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.

Let There Be Light

" Money and happiness get all of the ink, but living with purpose might be the truest and straightest line to health and happiness. " (Bob Condor, http://www.abc26.com/health/sns-health-life-purpose-happiness,0,7101337.story))
I have to agree with "cutting edge science."  It reminds me of this story:

There is the old story you have heard so many times of the question asked of three builders of St. Paul’s cathedral in London, “What are you doing here?” The first one answered, “I am working eight hours a day. I am putting in time. I am earning my living this way.” The second one said, “I am putting brick on brick and I am building a structure here.” The third, when asked, raised himself to full stature and said, “I am building a great cathedral.” (Spencer W. Kimball, “A Vision of Visiting Teaching,” Ensign, Jun 1978, 24)

I've thought about that story. It is very short, but you still can clearly see the difference in the men's feelings about their lives. They were going through very similar motions throughout the day, but the third- the third knew he was creating something of lasting value. I especially love the line "raised himself to full statures." He felt his life was being spent in a meaningful purpose, and the satisfaction and happiness he felt in that stood out. It resonates with me because as I came to really study the scriptures and received a witness of who I am and why I am here, I honestly felt that, for the first time, I grew a backbone- a feeling of purpose. I came to understand that the creation of the earth was only preparatory to the ongoing creative work of the Lord, and miraculously, I could have a part in that. Hence, the master creator laid out for me important information about how to successfully go about doing my part in our creative partnership.

First, consider parallels between the creation of the earth and the process we need to go through to be born again and accept the "challenge to become" (Elder Oaks). The earth is described as "void," "without form," -a little bit of purposeless matter until it heard and responded to the voice of the Lord. Because it responded with obedience to each of the Lord's commands, it eventually became a vibrant, beautiful, living creation, with great purpose- an instrument in the hands of the Lord in supporting and nurturing others.

Now look as us. The scriptures teach us that the Savior is the "light of the world."(John 8:12, D&C 88:5-13) And the Lord laments that " that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." The Lord describes those who have rebelled, or been unable to receive gospel light, as "those that sit in darkness." (Psalms 107:10, Luke 1:79, Doctrine & Covenants 57:10) But He promises those who faithfully follow Him, who make it their work and their purpose to receive and act upon the light they do receive -literally obey as the earth did- they eventually will become full of light and truth. And, along the way they will become beings who are instruments in the Lord's hands in offering life and spiritual nurturing to others.

That which of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light and that light growth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. (Doctrine & Covenants 50:24)

And if your eye be single to my glory (see John 7:18), you’re your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you, and that body which is filled with light compreheneth all things. (Doctrine & Covenants 88:67)

I particularly love the way the story of Alma and the Sons of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon illustrate. Shortly after painfully deciding he "lacked wisdom" and would turn to the Lord, Alma talked about his prior condition:

"My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God." (Mosiah 27:29)

Later, Ammon, one of the sons of Mosiah, reflects on the power of the Lord, and how, through His power, they have become joyful, purposeful instruments in the Lord's hands:

And this is the great blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about his great work….I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold my joy is full, yea my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God…Yea they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light…they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love….yea we will rejoice, for our joy is full….I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. (Alma 26:3-16)

Of course, if you are familiar with the story, you know that prior to that day of great rejoicing there were several struggles. The mission that ended with such success began with most of them being beaten and imprisoned, and the other becoming a servant assigned a duty calculated to end in his death. These men, and so many other examples from the scriptures, all follow the pattern we see in the creation. They continue to strive to faithfully follow the Lord commands through several creative phases. Learning, growing, becoming better able to discern light and darkness for themselves, and in turn, become instruments in the Lord's hands in offering it to others.

There is so much more to learn from the creation, but as I think about it, I think discussing those lessons fit better with specific examples we will encounter as we go through the Old Testament, so I'll save those notes for later. So I close with these words of encouragement:

I am asking you not to give up “for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.” That “great work” is you—your life, your future, the very fulfillment of your dreams. That “great work” is what, with effort and patience and God’s help, you can become. (Jeffrey R. Holland, “However Long and Hard the Road,” New Era, Sep 1983, 38)

Believe That He Is

Ever thought about "vanity?" Bet you have- after all we live in a society where millions spend billions every year hoping to attain or maintain a very narrow ideal of beauty. Although it is not the first definition, the one we most often talk of is to "take excessive pride in ones appearance or accomplishments." Our culture has long focused on a preoccupation with physical beauty being "vanity", and we have several indications that vanity no longer carries just negative connotations, but has blended with the ideas of beauty and taking care of oneself. Our area for daily grooming is called a "vanity." Those fun personalized licenses plates are called "vanity plates." Business dealing with beauty and fashion include the word "vanity" in their name as a selling point. With all this, it can be easy to lose the origin of the word and how the Lord frequently uses it through out the scriptures.

