Sand Castles

Years ago our family went to Catalina Island for a weekend getaway.  It was quite a fun trip.  The kids enjoyed our hotel room.
We played putt-putt-golf.

 We watched the fishies from a glass-bottom boat.

We paddled ocean kayaks for miles.

We soaked-up the sun.

And, we ate ice cream!

One of the activities we enjoyed on the beach was building sand castles.  Everyone worked very hard to make the biggest and best sand castle. 

Sand was piled eight feet high and then carefully carved out.  Some were very simple and small, hastily put together in the form of a castle, but otherwise not very ornate. 

 

I think Charly won the contest with her sandbox entry, it must have taken her almost an hour to create this!

You can see, however, that even while she was in the process of creation, entropy was already working against her.  Her beautiful sand castle was falling apart.  The wind, water, and children touching it were breaking it down faster than she could repair it.

Of course, she didn't really build it, she found it, and claimed it for her own -- her "Princess Castle" -- in spite of disrepair.

I think life is like building sand castles.  We work so hard to accomplish things, getting food, clothing, shelter, and all the necessities of life.  We try to clean up the house, fix things, put a new deck in the backyard, and generally work against the constant and irrepressible force of entropy.  No matter what we build, whether a sand castle or a nation, all will come to naught.  The writer of Ecclesiastes said it wisely:

"Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun."  (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

When Jesus was visiting His friends, Mary and Martha, Martha was going around the house, cleaning, preparing the meal, and making sure everyone was comfortable.  When she began to feel overwhelmed she went in to Jesus where Mary was asking questions and learning from Him and asked Him to have Mary help out with the preparations.  Jesus denied her request saying, "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."  (Luke 10:41-42)  I think the point is that while Martha was busy with the preparations, she was missing some important instruction.

I have often found myself "in the thick of thin things," as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland says.  Getting busy with the stuff I feel I need to do in order to survive, I can lose sight of what is really important.  I believe one reason we are on the Earth is to learn and grow in all ways.  Often, my efforts to accommodate others leaves me doing a lot, without growth or learning.  For example, yesterday I really wanted to go to the Temple, but Charly changed her plans and stayed with me, and Micah had a luncheon he wanted me to attend.  I supported them, but I wonder what I missed by not going to the House of the Lord and sitting at His feet to hear His word.  She was learning things of Eternal worth, while all of Martha's efforts would be lost.

All that we do of the world is building sand castles.  We can make them large, wonderful, and ornate, or small and simple, but, either way, they will come tumbling down eventually.  Or, we can be as Mary and choose to spend our time learning.  The things that don't go away, even when we do, are the people we love and the knowledge we gain.  While Martha was taking care of things, Jesus indicated that Mary had chosen a good thing that Martha lacked -- learning.

I know I have wasted a lot of time building sand castles that have all gone "the way of all the Earth."  Only now am I beginning to look for things of Eternal value.  The things I do, whether building a house, cleaning, preparing meals, or running a business can teach me the truths of life.  I can also bless the lives of others by teaching them and supporting their growth, instead of just accommodating them.  If I do this, even my sand castles will be a means for me to learn and grow, and I will gain Eternal Life.

We will serve the Lord

Heather was wondering about how I can work in the name of God. I have often pondered this over the years, and am just beginning to understand. I have always thought wrong about life, and I need to change. Adam was told how to make these changes. I consider myself to be Adam in the following:

"And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.

"And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me. And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth. Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore." (Moses 5:4-8)

I have wondered about this idea of doing everything in the name of Jesus Christ. The Prophets speak of this, but I don't understand. I have always segregated my life into compartments that are convenient, depending on the hat I'm wearing. I have a career in which I earn money to support myself and my family. I have a family life where I spend time with my wife and children, doing all of the "family things." And then I have the "church stuff" where I serve the Lord. The last, and maybe the second are done in the name of the Lord, but certainly not the first. I wonder about quitting my job, my work and just going on a mission, doing more at church, visiting members, or helping others to come to God. Surely these would be things I could do in His name.

However, I am now beginning to see that I can do everything in His name, if I am doing His will. As I go through life, I can celebrate every day the bounties I have been given to learn and to grow. I can rejoice in:

My body

Food that is provided

Work

Children

Neighbors

The Gospel

Money

Travel

Opportunities for learning and growth

Those who share with me

Love

School or classes

Touch

Business

Pain and suffering (Yes! Even problems are blessings!)

Christ is the life of the world. All that is life, meaning growth, is of Him. Only He can give us life. "He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever." (D&C 88:41) To rejoice in all things, is to rejoice in Him. To celebrate life is to celebrate Him. To do whatever I do for life, for growth, for knowledge and wisdom is to do it for Him. If I do it for Him, no matter what it is, then I do everything in His name. I can do everything for Him, because He makes it possible, because He gave His all so I could grow, because I love Him. It's not just in church that we can serve Him, but rather in all things.

