This will be a transition week. I thought I would put all the random things remaining from the Book of Mormon in last week's post, but I forgot something. I also thought I would start with adult Jesus in the New Testament, because the other stories are more about the people around him, and not him. Still, he has an influence.
The Book of Mormon thing - and I had thought of it before - was that for all of the editing work that Mormon did, it is appropriate that Moroni was the one who went through Ether's record. Both of them witnessed the end of their respective civilization. The solitude must have been hard, especially without knowing how long it would last.
"Now the last words which are written by Ether are these: Whether the Lord will that I be translated, or that I suffer the will of the Lord in the flesh, it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God. Amen." Ether 15:34
It makes sense to add that to the account of the Jaredites anyway, but for someone who was in such a similar situation, I think those lines meant a lot to Moroni. I think he took comfort and strength from them.
There are other helps too. In Mormon 8:11 Moroni tells us that the remaining disciples have ministered to him and his father. If last week was about how the Lord gives us credit for what we do, this week is that he won't leave us alone as we do it.
And that is how we bridge to the New Testament, because there is a beautiful relationship between cousins Mary and Elizabeth in Luke 1.
Being unmarried and pregnant can still be pretty hard in our time, but Joseph literally could have had Mary stoned. That he didn't probably didn't take away the social censure.There may also be some elements of people judging you when you are an older woman who has been barren and is suddenly pregnant, plus now her husband has been rendered temporarily speechless, with deafness implied.
It doesn't sound like pregnancy was great under Mosaic law anyway, but here are two women who are righteous and doing important things and they are still subject to scorn and ridicule and judgment.
They do not have to do it alone. They will not be together the entire time, and there will still be hardship, but they can support each other and at their coming together there is an outpouring of spirit and joy.
It is good to be a good friend to others and to be supportive, but there is also something to bringing others together. These people would enjoy each others' company. These people would relate to each other. This person would be a great mentor for that person. Then we are not only recognizing the needs of others, but also their abilities, and that everything doesn't have to be about us.
In such exhausting times it can be hard to think of inviting people over and making ways for them to meet each other, but maybe it doesn't always require that. Maybe sometimes it's just a message on Facebook and encouraging a connection.
We can at least try.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Trying to be like Jesus - credit where credit is due
The first teaching priority was establishing a church and giving the Sermon on the Mount teachings, then there was the break for healing and blessing children. Once it was time for learning again, Jesus spent time on other prophets.
He got the Nephites to record that the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite had come to pass. He endorsed the teachings of Isaiah that they already had. He quotes prophecies of Malachi so they could have them.
The importance of having a written record was established pretty early for the Nephites before they were even Nephites, when Nephi himself needed to go back for the brass plates. Reminding the Nephites that there were important things in the scriptures they already had, and reminding them of the fulfilled prophecy they had recently seen, makes a lot of sense. Introducing them to a prophet from another land that they had long been gone from, and who had long been dead, is a little more surprising.
I have seen suggestions that some of the scripture that we have repeated in the Book of Mormon is to give us a better translation of it, though any differences are often minor.
I do not doubt that the Savior could have given the information from Malachi in his own words, but he quotes it and he names Malachi. I see in that a reminder that the Lord recognizes the work of his servants. They may not be doing it for recognition (ideally they aren't), and he doesn't owe them any more than they are already given, but he still remains generous and appreciative and loyal.
It makes me think of a few different things. One is that I believe he desires us to be united as much as possible. He tells the Jews there are other sheep, and he tells the Nephites what it means, and that there are still more sheep. Someday Judah and Ephraim will be united, but for now - if you can handle it - I will at least let you know about each other.
(And of course, what we can handle is a bigger topic, but we'll get there.)
Also, it reminds me of this, which I just saw recently:
http://www.shakesville.com/2017/02/my-essay-was-stolen.html
I have seen some people copy others' material as their own before, which is its own problem, but yes, sometimes people won't take the credit, but they won't give it to the author either. When linking is so easy, and when you get reminders, that is a choice. Given that more marginalized people are more likely to have their work stolen and wrongly attributed, it shows a nasty side of human nature. I can get away with abusing this person, because they are from a group that doesn't do anything good anyway - except they do good things; the credit just goes to the first higher-ranking person who puts it out there. There's that, but also, if you think something is worth passing on, why can't you see the worth of the originator?
