply consider what Enos meant when he said he "would tell you of the wrestle which I had before God." The first thing he notes, is that he recognizes his need to repent, to heed the words his father spoke of Jesus Christ, and turn to the Lord. Interestingly, it doesn't stop there. Once Enos knows he is no longer lost, he "began to be filled with a desire for his brethren." Enos life then became about loving and serving not only those he formely thought of as his brethren, but all of God's children, including those who considered themselves his enemies.

There is a footnote to the word "wrestle" in Enos 1 which refers to the Old Testament section on Jacob. Cross referencing Enos's and Jacob's experiences taught me so much. Both reached a point they desired to know and serve God. Both made mistakes in their lives, but committed to follow the Lords plan. Both are promised their works will bless not only their families, but untold future generations. And both record that it was not easy, but with the Lord's help they were able. The connection between the two is particularly intriguing when I saw the word "Israel" broken down into its two roots which individually mean "he wrestles or prevails" and "strength and power." The second root, "El," is often translated as "God." And so Israel translates to "God overcomes, " "God prevails," or "He who overcomes or prevails through the strength and power of God." The last translation seems to carry with it the heart of the promise of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

For whatsover is born of God overcometh the world; and the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4-5)

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne; even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelations 3:21-22)

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:23)

So, what does it mean to "overcome." I think Jacob received profound insight to that the night he dreamed of the ladder into heaven. (Genesis 28:12) A ladder would indicate steps that need to me taken incrementally, one by one, constantly upward, to reach your goal. As the prophet Isaiah explains:

Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breast. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little." (Isaiah 28:9-10)

I love that scripture because in so few words it not only captures the idea of a step by step learning process, but begins with the idea that we need to be "weaned from milk." In other words we all, no matter where or when we are born, are spiritual infants in relationship to God. Like infants, we have no way to provide the nourishment and growth we need for ourselves. We flounder and spiritually die if we turn away from all the Lord has prepared for us. And so he pleads:(D&C 78:17-19)

Verily, verily, I say unto you ye are little children, and have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; and ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is your and the blessing thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.

As a parent, I have considered what advice I would give my almost-legal-adult, going-off-to-college-in-the-fall daughter, about following directions given by someone who really knows the area. I know I would never advise her to make the choice I did in my "personal parable", and in hindsight I can admit it was not wise to ignore the already tried and proven directions. But at the time, it took running into a literal dead end for me to admit my error and start back to the right road. That dead end also has great import to me. When it comes to the more essential, spiritual wrestlings in my life I have come to recognize that the times of deepest inner turmoil have all come at times with 3 elements in common:

1) I had heard the Lord's words and felt a light, a warm pull of recognition- "this is truth; this is good"- deep within my soul.

2) Sometime after hearing those words, I faced circumstances that tested the depth of my conviction. To continue to live my life according to the pull I'd felt, the light it brought, would mean giving up something that seemed important and immediately gratifying now.

3) I wrestle over whether living up to the light was worth the apparent sacrifice.

This is where daily habits of "feasting upon the word of God" and prayer make a huge difference. (2 Nephi 32:3, Joshua 1:8) The word of God is based on the truths of eternity, and as I've written of before, it has a perspective expanding effect. It has been in moments when I am deeply immersed that I have been able to honestly evaluate whatever it is I'm wrestling with, and I have to acknowledge that the choice that seems more immediately appealing now, and makes it tempting for me to consider disregarding the Lord's direction or call, only caters to a very limited, finite, immediate gratification goal. If I raise my eyes and seek for where pursuing immediately gratifying choice will lead, I discover, over and over again it dead ends at some point.