Fighting against God

If I reject a gift from God, I reject Him. If I am doing my will, then I am doing it in my own name. There are many gifts of God that I have rejected and denied. He has taught me true principles of health, but I choose not to take good care of my body. I know that exercise is very important, but I get too busy and don't feel like doing it. I'm lazy. Also, in spite of all I know about food, I choose to eat poisons because they taste good. I am tearing down my body with chemical ingredients, sugar, preservatives, pesticides, and flavorings. I like them. They taste good! So, I rebel against the knowledge I have and choose to eat unhealthy things for taste.

I am divorced from my first wife because I rebelled against the commandment I was given to love her. Instead, I was seeking my own. I wanted what I wanted, and I wasn't getting what I wanted. By insisting on my own way I ended up without her.

Another good example of rebellion is my business. The Lord gave me work to do. I have a profession, I like being a doctor. I would like to just sit and counsel others on their health. I can do that. It's easy. I'm good at telling them what to do. They can take my advice, or not, just as long as they pay me for it. It is good advice so they are not paying for nothing. However, the Lord wants me to learn to run a business. He has given me a practice to teach me how to be a leader, but I have had so many problems that I keep wanting to quit. "I'm just going to go and work for someone else, I'll make more money and have fewer headaches." I say. Anyone who has had more than one employee may know what I mean. This is the "natural man." By rejecting what the Lord gave me, I have rejected Him.

Repentance

However, if I take what the Lord has given me, and run with it, learning how to do all the things of a business, I can see how much I can grow and learn. Life is growth. Life is learning. Life is NOT about rest and retirement, and doing the easy thing, but rather continual improvement. I am being lazy and seeking the "easy way" instead of looking to learn. If I change that and instead seek growth, life, and love, then I am "doing all that I do in the name of the Son." This is repentance. I am changing from doing what I want to doing His will. I am loving Him by keeping His commandments. I am filling the measure of my creation. The business God gave to me teaches me these things.

I can keep my body healthy by doing His will, keeping His commandments. In section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, The Word of Wisdom includes, "All wholesome herbs," and "eat meat sparingly." Another commandment is to "retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated." (D&C 88:124) Also, I know that exercise will improve my body in many ways. By choosing good, wholesome food, and sleep and exercise, I am serving Him.

 

If I choose to love my wife, instead of seeking my own fulfillment then I also serve Him. To love her is to be happy with her, to appreciate her, to find her strengths, and to help her grow, even if it means giving up what I want. Love is in the sacrifice.

The everyday acts of life are where growth happens. It isn't in the big things, the mission trip to Africa, being a bishop, or a large donation to charity. Rather it is in the daily decisions to celebrate life by learning and growing. Life is lived by overcoming laziness and acting on the knowledge we have. This is how we repent of all our sins and iniquities.

Becoming perfect

Understanding that all things which bring growth lead us to Him makes perfection a possibility. When I get up in the morning, I do it for Him. When I exercise to build my body, I do it for Him. When I choose good food, I do it for Him. When I choose to learn the piano, I do it for Him. When I learn how to run a business, I do it for Him. When I read good books I do it for Him. When I budget my money I do it for Him. I do everything for my own growth for Him. Some of these things I really enjoy, but others I don't really want to do. In both cases, everything that leads me to being complete and whole, leads me to Him.

Moreover, when I do things to help others grow, to give instruction and encouragement, in every area of life I am doing His will. When I help Charly with her homework, I do it for Him. When I go to work, I do it for Him. When I counsel a patient, I do it for Him. When I serve in the Church, I do it for Him. When I help another to know the Gospel, I do it for Him. I share with others to teach them to grow, or support their growth -- for him. It's not just preaching the Gospel as taught in church, but rather every form of growth that brings life, that celebrates life. "Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together." (D&C 50:22) "Preaching" is broad enough to include all science, religion, politics, relationships, music, math, art, and philosophy -- all truth. All things that improve and increase life bring us to God. The injunction by Jesus is to "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) The original word translated as "perfect" means "complete" or "whole," like a "perfect circle" means a full, or complete, circle.

 

As I learn true principles, and choose to live them, to incorporate them into my life, I am repenting. It's really simple. In order for me to do all I do in the name of the Son, I would need to do it in submission to the will of God. All that I do to take care of myself and others gives me potential for growth and development, and helps me to celebrate life. All that I do to learn and grow helps me come closer to Him. All that I am given is a blessing over which I can rejoice and be glad, even if it is something I didn't want, such as pain, loss, or other suffering. All that I suffer I can choose to accept with all my heart as a gift for my own growth, just as I can accept a new car.