That leads to the third thing: Jesus never does that.
I am sure one reason lesser beings might do it is because they have insecurities and things that lead to a temptation to keep others down. The Savior of mankind is secure in his achievements, but I think what is more important to him is that he loves even the most insecure and fallible humans. He had to love them enough to suffer and die for them. He came to know us in that process.
And he will fight for us. He will give us credit for any thing we do right, and he had made a path so we can be forgiven of the things we do wrong. We can be raised up at the last day because of what he has done, and we can become better now because of what he continues to do.
I know these posts and the things I say outside of these posts will keep coming down to loving others, but that doesn't make it less true or less important. We must love each other, and part of that is appreciating each other. We can understand the imperfections, then still celebrate any time one of us overcomes our weaknesses. Sometimes we can help each other in the overcoming.
That is what will be most like him.
He got the Nephites to record that the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite had come to pass. He endorsed the teachings of Isaiah that they already had. He quotes prophecies of Malachi so they could have them.
The importance of having a written record was established pretty early for the Nephites before they were even Nephites, when Nephi himself needed to go back for the brass plates. Reminding the Nephites that there were important things in the scriptures they already had, and reminding them of the fulfilled prophecy they had recently seen, makes a lot of sense. Introducing them to a prophet from another land that they had long been gone from, and who had long been dead, is a little more surprising.
I have seen suggestions that some of the scripture that we have repeated in the Book of Mormon is to give us a better translation of it, though any differences are often minor.
I do not doubt that the Savior could have given the information from Malachi in his own words, but he quotes it and he names Malachi. I see in that a reminder that the Lord recognizes the work of his servants. They may not be doing it for recognition (ideally they aren't), and he doesn't owe them any more than they are already given, but he still remains generous and appreciative and loyal.
It makes me think of a few different things. One is that I believe he desires us to be united as much as possible. He tells the Jews there are other sheep, and he tells the Nephites what it means, and that there are still more sheep. Someday Judah and Ephraim will be united, but for now - if you can handle it - I will at least let you know about each other.
(And of course, what we can handle is a bigger topic, but we'll get there.)
Also, it reminds me of this, which I just saw recently:
http://www.shakesville.com/2017/02/my-essay-was-stolen.html
I have seen some people copy others' material as their own before, which is its own problem, but yes, sometimes people won't take the credit, but they won't give it to the author either. When linking is so easy, and when you get reminders, that is a choice. Given that more marginalized people are more likely to have their work stolen and wrongly attributed, it shows a nasty side of human nature. I can get away with abusing this person, because they are from a group that doesn't do anything good anyway - except they do good things; the credit just goes to the first higher-ranking person who puts it out there. There's that, but also, if you think something is worth passing on, why can't you see the worth of the originator?
That leads to the third thing: Jesus never does that.
I am sure one reason lesser beings might do it is because they have insecurities and things that lead to a temptation to keep others down. The Savior of mankind is secure in his achievements, but I think what is more important to him is that he loves even the most insecure and fallible humans. He had to love them enough to suffer and die for them. He came to know us in that process.
And he will fight for us. He will give us credit for any thing we do right, and he had made a path so we can be forgiven of the things we do wrong. We can be raised up at the last day because of what he has done, and we can become better now because of what he continues to do.
I know these posts and the things I say outside of these posts will keep coming down to loving others, but that doesn't make it less true or less important. We must love each other, and part of that is appreciating each other. We can understand the imperfections, then still celebrate any time one of us overcomes our weaknesses. Sometimes we can help each other in the overcoming.
That is what will be most like him.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Trying to be like Jesus - Inside
If the first priority for Jesus among the Nephites was organization, the second was catching them up on things that they missed, starting with the teachings from the Sermon on the Mount.
The Atonement and Resurrection have been completed, so we are no longer looking forward through the Law of Moses but now remembering through the sacrament (which will also be part of this visit). From a procedural point of view, the priority makes sense, but what struck me while reading this time was that now we are looking more inward than outward. The rituals and rules under Mosaic Law were supposed to guide you, so it's not that it didn't matter what kind of person you were, but now we are really thinking about the kind of person you are.
