Author Archives: Colby Alexander

The Girl I See Today

22 Friday May 2015

Posted by in Baptism, Poems

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Sophie

My Sophie girl is turning eight!
Excitement’s in your eyes!
Your birthday’s come, you couldn’t wait,
To finally be baptized!

A constant smile across your face,
And plan for this whole day,
To be a special birthday race
For you, in just your way.

And even though the gifts you get,
Can bring some happiness,
They don’t compare, you won’t forget
Your heart swell in your chest!

As we descend in water clear,
in clothes so clean and white,
we’ll feel the Holy Spirit near,
And feel the Savior’s light.

You’ll promise with your little heart,
to His, so big and pure,
that you will follow, do your part,
And with His help, endure.

For even He, a perfect Man,
Lay down in water’s grave,
And thus fulfilling God’s command,
To willingly obey.

Then both together, we will stand,
in water clear and true,
And to the square I’ll raise my hand,
As Spirit fills the room.

And then I’ll hold you close to me,
Immersing down below,
And rise above, now pure and clean
And light as falling snow,

And then, the part I love the most,
my hands upon your head,
Confirming Gift of Holy Ghost,
God’s blessing will be said

And as you seek to use this gift,
Your heart will fill with love,
From Holy Ghost, our friend that lifts,
With strength sent from above.

And then you’ll grow up, time will fly!
but in my heart you’ll stay,
My little girl, in daddy’s eyes,
the one I see today.

I Love you Sophia!

-Daddy

The Sower

20 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Poems

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The Sower

The Sower’s hand will send forth seeds to plant within the soil
But only fertile ground achieved by faith, and sweat, and toil,
Is ready to accept at once, and cultivate this seed,
And give it root, to firmly stand in opposition’s breeze.

And stony ground some seeds will find, and shoot up right away,
but rootless lives will prove short-lived in scorching heat of day.
And thorns that choke, and steal the light creep softly to the soil,
With pleasures, cares and riches do attempt our ground to spoil.

But we must till and cultivate our hearts just as the land,
In preparation for the touch, and love from Sower’s hands.
And with His living water, and His light, will start to grow-
His words – in fertile soil, wherein the Master’s seeds are sowed.

See Mathew 13:3-9

Mother’s Day

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by in Motherhood, Poems

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Mother’s Day

Your “Mother” job demands your time,
To hear the cries, the screams, and whines.
“I’m hungry, Mom!”, “What can I do?”
“Wasn’t me!”, “Where’s my shoe?”

“Can I have some?”, “Mom!, come-ere!,”
These never ending sounds you hear,
The never ending time you spend…..
Yet, still, you hope it never ends!?

For, somehow, placed inside your heart,
Is strength to understand your part
In heaven’s plan to raise the ones
He’s lent- two daughters and two sons.

Who idolize and comprehend
Your sacrifice to this great end,
And will someday be overcome
With gratitude for what you’ve done.

As I am now, for I can see
The strength you are for them and me.
Your gift was sent from high above
A pure display of mother’s love.

I Love You Catie! Happy Mother’s Day!

The Unheard Symphony

08 Friday May 2015

Posted by in General

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Coincidence |kōˈinsədəns, -ˌdens|

A.) A remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection

B.) What we call the will of God when we don’t want to acknowledge His hand in an extraordinary occurrence. (I made this one up)

Heaven is very aware of our lives, and is very involved in almost every single little detail. We may refuse to think that this is the case, but its the way it is. On occasion, we may get big heads and think that we are in charge, in control, and that we have it all figured out. But, its not even close to being remotely true.

Do we really think we can possibly know as much as our Father in Heaven? Can we possibly even comprehend how powerful and omnipotent He is? We cant. And even trying is so pathetic its borderline insane. But somehow, and sometimes we find a way to question Him, or His motives, or at least wonder in our minds, what is going on here?

He knows what He is doing. He knows how we feel, what we feel, when we feel, and even what we will feel. And He knows for everybody, everywhere. He is just that good. On occasion, we get a small glimpse of a particle of a hint of His plan and it almost overwhelms us. We, just for a second, get a snapshot of what this plan may be for us. And it is awesome.