Regrettably, for me, this realization began with actually reaching a dead end, and doing a painful journey turning back and getting on the right path. I am grateful for the loving guidance he offered, even after I so callously disregarded his careful efforts on my behalf. I am grateful for the infinite atonement that made it possible for me to "turn back" and return to the path of the Lord. But, I rejoice even more in all he offers to expand our vision, help us set eternal goals, and make each niggling wrestling deep within our souls a step forward on the right path. That is the divine purpose in this common, oft repeated, mortal experience. As we move "line upon line," step forward upon step forward, the "wrestling" is still part of our growth, but it is not about us being off track, but about the next thing we need to learn to continue journey forward toward becoming what we have the potential to become.

This brings me to another of the very few scripture references which us the term "wrestle" to describe our opportunities for growth. I found it profitable to consider it, because the person who is described as "wrestling" was, at this point in his life, a faithful follower of the Lord who had given up a high political office, and the worldly power and prestige that went with it, so that he could devote his time to sharing the Lord's directions. Obviously his wrestling was not over whether to "step off the path." Rather, he struggled when he prayed for a particular group of people, who were currently taking great pride in their self appointed, dead end path. Alma, having in his youth, openly rebelled against God, and tasted the very "pains of hell," knew what was on the line and experienced great "anguish of soul" over the decisions his brethren. He prayed for a miracle; he prayed that the Lord, "would pour out his Spirit upon the people…that he might baptize them to repentance." (Alma 23:10) The answer, which was essentially a "no", taught me a great deal about how much value the Lord places on agency. Moreover, as Alma listened and then acted upon what he learned as he continued to serve the Lord, what happened to Alma was really incredible.

In Alma 23, Alma is overwhelmed and in anguish over the pain he feels over his brethren. Several chapters later, Alma is again leading a mission to a city that wants nothing to do with the Lord. This time his prayer is different. He acknowledges that the law of agency, and that it means he will not be treated kindly- no matter how sincerely he loves and wants to help his brethren. He does, as always pray for success, to be led to those who are searching for the words of light and truth he brings. But the central focus of this prayer is to ask the Lord to strengthen him that he will be able to overcome or "bear" "afflictions" that might come because of other's choices. Why? Because he knows "their souls are precious." (Alma 31:30-35) By staying true to the path through this process of learning, of wrestling, of overcoming, Alma, like Enos, had become what we are all to become: filled with charity. He followed the directions of the Lord to:

Let thy bowel also be full of charity toward all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish they thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God. (Doctrine & Covenants 121:45)

That last bit, "then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God" is illustrated in several of the words from the lives and teachings of these three witnesses and examples, but my favorite cross reference to this scripture are Enos' parting words:

And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me Come unto me, ye blessed, there is place prepared for you…(Enos 1:27)

That kind of confidence; that kind of true pleasure- I think it is well worth wrestling for!

The Masterpiece

"It is a masterpiece!" In our culture today, to sincerely voice that sentiment is to give someone's work the highest compliment. With our modern usage of the term it is interesting to consider the source of the word. Prior to the growth of towns in Europe in the late middles ages, most artisans lived and worked within the walls of their lord's keep. When times became less deadly and towns began to thrive, a quality craftsman could no longer depend on his lord to provide materials, protection and stability. But he also had the opportunity to make wealth for himself. Artisan's kept the advantage of obtaining wealth, and helped mitigate the potential damage from expense, competition, and fraud by forming "guilds." Guilds were formed by artisan's who were established as masters of their craft. They banded together, pooled resources which brought down the price of obtaining raw materials, and created a structure for training new artisans that both ensured quality work for the consumer and protected their trade secrets.

So, lets suppose you were interested in becoming a master weaver. You would first have to apprentice out to a master weaver. During your time as an apprentice you would be taught the most basic skills. If the master weaver felt you showed promise you would be recommended as a journeyman. During this time you would learn more advanced skills, but "trade secrets," would be kept from you. Before you could complete you training and be considered a "master," you would be given a challenging work assignment from the master craftsmen who headed the guild. This piece of work was called "the masterpiece." If the masterpiece was completed to the guilds satisfaction, a new master was born! With the passage of time, the word "masterpiece" was also used by the general public to mean the best of the best produced by the masters of a craft. But whether you consider the origin of the phrase of its modern usage it refers to a unique and enduring work of craftsmanship.