The root of the word comes from the Latin "vanus" which means empty and void of purpose. Most of the words used in the Bible agree with that definition: something empty, as insubstantial as air, without meaning or purpose. One of the Hebrew words for "vanity" expounds the meaning a bit. It literally means a "flowing away" and indicates a vessel that is "emptied of contents or usefulness." (Jeff A. Benner, Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible,p.67) In 100s of scriptures the Lord laments that we literally waste- throw away- the opportunity for our mortal experience of be filled with the growth, meaning and purpose he offers, and replace it with an endless variety of things that are empty.

So what does this have to do with the creation of the earth? Well, as part of the restoration of the fullness of the gospel of Christ, we had two additional accounts of the creation put into our written scriptures. And that is just the beginning of the repetition of the creation account we receive if we endeavor to faithfully follow the Lord's plan. As I wrote about before in "Patterns and Principles," when the Lord repeats, it is important to pay attention - the Lord doesn't do vanity!  So the question is what are the eternally significant reasons for us to repeatedly review and ponder the creation?

For one, pondering the creation is a key element in bringing us to an understanding of our true relationship with the Lord, so we will take instruction from Him. That is a key reason for the repetition- to help us avoid vanity.

“The purpose of God’s creations and of His giving us life is to allow us to have the learning experience necessary for us to come back to Him, to live with Him in eternal life. That is only possible if we have our natures changed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, true repentance, and making and keeping the covenants He offers” (Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles “Education for Real Life,” Ensign, Oct. 2002, 16).

Remember back in "Back to the Beginning" I talked about how in the scriptures show a link between being taught and reminded of the creation, and true repentance(the tool by which we lay hold of the atonement of Christ, and make the most of this mortal opportunity) and conversion(becoming what we came here to become). The many times that the earth's creation is mentioned in connection to repentance really began to jump out at me after hearing this:

The doctrine of repentance is much broader than a dictionary’s definition. When Jesus said “repent,” His disciples recorded that command in the Greek language with the verb metanoeo. This powerful word has great significance. In this word, the prefix meta means “change.” The suffix relates to four important Greek terms: nous, meaning “the mind”; gnosis, meaning “knowledge”; pneuma, meaning “spirit”; and pnoe, meaning “breath.”

Thus, when Jesus said “repent,” He asked us to change—to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit—even our breath. A prophet explained that such a change in one’s breath is to breathe with grateful acknowledgment of Him who grants each breath. King Benjamin said, “If ye should serve him who has created you … and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath … from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.”(Mosiah 2:21-25)  (Russell M. Nelson, “Repentance and Conversion,” Ensign, May 2007, 102–5)

Later in the same address, the same prophet, Mosiah, counsels his people how to stay on the path that would make the most of this earthy journey and lead to eternal life:

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things both in heaven and in earth, believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth, believe that man doth not comprehend all things which the Lord can comprehend. (Mosiah 4:1 also Mosiah 5:15)

An Earlier prophet, seeking to leave his children with all they needed to not waste their life in vanity taught:

And now, my sons, I speak unto you these thing for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both heavens and the earth, and all thing that in them are…to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man. (2 Nephi 2:14-15)

And another:

For Behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, o then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hand upon the face of it…wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. (Jacob 4:9-10)

And another:

Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread for the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein. (Isaiah 41:5)

Ok, I guess I need to go on, but there are many more examples. As I think about the effect coming to truly "believe that (God) created all things both in heaven and in earth" had on me, I am reminded of what Moses said when he witnessed a portion of what the Lord had created:

"Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed."(Moses 1:10)

This is not a negative, self-deprecating thing, but an eye opening wondrous thing. Pondering the creation, asking for confirmation that these accounts are given by a loving Heavenly Father for our benefit, and exercising faith, allows the spirit to teach us the truth that God is and that He did create all things. This in turn renews and illuminates within us a depth of awe and gratitude for all we have been given. We get an expanded perspective of all that has been done for us- how endless are the gifts that have been created for our benefit. (Even something as natural as breathing feels more like the blessing and miracle it is.) And with that gratitude comes a softness, a realization like unto what Moses described and Jacob encouraged his people to realize. And then we are more teachable and willing to receive the Lord's tutelage. And He teaches us that we are His children and if we will follow the path He defines we can become like Him. We can become beings that have His capacity to give and create- something we can begin to practice right now. Which is why reviewing the accounts of creation has so much more to teach us- it is what the Lord has presently given us explaining how he creates- but that is a topic that, at the very least, deserves a blog all its own.