I was thinking about that, and thinking it might make more sense to cover that while actually in the New Testament, but then something bothered me that I thought would be a tangent, and actually it fits.
It started with a training segment at the end of a church meeting about avoiding the appearance of evil, with an example about being around in bars and how that looks. I was irritated because I have had good times in bars. I don't drink, I am not tempted to drink, but they are meant for lingering more than restaurants are, and sometimes the food is quite cheap.
The example was that if someone else thinks it looks like you're drinking, it could weaken them. I mean, the non-alcoholic drinks generally look different (pop in plastic cups instead of glasses, other things that make it easy for the staff to keep track of who is getting what), but I only know that because I have hung out in bars.
There is a point to the example, in that I do not want to weaken anyone, regardless of how weak they would have to be for that to be an influence. The "appearance of evil" quote comes from Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:22. That is interesting because his epistles often deal with balancing the traditional with the new. First there was pressure on Christian converts to live the law of Moses even if they had not been raised in it, and that didn't make sense. Then it was just to abstain from food that had been part of sacrifices to idols, and then there was a realization that it doesn't really matter, except if a newer convert is watching. It still has the realization that if your heart is right that many actions are neutral.
I was thinking about that, and when I spend time in bars it is not evil, and it shouldn't even look particularly evil, unless you think the bar in itself is evil. People getting together and socializing certainly isn't evil. Of course we don't drink, but even that isn't evil; it's a thing we have covenanted not to do, and there are good reasons for that, but it is not inherently evil.
There is the potential for bad. There are people who drink to excess and there are people who lower their inhibitions a little and do really regrettable things. If that is your mental picture of a bar, then it may look evil even if it is clean and cheerful and full of friendly people having light-hearted fun. There are bars that are depressing and even dangerous.
But thinking about that, yes, people will let alcohol make them do stupid things without anything other than opportunity, but it is also pretty common that with substance abuse (including alcoholism) that there are deep problems there. People may use the buzz to kill the pain of life. It may not be the most productive method, but if it is the most available, it's understandable.
Sometimes the evil isn't so much the alcohol as it is the economic inequality, and the society that keeps trying to devalue some so that others can feel better. Fix those things, and alcohol abuse goes down.
That is a real evil, not an appearance. The real evil needs to be fought. And as I think about that, it feels like avoiding the appearance of evil makes it too easy to ignore the real evil that we should be changing.
I started out feeling irritated with a message, but thinking that I could find a point in it that wasn't necessarily bad. Now I feel like avoiding the appearance of evil is pernicious.
I am sure there is still a way to do it right, probably most importantly by speaking up when something is wrong rather than going along with it. Getting hung up on appearances, though, I can't see that it does much good.
The Atonement and Resurrection have been completed, so we are no longer looking forward through the Law of Moses but now remembering through the sacrament (which will also be part of this visit). From a procedural point of view, the priority makes sense, but what struck me while reading this time was that now we are looking more inward than outward. The rituals and rules under Mosaic Law were supposed to guide you, so it's not that it didn't matter what kind of person you were, but now we are really thinking about the kind of person you are.
I was thinking about that, and thinking it might make more sense to cover that while actually in the New Testament, but then something bothered me that I thought would be a tangent, and actually it fits.
It started with a training segment at the end of a church meeting about avoiding the appearance of evil, with an example about being around in bars and how that looks. I was irritated because I have had good times in bars. I don't drink, I am not tempted to drink, but they are meant for lingering more than restaurants are, and sometimes the food is quite cheap.
The example was that if someone else thinks it looks like you're drinking, it could weaken them. I mean, the non-alcoholic drinks generally look different (pop in plastic cups instead of glasses, other things that make it easy for the staff to keep track of who is getting what), but I only know that because I have hung out in bars.
There is a point to the example, in that I do not want to weaken anyone, regardless of how weak they would have to be for that to be an influence. The "appearance of evil" quote comes from Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:22. That is interesting because his epistles often deal with balancing the traditional with the new. First there was pressure on Christian converts to live the law of Moses even if they had not been raised in it, and that didn't make sense. Then it was just to abstain from food that had been part of sacrifices to idols, and then there was a realization that it doesn't really matter, except if a newer convert is watching. It still has the realization that if your heart is right that many actions are neutral.