Which brings me to Zion- the word the Lord uses to name those who decide they want to accept the "challenge to become," enter into His apprenticeship, and "with the help of their Heavenly Father, create a masterpiece of their lives." (Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Abundant Life,” Ensign, May 2006, 99–102)

Zion is what we create both individually (Zion is the pure in heart), and collectively (the Lord called his people Zion), as we move through the process to become. (Doctrine & Covenant 97:21, Moses 7:18) Because it is a creative process, and we are the apprentices, it is imperative that we learn from the oft repeated accounts of the Master Himself creating. Have you ever wondered why the Lord lists out what he created day by day, piece by piece. There is more than one reason, I know, but today lets focus on just one lesson- one very important to building Zion- the importance of variety working together in unity.

Look at this picture of Mirror Lake. What gives it its beauty? Is it the mountains? The lake? The fluffy white clouds? The deep blue sky? The little flowers on the bushes in the foreground? The pine trees? Each does have a beauty of its own, but what makes the overall breathtaking scene is the way the very different parts work together.

Or consider music. A good friend of mine is currently serving as choir director in her ward. She told me of a wonderful spiritual moment when she viewed the very different people of various shapes, sizes, careers, and talents, all joining their voices together in a common goal. It is the very differences in the ranges and tones of the choir member's voices that make the music of a choir such a thing of beauty. She said she had an impression that one of the reasons the Lord's prophets have encouraged wards to have a ward choirs is because it is a perfect example and type of what the Lord means when he "called his people Zion because they were of one heart and one mind" or "if you are not one you are not mine." (Moses 7:18, Doctrine & Covenants 38:27)

Her comments rang true. Although I love music, I do not have great talent. In fact, for me to survive in a choir I need a strong soprano who can pick out the notes next to me. I have discovered that I can learn from those with more talent and training, and with their support I can sing with them and enjoy it, too. Imagine how ridiculous it would be of me, a mediocre soprano who struggles to follow the music, to judge everyone else in the choir whose voice and expression were not like mine as doing it all wrong. Not only would it disrupt the choir and cause contention, but I would rob myself of the opportunity to learn, grow, and rejoice in song.  I would, in that hypothetical choir, be doing exactly what James was trying to get the early Christians to see they were doing within their congregations.

Speak not evil (his problem is…; I thing what he is doing is not nearly as functional as me) one of another brethren. He that speaketh evil (I can judge that he is falling short- I am in a superior enough position to point out his dysfunction) of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law(God really doesn't do enough to correct the situation so I must; God really does allow others- not me, but others- too much freedom to make mistakes): but if thou judge the law, thou are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; who are thou that judgest another. ((James 4:11-12)Italics are completely my own work! Remember the origin of the word "evil!" See "Powerful Good")

In the last conference President Uctdorf talked of a this same phenomenon creeping into our lives today:

Sometimes, well-meaning amplifications of divine principles—many coming from uninspired sources—complicate matters further, diluting the purity of divine truth with man-made addenda. One person’s good idea—something that may work for him or her—takes root and becomes an expectation. And gradually, eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of “good ideas.”

This was one of the Savior’s criticisms of the religious “experts” of His day, whom He chastised for attending to the hundreds of minor details of the law while neglecting the weightier matters.( President Dieter F. Uchtdorf Second Counselor in the First Presidency)

To help further visualize what the prophets are teaching, consider the metaphor used above of us being apprentices, the Lord being the master craftsmen, and our lives being the "masterpiece" we've each be given to work on. Our current task is to concentrate on making our masterpiece, so that we can qualify to become a master craftsmen. We do have to make judgments, to be sure- we must choose the right materials and employ them in our masterpiece according to all we have learned from the master craftsman. This includes interacting with, helping, and receiving help from other apprentices. We must also learn to discern and turn away from fraudulent or poorly made materials that would prevent us from weaving a masterpiece. In the things we must judge, the master craftsmen has given us volumes of instruction on and we are expected to, under his tutelage, to utilize that knowledge. But, we do not yet have the skills or knowledge to make an accurate evaluation of another apprentices work. Moreover, if we take it upon ourselves to use our very limited time and knowledge to make the judgments only the master can make, we neglect our own given task. We simply cannot do both. In the words of Isaiah, "all that watch for iniquity are cut off." (Isaiah 29:19)

