(Please read Part 2 of 3: “The Truth” before this one)

Part 3 of 3: Unleashing the Truth!

So let me start with the last questions I asked on the previous post: “Why? Why does the adversary make such an effort to bring you down, and stop you?! Why does he so relentlessly try to hold you down?”

I know exactly why…

Because he is utterly and completely terrified of you! Read that again if you need to. Am I saying that the self proclaimed “God of this world”, even the very source of all evil and all darkness is beyond nervous, beyond threatened, but absolutely terrified of you!? Yes! That’s exactly what I’m saying! He knows he doesn’t stand a chance against you head on! His only option of stopping you is mind games and the exact opposite of the truth! He wants you to believe that you can’t take him on, stop him, resist him on or overpower him! He wants you to think and truly in your heart believe that you are weak, alone, helpless and incapable. He wants to hide the very truth about you, from you! His hope is to tell you often enough, and loud enough that you believe this lie. He knows that if he can change your own belief of your own self worth that you, not he, but you can become your own biggest obstacle. You will essentially stop your own progression through believing your not capable of it. How do I know this?… because I was there once, and it used to work on me! The fact is, his whole plot is based on a lie. The truth is he knows that you are capable of the same things as Moroni (in Alma 48:17)

“Yea, verily verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and every would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men”.

Doesn’t that make our situations the ultimate irony then? That despite our doubt, despite the fact that we may not even know of, or believe in ourselves or our potential, or even see our worth, that 3 others know it completely!? Who are those 3? They are God, Jesus Christ, and Satan. They know you even if you don’t know you. Sherri Dew once said: “the only thing the power of God and the power of Satan have in common is neither can influence us unless we allow them to”. So who’s power are we letting influence us? Who are we listening to?

So am I really saying you can not only overcome the adversary, but discover who you really are with Christ, and that you are someone incredibly capable, strong, powerful, and a force for good!? Am I saying that we are all capable of much more than we now realize? Am I saying that you, yes you, are a valued, loved, important, and cherished treasure of our Father in Heaven who loves you more deeply than words can explain?! Am I saying that we are all crucial parts of something much bigger?

Yes! Do you realize where you came from!? Every single one of us has already withstood the greatest battle between good and evil the history of the world has seen to this point! We have already fought and defeated not only the adversary but his army as well! We don’t come to this earth to gain our worth, we bring it with us! We’re here to PROVE to ourselves what our Father in Heaven already knows! We’re here to find that fire, that strength, that ability, those gifts and talents that are ALREADY within us and when we find them, USE THEM and LIVE THEM! Do you not realize that we are in the last hours even the last minutes and seconds of the last days! That alone is tribute to your strength! The mere fact that you exist, and are alive, and were chosen to come down to earth now in these times proves your worth! You were chosen now, because you are built for now! You are more than capable to not only withstand, but thrive in these last days! In the last seconds of a close game, does the coach put in the bench warmers or water boy?! NO! He puts in the best of the best, those who have the strength, determination, focus and endless resolve to see, achieve and insure victory! That is who you are!

The following are quotes from Ezra Taft Benson, March 4, 1979 in a talk called “In His Steps”

For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not….

God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God…

All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized…

Which makes it all the more important for us to wake up to who we really are and prepare ourselves and our children. This is who we are and what we are. This is what we can be with Christ! Sure the adversary is growing and recruiting soldiers every single day but guess what… SO ARE WE! The game changer is we know how this ends. The question is where will you be when the final buzzer sounds?

Regardless of what you believe or what you think. The truth is, the fact is, you are of infinite worth, and your individual potential is just as limitless! You are needed, and you are important! That is your worth! That is your potential! Your true worth doesn’t come from anyone else but from God and Christ. If you are looking for true and lasting happiness from the world, and gauging and determining your self-worth from facebook, Instagram, friends, family, your own perceptions or whether or not you have a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife, what your Church calling is or has been, or depending on how much wealth you have accumulated you will not find true joy and happiness. Why? Because it’s not the source of joy and happiness! I say that because I’ve tried it that way and it doesn’t work. I can also testify that I know who and where the source of true joy and happiness is… God and Jesus Christ. I think the first step to becoming truly happy and finding our true worth and purpose on earth is to first look in the right place for it.

With that understand that we that we are all unique! We are all individual with different likes and dislikes, gifts, talents, abilities, hobbies, interests, backgrounds, experiences, struggles, and stories and all these are for a very specific purpose. You are special and with your unique set of gifts and insight there are people that you, and you alone can influence. Maybe it’s a friend, family member, co-worker, an entire nation, or a complete stranger you will run into next Thursday at the grocery store… I don’t know, but what I do know is you are here because you have a job to do, we all do. You have people to help, lift and love. It may be an act of service, simply listening to someone, or something as simple as a smile. Never underestimate what God can do with a simple smile or act of love. I’ve been on both ends of something that simple and will testify they were moments I will never forget! God needs you and can and will use you if you let him.