Everything I can do with all my heart, I must do fully. I need to celebrate all things, even if I don't like doing them so that I can grow. Rejoicing in life is growing. If I reject these opportunities, then I reject the Lord, and I am doing my own will. God gave me all that I have, and I need to be diligent in seeking His will for me in each of them so that everything I do is His will. I want to live. I want to grow. I want to love. I want to connect with God through His only begotten Son. So, I will "repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore." Thus, I will learn to do everything in His name. So, I can say, as Joshua, "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

They dance for Him

I walked into the outdoor theater with the sun blazing hot, worried that I might be late. I wasn't. I sat down, Michele and Tutu were across the aisle, a couple of rows down. I didn't see anyone else I knew. I was alone. I was feeling lonely. I was wishing Karyn could be sitting there by my side so I could enjoy her company. I was specifically thinking that I didn't understand dance, that I had to sit through twenty-two dance numbers just to see Charly in two, one jazz and one tap. She loves to dance and is technically very good. She accurately does all the steps, but I wonder about her heart.

After most of it was over, including both of her numbers, I was relaxing, just watching when I saw a young girl with a big smile dancing with all of her heart in a ballet. I don't know about the technical parts, but it was beautiful. I felt it in my heart. At the same time a voice inside me said, "They dance for Him."

Dance is a celebration of life. It is a sacrament of the body. It is a ritual of gratitude for all that the body can do, be, and represent. It is a ceremony of the wonders of life. In doing so it is also a tribute to Him who makes it all possible. Christ is the light and the life of the world. He is the way, the truth and the life. He makes it all possible. Without Him we could not exist. He created all things so that we would have a place to be. He constructed our home. He gave us the gift of independence, choice, and agency. He allows us to use that freedom -- and misuse it. And when we die because of our bad choices, He allows us to repent, and return to life. He gives us life in the first place, and then allows us to return to life, whatever life we desire. He is the life. Dance is a celebration of Him.

Some may be selfish, dancing for another reason. Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael were dancing and making merry and forgetting the Lord. The daughter of Jared in the Book of Ether danced to get Akish to desire her. She had a sinister plot to marry him so he would kill her grandfather, the king, and get the kingdom for her father. Her dance was not for the Lord, but rather for Satan.

Whenever we dance to celebrate life, love, and all the gifts we have been given we do it for Him. I believe most don't know that they dance for Him. When they find joy in expressing the wonder of the body and all it is capable of doing they are dancing for Him. King David came triumphantly into Jerusalem, dancing for Him. David was a man after the Lord's own heart.

"Let them praise his name in the dance." (Psalm 149:3)

"Suffer" means "allow"

A perfect synonym for "suffer" is "allow." When we take out the pain and sorrow of "suffer" and simply replace it with "allow," we get a whole new meaning of the Scriptures. For example, we understand that Jesus was perfect and sinless, but what made this so? I always imagined Him with His siblings at the dinner table to be like my family. His little sister says, "Oh Jesus, you think you're so perfect!" And He says, "Yep!" with a smug grin. And He would be right, but this sort of perfection is not definable. It is the "perfection" of pride, the "I'm right, I'm good, I don't need to grow or change," sort of perfection.

Jesus, in reality, was just the opposite. Humble perfection is doing exactly the will of God, submitting our own will to His. This is what Jesus did, as He explained to the Nephites:

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning." (3 Nephi 11:11)

How wonderful it is to have the Book of Mormon and be able to know about Christ after His resurrection! This scripture is a good example. If we take the word "suffered" and use instead the synonym "allowed" it reads:

"And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have [allowed] the will of the Father in all things from the beginning."

The first tells us about the pain He experienced, and the fact that it was painful, bitter, and hard. However, the second gives us insight into other things.

Without sin

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

We speak of Jesus being without sin, but what, exactly, does that mean?

"I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30)

Jesus is the perfect example of how to live because He never sought his own will, but rather allowed the will of the Father in all things in His life. He did this out of love for us, which love is charity.

"And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men." (1 Nephi 19:9)

 

Again, replacing each of the words "suffer" with "allow" we get:

"And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he [allows] it; and they smite him, and he [allows] it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he [allows] it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men."

He had a will, separate from the Father. He did not want to suffer. He didn't want to drink the bitter cup, but He did. It wasn't self-imposed suffering. He didn't create it, He only allowed it, as demonstrated in the Garden of Gethsemane.

"And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39)

The analogy here is incredible. If it's bitter, He could spit it out. How much more submissive could He be than to willingly drink what is bitter to the taste? Swallowing is willingness.

We just completed the circle. The events from this point we know. He willingly drinks the bitter cup, submits to die on the cross after allowing torture and humiliation, is buried in a tomb, rises from the dead, and visits the Nephites at the Temple in Bountiful to tell them: "I have suffered the will of the Father."