He guides us without us even knowing half the time that we are being guided.  He is in control, His will is done. There is no other way.

In Mathew we learn about how He knows every single little detail of every little single thing, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But all the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

-Mathew 10:29-31

If a bird falls from the sky, He knows. How many (or few, for some brothers) hairs are on your head? He knows. How, and Who can help you at this moment? He knows. He is in total and complete control. There are no coincidences, just the will of God being played out exactly as He has planned.

Was it coincidence that the world was created? With an atmosphere perfect to sustain life? with a temperature that fluctuates just enough to make life interesting and beautiful?

Is it coincidence that our bodies were formed with 206 separate bones, over 650 muscles, and 100 billion neurons with an incredible amount of intricacy that we still don’t fully understand?

Was it also coincidence that all plant life on the earth would be able to breath in the poisonous gas we exhale, and then breathe out oxygen necessary to sustain all animal life?

Is it coincidence that all animals and plants can replicate and reproduce themselves and carry on their specific genetic blueprints?

Uhhh, No.

All of our human interactions with each other, are a complex symphony of movements acting out God’s will. We cannot even begin to fathom what is going on to influence us from the other side of the veil. We are all playing our part for each other. Every thought, or prompting to do good was sent from God. Every friendship created, and each moment of goodness was influenced by Him.

We sometimes unknowingly fulfill his will on this earth. We are just in the right spot at the right time. This is not a coincidence.

But, sometimes, we do know, and are very aware, that we are playing our proper part in this life. We may meet someone who may be like an answer to a prayer, or and earthly angel may be sent our way.  Its during those moments that we catch that little glimpse of His plan for us. And it is awesome.

The Unheard Symphony

 Our eyes can’t see, our ears don’t hear
the music playing softly near,
Yet, still we dance, and move our feet,
while God conducts His symphony,

It plays beyond our senses’ reach,
directs our movements, touches each
and every soul to bend and sway,
With guiding sweet, melodic play,

This music played by angel hands,
does guide the hearts, and feet of man,
to play the part they’re meant to play,
and brighten up the dark of day.

Our God composes perfectly,
This influential symphony,
Ensuring that by unheard sound
Our earthly Angels will be found.

Crowns

07 Thursday May 2015

Posted by in Marriage, Temples

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A few days ago, my sister was sealed in the Salt Lake City Temple. During the ceremony, the sealer mentioned something that made me think. He said that the ceremony that we were all attending that day was the “crowning” ordinance of the gospel.

When we think of “crowning” in this sense, we might think of it as the pinnacle, or the peak, the top, or the maximum goal achieved. While all of these may be the case, in that moment, I thought of it in a slightly different way.

When he said, “the crowning ordinance” , I thought of it in a much more literal way.  Almost like my sister, and her new husband were there to be “crowned”, or to receive their crown and become a king and a queen. In a way, isn’t that exactly what happened?

Having experienced 15 years of marriage to my queen, I know that is exactly what happened.

If we look at the sealing ceremony as a “crowning” ordinance in this context, it is slightly different as far as its place on our life’s timeline.

Rather than being at the end, achieving the ultimate goal, and reaching the top or pinnacle, we are, instead, just beginning.  A king or a queen, when “crowned” are merely starting their reign. They have their whole life in front of them.  Decisions to make, a family to create, and a personal kingdom to build and rule over.

We learn a lot of things in the temple, and a lot of things that are taught are so unbelievably amazing that they are hard to believe. But, they are true. And if we listen and believe the blessings that are promised us there, the reality of the “crowning” ordinance is made abundantly clear. We are all kings and queens. Or, at least we can be. We just need to live up to our potential. We need to follow the example of our Heavenly King. He has demonstrated the perfect way to be.  We need to listen, learn, and believe the words we hear in the temple. Because if we do, our potential is limitless.

“Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive…”

-D&C 25:15

“And if thou art faithful unto the end thou shalt have a crown of immortality, and eternal life in the mansions which I have prepared in the house of my Father. “

-D&C 81:6

“And again, verily I say unto you, I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place, that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life.”

-D&C 124:55 

Bones and Biceps

06 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Strength

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The adult human body has 206 bones that make up its skeleton. The purpose of our bones is to provide the internal structure of the body and act like a framework upon which our muscles and tendons attach. They also act as a protective (rib) cage for the internal organs, such as our heart, and lungs. Without this sturdy framework, we would all look like gooey piles of fluff on the floor.
Another function of the bones is that they can act as a lever to aid the muscles in their designed movements. For instance, when Riley does his superman pose in front of the mirror, his biceps muscle tightens and contracts, pulling his radial tuberosity (forearm) up toward the origin of the muscle on the scapula. This creates a massive (or barely visible) bulge and provides strength and function to the arm itself. In this case, this muscle is designed to give the body the ability to “lift”.
So what can our skeletons teach us?
In a gospel sense, our bones represent our personal testimony. It provides a framework by which we live. It lifts us, guides our movements, gives us our appearance, and protects our heart from outside pressures and influences.
We can even take another step outward and look at this analogy in a broader sense. For a community or a society, we can compare this skeletal framework to the gospel itself. Without it, we are really just fluff puddles. There is nothing to hold us up, give us strength, or protect us.
The scriptures usually only mention bones as the ground decorations leftover after bloody wars, but if we look, we can find a different comparison.

“For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.”  -Ephesians 5:30 

So, we are members of His body, and of His bones. Part of our purpose here in this life is to provide strength, protection, and leverage by which “lifting” can be accomplished. Just as Riley’s biceps contract and lift against a solid framework, we too, as “members of His Body and of His bones” provide the solid framework through which the Lord lifts others. When we are where we are supposed to be, and provide adequate strength, the Lord will “lift” through us.
An interesting fact is that when our bones are consistently tested or stressed, as they are when we exercise, work, run, or lift weights, they become stronger. Its not just our muscles that benefit. When we fail to push them, they atrophy, or become weaker, just as muscles do.

Bones can break, but they also have the ability to heal themselves with time, and often when they do so, with proper repair and treatment, they return to be just as strong as the original bone.

Sometimes our testimonies break, or feel weak, or get battered and bruised. No one gets through life without a bruise, or a break. But, spiritually speaking, if we “seek proper treatment” to heal them,  they can, just as actual bone, become strong again.

This is also true with our testimonies, and in our ability to act as true members of His body. If we do not spend time working out our spiritual muscles, as Riley has previously explained, we become more like the 97 year old lady with osteoporosis, that eventually falls, and breaks a hip, arm, ribs, or head.

Lets all exercise, and make sure we have bones or testimonies that provide us adequate strength when we need them, and that we can also become that strong framework that the Lord uses when He needs to “lift” others.

Turn on the Lights

24 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by in Light

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Photo courtesy of Your Mom, with permission from Tyson

When we are kids, sometimes we learn things the hard way.  My brother Tyson, coincidentally the founder of this blog, learned a valuable lesson when he was younger. This was rather unfortunate for him, but hilariously fortunate for all of us. Here is the story of the photo seen above.

He was playing the game “prison break” one night in a basement with no lights on. Apparently, there is a reason its not called “prison break in a well lit basement” Not just any basement, but another friend’s basement that he was not familiar with.

In his adrenalin fueled excitement, and while running full speed, escaping capture and certain death, he proceeded to collide, at full speed, into Jared Bennett’s thick head, who also happened to be running at full speed in the exact opposite direction, thus doubling the force. It would have made any  fighting ram or linebacker proud. But, being ill equipped in the helmet or horn department, His soft cartilaginous nose took the whole brunt of the force from the head on collision.

As many street hardened fighters know, your nose is not the hardest part of your body, nor does it tend to hold up well when it is the leading part of your body mass slamming into an oncoming object such as someone else’s forehead. Needless to say, Jared Bennet’s forehead walked away victorious and relatively unscathed, other than some rather significant blood spatter. Tyson’s nose, on the other hand, became somewhat larger, flatter, and bloodier that night.