You are unique for a purpose. We can’t compare ourselves and our life circumstances to anyone else, because we aren’t them! We’re not supposed to be them! We’re supposed to be us, and we need to be us! If we were all the same how effective would we be? Let me put that question into perspective: Can you build a house with only a hammer? How about only a nail? A Screwdriver? A tape measure? A saw? No! The hammer needs the nails just like the wood needs the saw. The screw needs the screwdriver and all the tools together need the contractor to make a home!

Do not let the adversary convince you to be ashamed or embarrassed of your differences or of who you are. Satan will try to downplay, or degrade the very tools and gifts, talents or traits that are unique to you. Satan will attempt to fool you into hiding the very gifts that our Heavenly Father gave us that make us special!

I  personally believe that if we had achieved everything our Father in Heaven had for us to achieve… if we had completed everything we had been sent here to this earth to accomplish we wouldn’t be here. But yet, here we are. What if every day when you wake up you ask yourself a simple question: “God has given me another day, why?” That’s not a question for me to answer for you… that’s a question for you to answer for yourself!

I want you to try one more thing for me. Insert your name in place of Moroni in the scripture mentioned prior and now again below. (Alma 48:17). Do this every single morning and see how that changes your day, then your week, then your month, then your life. Set it as your goal and what you strive toward.

“Yea, verily verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto (insert your name here), behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men”.

So my hope and prayer is that we can all wake up to our potential and worth. Let us work hard to get rid of the boundaries that we place on ourselves to become more and become better! Let us make a powerful choice to be the best of what we can be, no matter what that is! To see what power, faith, and potential we have for good! Let us rise up to our callings and blessings and start to view ourselves through God’s eyes… because when we do, we’ll find the truth.

(Please read Part 1 of 3: “The Mirage” before this one)

Part 2 of 3: The Truth

When I say “self worth” is under attack like never before what do I even mean? I mean that Satan is ruthlessly and relentless trying to alter the way you feel about yourself and how you view yourself to ultimately steer what you believe about yourself in your heart. He is trying to slow you down, push you down, and keep you down because this can alter your inner relationship with who you really are, and who you think you are. This will change how you think, act, speak, serve, and the very life you live.

Is Satan being successful? Well… Unfortunately, yes he is, especially with our youth.

How many of us, or our youth at one point or another, or even this very second have felt or feel that we aren’t good enough. That we don’t measure or stack up. That we’re aren’t pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, or good enough in some way, or even any way? How many of feel that we’re too short, to tall, to thin, or not thin enough? How many of us feel like everyone else has it all figured out or that they are more spiritual, more gifted, more talented, or a better parent or spouse, or more deserving of love than we are? How many of us have felt that we aren’t worth much… or even worth anything at all? How many of us have felt, or do feel, like we don’t even matter?

Let me tell you something… I have been there, I know what that feels like. I know what it feels like to think that for years on end. I know what it feels like to feel that so often that you start to not only believe it, but also accept it. I know what it feels like to be scared to tell anyone because you fear they would know your weaknesses and faults, and wouldn’t like, love or even accept you because of them. I know what it feels like to think that isolation is safer, when in reality it’s not. I know exactly what it feels like to be incapable of accepting or feeling love for yourself, and also what it feels like to refuse love because you don’t feel like you deserve or are even worth it… not only from others but from, and especially from God. I know what it feels like to gather 100% of self worth from my own perception of how I thought others thought of me… when the kicker is I gathered that perception through the adversary’s eyes which skewed the truth! In a nutshell, I realized looking back now… I took the adversaries smear campaign of myself to myself hook line and sinker!

Now, let me tell you something else I learned that took me about a decade to figure out… That way of thinking and looking at life wrong. It’s untrue. In fact, it’s more than that, it’s complete and total bull crap. Why? Because it comes from Satan, and because it comes from him, it’s completely, totally, unarguably, undeniably, and inevitably false. In fact, it’s beyond simply “false”… it’s the exact opposite of the truth!

When you are told or feel that you are weak… it’s because you’re STRONG!

When you are told or feel that you are worthless… it’s because you’re PRICELESS!

When you are told or feel that you are defective… it’s because you’re UNIQUE & PERFECT!

When you are told or feel that you are not needed… It’s because you’re CRUCIAL!

If you feel like you can’t or won’t measure up… it’s because YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!

If you don’t feel you are worth much or anything at all, I want you to realize something. God himself sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth to not only provide the perfect example of how to live for YOU, but to perform the single greatest act this world has ever or will ever see, the atonement… FOR YOU! Christ himself who could have declined at any time, willingly went through humiliation, pain, agony and suffering beyond our mortal and physical comprehension even unto death just to have the opportunity to live with YOU again! YOU in the eyes of God himself and his Son Jesus Christ were and always will be worth it! That is how important, needed, loved and appreciated you are!