Follow Him

We follow Christ when we allow the will of the Father in our own lives, when we are "willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us]." (Mosiah 3:19) This is truly putting our trust in the Lord. We naturally seek our own will, instead of His, making us inherently evil, as King Benjamin points out:

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." (Mosiah 3:19)

The words used here are indicative of how we become saints:

Yields

Putteth off

Submissive

Meek

Humble

Patient

Love

Willing

Submit

Inflict

It is through the atonement of Christ that we can become saints. He is our example. We follow what He did. We submit to the will of God in all things. This means we allow chastisement and we allow evil to exist, as He explained:

"But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." (Matthew 5:39-41)

If to suffer is to allow, then allowing evil is literally what it means to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, a saint. Knowing that there is a plan made by God, and we follow His plan, instead of interjecting our own, "better," plan.

The sin of prevention

Lucifer had a "better" plan. He would prevent all suffering, pain, and sorrow by taking away the agency of man. Everyone would be obedient and do the will of the Father in all things, just like Jesus, but without the "willing" part. Submitting reluctantly is not giving the heart to God, it is just doing it by force. There are many in the world who try to enforce or follow the plan of Satan. Whenever power is gained "it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion." (D&C 121:39) They do this by pitting their will against the will of God, striving to put things right, as they see it.

When we try to prevent the will of the Father it is a sin. Whenever we insist upon our own way in anything, it is sin. There are many things that seem wrong that we try to put right: the death of a child, injustice, hate, pain, death, misery, and all the evils of the world. Yet, we are told that we are on the Earth to be tested, with what? Exactly that evil we think we want to abolish. God has a plan. His work is not like ours. We build sand castles all day, and fight and play with the other kids in the sandbox. However, He says, "this is my work and my gloryto bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) This is necessarily done by experiencing, and allowing, evil in our own lives.

Absorb evil

As a physician I deal with a lot of people who are in pain. Almost always, they are trying to get out of pain. Michael Jackson was one of those, and it eventually killed him. I find that when people try to use drugs to abolish all pain they have two problems: 1. The side-effects of the drugs, and 2. More pain. They only get minutes to hours of semi-relief with the drugs saying, "it makes it tolerable," but suffering much more in the long run.

How can we deal with pain? Follow Jesus: suffer it. Allow it. Experience it to the fullest. Drink the bitter cup willingly. When we feel pain, we allow it. We submit to it. We feel it completely and get all the way around it. We know it, and love it for what it is -- the motivation to change, to repent, and to become free. Pain allows us to feel joy. Lehi explains:

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility. Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God." (2 Nephi 2:11-12)

If there is no cold, there is no hot. If there is no darkness there is no light. If there is no death, there is no life. Life is choice, and if you have nothing to choose, you have no life. Moreover, if there is no pain, there is no joy. We actually can only experience joy to the extent that we have felt pain. If you want the greatest joy, you must be willing to experience the greatest sorrow. Again, Jesus is our example.

"He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;" (D&C 88:6)

Our Eternal life, joy and happiness depends on us comprehending all things through experience. Jesus shows us the way by allowing the will of God, even when it means suffering and pain, and submitting willingly and completely. Our only concern on Earth, therefore is to understand what is the will of God for us in our lives -- and suffer it.

My Three Sins

I always thought a sin was something I did, or didn't do. When I do something I shouldn't, that's a sin of commission. Also, when I don't do something I should, that's a sin of omission. However, now I see it differently. Henry David Thoreau said: "For every thousand hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one chopping at the roots." The leaves of evil are the manifestations, the outward signs, the part we can see -- the things we do, or don't do. The roots of evil are found in the heart, or why I did that. Why do I steal things? Why do I not fulfill my calling? Why do I look upon women with lust? Why do I lie? The root of the problem is in asking, "why?" I don't think we need to repent of the things we did so much as why we did them.

The Lord has revealed to me why I commit sins in my own life. The foundations of all my sins are found in the three desires of my heart:

1) Unbridled intimacy without sacrifice of my heart

2) Wealth without responsibility

3) Praise, glory, and the honors of men without earning it

These desires have been a part of me since the beginning. As a child I wanted these things given to me. I wanted them to come easily. I didn't want to put out any effort to get them myself.

However, as I thought about it more, I dug deeper and found that there is another level, the level of the heart. I did this by, again, asking "why?" Why do I want these things so badly? The underlying cause of these desires can be found in the needs that create them:

1) Loneliness

2) Insecurity

3) Guilt

In my heart, I conceived of a way to fill those needs with:

1) Sex to feel a connection with another. 

2) Money to be able to buy all I want in the world.

3) Honors of men to tell me I'm OK.

These work. They bring fulfillment of the need in the heart so they motivate everything I do.

1) I get married to fill the first need. I might have just lived with a woman or used many women but that would have prevented me from ever fulfilling number 3. I tried so hard to please my wife; I just wanted her to appreciate me and love me.

2) I work hard, I give to others, and expect others to give back to me, and they do.