That scripture is especially poignant when you take it in context with the whole of Isaiah 28 and 29. Isaiah 28 is the Lord correcting his "apprentices" for believing they are full fledged master craftsmen, yet rejecting the foundation and cornerstone (Jesus Christ), who is both the very best of materials and the best master craftsman. Isaiah 29 turns to our day, and the restoration of the gospel, and how the same approach will prevent many from receiving all the Lord has prepared. Verse 19 is saying that if we approach this life with our perspective being that we are in an elevated enough position to judge others standing with the Lord, and then we use our limited time and energy to do just that- "watch for iniquity-" we are in essence cutting ourselves off from being the Lord's apprentice and being able to hear his instruction.(Also see 1 Samuel 16:7) It is like we leave working on our own masterpiece to, well, waste our precious mortal apprenticeship pretending we are something we just aren’t. I believe this very human, universal tendency is "the beam" spoken of by Christ. (Matthew 7:3)

Whenever I think of "the beam," I think of one of the most tragic scriptural accounts of what can happen when we put aside our God given assignment to work on our own beam, in favor of evaluating another's iniquity. I speak of the tragedy of Judas Iscariot. Remember the Lord is the master teacher- he never gives us assignments for which, if we turn to his grace, we are not adequately prepared. Thus Judas' call as and apostle indicates he was a very capable and talented apprentice. But some of the things Jesus said and did surprised him- they didn't fit with how he'd imagined he'd be instructed. Because of his approach, his feeling he had sufficiently mastered life enough to "watch for iniquity," he saw it in Christ- the one being who was completely free from iniquity. Not only did he use his erroneous assessment to justify his own iniquity in betraying the Savior, but in his self proclaimed judge, accusatory, state of mind, he left the last supper, and so missed some of the very important instructions for completing our mortal masterpiece.

Interestingly, as I pointed out in "Moses1-Patterns", Peter faced many of the same surprises, but he approached it differently. He truly saw himself as the Lord's apprentice- "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the word of eternal life." (John 6:68, Matthew 16:15-16) And because of that he was there, after Judas had gone his own way, to hear the Savior teach:

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that yea also love one another. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples (apprentices), if ye have love one to another….

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he it is that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him….the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…(John 14:34,15:21,26)

That same command and promise is given to us today. We have the Holy Ghost, the spirit of the Lord, to help us apply the information in the scriptures and teach us about the love of the Lord, so that we don't follow the path Judas did and lose the opportunity to "create a masterpiece of our lives." One scripture I have found very helpful in this quest is Galatians 5:22-23:

But the fruits of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.

In those moments when something someone does or says hits me with surprise, causes irritation or discomfort, if I manage to call that scripture to mind, it serves as a great barometer to measure whether I am being guided by the spirit. If I am not feeling love (do I want what is best for the other person involved), peace (do I trust the Savior and the atonement), longsuffering (patient in the interest of another's growth even if it causes you some discomfort), goodness (facilitating the use of the Lord's gifts for his plan-like that strong soprano who helped me sing), and so on- well I am probably in danger of plunking down in my self proclaimed, master craftsmen, judgment seat, and spending precious time and energy on something that will only prevent me from working on the masterpiece I've been given.

And a few times when that scripture has come to mind, and I've taken the Lord up on his promise to bestow charity on all who pray for it (Moroni 7:48), something extraordinary has happened. My surprise, possibly even irritation, turns to understanding that I am in the presence of a beloved child of God who is earnestly trying to love and serve him, and whose life and circumstances so vary from my own that they have so much to share with me and teach me. Through our association the master craftsman broadens my lens, gives me insight into how to better craft my own life, and how limited and poor my life would be without the infinite variety found among His children. And I think I begin to know the beauty and wonder of Zion. And that beginning- well it is so more than I could've ever imagined.