What if in the very moments of the most intense fear, agony, doubt, and panic, when Christ himself, even the alpha and omega himself was in doubt and even trembled, bled, and wanted to turn back… what if he thought of you and how much YOU meant to him? What if the mere thought of YOU gave him hope and peace? What if you, YES YOU, are who sustained him in those moments? What if you in the ultimate reversal of roles were who gave your God, even your Redeemer the strength to go on despite the monumental physical and emotional cost!? I wouldn’t doubt that for a second!

The world will try to tell you what matters most is what’s on the outside. The world will focus on the outward appearance and ignore the single most important thing about you… your heart!

Another thing I have learned from my experience is this: When we feel unworthy of love, or appreciation it’s because we refuse to forgive ourselves even though our Savior will or already has. With that in mind, I want to ask you 3 questions, and I want you to truly think about them. Read them a couple times if you need to!

1- Who are you to deny love to who God loves?

2- Who are you to deny forgiveness to one of God’s most prized creations?

3- Who are you to deny happiness and joy to one of God’s greatest and most precious masterpieces… yourself?!

The fact is we all sin. We have all sinned, and will sin again. Yet I fear that we hold ourselves to not only an unreachable, but unrealistic and impossible standard of perfection, and when we don’t achieve it because we sin, we refuse forgiveness to ourselves. This leads to not loving and even hating who and what we are.

What’s strange is often times the hardest person to forgive in this life is not someone else, it’s not your kids, your spouse, or ex-spouse… it’s ourselves.

Sometimes the hardest person to see quality traits in… is ourselves

Sometimes the hardest person to be patient with… is ourselves

And the hardest person to show love for is the person we see in the mirror every day. Ourselves!

I promise you though, if you truly repent and accept the atonement which has already been done for you, the most amazing thing will happen!…

You will feel complete joy! Beyond making you whole! It will make you more confident, happier, and at peace and you will find, feel and keep that joy for others and in life. I know this, because I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to finally accept and feel the love of Christ! It is a feeling beyond description and beyond what words can convey! It is a feeling so engulfing and complete that it’s goes beyond your physical body and beyond description! It literally changes you! It will change the way you think, act, and treat yourself and others! It will change your relationship with yourself and others and God. If you ask me, it’s the single greatest feeling you could ever feel and it comes from something as simple as LOVE. Love… that requires no money or special talent to give or receive yet is worth more than all the money in world!

So, having said all this. The question is why!? Why does the adversary make such an effort to bring you down, and stop you?! Why does he so relentlessly try to hold you down?

I know exactly why…

To be Continued in Part 3: Unleashing Who You Are!

Back in the day when I was a junk food loving kid, when not only colored TV’s but color itself was newly invented, before Netflix and even tivo, if you watched TV or sports you were forced against your will to endure commercials. No pausing, no skipping, or fast forward, it was awful. Among the most common of these commercials were McDonald’s. Of all the advertisers on TV at the time, their commercials were the worst! (or the best depending on how you look at it) Their “food” was advertised extremely well. Their burgers looked so big, juicy, and delicious you would willingly give up a kidney just to try a single bite knowing and really believing it would totally be worth it. It didn’t matter if you were eating dinner that very second, when you saw their commercials you instantly became hungrier than you ever remembered being in your entire life. Shortly after being compelled by your taste buds to drive to their “restaurant” you found yourself ordering exactly what you had just had the privilege of witnessing. You were preparing for heaven in food form. You were preparing to get exactly what you had just seen. Your taste buds were uttering their last words because they realized they were about self destruct due to the over stimulation from an overload of tastiness. You were prepared to slip into delicious food coma and you were prepared to embrace it.

One of the greasy acne faced teenager served up your meal and you were mere seconds away. You could see the light at the end of the tunnel and you were just about to experience pure joy in food form. Then it happened…

Reality hit you square in the face like when you walk into a glass door at the mall because you tried to “push” the door when it clearly says “pull”. Staring right back at you with just as much confusion is a paper thin piece of what you suppose is the hamburger portion of your hamburger although it looks more like a buffalo chip than a burger. It looks more like it’s fresh from the prairie than fresh from the grill. To add to your confusion, that buffalo chip is slapped between two buns that look like they were just wrung out from your great grandma’s clothes wringer and the entire burger looks thin enough you could fold it up in your wallet and not even notice it was there. 90% of the sauce was splattered on the box or wrapper as opposed to on the burger itself and the pickles you asked for? They aren’t even there, and a whopping 7% of the slice of cheese is actually on your burger with the rest melted on your wrapper. You tally this all together and a debate begins in your head as to whether or not the wrapper and box the burger came in would actually be more delicious because it surly looks that way. Then, you looked at the other side of your tray hoping for redemption but all you see is a side of mashed potatoes in a vertical box that you have to use your imagination just to wrap your head around the thought that at one point they may have actually been crispy french fries.