3) I became a doctor to have honor and respect. I keep the commandments. I do things that are respectable and honest.

These all work. Each one does what it's supposed to do. They all fill the need in my heart. I feel fulfilled -- as long as I have them.

So, is the sin the needs in my heart, or the way I have chosen to fill them? The existence of the needs isn't really the problem, these are universal to mankind. Everyone has:

1) a need to be loved

2) a need for security

3) a need for forgiveness

My sins are in all the ways I seek to fill those needs that are of the world. The reason we call it sin is because it isn't true. There is nothing in the world that can fill the needs of the heart. As much as I try, the best I can do is temporary relief. The need remains, and remains unfulfilled. It fills the need, but it's like eating for hunger -- you just get hungry again.

Truth is forever. The true way is to fill the need permanently. The heart is changed when the need is filled by God.  When I look to him to fill my needs, then all I do is for Him. This is what it means to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37) He can:

1) fill my heart with love

2) provide for my physical and spiritual needs

3) forgive my sins and take away my guilt.

When I look to my Father in Heaven to fill my needs, then all of my thoughts, desires and motivations will be on Him. I will begin to put my faith and trust in Him, and let go of the things of the world. The feeling of love comes from a belief that something, or someone, can fill a need in my heart. If I believe that God can fill all the needs in my heart, then I will love Him with all of my heart. He can, and He does. It is permanent and abundant. There is no lack, no hunger, no thirst because the fulfillment comes from within.

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." (John 4:14)

Repentance is letting go of the ways I have sought to fill the needs of my heart, and believing that God can, and will, fill them. I should not focus on the sin, trying to get rid of it, but rather focus on the goal, trying to obtain what I really need by seeking the Lord's help. So, what I really need, then is to look to God for:

1) Charity to fill my heart.

2) Trust in the Lord to give me my daily bread.

3) Purification and sanctification through the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Once I have these, I could say that I have repented of all my sins. All of them. Sins are not infinite, but God is. I'm not relegated to being a sinner all my life, even a repentant sinner. I have the promise that I can "be made white through the blood of the Lamb." (Alma 34:36) Since I can define the sins in my heart, I can turn my heart to the Lord and repent of each one. There are only three. How hard can it be? :-)

Becoming Whole

I'm not a prophet, seer, or revelator, but I was asked by one in authority to preach today.  As I prepared this talk, I realize that it is for my benefit, so I ask that the Holy Ghost be with us that perhaps one other person here will also benefit from what I’ve learned. 

I love you.  I love everyone in here.  Those of you I know better, I love more.  But it wasn't always that way. 

As a college student I felt like I had nobody.  I would walk around campus feeling like nobody knew me, nobody cared, and life had no value.  I didn't want to die, but then again, I didn't want to live, either.  If I had gone to a doctor he/she would have said I was depressed and given me a pill to feel better.  But this would not have helped me in any lasting way. 

Have you ever felt unloved, like nobody loves you?

Have you ever felt unable, like you can't do all the things you need to do, or are supposed to do?

Have you ever felt incomplete, like something is missing? 

I want you all to know that these feelings are normal.  Feelings are not to be judged as right or wrong, we only need to know where they come from.  We need to know why we feel that way so we can actually do something about them. 

In the case of feeling insecure in ourselves, the feelings come from Satan -- and God!  It is important that we know that Satan uses part of the truth to get us to believe a part that's a lie.  God has said that we are not worthy of Him.  We are all sinners.  We all have transgressed the law and have no place in the Kingdom of Heaven.  We are all outcasts. 

King Benjamin told his people: "always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures." (Mosiah 4:11) 

He also told them: "I say unto you that if ye should serve him ... with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." (Mosiah 2:21) 

Satan takes this truth and brings us one step further to make us feel discouraged, hopeless, and depressed.  "I'm not worthy, I'm incomplete, I don't love -- and there's nothing I can do to improve the situation; therefore life is hopeless!"  It's just the last part that is the lie! 

The truth comes in the wonder, glory, mercy and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

Our feelings are absolutely correct -- we can do NOTHING!  We are as sheep before a pack of wolves -- helpless, hopeless, and dead!  We are powerless, as King Benjamin pointed-out.  Even our best efforts cannot get us anywhere --  

But our Lord can bring us from wherever we have fallen, to the highest heights of all.  This is the power of His love, sacrifice and atonement for us.  The word "Gospel" means "Good News!"  The "good news" is that we have a Savior who has the power to make us whole.  Why did we "shout for Joy" in the pre-mortal life when it was announced that Jehovah would come and make the Eternal Sacrifice?  We knew that through Him we could be whole. 

Wholeness is completeness.  Wholeness means nothing is missing.  The English word for "whole" used in the Scriptures is "perfect."  We are commanded to be whole, complete, or perfect: 

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) 

Did Jesus include Himself?  Read it again.  No.  Instead He said at another time:  

"Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." (Mark 10:18) 

This is a very important concept, that the Lord was incomplete, having a mortal body. 