During the ensuing weeks we were treated with a daily reminder of this spectacular event. Each time we gazed upon his swollen countenance, this moment was relived over and over again. It is still funny. With two eventual black eyes he could hardly open, and a large swollen nose, he was quite a stunning reminder of the fragility of nasal cartilage.

The moral of the story?

Either wear a helmet when running around playing in the dark, or….Turn on the lights!

Even a little light is better than no light.

Darkness is part of life. Its part of our daily life. Every day the sun comes up, and the darkness recedes, only to once again give way to the light of the morning. Man has dealt with darkness since the beginning by trying to maintain some form of light to be able to see in times of darkness.

In the early days, it was torches, or fires. Later, man graduated to lamps, and lanterns. Then, on to light bulbs and electricity. Now, there are cities that never sleep.

But, how often do we still run around in the dark, hoping to avoid running into each other and bloodying our noses?

In the scriptures we can learn a lot about spiritual darkness, its perils, and also the benefits of staying close to, and benefiting from the light.

In the Book of Mormon we learn about Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, and the “dark and dreary waste” through which he must wander. In Lehi’s dream, that represented the course of our lives. In that same vision, even those who were attempting to hold on to the iron rod were also surrounded by the “mists of darkness“.

In the days preceding Christ’s visit to the Nephites, the whole land was covered in literal darkness, so dark they could feel it. It was described as a “vapor of darkness” so that “there could be not any light at all”.

Joseph Smith experienced pure darkness immediately before he experienced his vision. He described being seized upon by some power and that felt a “thick darkness gathered around [him]”.

In all of these accounts, we learn about the inevitability of darkness. We can’t completely avoid it, so how do we defeat it? We do it, just as man has always done it- with light.

Physically, we make torches, lanterns, fires, and turn on the lights! We do what it takes so that we can see clearly, so we don’t lose our way, and run into speeding objects and break our noses.

Spiritually, how do we do it? Joseph Smith’s experience demonstrates how spiritual darkness is defeated. He said that in the very moment he was about to succumb to the darkness and be destroyed, that he saw “A pillar of light..above the brightness of the sun” In that pillar of light was God the Father and Jesus Christ.

That is how we defeat this type of darkness. We invite the light of Christ in. This light becomes our torch, our lantern, our fire, or our sunshine. Then, we keep it going to last through the night, or darkness in our life. In the very moment that Christ comes, the darkness is gone. Its exactly as the hymn says, “The morning breaks, the shadows flee!”

The scriptures explain this concept even better than I can.

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light”

Mathew 6:22 

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 8:12 

“Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God… I am the light which shineth in darkness…“

D&C 6:21

Sometimes, when its dark, and we feel isolated, alone, or even scared, or we just can’t seem to see whats in front of us, we need to just…..turn on the lights, and invite Him in.

Have Done with Lesser Things

19 Sunday Apr 2015

Posted by in General, Motivation

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When I was a kid, one of my favorite foods was the frozen Totinos pizzas, you know, the ones that cost 99 cents, and are made out of cardboard? they had about 14 strands of pretend cheese, and hot dogs chopped into small pieces pretending to be pepperoni. They were amazing.

As time passed, though, my tastes changed, and I graduated to the luxurious world of Little Caesars pizza. What a difference! It had round pepperoni, a product resembling actual cheese, and only turned into cardboard after it cooled down. Unbelievable.

But, as time continued to pass, I again graduated to better, more advanced pizzas, Papa John’s, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, and finally- The Pie, Fat Jack’s, and Barro’s. I had reached the top, the pinnacle of pizza. Or, so I thought.

A few months ago, my wife and I discovered the best pizza on the planet, it was in a Tom Douglass (famous chef) restaurant in Seattle called Serious Pie. It just serves custom made pizza made from all fresh local ingredients, and my mind was blown. How could anything taste that good? When you have experienced celestial pizza, you no longer need or want telestial pizza (Totinos has since been moved to outer darkness pizza).