Then, at that moment you realize something. You just got worked. You were played like a fiddle and lied to. You were fooled into thinking the exact opposite of the truth was the truth. The commercial had you believing McDonald’s actually made quality food. They had you believing all the top athletes at the time really enjoyed McDonald’s and endorsed them because their food was good rather than because they were being paid an obscene amount of money to help perpetuate a lie. They had you believing that you were about to enjoy the best meal of your life. The bottom line is this: They had you believing their lies when in reality their commercials had more bullcrap in them than a Texas rodeo. Nothing they said was the truth. Down to their drink machine that was out of ice when you tried to fill your drink up. Wow… didn’t I just sum up way too much of what we see every single day on facebook and instagram? Did that not just sum up a vast majority of the world?

So what does this experience which I’m sure you can all relate to have to do with the Gospel? Well… actually quite a bit. Not only the Gospel but everyday life.

The adversary is serving up buffalo chip patties with sides of mashed potatoes cleverly disguised as juicy, and delicious Hamburgers and fries every single day to millions of people and guess what, people are eating it up like there’s no tomorrow. The funny thing is, most people eating this up every day don’t even realize or even care that they are doing it and some may not even realize it!

They don’t look for the truth or care to look into it themselves. They simply accept the “advertisement” for what it pretends to be not knowing or caring it’s not true. The adversary is a liar. He’s nothing more than a complete fraud. He’s got nothing more than your pure and utter destruction on his “to-do” list every single second of every single day and he’s not lazy nor is he complacent. He takes no days off, nor is he any respecter of persons. He has no morals, no guideline, no compass or conscious, and no line he won’t cross. He is going down and bringing everyone he possibly can with him. He knows his time is about up and he’s trying to disguise his nose dive with both engines on fire as a fun and harmless skydiving adrenaline rush and inviting all to join him. The reality is, he doesn’t even have a parachute, and neither do those who are with him.

The fact is we all know how this will end. The fact is, we’ve ALWAYS known how this will end. But yet, just like the McDonalds commercials which contain as much truth as the Sahara contains frostbite people always seem to lose sight of these truths and start to believe otherwise. Not only that… they are actually full heartedly convinced of untruth. They are convinced the exact opposite of truth is the real truth.

Think about it… Satan is not merely selling buffalo chips as hamburgers, oh no… he’s doing much more than that. He’s more than just bent, or slightly tweaked the truth like in advertisements today… he’s flat out warped, manipulated, hidden, disguised, disfigured and mutilated the truth and altered the very perception and reception of truth to the point he’s painted it as the exact opposite of what it is. Do you fully understand this!! He’s altered the world’s view on marriage, on justice, on mercy, on religion, on everything you can possibly imagine and he’s having tremendous success! He is selling black as white, up as down, and left as right. He’s not only doing but actually succeeding in selling evil as good, and good as evil, bond as free and free as bonded. He has manipulated it so well that the world and even some of us are actually confusing complete opposites with each other!

I am absolutely fed up with this because I can see how it’s working! I know how he’s working and it makes me angry because it used to work on me! In my opinion this single tactic of opposites and the specific direction he attacks with it is MORE effective than pornography, drugs, and alcohol COMBINED! I say that because it doesn’t only affect those who struggle or battle any of those things… it affects every single one of us every single day of our lives! From what I can see, he is combining his forces like NEVER BEFORE to go after the very heart of our army. He in his absolute fury is attacking the strongest part of us! He is attacking not only each of us, he is attacking our very future… he is attacking our YOUTH!

What am I talking about? What is he trying to confuse you about? He is going after your SELF WORTH.

(To be continued in Part 2 of 3: The Truth)

Every time I see someone playing the guitar or the piano skillfully I think to myself “I wish I could do that” – and I really do wish it.  I have a strong interest in playing the piano and the guitar (among many other things) as well as anyone in the world.  The problem is that I don’t have an interest in actually practicing.  I don’t have an interest in spending the time that is required in order to learn to play well or learn new songs.  It seems that I only have an interest in having a talent miraculously bestowed upon me – which could also mean that I really don’t have an interest in learning to play these instruments at all.  I only have an interest in wishing I could.¹

This same idea could be said for anything that is difficult or that requires a lot of effort.  In fact, there are literally hundreds of things that I have an interest in doing well, but don’t have a strong enough interest to actually practice or spend time to develop them.  This seems to be a problem with my talent development.

In fairness, there are some things that I do actually work hard at, and I feel that I am even improving (even if I acknowledge that my improvement is modest).  Yet, with that same realization comes the understanding that for real and measured and sustainable improvement to continue, a lot of effort is required.  This process may also increase our respect for some individuals who in fact do that thing extremely well (i.e. professionals in the field or activity) which we are attempting to develop within ourselves.  This can foster motivation and emulation.