Are You WHO You Want to Be?

Throughout the ages, and throughout the world, one of the most widely explored metaphors is that life is a journey. In my last blog I talked a bit about how the Lord has used this metaphor to help us understand why we are here and the journey He hopes for us. It is not a journey defined by any conceivable outward circumstance, but a journey of becoming. Remember this quote:
We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life…. Charity is something one becomes. (Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov 2000, 32–34)

Among the songs I enjoy is one by the band, Switchfoot, which asks:

This is your life are you who you want to be?

Note, it is not asking if you have what you want to have, or are surrounded with what you consider ideal circumstances, but "are you who you want to be." Its impact lies in connecting with the eternal truth that we are free to choose what we become. Remember that the word commandment literally means direction. And the first commandment the Lord gave Adam and Eve after they had partaken of the fruit, was to worship Him and obey His commands and love one another. (Moses 4:4, 7:32-33) When the Savior was asked which direction from the Lord was the most critical He said:

Thou shalt love the Lord they God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind….And thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

So, from the beginning all the prophets the Lord has called, all the directions and counsel he has given, is for the purpose of aiding us in our quest to become beings, like Him, who are filled with charity- the pure love of Christ for God and men.

But what if that is not who you want to be? Well, we are free to make that choice, as Cain's story makes clear. Cain's story also vividly illustrates who we are choosing to become, if we follow the same path he did. Above all, the elements of Cain's story restored in the Book of Moses, show the tireless effort on the part of the Lord to teach us, not only about the path He hopes we will take, but about the consequences we choose when we choose other paths.
First a few facts:

Fact 1: Cain had a rarely paralleled opportunity to grow up surrounded by gospel truth. Cain and Able had older siblings. In fact Cain married one of his elder brother's daughters. Even before Cain's birth some of his siblings had decided they "loved Satan more than God." Eve's words at Cain's birth showed the heartache she felt over this, and a hope that Cain would not step off the path, because he was born after his parents had faithfully, line upon line, come to a full understanding of the plan of salvation.

Fact 2: Just because Cain was born into a home filled with truth and light, it didn't mean he was forced to follow. Just as we will see that Abraham, Moses and countless other born into times and places where the gospel was either not taught or persecuted, had the choice to act upon the light they received. Cain decided that the path and directions the Lord gave were not worth his time and effort. His word's "Who is the Lord that I should know him?" are full of import. (Moses5:16)

The word "know" as used in the Old Testament never means a casual acquaintance. Its use indicates a real, intimate relationship that takes time and effort. Bottom line- we are finite beings. We can, by our very mortal natures, only accomplish so much. We have to prioritize, and Cain felt making the sacrifice of time and resources that following the Lord's direction required was not the best use of his time.

Fact 3: Before the effects of the path he chose fell upon Cain, he had the truth of it explained to him. Not sure he listened, but it was explained. Remember the Lord loves us, he wants the best for us, and in that infinite love and kindness, he does not hide, water down, or sugar coat the eternal consequences of the choices before us. Cain was told that if he chose to "reject the greater counsel of the Lord" in favor of Satan's counsel that would become his legacy- it would be what he would become. Becoming so much less than he could have been if he had followed the Lord's counsel was the curse placed upon him. (Moses 5:25)

Don't get confused by the use of the word "curse" here. In our English Dictionary you will find something like "to call upon divine power to cause injury to someone." So very, very far from what the Lord means. Remember the Lord's commitment to agency is very deep, when we knowingly make it clear we want nothing to do with Him, he respects that. The word used here means a removal of the Lord's love, protection, and the sustaining, enabling power of the atonement. Literally it means that the Lord withdraws the grace (power) by which we can choose to become like him. Cain became who he wanted to be- a being "free" from the Lord. (Moses 5:33)