I was thinking about that, and when I spend time in bars it is not evil, and it shouldn't even look particularly evil, unless you think the bar in itself is evil. People getting together and socializing certainly isn't evil. Of course we don't drink, but even that isn't evil; it's a thing we have covenanted not to do, and there are good reasons for that, but it is not inherently evil.
There is the potential for bad. There are people who drink to excess and there are people who lower their inhibitions a little and do really regrettable things. If that is your mental picture of a bar, then it may look evil even if it is clean and cheerful and full of friendly people having light-hearted fun. There are bars that are depressing and even dangerous.
But thinking about that, yes, people will let alcohol make them do stupid things without anything other than opportunity, but it is also pretty common that with substance abuse (including alcoholism) that there are deep problems there. People may use the buzz to kill the pain of life. It may not be the most productive method, but if it is the most available, it's understandable.
Sometimes the evil isn't so much the alcohol as it is the economic inequality, and the society that keeps trying to devalue some so that others can feel better. Fix those things, and alcohol abuse goes down.
That is a real evil, not an appearance. The real evil needs to be fought. And as I think about that, it feels like avoiding the appearance of evil makes it too easy to ignore the real evil that we should be changing.
I started out feeling irritated with a message, but thinking that I could find a point in it that wasn't necessarily bad. Now I feel like avoiding the appearance of evil is pernicious.
I am sure there is still a way to do it right, probably most importantly by speaking up when something is wrong rather than going along with it. Getting hung up on appearances, though, I can't see that it does much good.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Trying to be like Jesus - organization
While I was reading the section for his service, as I said, two other things struck me. One was how quickly he set up a church organization.
This happens more in 3 Nephi 11 and 12. Once identification is settled (which could be another topic), Jesus calls Nephi, preaches about baptism, and then chooses the rest of the apostles.
Establishing a church is also important in the New Testament and our latter-day history, so that shouldn't be surprising, but I did notice the immediacy and thought about that.
I have written before about seeing how not attending church kills your testimony, even when it may seem like church is not particularly feeding your testimony. Part of it is probably obedience versus disobedience. Us needing us other could be reason enough.
Examined in the light of trying to follow Christ's example, the easy answer is that we should participate in the organization. I will go to church, and I will serve in my calling, and I will worship in communal ways as well as private ways. I mean, obviously I am not going to follow him by setting up my own church, especially when I believe he organized this one. That makes the easy answer more of a follow than emulate kind of thing. Is that too easy?
It feels like there can be some room to acknowledge that if we need each other, and we can benefit by coming together, there may be inspired ways of building on that.
I was in singles wards for many years. Toward the end there was a much larger mix of immature and self-absorbed young singles. They wanted to feel important and had no grasp that serving others was the best way of making that happen. It was a great cause of despair for one bishop's wife.
I remember talking with her about this, and the only thing I could suggest was that maybe she could invite some to serve others. Have this lonely person over to back cookies for this other lonely person, and maybe that would spark something.
It is more work that way, but God is constantly choosing to work through us, which I sadly realize must always be more work.
If he has decided that we are worth the extra effort, then I can't reasonably decide that we aren't. I can look for more opportunities to bring others along.
That may mean inviting others to volunteer in existing situations and it could mean setting up new organizations if there is a need that is not being met but could be.
Looking for ways to involve others in doing good feels like something he would do.
This happens more in 3 Nephi 11 and 12. Once identification is settled (which could be another topic), Jesus calls Nephi, preaches about baptism, and then chooses the rest of the apostles.
Establishing a church is also important in the New Testament and our latter-day history, so that shouldn't be surprising, but I did notice the immediacy and thought about that.
I have written before about seeing how not attending church kills your testimony, even when it may seem like church is not particularly feeding your testimony. Part of it is probably obedience versus disobedience. Us needing us other could be reason enough.
Examined in the light of trying to follow Christ's example, the easy answer is that we should participate in the organization. I will go to church, and I will serve in my calling, and I will worship in communal ways as well as private ways. I mean, obviously I am not going to follow him by setting up my own church, especially when I believe he organized this one. That makes the easy answer more of a follow than emulate kind of thing. Is that too easy?
It feels like there can be some room to acknowledge that if we need each other, and we can benefit by coming together, there may be inspired ways of building on that.