Last summer I decided that I had an interest in doing a triathlon.  After all, how hard could it be to swim (I’ve gone swimming a thousand times), ride a bike (we’ve all done that since we were 4), and run a little (I learned to walk/run when I was 1).  At first this interest was just a ‘wish’ – but then I started to actually let that interest work within me and signed up for a triathlon (sprint distance).  I felt confident in my ability as a “formerly decent high school athlete” and in my somewhat-active lifestyle as an “occasional church and friendly neighborhood pick up basketball game player” to somehow be able to perform each of these disciplines in succession with minimal effort.

Then I went swimming (for distance, not for fun) one time. That’s all it took.

The swim distance (for a sprint triathlon) is 800 meters.  For reference, that’s only 2 laps around a regular sized track.  That’s it.  How hard could it be?  With no formal swim training, a sufficient ego, and plenty of naiveté I went to the pool (6 weeks before race day) on day 1 of training with lofty goals.  I jumped in, fastened my swim goggles, and off I went.  By the time I was completely gassed, I stopped to assess the situation and measure my baseline effort and wonder why my entire body was hurting and I murmured internally about the non-stop difficulty of not sinking to the bottom of the pool.  Somehow it surprised me that the moment I stopped swimming I started sinking.  I had struggled mightily to swim 50 meters (that’s two measly laps in a standard 25-meter pool).  Suddenly I realized just how amazing Michael Phelps really is and I had to make a decision on just how ‘interested’ I was in actually completing a triathlon.

A similar situation that I can relate is my interest in earning an MBA (Masters of Business Administration).  I have always wanted an MBA to round out my business education, yet what continually prevents this from happening is the list of requirements to actually earn one.  I get hung up on actually taking the required pre-application GMAT or GRE test, applying to MBA schools, without even mentioning the commitment of actually paying the tuition, going to class, doing the homework, studying, completing the projects, (you know, actually earning the MBA).  Needless to say, I have not earned my MBA and my supposed interest is waning.  In all reality, we get to decide how interested we really are in things once reality (the list of requirements) is presented to us, and we get to decide all along the way if we are still ‘interested’ as we start the process and understand just what that reality means as we continue forward and struggle to improve.

Only those who have actually struggled through the process of repeated pain and effort (regardless of what talent or goal it is), or who have let their ‘interest’ in that thing to lead them to real and marked improvement can relate to those who are like minded.  The rest of us just think to ourselves “that would be nice if…” or maybe even “it’s probably not that hard – I could do it if I wanted” or “those guys are just weird.”  We likely think that being able to do something incredible is just ‘given’ to other people that we see – because that’s what we ‘wish’ would happen to us.

The more you struggle through and begin to overcome (see results) – your love for that thing increases, and your ‘interest’ is deepened.  Deepened to the point where we may be searching for ‘plans’ or ‘programs’ or ‘mentors’ to help guide us in our quest to become even better.  We start to look for additional routines and techniques, tips and tricks, and suddenly we find ourselves enveloped in the process of ‘becoming’ more and more.  Because when we are truly ‘interested’ in something, we are interested in actually practicing and thinking about and trying to improve that something – and find ourselves willing to go to whatever lengths are required while someone who isn’t comfortable giving 110% effort for that thing wouldn’t feel comfortable wanting to train with those who do, and would quickly realize that they are actually more interested in something or someone else.

What are we interested in?  Is our interest merely a wish, or do we let it guide us to repeated thought and action and to actively developing our talents and skills and love for that thing?  Or, are we too easily deterred by the list of entry requirements or our first effort at improving?

King Benjamin gave us the answer; one in which he had a bunch of people express their ‘interest’ in something.  After he had given them an amazing and promotional advertisement for salvation outlining the benefits of the “kingdom of God” they (his audience) all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

In other words, they said “we have an interest in being part of the kingdom of God.  Apply the atonement to us.  We want to be saved.”

And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.

In other words, he said “okay, here is a list of the requirements for the thing which you desire.”

1. Trust in the Lord, be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life
2. 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 the things which the Lord can comprehend.
3. Believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you;
4. And now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.
5. Ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come
6. Ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.
7. Ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another…
8. Ye will teach them (your children) to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.
9. Ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

Disclaimer:

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man (who is in need or is asking for succor) has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

In other words, he said “this is a list of things that bring salvation, and it includes a whole lot of ‘doing’.  You may even look to excuse yourself from actually doing some of the things on this list for seemingly rational reasons or because of other people’s actions or your assumptions of their situation.”

“But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this (stay his hand, a.k.a not complete and live and do the requirements on this list, a.k.a withhold your succor and/or your ministering effort)… the same hath no interest in the kingdom of God.²

 In other words, he says “if you don’t try and actually do these things, you really aren’t interested, you’re only wishing.”