Mormon, using the example of the Amlicites in The Book of Mormon, explains how the underlying eternal principle illustrated by Cain's life applies to all God's children:

Nevertheless, they had come out in open rebellion against God, therefore it was expedient that the curse should fall upon them. Now I would that ye should see that they brought upon themselves the curse; and even so doth every man that is cursed bring upon himself his own condemnation. (Alma 3:18-19)

It is easy to look as the end of Cain's path and think it doesn't apply to me, or worse try to apply it to others. But within Cain's approach to his mortal journey are elements common to most of us.  These same elements crop up again and again in scriptural teachings and they are consistently linked with rejecting the Lord's direction- and thus cutting ourselves off from the opportunity to become like him. These elements include, but are not limited to:

1. Feeling that I know what I'm about- not being open to the Lord's correcting and teaching me. This is always accompanied by a lack of recognition and gratitude for my life and the power that sustains it. If I do make any attempt to obey his command, even if it I make a few compromises or additions of my own, he owes me!

2. A pretty pronounced lack of love towards one or more of my fellow man.

3. Anger when I do receive correction.

4. Turning away from the Lord because he won't agree with me.

Out of all the examples I have found, the one that most profoundly helped me examine my life- made this lesson real and applicable to me- was the parable of the prodigal sons told by the Savior in Luke 15. It is not the younger brother (though he definitely wandered in some dead end paths) that is the final focus - the exclamation mark on what the Savior is trying to teach. The chapter starts by stating that "publicans and sinners" were drawn to the Savior, and that this was something the Pharisees found objectionable. It didn't fit with their understanding of what a man of God should be. The parables told in this chapter are directed mainly at them, and at our pharisaical tendencies. The first two parables use the example of lost sheep or piece of gold because few question their worth or that it is worthwhile to work for their recovery. The Savior emphasizes the rejoicing the Lord feels each time a son or daughter of God chooses to follow his directions and take the path that leads to Him.

When the parable of the sons is reached something odd happens. The younger son chooses to get lost- and no one seeks to redeem him. As the older son, who claims to love his father, and is the aknowledge inheritor of the birthright, his job was to care for the rest of the family as the father would. In a case, such as this, where the father could not both tend to the inheritance and search after the lost one, it fell to the elder brother to go in his father's stead and redeem that which was lost. And this was not a coin, but the greatest treasure a father could have, a child. The father's reaction when he returns shows how the father grieved this loss. Quite conspicuously, the elder brother does nothing to search after his brother.

When the younger brother comes to himself and humbly returns to his father, ready to be a servant, he is welcomed back as a son. It is a beautiful confirmation of the Lord's love and desire for all of his children to come home, and at one time in my life, the part of the parable that gave me hope. But, again the main emphasis of the parable is on the elder son. He does not rejoice in his brother's return. His brother took half of the father's worldly wealth when he left. His father kills a valuable calf in his honor, and by acknowledging him as a son, verifies he will yet receive part of the inheritance. The elder son is angry and his anger only grows when his father does not do as he instructs, apologize for his mistake, and reject the younger son. The father pleads with him to listen, to learn, to come into his presence and with him rejoice, but the son refuses and chooses to remain outside.

Do you see the common elements: Both Cain and the elder brother were not open to being taught or corrected by their fathers. Both did outwardly obey their fathers, but both did it in hopes of worldly wealth. Their focus on wealth is shown by their animosity towards their brothers- which they see as rivals for the coveted wealth. When the wealth they expected was not forthcoming or threatened, and in its place comes loving correction from their father, they respond with anger and choose to shut themselves out of their fathers presence.
Sobering isn't it. But the elder son's story is encouraging. The Savior left him standing outside the party, but didn't make a final pronouncement. And Cain's story was more fully restored because, according to Mark 15:7,the Lord rejoices more over every child who chooses the path the Savior marked, than he does over the Savior himself. And the Savior himself paid an infinitely enormous price so that no matter where we currently are, not matter if we have got caught up in the elements that so entrapped Cain and the elder brother, we can choose now to follow his path.

Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent (turn back to the path I marked), and I will receive you. (Alma 5:33) (Italics added)

Storytime

Its story time!
Once upon a time there was a young man who loved cars. He worked and he saved and one day he was able to buy the sport car of his dreams. (Here you may insert in your mental film of this story your dream car.) He decided to take his precious new acquisition out for a drive on a winding country road. He came up over a rise and saw a boy up ahead standing by the road. The boy say him and waved. The man, thinking of how delighted he would have been at that age to see such a beautiful car drive by, slows,so the boy can better enjoy the view, and waves back as he goes by. As he passes the boy stoops down, grabs a rock, and hurls it at the car. The rock hits.

OK, freeze frame, stop film, and consider:
What do you think of the boy? What would you think or do if you were in the young man's position? (I haven't met anyone, including myself that didn't first assume the boy's motives were at least somewhat delinquent. If you are the first I would love to hear about it.)

OK, resume film.
The man was rightly shocked, which was quickly followed by anger and a determination that the boy would not get away with this. He stopped, put the car in reverse and quickly backed up. He was so busy running through the scathing correction he would give, and how the boy would pay for what he had done, that he didn't find it odd that the boy didn't run away. As soon as he was next to the boy, he put down his window and prepared to let the boy have it. He had no time, for as soon as the window cracked the boy began to thank him and tell him that he had a friend seriously injured in a nearby field, and he needed to get help and how sorry he was for throwing the rock, but he didn't know how else to get the car to stop and would he please help.

OK, end story number one.
Has your estimation of the boy and his motives changed? Why did you make the assumptions you first did? How come your first thought was not that this was a good boy trying to save his friend's life?

I first heard that story in a leadership training meeting. It stuck with me because I realized I often make the same kind of erroneous assumptions about others in my life. There is a saying that you shouldn't judge a person until you have walked a mile in his shoes. It would be a wonderful thing if we could actually do that, but then we wouldn't have time to live our own unique lives, would we? In the above story, the young man did kindly attempt to put himself in the boy's shoes. From the moment the man saw the boy he thought of his own experiences and desires, and assumed the boy was standing there staring and waving for the same reason he would have- in admiration of the car. Following the same train of reasoning, when the boy threw the rock, the young man assumed it was based on jealously or malice, because that is the only reason he could come up with as to why he would've thrown a rock if he had been in the boys place. But he was not the boy and he was very, very wrong about what was in the boys heart.

Which brings me back to the power of knowing the love of God. God loves each of us perfectly, and he is able to see and understand each of us more deeply than we can understand each other without his help. As he tells us in 1 Samuel 16:7 "for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man lookeeth on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." One of the remarkable promises the Lord gives us is the promise that if we choose to become his followers he will share the gift of his love and perspective with us, so that it becomes a defining characteristic of our being. In Moroni 7:48 we are taught "Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true follower of his Son, Jesus Christ." And one of the components of charity we are taught, is that it rejoices in truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6, Moroni 7:45) And truth we are taught is "things as they reallly are." (Jacob 4:13, Doctrine & Covenants 93:24). And, since it is story time, there is one particular story that brought this all together for me. I am so grateful Elder Groberg chose to share his experience. Though I've never had the dramatic experience he had, I delighted in recognizing that what had happened for him was happening for me- the same type change in how I saw the world and others- and the same struggle, at times to hang on to it. When I have one of those days when the the love of God feels light years away- you know the days you feel you could cheerfully cause great damage to various persons, and most often their cars- I find this story time helps me remember the most important thing I know.

Elder Groberg:

God is anxious to help us feel His love wherever we are. Let me give an example.

As a young missionary I was assigned to a small island of about 700 inhabitants in a remote area of the South Pacific. To me the heat was oppressive, the mosquitoes were terrible, the mud was everywhere, the language was impossible, and the food was—well, “different.”