When Jesus came to the Nephites and Lamanites after His resurrection and taught them the same sermon He gave in Jerusalem a few years before, He changed the ending -- listen carefully for the difference: 

"Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect."  (3 Nephi 12:48) 

If Jesus was not whole while on the Earth, but became perfect, complete, or whole after his resurrection, why do we expect perfection of ourselves right now? 

The feelings we have of insecurity, of ineptitude, of incompleteness are perfectly normal, logical -- and TRUE!  We are incomplete.  We are unable to save ourselves from death and hell.  We cannot become perfect in our thoughts, words, and deeds -- it's IMPOSSIBLE -- now. 

However, knowing this, we don't need to follow Satan and become hopeless, discouraged, depressed and anxious.  It's not that the feelings are wrong and we need to take a pill to avoid or suppress the feeling, but rather we need to deal with the feelings by seeking a way out.  If we cannot do it by ourselves, perhaps we can get some help! 

God can help us by giving us gifts.  There are three gifts of the Spirit that bring us to wholeness, and we must seek them, ask for them, and prepare ourselves to receive them in order to obtain them.  I'm going to give you the three things you can do to obey the commandment to become whole: 

1. Faith: Paul tells us: "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) 

Faith is diligently seeking the Lord.  It is coming to know Him through prayer, and study of His Word.  This means every day taking the time to seek Him.  I have often said that I'm so busy that I don't have time to pray or read the Scriptures, but the Spirit told me that I always have time to do what is important to me.   

Putting the most important things first is essential to a happy life.  To know God is the most important business of our lives.  Our relationship with God is more important than ANYTHING.  It is more important to spend time with the Lord, and seek the Holy Ghost every day than to:

Eat

Clean the house

Make money

Brush your teeth

Watch TV

Check email

...and so forth. 

Faith is putting God ahead of ALL other things.  EVERYTHING else we do is just a distraction.  Faith is diligently seeking the Lord.   

2. Hope: Peter said: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," (1 Peter 1:3) 

This scripture tells us about two kinds of integrity: Being "born again" how we become spiritually whole.  Our spirits are in a battle with our bodies from the beginning.  Our spirits want to learn, grow, and know God, but our bodies want stimulation, relaxation, food, candy, and the lusts of the flesh.  Only through the Lord, Jesus Christ, can we be born again, changed from a carnal to a spiritual state, bringing our bodies and spirits into agreement.  This is called "a mighty change of heart." 

The other part of hope is the resurrection.  This is the physical uniting of our bodies and spirits. 

The gift of hope is the assurance of a glorious resurrection.  It is having integrity of both body and spirit.  It is the promise of immortality and Eternal Life.   

As we celebrate the Living Christ this Easter, we can ask for, and obtain a promise, through faith, that we will also be resurrected to Life Eternal.  This is hope because we know our life will go on forever in happiness and joy. 

3. The first two lead to the third.  The greatest of all these gifts that we are given on the Earth is Charity.  Remember how we started -- that we are all nothing before God?  The Apostle Paul explains why we are nothing: 

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."  (1 Corinthians 13:2) 

Nephi also says, "the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing." (2 Nephi 26:30) 

Mormon tells us the same thing:  

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing," (Moroni 7:46) 

Mormon goes on to give us the two keys we need to obtain this gift:  "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;" (Moroni 7:48) 

First, pray and ask for charity with all your heart.

Second, it is given to those who are true followers of Jesus Christ.  How do we follow Him?  Here's what He did: "I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father" (John 5:30) 

What is the will of the Father? 

The basics are the same for everyone.  Jesus told the Nephites: "the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.  And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved;" (3 Nephi 11:32-33) 

The gate of entry is the same for everyone, and is spelled-out in the fourth article of faith:

We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

These four principles are just the beginning, they bring us through the gate, as Nephi explains how the first principles and ordinances only start us on the path to Eternal Life: 

"For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.   

And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life;" (2 Nephi 31:17-18) 

Once we have repented of all our sins, are baptized, and have received the Holy Ghost we are at the beginning of the path.  How do we follow the path to Eternal Life?

We do this by following Christ.  Remember, He only sought the will of the Father.  We would need to do the same.  Seek God's will for your life.  Find out what He wants you to be doing every minute of every day.  Your life will be different that all others.  God's will for you will be different than for me, or any other. 

In the Doctrine and Covenants we read how to build confidence: "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God;" (D&C 121:45) 

First: Charity for all men -- love everyone!