 King Benjamin did not say that they couldn’t be saved, but he did say that they “hath no interest in the kingdom of God.”  I think this means they really won’t have an interest in it – and wouldn’t like participating in the activities there anyway.

Training for a triathlon (especially real ones – like an Ironman) is made up of a whole lot of swimming, biking, and running.  Mix in some nutrition plans, some strength training, and some brick workouts, proper sleeping habits and mental toughness exercises that will be never ending for as long as you want to be a triathlete – because that is what it means to be a triathlete or to belong to the kingdom of triathletes.  If you aren’t interested (in love with and finding joy in) the training regimen, you are in fact uninterested in becoming a triathlete.  As a note, the end result of all that training is actually a race that includes a lot of swimming, biking, and running.  Imagine this voice on race day: “Congratulations, all of your swim, bike, and run training has earned you the right to swim, bike, and run with other people who love it just like you.”

Training for the kingdom of God is made up of a whole lot of serving, ministering, succoring, teaching, sacrificing, feeling and caring for the sick and the needy, believing, hoping, praying, and loving.  These activities will be never ending for as long as you want to be part of the kingdom of God.  If you aren’t really interested in these activities, or if you cannot find joy in performing these duties, or if you think that by somehow completing enough of them to ‘earn’ your MBA in Christianity (or if you just want these talents to somehow be bestowed upon you) – you are in fact uninterested in belonging to the kingdom.  Heaven is made up of a bunch of people doing kingdom of God training exercises all the time. Imagine this voice on race day “Congratulations, all of your repeated succor, care, blessing, teaching, ministering, and sacrifice training has earned you the right to succor, care, bless, teach, and minister to people who love it just like you.”

The means really are the very ends that we so earnestly seek.  To learn to love the process is to understand what heaven is really like.

I am hoping for the kingdom of God.  I am wishing for the kingdom of God. But am I really interested in the kingdom of God?

Notes

¹ This is a touchy subject for me.  Mostly because I feel like ‘wishing’ or ‘hoping’ that somehow a talent or gift could just be mine (without the struggle to develop and earn that talent) is in fact a strong talent of mine. I have given multiple lessons on ‘talents’ and have been free to disclose that one of my strengths is identifying desirable qualities in others and ‘wishing’ I had them.  In full honesty, I then also disclose that I am not willing to actually work for any of them, thus highlighting (with levity) the gap between the two ideas.

² Mosiah 4:2-18

I love to ski. One of my favorite parts of skiing actually comes after you have ‘dominated’ the slopes – or repeatedly slammed your backside all over the mountain. It is after you limp back to the lodge and realize how sore your feet are. It happens when you sit down after a long, awesome day. It is taking off your ski boots.

It is feet nirvana. It is truly sweet relief.

So…

A couple days ago I accompanied the Elders to a couple appointments that they had made. One was to a less active member that went really well. We left feeling excited, uplifted, and happy. It was fantastic.

The second appointment was with a very good man. He had spent years studying the Bible and doing his best to follow Jesus Christ. Through the visit we felt that we were spinning our wheels and that we were just not going to accomplish much. It was not confrontation at all, but it was not at all like our first appointment.

I dropped off the Elders at their apartment for the night and started home. I felt disappointed, saddened, and even a bit confused while pondering the discussion we had. I pulled over, said a brief prayer, and turned the music on.¹

I hit play, and no more than two notes into the song I felt an almost instant calm. It felt like I was taking off ski boots. It was a very perceptible relief and peace. My mind was able to slow down, and my testimony grew.

The spirit communicates to each of us differently and individually. When I feel the spirit it is usually a calm, peaceful feeling – like being wrapped up in a warm quilt. I have also, on occasion, felt a burning in my chest that I cannot deny. I can now say that the spirit made me feel an intense relief – like removing ski boots.²

Our Savior knows us individually. The Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.³ I don’t think this means English or Spanish or whatever other language you speak with your physical mouth and vocal cords. The spirit knows how we think, what motivates us, and how to prick our hearts and pierce our souls with stillness.⁴ During Christ’s ministry on this continent he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.⁵ The Lord can speak to us absolutely and in a way that is perfectly custom fit for our ears and hearts.

The hymn that ‘happened’ to be playing when I turned the music on?… Where Can I Turn for Peace. The tender mercies of the Lord are real. They are free. They are awesome. They are not random coincidence.⁶

‘Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish? Who, who can understand? He, only one.

He answers privately, reaches my reaching, In my Gethsemane, Savior and Friend.

Gentle the peace he finds for my beseeching. Constant He is and kind, Love without end.’⁷

¹ I am obsessed with Ben Howington and his guitar. His version of ‘We’ll Bring the World His Truth’ is amazing, but I hate to single out one song because I think that all of his stuff is lights out. I pretty much listen to him non-stop. Mormonguitar.com if you care.