Experiencing something that amazing made me forget all about Totinos, Caesars, Fat Jack, and Barros. I was no longer interested. It was a lot like eating a steak from Mastros City Hall (Tyson can attest), and then trying to chew on a rubber steak from chuck-o-rama. Having experienced something better, I didn’t want anything less.

This principle applies in all aspects of our life. Sometimes it’s just time to grow up, and grow out of those things in our childhood. Its all a part of developing ourselves into the best we can be. The scriptures talk about this principle as well….

“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”

1 Corinthians 13:11

So what are the “childish things” that we need to put away? Totinos pizza is a good start, but beyond that, I think it all has to do with our mindset. We need to stop worrying, thinking, obsessing, about things that don’t matter. Things that may seem important and mean a lot to us now,  but in reality, are below our potential.

As a man, I think this means that we need to start acting like one. So what does that mean? It means knowing, really knowing who we are.  If we understand exactly who we are, we begin to act differently. Listen to what the Lord explains to us if we stand up, become a man, and start to put Him first in our life…

 “And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me; and their enemies shall be under their feet; and I will let fall the sword in their behalf, and by the fire of mine indignation will I preserve them.”

D&C 35:14

What bigger privilege could there be- than to grow up, stand up, and fight manfully for Jesus Christ? Sign me up. Do we want to be on the winning side in the most lop sided battle ever? Absolutely! But, we have to first “put away our childish things.”

When we rise up, and put away the lesser things that muddy our lives, we become closer to what we are supposed to become. Closer to who we are supposed to be- literal sons of God. We become closer to God, more like Him, and eventually we can become one with Him….

“I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one.

DC 35:2

It may seem like a big deal to leave behind what we perceive as important. But, after serious pie, I forgot all about Totinos pizza. The person we become is a happier person, and a much more satisfied, and full person.  A person who hungers for more….

“But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…”

1 Timothy 6

Hymn number 324 sums up perfectly the idea of getting up, forgetting the crappy cardboard pizza, realizing who we are, and acting like it!  Be a Man!

Rise up, O men of God!
Have done with lesser things
Give heart and soul and mind and strength
To serve the King of Kings.

Rise up, O men of God,
In one united throng.
Bring in the day of brotherhood
And end the night of wrong.

Rise up, O men of God!
Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up, O men of God!

Health in the Naval, Marrow in the Bones

18 Saturday Apr 2015

Posted by in Temples

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“And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;”

D&C 89:18

We usually talk about this scripture when we are referencing the Lord’s health law, and talking about how beer, cigarettes, coffee, tea, and caffeinated diet coke (the last one only applies to BYU campus) are the stuff we should stay away from. This part of the scripture is where we are told that we will have physical health and strength if we obey the word of wisdom.

It is a bit interesting that the promised blessings for health are not strictly given by obedience to “these sayings” meaning the word of wisdom, but keeping the word of wisdom AND walking in obedience to the commandments. So, we can’t just eat brussels sprouts, carrots and spinach and expect to be perfectly healthy, its a little more than that.

But I want to concentrate a little more on the next two phrases in the promise, “health in their navel”, and “marrow to their bones”

Does this phrase sound familiar? Is there anywhere else that we hear this promise? If this promise does sound familiar to us, then it is likely that we are, in fact, “walking in obedience to the commandments” by being where we ought to be as often as we can, in the Lord’s house.

The temple teaches us what we are ready to learn, when we are ready to learn it. If we are casual visitors to the Lord’s house, we tend to learn and understand things taught there in a more straightforward way.  Like any relationship, it starts in a simple get to know you kind of way. We may feel a bit nervous when we speak, and we are worried about saying the right thing etc. But, if we go often, and attend regularly, the familiarity with what we listen to and say, allows us to concentrate more on the feeling we get there. We look for deeper understanding that comes when our “confidence waxes strong” This, in turn, allows our spirit to be the learner. We then maybe start to see or hear, or even say things a bit differently, in a way we didn’t quite grasp before.