Second: Virtue (the word of God) fills your thoughts constantly.  Fill your life with the word of God.  Write the commandments on your door posts.  Write them on your forehead.  Write them on the hem of your skirts.  Listen to the words of the prophets.  Read the word of the Lord found in the words of the prophets.  Avoid the words of Satan found in all the media around us -- books, television, radio, internet, you tube, and so forth.  Instead, fill your head at all times with virtue.  You know how to judge what is good and what is evil.  Mormon tells us: 

"For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

            For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

            But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil;" (Moroni 7:15-17) 

So, whenever you see or hear anything, ask yourself, "Does this bring me closer to God?"  A "yes" answer means it's good.  A "no" answer means it's evil.  There's no grey area.  It is like night and day. 

Keeping your mind constantly occupied with faithful things brings: 

Faith, Hope, and Charity.  They come together, like the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  They cannot be separated. 

The Faith we have is not that we can do better by ourselves, but rather faith in the merits of Him who is mighty to save. 

Our hope is not that we can "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" and reach heaven with our good works, but rather that the Lord was resurrected, as will we all, and we can be resurrected to happiness forever through Him. 

Charity is the crowning achievement of life, a gift that we receive from Christ that we possess.  It is the Love that He has had for all mankind in His infinite atonement.  This gift is when we actually have the Name of Christ given to us, because we are like Him. Charity is worth our greatest efforts, and constant striving.  It is worth all the sacrifice we would have to make, for without charity, we are NOTHING.  Without charity we are incomplete, inept, useless, and lost.  We will continue to feel our nothingness, our insecurity, doubts, fears, helplessness, and hopelessness until we possess this gift.  We feel it.  It's true.  However, with charity, we become whole, complete, and perfect!

So, I leave you with the words of Mormon, his call to action.  Truer words were never spoken in the name of Jesus Christ: 

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

Testing with POWER

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character -- give him power."                                                     Abraham Lincoln

The test of what we really are inside comes from the choices we make when we can choose anything.  With abundance we build what we want out of the materials given.  When our only choice is to opt in or out it is easy; good and evil are black and white.  The choice is clear.  However, when all things are before us, and the choice is purely ours to use the power given to fill our own needs -- then we have a REAL choice.  This is the true test of character.  Can we pass this test?
 

Wealth

In an address to the students at Brigham Young University, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley quoted Brigham Young:

It is our duty to preach the gospel, gather Israel, pay our tithing, and build temples. The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty and all manner of persecution, and be true. It my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth. [Nibley, Brigham Young, p. 128]

To which I can hear many of you say, Hasten the day.

I believe that day, spoken of by Brigham Young with a voice of prophecy that rose above the voices of defeat and criticism, has come. We have been blessed with the bounties of heaven and the bounties of earth. Oh, how magnificently and munificently we have been blessed!" (October 29, 1974; BYU Devotional; Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled; Gordon B. Hinckley)

We indeed are at that day. The Latter-day Saints are among the wealthiest and best-educated of people on Earth. We are respected; an LDS man was a real contender for the White House! The Perpetual Education Fund is helping Saints all over the world to get educated and rise out of poverty. In all walks of life and in every country of the world the people of the Covenant are being tried with riches. Some pass, while others fail.

As long as we are in some distress, we remember to turn to Him and seek His counsel and blessings, but when we are filled with our own wealth our need for God, and His blessings, dissipates.

When we hear about how hard the test of wealth is, but, as Elder Hinckley noted, we say, "Bring it!" as though we were ready for this test. Let's evaluate and see that we may already be there, and don't know it.

Food

We are given plenty to eat every day. We never starve. I ask hundreds of people in my work as a physician if they have ever gone a whole day without eating and no one has answered in the negative, unless they deliberately fast.

"We are killing ourselves with our forks."

Let me list a few of the diseases that are caused by overeating:

Cancer

Heart disease

Diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2)

Peripheral Vascular Disease

Hypertension

High Cholesterol

Gout

Arthritis

Prostate enlargement (BPH)

Migraine headaches

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Infertility

Inflammation

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Crohn's disease

Ulcerative Colitis

Allergic Rhinitis

Celiac Disease

Alzheimer's Disease

Parkinson's Disease

Asthma

Obesity

Urticaria

Eczema

Psoriasis

Depression

Anxiety

Alcoholism

Drug use/abuse

Back Pain

Congestive Heart Failure

If you have any of these conditions, you may have already failed the test of wealth. You can't handle having too much available to you. When you are given power over your own eating habits, to be able to eat anything you want, any time you want, you choose to poison yourself with gluttony. You need to be in a place of poverty where they have to grow all their own food and have "bad years" with no food at times. This would force you to be healthy.

Beauty

"Most plain girls are virtuous because of the scarcity of opportunity to be otherwise." (Maya Angelou)

When a person is undesirable, it's easy to remain virtuous, however, when we have beauty we may find it very flattering to be the object of the lusts of others. Fame and fortune rear their ugly heads, and we believe we can get all we want without having to put in any effort, except to look good.