I was in singles wards for many years. Toward the end there was a much larger mix of immature and self-absorbed young singles. They wanted to feel important and had no grasp that serving others was the best way of making that happen. It was a great cause of despair for one bishop's wife.
I remember talking with her about this, and the only thing I could suggest was that maybe she could invite some to serve others. Have this lonely person over to back cookies for this other lonely person, and maybe that would spark something.
It is more work that way, but God is constantly choosing to work through us, which I sadly realize must always be more work.
If he has decided that we are worth the extra effort, then I can't reasonably decide that we aren't. I can look for more opportunities to bring others along.
That may mean inviting others to volunteer in existing situations and it could mean setting up new organizations if there is a need that is not being met but could be.
Looking for ways to involve others in doing good feels like something he would do.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Trying to be like Jesus - 3 Nephi 17
I was pretty sure this would be my first topic, because I knew there was something here. As I was getting to it - still reading in order because it's hard for me to do things any other way - I found two other things that seem significant.
Those might be the next two weeks, and there might be other things I find before I get to the wedding in Cana, which I originally thought would be the second post. My point is that it is always good to go back to the scriptures, because no matter how many times we have read them and how much we remember, there is always more.
(And, just in case anyone reading along does not have the non-Bible scriptures, they are online too: https://www.lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng)
3 Nephi, chapter 17:
1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.
2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.
3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.
4 But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.
5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.
When we get to parables, I might write about how sometimes the best and most loving thing you can do for someone is not give them knowledge they are not ready for. That is not what is happening here.
These people are eager to learn, and they can handle more knowledge, but not today. They are still mortal. They are tired. Their minds and bodies both need to rest, and taking some time to ponder what they have already heard will help the next round of learning go better. It is for their own good that they pause.
They also just don't want to lose this feeling. They don't want him to go. I can understand that.
He understands it even better, and finds a way to make it work. He calls up all of their sick and afflicted and heals them. He allows time for personal contact. That would still be something where you want to pay attention because it is wonderful to see, but it is a different way of engaging. Then he takes and blesses their children.
I believe that even in the pause in teaching he is teaching us something. Service can be better than a lecture - depending on the needs - and it does still teach. And even though we do not have the same abilities to bless and heal, we have some abilities.
Perhaps there are difficulties that we can remove, or there is work we can do. I cannot give you the ability to walk again, but I can give you a ride here, or take your laundry and get it done for you today.
I know there is a lot of love that is felt when you take time for children. They respond to it, and it means a lot to their parents.
We may want to be missionaries all the time, preaching to people and showing them a better way. That has merit, but it can wrong if we are showing that we feel superior (often incorrectly), or wearying people who have other things to deal with. These are stressful, disheartening times.
I still find that there are often many ways to serve and cheer and to make the time we spend together good. If we wish to be like Jesus, that is something to consider.
Those might be the next two weeks, and there might be other things I find before I get to the wedding in Cana, which I originally thought would be the second post. My point is that it is always good to go back to the scriptures, because no matter how many times we have read them and how much we remember, there is always more.
(And, just in case anyone reading along does not have the non-Bible scriptures, they are online too: https://www.lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng)
3 Nephi, chapter 17:
1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.
2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.
3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.
4 But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.
5 And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.
6 And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you.
When we get to parables, I might write about how sometimes the best and most loving thing you can do for someone is not give them knowledge they are not ready for. That is not what is happening here.
These people are eager to learn, and they can handle more knowledge, but not today. They are still mortal. They are tired. Their minds and bodies both need to rest, and taking some time to ponder what they have already heard will help the next round of learning go better. It is for their own good that they pause.
They also just don't want to lose this feeling. They don't want him to go. I can understand that.
He understands it even better, and finds a way to make it work. He calls up all of their sick and afflicted and heals them. He allows time for personal contact. That would still be something where you want to pay attention because it is wonderful to see, but it is a different way of engaging. Then he takes and blesses their children.
I believe that even in the pause in teaching he is teaching us something. Service can be better than a lecture - depending on the needs - and it does still teach. And even though we do not have the same abilities to bless and heal, we have some abilities.
Perhaps there are difficulties that we can remove, or there is work we can do. I cannot give you the ability to walk again, but I can give you a ride here, or take your laundry and get it done for you today.