After a few months our island was struck by a powerful hurricane. The devastation was massive. Crops were ruined, lives were lost, housing was blown away, and the telegraph station—our only link to the outside world—was destroyed. A small government boat normally came every month or two, so we rationed our food to last four or five weeks, hoping the boat would come. But no boat came. Every day we became weaker. There were acts of great kindness, but as the sixth and seventh weeks passed with very little food, our strength slipped noticeably. My native companion, Feki, helped me in every way he could, but as the eighth week commenced, I had no energy. I just sat under the shade of a tree and prayed and read scriptures and spent hours and hours pondering the things of eternity.

The ninth week began with little outward change. However, there was a great inward change. I felt the Lord’s love more deeply than ever before and learned firsthand that His love “is the most desirable above all things … yea, and the most joyous to the soul” (1 Ne. 11:22–23).

I was pretty much skin and bones by now. I remember watching, with deep reverence, my heart beating, my lungs breathing, and thinking what a marvelous body God has created to house our equally marvelous spirit! The thought of a permanent union of these two elements, made possible through the Savior’s love, atoning sacrifice, and Resurrection, was so inspiring and satisfying that any physical discomfort faded into oblivion.

When we understand who God is, who we are, how He loves us, and what His plan is for us, fear evaporates. When we get the tiniest glimpse of these truths, our concern over worldly things vanishes. To think we actually fall for Satan’s lies that power, fame, or wealth is important is truly laughable—or would be were it not so sad.

I learned that just as rockets must overcome the pull of gravity to roar into space, so we must overcome the pull of the world to soar into the eternal realms of understanding and love. I realized my mortal life might end there, but there was no panic. I knew life would continue, and whether here or there didn’t really matter. What did matter was how much love I had in my heart. I knew I needed more! I knew that our joy now and forever is inextricably tied to our capacity to love.

As these thoughts filled and lifted my soul, I gradually became aware of some excited voices. My companion Feki’s eyes were dancing as he said, “Kolipoki, a boat has arrived, and it is full of food. We are saved! Aren’t you excited?” I wasn’t sure, but since the boat had come, that must be God’s answer, so yes, I was happy. Feki gave me some food and said, “Here, eat.” I hesitated. I looked at the food. I looked at Feki. I looked into the sky and closed my eyes.

I felt something very deep. I was grateful my life here would go on as before; still, there was a wistful feeling—a subtle sense of postponement, as when darkness closes the brilliant colors of a perfect sunset and you realize you must wait for another evening to again enjoy such beauty.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to open my eyes, but when I did I realized that God’s love had changed everything. The heat, the mud, the mosquitoes, the people, the language, the food were no longer challenges. Those who had tried to harm me were no longer my enemies. Everyone was my brother or sister. Being filled with God’s love is the most joyous of all things and is worth every cost.

I thanked God for this choice time and for the many reminders of His love—the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the birth of a child, the smile of a friend. I thanked Him for scriptures, for the privilege of prayer, and for that most marvelous reminder of His love—the sacrament.

I learned that as we sing the sacrament hymns with real intent, phrases like “How great the wisdom and the love” or “Dearly, dearly has he loved! And we must love him too” will swell our hearts with love and gratitude (see “How Great the Wisdom and the Love,” Hymns, no. 195; “There Is a Green Hill Far Away,” Hymns, no. 194). As we sincerely listen to the sacrament prayers, phrases such as “always remember him,” “keep his commandments,” “have his Spirit to be with them” will fill our hearts with an overwhelming desire to be better (see D&C 20:77, 79). Then when we partake of the bread and the water with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, I know we can feel and even hear those most wondrous words “I love you. I love you.”

I thought I would never forget these feelings, but the pull of the world is strong and we tend to slip. But God continues to love us. (John H. Groberg, “The Power of God’s Love,” Ensign, Nov 2004, 9)