² There are many descriptions of how the spirit makes us feel. We find several in the scriptures. I heard a great description not too long ago in a testimony meeting though – the speaker explained that to him, the spirit feels like “liquid sunshine” is being poured over him. I thought that was so great.

³ 2 Nephi 31:3

⁴ Jarom 1:12, 3 Nephi 17:3

⁵ 3 Nephi 17:21

⁶ ‘The tender mercies of the Lord’ by David A. Bednar – In addition to an extremely relevant post by Colby.

⁷ Hymnbook #129 — Also referenced by Colby recently here.

Also, if you have not read the First Presidency Preface in the Hymn Book in a while, it’s worth a refresher. “Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns… We hope leaders, teachers, and members who are called on to speak will turn often to the hymnbook to find sermons presented powerfully and beautifully in verse.”

Sound familiar? You are probably remembering Tyson’s thoughts on the Spirit of Christmas. For Riley’s take on hymns.

I know it’s a bit late and Christmas has already come and gone, but let’s pause for just a moment to remember the story of the well known Christmas song the “Little Drummer Boy.”  This song – also knows as “Carol of the Drum” tells the story of a drummer boy who is summoned to see “the new born king”, and is encouraged to bring his finest gifts to lay before this new king.  Yet, this boy – being poor – has no gifts to bring, at least no gifts fit to give a king especially compared with others.  That spot – the one where the drummer boy finds himself – that’s where I want us to go mentally.  Go to the place where you have to think deeply and honestly about what gift you could possibly bring to “the new born king.”

Now, let’s change gears and go to another place in time (the old world long before the first Christmas):

In chapter 2 of Ether we are with the Jaredites (prior to their great journey across the sea) and the brother of Jared is concerned that their vessels don’t have any light and he is a bit nervous about the long journey without it (not to mention there are women and children that may have expressed some hesitation about 344 days in the dark).  He mentioned this problem to the Lord in verse 19 but didn’t get a satisfactory resolution from the Lord – so he brings it up again in verse 22.

The 2^nd time he brings it up, he doesn’t ask the Lord to solve the problem, he just states that “there is no light” in the vessels and then asks the Lord if it is his will that they cross the great water in darkness.  The Lords answer (in verse 23) is a question – “what will ye that I should do”?  The Lord then explains to the brother of Jared all of the reasons that normal thinking and construction won’t work on these vessels, and that the Lord has indeed ‘prepared’ the Jaredites for this journey.  Then, the Lord asks the same question again; “what will ye that I shall prepare for you (that ye may have light)”?  Thus, the brother of Jared is left in the same place as the little drummer boy.  Deep and honest self examination to decide what on earth could I bring to the king?

So often we find ourselves in this place.  We are asked or called to lead a group, teach a class, give a lesson, build a boat, cross the sea, raise a family, be an eternal companion, home teach our friends, and make a difference in the world – and we look around and see what everyone else has to give and are left wondering what we have to offer.  We must then ask ourselves (just like the drummer and the brother of Jared) what do I have to give that is unique, special, or even worth giving to someone so important, and how could I ever give enough?

The little drummer boy likely thought about his predicament seriously, and maybe even became nervous, anxious, or petrified about it – and I think that the brother of Jared did the same.  If the brother of Jared is anything like the rest of us, he probably walked home from his prayer very slowly and with a heavy heart.  Not heavy with pain or sorrow, but heavy with responsibility and stewardship and pondering the challenge.  He was probably thinking to himself; what can I do?  How can I provide light to this whole party?  How can I measure up to that task?  What on earth can I do that will give light to these 8 barges while we cross the ocean? He probably asked his wife what she thought he could do. He probably asked his family, friends, and certainly his brother.  They probably all gave him advice to the tune of “this is what I would do”, or gave him support, or maybe they just told him “you’ll figure it out.” This likely gave him several options, many of which could have worked just fine – but they didn’t seem right.

A few months ago, I was asked/called to be the president of the Young Men organization in our ward.  Immediately, those same thoughts went through my head; what can I bring to these boys?  What can I do?  What can I teach?  How can I teach?  What approach should I take?  How can I make a difference?  I could feel the same weight of responsibility on my shoulders.  I know that this feeling has and will come many of us as we accept a new calling or responsibility (if it hasn’t happened to you yet – it will).  I also think we can learn much from the little drummer boy and from the brother of Jared in how they processed the various options in their minds, and then ultimately in how they responded to that challenge.

I doubt the little drummer boy just decided to play his drum for the king because he couldn’t think of anything else to give – I think in the end he felt like it was his duty to play the drum because that is what he did best.  He knew that even if other people were able to give gifts of great worth that wouldn’t be right coming from him (nor could he give those gifts, because let’s not forget who this boy is – he is the little drummer boy), the thing that he was the best at was drumming, and that is what he was going to give.  His very best effort using his very best talent.  He was humble enough to realize that his drumming talents that he had worked so hard to develop would have to be enough – and if there was anyone who could recognize and appreciate all the effort, love, and desire that went into his emotional drumming – it was this new king.