I know there is a lot of love that is felt when you take time for children. They respond to it, and it means a lot to their parents.
We may want to be missionaries all the time, preaching to people and showing them a better way. That has merit, but it can wrong if we are showing that we feel superior (often incorrectly), or wearying people who have other things to deal with. These are stressful, disheartening times.
I still find that there are often many ways to serve and cheer and to make the time we spend together good. If we wish to be like Jesus, that is something to consider.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
How we define
I read an online comic called Dumbing of Age. Set at Indiana University, college freshmen - including one girl raised in a religious fundamentalist home - encounter people with different backgrounds, beliefs, races, genders, orientations, and it is a learning time.
For Joyce, part of that has been seeing the good in others who don't share her faith, including those with no faith, and seeing flaws with the exclusion and condemnation that were a part of her church. This is a recent strip:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/02-everything-youve-ever-wanted/episcopalian/#comment
My first reaction was thinking that there are churches that are way more hippie than Episcopalians. I like the comic, but I also will always at least scan the comments, because they get some good discussions going. One on this strip was about how it can be easy to define yourself by what you are against, and what you can't even get close to because your whole thing becomes being against it.
It struck me because I have known for a long time that you don't want to be defined by the negative position. There is more light in being for something, and being for the right things. This is especially true because fear becomes so much a part of being "against".
That is where the idea for the next blog series came from, but I am going to explore the idea a little more first.
At girl's camp once (so this goes back many years), I remember Brother Winwood teaching us about motivations. He used taking out his wife as an example. He could do it because he was scared not to, or because it was something he should do, or because it was something he wanted to do. He pointed out that doing things from love and desire is better, but then it was something I thought about a lot on my own.
Fear can help you make reasonable decisions sometimes, but it is not an ideal state. Duty has good things about it too, but it can be a grind. Love always sounded better. It feels better. It sustains you better. Love is the way to be.
In thinking about how to define myself, the obvious thing would be to try and be like Christ. I am not defined by trying to avoid evil, but by actively trying to be good. That's something we preach anyway, but it can be good to take a look at it again, and this seems like a good time to go through the scriptures and remember what he did and how he related to people, because that's how I want to be.
That will mainly be pulling from the four gospels, but I will be using other scriptures, because I can, and I think that means that next week I am going to start with 3rd Nephi, mainly because that works well with where I was in my personal study anyway. Besides, if I tried to go in straight chronological order, I'd be sure to miss something and then get all irritated with myself. I am just going to take this as it comes.
For Joyce, part of that has been seeing the good in others who don't share her faith, including those with no faith, and seeing flaws with the exclusion and condemnation that were a part of her church. This is a recent strip:
http://www.dumbingofage.com/2017/comic/book-7/02-everything-youve-ever-wanted/episcopalian/#comment
My first reaction was thinking that there are churches that are way more hippie than Episcopalians. I like the comic, but I also will always at least scan the comments, because they get some good discussions going. One on this strip was about how it can be easy to define yourself by what you are against, and what you can't even get close to because your whole thing becomes being against it.
It struck me because I have known for a long time that you don't want to be defined by the negative position. There is more light in being for something, and being for the right things. This is especially true because fear becomes so much a part of being "against".
That is where the idea for the next blog series came from, but I am going to explore the idea a little more first.
At girl's camp once (so this goes back many years), I remember Brother Winwood teaching us about motivations. He used taking out his wife as an example. He could do it because he was scared not to, or because it was something he should do, or because it was something he wanted to do. He pointed out that doing things from love and desire is better, but then it was something I thought about a lot on my own.
Fear can help you make reasonable decisions sometimes, but it is not an ideal state. Duty has good things about it too, but it can be a grind. Love always sounded better. It feels better. It sustains you better. Love is the way to be.
In thinking about how to define myself, the obvious thing would be to try and be like Christ. I am not defined by trying to avoid evil, but by actively trying to be good. That's something we preach anyway, but it can be good to take a look at it again, and this seems like a good time to go through the scriptures and remember what he did and how he related to people, because that's how I want to be.
That will mainly be pulling from the four gospels, but I will be using other scriptures, because I can, and I think that means that next week I am going to start with 3rd Nephi, mainly because that works well with where I was in my personal study anyway. Besides, if I tried to go in straight chronological order, I'd be sure to miss something and then get all irritated with myself. I am just going to take this as it comes.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Faith for each moment
This isn't the start of the new series yet, but putting together a couple of things that touched me.