Lets take the first one, “health in their navel” and think about it for a minute. Does this seems a bit odd for a belly button to be the body part associated with good health? I guess all the cool body parts were taken already? Health in their colon didn’t quite have the same ring to it, I guess. But maybe not. What is just below the surface? Could it mean anything a little more?

What is the navel anyway? besides an awesome place to collect lint, and a great place for kids to stick peas they don’t want to eat, it is a permanent reminder of the umbilical cord. That essential lifeline that once connected us to our mothers, this lifeline fed us, took care of us, helped us grow and develop. From a mother’s perspective, it is a connection, or link, to “posterity”.  Maybe “health in the navel” can mean more than a tummy that doesn’t hurt, or overall health. Maybe we can look at it as a healthy connection, or link to our “posterity”, or a “healthy” connection or link to those who have gone before us? We do learn about these important links in the temple each time we go.

Now, what about the second promise? “Marrow to their bones”. Most people know the basics of bone marrow. It is hugely important in many different ways for our bodies.  It produces red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and also where certain stem cells can be harvested.  If our body were a society, the bone marrow would be the only place where every car, or transport vehicle was built.  That would include all the cop cars (complete with police officers ready to arrest and execute bad guys) and every delivery truck that carries food, and fuel. It would also be where all the garbage trucks are made. It would also be where all the universal spare parts are produced that would be needed to repair any item anywhere. Without bone marrow, you are in a world of hurt. Having marrow in our bones, is really more like having life in our body.

These two blessings are just a drop in the bucket of what we can receive through God’s power and His priesthood. But, if we continue to be where we need to be, and do what we need to do, and visit His house often, He will bless us with His power, and we will be forever connected to our families both in the past and for the future. Just imagine the eternal chain we are creating! Next time we are in God’s house, lets pay special attention to the words we say, and contemplate and ask ourselves, “how do my words affect both me and my posterity”?

The Hypocrite’s Mirror

10 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by in Poems, Pride

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 In 1820, the country was full of religious crazies. This pressure cooked environment was the catalyst for Joseph Smith’s desire to pray to know which of all the competing churches were true.  For each of them preached christianity, yet would privately, and not so privately, denigrate and attempt to disprove each other.

     We now know, that in response to his simple prayer, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and told him that “all of the churches were wrong”, and that he should join none of them. The personage who addressed Joseph also loosely quoted two scriptures to describe the men who were leading the churches in 1820. Isaiah 29:13, and 2 Timothy 3:5.

Isaiah 29:13

  “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:”

2 Timothy 3:5

  “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

     Those churches leaders were not genuine. They were all bark, and no bite. All fluff, no substance. I’m sure they said all the right things, appeared to live the right way, but were not motivated by the proper end goal. They wanted more parishioners filling their churches. They wanted to be the winners, or the ones with the biggest congregation. It was a competition. They were hypocrites.

     To a certain extent, we are all hypocrites, because we know what we should be doing, how we should behave, how we should treat each other, and how we should be within the church.  But, we all fall short.

     What is the difference between ourselves, and the preachers in 1820? We have the truth, but do we live it? do we pretend to live it? Have we tried to make the gospel who we are? All these questions are ones we should ask ourselves, and see if we can take one step closer to getting rid of our hypocritical tendencies, because we all know how much the Lord loves hypocrites….

 

Hypocrite’s Mirror

When I stop and look at me
What exactly do I see?
Do my actions every day
mirror what I teach? or say?
Do I see a child of God?
Or just elaborate facade?

Am I who I claim to be?
Or, am I like the Pharisees?
Who loudly preach humility,
with proud and boastful piety,
Who say the words, and play the part
Yet stray from God within their heart.

Does my appearance matter most?
Or, worthiness for Holy Ghost?

When God looks deep inside of me,
Will He be pleased with what He sees?
A phony hypocrite, am I?
Or truthful, honest, free from pride.

For after all, it’s WHO we are,
Not WHAT we do, that gets us far
Tho’ worldly praise may man impress,
It falls well short in Heaven’s test.