Just like the little drummer boy, I don’t think the brother of Jared chose stones because they were easy or convenient, or even practical in their size.  I don’t think he chose stones because that was the best idea the Jaredite group could come up with.  I think he chose stones because that is what he knew the very best.  In Ether 3:1 it reads that the brother of Jared “did molten out of a rock sixteen small stones.”  Molting already paints a picture of hard work, patience, and attention to detail – yet there is one more piece of the puzzle.  The footnote on the word “molten” leads us to the topical guide (TG) to study the word “skill”. Then, as we review the word “skill” in the TG, we also see that it says “see also Art.”  Skill and art and their various synonyms are not words used to describe 6^th grade science reports (and they aren’t even used to describe any of the college science projects that I’ve seen) and they certainly wouldn’t be used in this situation if the brother of Jared had just wandered around the mountain and picked up 16 small-ish stones.  Skill and Art are used together with molting to describe professionals, accomplished craftsmen, and projects or treasures that take months or years to complete.  Let us remember that while we continue this story (and as they pertain to the little drummer boy).

I think that the brother of Jared may have considered many different ideas to present to the Lord, and many of them were probably fantastic ideas (and he may have even tried some).  He may have tried to go outside of his comfort zone (which is encouraged), or he may have even considered moving forward with something that he had seen others do in the past – yet in the end they just didn’t seem right.  So, the brother of Jared used his skill and his art and his talent to “molten out of a rock sixteen small stones” – or in other words, he skillfully crafted sixteen smooth, transparent, glass-like stones and carried them humbly up to the top of the mount to present his best effort to the Lord.

I played my drum for him pa rum pum pum pum

I played my best for him pa rum pum pum

Put yourself in the Lord’s shoes during this time (watching the brother of Jared use his hard work, time consuming skill to artfully craft some seriously awesome stones out of the mountain) – knowing full well the level of effort, care, thought, and love that is going into the process.  Don’t forget – the whole reason the brother of Jared asked for light is that he didn’t want his party to cross the ocean in the dark.  With that love and admiration for watching the brother of Jared work and really bring his best offering in mind – what the Lord does next is so amazing (I’m not talking about showing himself to the brother of Jared, the veil being rent, his faith becoming a perfect knowledge, because even though that is amazing, as its captured in Ether 3:2-22); It’s what happens after that that we need to remember – I’m going for the next line in the drummer boy’s tale…

Then he smiled at me….

Please imagine the scene – really imagine it.  The Lord has watched the brother of Jared search his soul and counsel with his family for the best possible solution, only to humbly identify his own unique talent – a talent that maybe nobody else in the Jaredite party had – and then he maxed out his effort using that skill and art to create a set of smooth, beautiful, amazing stones to present to the Lord with a singular purpose in mind – so that he can “prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness.”  This is such a humble and amazing approach to the situation.  I can only imagine the smile on the Lord’s face as the brother of Jared presented his gift – a truly unique gift and solution to the problem.  One that only he could bring.

Yes, the Lord smiled, and presented himself in spirit as a gift to the brother of Jared (see Ether 3:2-22).  But, after that, the Lord does something truly remarkable (and perhaps if the little drummer boy song had another verse it would contain something to do with what the drummer boy received in return) – he gives a gift to the brother of Jared.  So the question is; if you are the Lord, what do you give the man who just maxed out his effort, his skill, and his unique art in making beautiful and transparent stones to provide light in the darkness?

In verse 23-25 the Lord says “and behold, these two stones will I give unto thee… these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things…” and just to make sure that the brother of Jared knew how well these special stones worked “he [the Lord] showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.”  The Lord gives the brother of Jared the ultimate gift of skillfully and artfully molted stones.  He gives him a Urim and Thummim – two stones that will truly illuminate and magnify – just like the stones that the brother of Jared prepared. Who better to care for, appreciate, and look after the Urim and Thummim¹ than the brother of Jared?  Who else could appreciate the power and perfection and beauty of these two stones?  Just imagine how this made the brother of Jared feel.

Sometimes when we are presented with a challenge, or a new calling, or a difficult situation, we may think that we need to be or act or do something different than who we are – and I think that if we just understand and accept that we have something inside of us that is uniquely us – something that only we have to give, that is what the Lord wants.  He wants the very best of what is us – but remember that he wants every bit of it.  He wants to watch us search our souls, identify what makes us unique and special, and embrace that to the fullest so that we can present our drumming or our stone making in the way that only we know how – and then give it away so that he can smile at us, and then give us two additional stones that are truly magnificent.

Notes

¹ It is of note that the words Urim and Thummim are often translated directly as lights and perfections – especially in the context of this story of where and why they were given to the brother of Jared.