A recent speaker in church talked about his family, which over the generations has seen a fair share of medical and developmental difficulties with children. Sometimes there were miracles, and insight gleaned that could help other people. Sometimes the children died. Sometimes there were miracles and then death.
It had me thinking about faith and God's will. I truly believe in the possibility of miraculous healings, but I know that they don't always happen. I also know that there are things we learn and growth we gain during the suffering, which is perhaps its own miracle.
I was thinking about these in relation to my mother's dementia, because that is what I am always coming back to. I would love for her to be completely cured. Barring that, I would love for her to at least always recognize my sisters and not think that there is still someone missing. That causes a lot of pain.
I pray for that specifically, and other things, but we are also learning patience and understanding, which are good things to have. We may come closer to being whom we need to be through this.
The question that rose from that is how do you know when you can have the miracle? What helped me was a conversation I'd had.
Sometimes when you mention that things are hard, you get kind of a nod and maybe a small verbal acknowledgement, but they really want to move on and they don't want it to be awkward. I get that, but a sincere listener recently let me talk about what things were like.
A big part of our current coping is diminished expectations. We seem to hit a bad point most nights, and I have not found a way to head it off. We can handle it better. We can try to give her really good times before and after. Sometimes we can try having good talks, even if the conversation will be lost to her. There is a lot of moment by moment management, and comparing notes later, and maybe the one advantage of dementia is that your mistakes are often forgotten too. Often, I have to pray right then.
A few nights ago when Mom was really upset I asked her to pray with me. More often I need to reset my abilities and clear my head via prayer.
At some point those all came together. If there is going to be a miracle that requires some action on my part, it will come to me through prayer. Maybe I will get the idea in a moment, or maybe there will be a growing sense of clarity. Those are both things that have happened. When I am in the middle of praying myself - listening as well as asking - sometimes what I am praying for changes. Sometimes that's because as I try to explain myself I gain a better understanding of it, but sometimes there is a better track that I hadn't considered yet and it comes to me.
The Bible Dictionary tells us that "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." Not all at once, but that is how it works.
A recent speaker in church talked about his family, which over the generations has seen a fair share of medical and developmental difficulties with children. Sometimes there were miracles, and insight gleaned that could help other people. Sometimes the children died. Sometimes there were miracles and then death.
It had me thinking about faith and God's will. I truly believe in the possibility of miraculous healings, but I know that they don't always happen. I also know that there are things we learn and growth we gain during the suffering, which is perhaps its own miracle.
I was thinking about these in relation to my mother's dementia, because that is what I am always coming back to. I would love for her to be completely cured. Barring that, I would love for her to at least always recognize my sisters and not think that there is still someone missing. That causes a lot of pain.
I pray for that specifically, and other things, but we are also learning patience and understanding, which are good things to have. We may come closer to being whom we need to be through this.
The question that rose from that is how do you know when you can have the miracle? What helped me was a conversation I'd had.
Sometimes when you mention that things are hard, you get kind of a nod and maybe a small verbal acknowledgement, but they really want to move on and they don't want it to be awkward. I get that, but a sincere listener recently let me talk about what things were like.
A big part of our current coping is diminished expectations. We seem to hit a bad point most nights, and I have not found a way to head it off. We can handle it better. We can try to give her really good times before and after. Sometimes we can try having good talks, even if the conversation will be lost to her. There is a lot of moment by moment management, and comparing notes later, and maybe the one advantage of dementia is that your mistakes are often forgotten too. Often, I have to pray right then.
A few nights ago when Mom was really upset I asked her to pray with me. More often I need to reset my abilities and clear my head via prayer.
At some point those all came together. If there is going to be a miracle that requires some action on my part, it will come to me through prayer. Maybe I will get the idea in a moment, or maybe there will be a growing sense of clarity. Those are both things that have happened. When I am in the middle of praying myself - listening as well as asking - sometimes what I am praying for changes. Sometimes that's because as I try to explain myself I gain a better understanding of it, but sometimes there is a better track that I hadn't considered yet and it comes to me.
The Bible Dictionary tells us that "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." Not all at once, but that is how it works.
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