Isaiah spoke of the Covenant people of God being proud of their looks:

"Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:" (Isaiah 3:16)

Their salvation is in their own looks, instead of in the Lord. We have the wealth to buy pretty clothes, get our hair done, and use all sorts of cosmetics and surgical procedures to look good. We don't need God. Another failure of the test of wealth!

Lands, houses, and "stuff"

Last night I spoke with someone I have known a long time. He is in his 70's and healthy, but is close to bankruptcy. He has already had his motor home repossessed and still owes a great deal on it. Ten years ago, as he was ready to retire, his house was paid-off, and he had a modest retirement income. Now, however, he has taken a large loan on his house, such that it's "upside-down" (the debt is more than the value of the house), and he has other investments that went down when the Stock Market crashed. His income is down, and his debts are up.

Years ago when he retired, I talked with him about going on a mission, as he had the resources at the time. He indicated that he was going to make some investments, make lots of money, and when he was very wealthy, he would then serve a mission. It is now clear that this will never materialize.

Susa Young Gates, the daughter of President Brigham Young (1801-1877), once asked her father how it would ever be possible to accomplish the great amount of temple work that must be done, if all are given a full opportunity for exaltation. He told her there would be many inventions of labor-saving devices, so that our daily duties could be performed in a short time, leaving us more and more time for temple work"  (Archibald F. Bennett, Put on Thy Strength, O Zion! Improvement Era, Oct. 1952, 720). As predicted, all of these labor-saving devices have been invented, freeing-up lots of time for work outside of the home. However, instead of going to the Temple and doing the Lord's work, the Lord's people left the home and sought employment for money to increase their lifestyle!

 

In the Church, we cannot find enough people to do all the work of Zion. Everyone is so busy with their own things of the world, land, work, and toys, that they don't have time to serve the Lord. We chase the "American Dream" and get deep into debt, having to work long hours to maintain our lifestyle. The financial house of cards collapses periodically, leaving us in bondage to the world, and unable to serve the Lord with the only commodity we possess: TIME! Another failure of the test of wealth!

The Honors of Men

We are wealthy enough to be able to spend our time in selfish pursuits, gaining honor and glory in business or politics. We are able to be "professional students" or even professors, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:7)

I was discussing the Gospel with an uncle who is a graduate of Cal in Berkeley and continues to pursue intellectual and political interests. He never married, has one child that he doesn't support, and rarely sees, and feels "the government" should pay him to pursue his intellectual interests. He said he didn't have time to study about God because there was so much in the world that he wanted to know first.

One aspect of wealth is not that we have a lot of goods, money, and toys, but also that we have the time to do what we want, and are not forced to care for others, or even ourselves. The work of the world helps us to come to know God as we submit our will to doing what must be done for our own survival by serving others, and trusting in Him to help us. When a government is invoked as the primary source of these blessings, we forget God. Another failure of the test of wealth!

Leisure

Another characteristic of excess wealth is "leisure time." Slaves, or those in poverty must work constantly for their own support. Now, anyone can have sufficient food, shelter, and clothing to meet their needs, and have plenty of time to do what they want. The test of wealth is met by what we do with that time.

Today we can be filled with entertainment of all sorts: movies, television, books, plays, games, music, sports, video games, electronic media, and so forth, that do not build us up or help others, they simply pass the time idly. The average American spends over 5 hours per day sitting in front of a TV screen. At the same time, we have trouble getting our work done. Members of the Lord's Church are not able to help a neighbor, do genealogy, or serve one another because "there is no time." Another failure of the test of wealth!

Power

We think we want the test of wealth, but don't realize that we already have it. It's power! -- the power to do what we want, to see what we will choose.

What Isaiah said of the Lord might just as well be applied to all people: "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good." (Isaiah 7:15) If you have no choice, you don't really have a test. Jesus was given the choice. He passed the test of being able to choose anything. After fasting for 40 days, Satan came tempting him with all these things, wealth, honor, glory, power, but he refused and chose to serve God, walking among men and healing them, suffering with them, and for them.

We are in the midst of abundance, and we are failing this test. We are given so much, but use all we have for our own purposes, instead of God's. The benefit of poverty is that we cannot have expensive clothing, time to vegetate, enough food to get fat, or money to appear better than others. This is indeed the hardest test on the planet. Who has the character to pass the test of power?!

Power is the ability to get what we want. Whether this is by having enough money to buy what we want, or some political power to command others to do what we want. It's so easy to forget God when we have all our needs filled. We need to see the hand of the Lord in our lives. We need to need Him. We need to have nothing, except what He gives us to prevent us from thinking we are powerful. The most basic way of connecting with God is when we ask him to fill our needs. It's so hard to come to know Him if we miss this step. If we already have what we want, there is no need to ask God. Thus, Abraham Lincoln was spot-on when he said that the real test of character is not adversity, but power!