The plague of flies in the last days

18 Wherefore, I the Lord God will send forth flies upon the face of the earth, which shall take hold of the inhabitants thereof, and shall eat their flesh, and shall cause maggots to come in upon them;

19 And their tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against me; and their flesh shall fall from off their bones, and their eyes from their sockets; (D&C 29:18-19)

This comes as a part of D&C 29, which has some prophecies about signs of the last days. 

I picked up on these particular verses because some things struck me as I was thinking about it.

It sounds really scary and gross if it is to be literally fulfilled.  Supposing it to be literal, wouldn’t people notice a plague of flies?  And wouldn’t there be attempts to eradicate them before they have a chance to start eating flesh off people and laying eggs that turn into maggots?  For this to be literal, all those flies would have to go unnoticed or thought to be completely harmless.  And considering we know about how flies spread disease, that knowledge would have to be ignored or lost.  We might say, “Okay, so maybe that knowledge is lost. Or maybe there has been such a breakdown that people don’t have the resources to fight it. Or maybe they no longer care.  Maybe modern means of sanitation ceases and the waste lying around becomes a breeding ground for flies.”  Okay, maybe.   We’ll leave that option wide open.

I think it is also possible to read this as symbolic of plagues that come upon people and they don’t realize they are plagues and don’t do anything to stop it.  The way these flies eat the flesh off people makes me think that it is meant to warn us of little harmless-seeming things that gradually steal our time, our motivation, our energy, our lives.  If you ask me, social media fits pretty well, with all the buzzing notifications and what-not.

The problem is, all of this sucking away of our time and attention also sucks away our ability to act. I’ve noticed this in my own life. Have you seen it in yours?  When I live so much in my mind, I become reluctant to act. I find myself just want to think about acting, while dreading doing it. I think it will be hard and take too long. I fear making mistakes.   Silly, but it is something I fight.  Do you notice this too?

The other freaky thing is that it says eyes will fall from people’s eye sockets. If symbolic, it tells us that people will not be able to see what is happening to them because the pesky plague has destroyed their vision.

I think it is worth testing ourselves to see how affected we are by internet consumption and social media. Do we know what we’d do with ourselves if we didn’t get on the internet at all or read social media or text or Facebook or tweet or any of that?  Are we prepared to just act?

What about the line that says, “there tongues shall be stayed that they shall not utter against me?” It is possible it means that the distractions will sap the energy and motivation of the wicked such that they won’t bother vocalizing their opposition.  But if we are plagued by this too, then it may be that we’d be sapped of the energy to defend the Kingdom of God against opposition as well.

So that’s a possible interpretation,  you can take it for what it is worth.  Yes, I’m reading those verses in light of present issues and there may be future developments that enable a completely literal interpretation, or that suggest a different symbolic interpretation, and I’m open to that.   But I think the above interpretation is useful in that it helps us look at an issue in a new way and shows us truths that we might not be able to see otherwise.

Zeniff’s division of labor by gender

1 And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people.

2 And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.

3 And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years.

4 And I did cause that the men should till the ground, and raise all manner of grain and all manner of fruit of every kind.

5 And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years. (Mosiah 10:1-5)

In v4-5 I noticed recently that Zeniff tells how he divided the labor among his people along gender lines. The men tilled the land and the women did the spinning and weaving of cloth.

This seemed a little odd until it occurred to me that there might be a strategic element of defense to it.  In the previous chapter, the Nephites had just repelled an invasion from the Lamanites while they were out in their fields. So this section details the things the Nephites did to prepare to defend themselves in case of future problems of the same type. 

Spinning and weaving can be done at home where it is safe, so it would make sense for the women to do that there. If the men are out tilling the fields and feeding the flocks, they would be able to notice any invading armies approaching and then warn their families and form militias to repel the invaders. 

Zeniff also put guards around the land, so the guards were the first layer of defense, and the men in the fields were the second layer.

So, this makes me think that maybe the traditions of women staying in the homes is not necessarily a narrow-minded prejudice (though it has been used as such with arguments of women’s unfitness to be anywhere else), but an ancient defensive strategy meant for times when marauding armies approaching without warning were a real threat.  In that situation, it just makes sense to divide the labor in such a way as to protect the family the best.

Applying the strategy to today’s threats, where do you think the lines of defense should be put?

The call to repentance in the earth’s rotation

Recently I was thinking about the symbolism of days in the scriptures, analyzing it, and I thought to myself, “What phenomena creates a day’s time?” and of course the answer was, the rotation of the earth away from the sun and then toward the sun.

It hit me that that motion of turning away from and toward the sun in such a short period of time is a great physical analog for man’s spiritual condition—prone to wander, turning away from God, then to turn back when we find ourselves in darkness.

One thing is different though. It is a good thing the earth doesn’t stop turning and face the sun and stay; one side of the earth would get baked and the other side would freeze. But what would happen if we faced Christ and never turned away?  We might worry we’d wither under the weight of His glorious demands, but will we really?  Surely not. He will help us grow to meet them.

Another message lies in the difference between our perspective on earth versus what is really happening astronomically.  It looks to us like the sun is rising in the sky, then falling and leaving. It looks like the sun is moving toward us, then away. But in actuality, it is us turning toward or away from the sun.  In the same way, when we turn away from Christ, it seems as if God is leaving us, but it is always us doing the leaving.  But our perspective blinds us to what is really happening.

So when the day starts, ask yourself how you are going to turn to the Son of God, Jesus Christ, today. When the day ends, ask yourself what you need to repent of, and then turn to God quickly before you have to fall into a spiritual midnight.

 Animated gif found at: http://media.photobucket.com/user/vicki12078/media/Earth-spinning.gif.html?filters[term]=spinning%20earth&filters[primary]=gif&filters[secondary]=images&sort=1&o=0

Results of Nehor’s doctrine of preacher popularity

And he [Nehor] had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people . . . .

9 (Alma 1:3)

In Alma 1, we get a pretty brief sketch of Nehor’s doctrines and also a result of how those doctrines affected his behavior. (He has more doctrine besides this that denies the fall and the necessity of repentance, but I want to look at his doctrine of preacher popularity.)

In v3 it says he thought every priest and teacher ought to become popular, that they ought not to labor with their hands, and they ought to be supported by the people.

It might be worth it to think about what such a system was meant to do and what benefits Nehor believed it would bring.

To the people, the benefit would be priests and teachers they liked and wanted to hear.  To the preachers themselves, the benefits were an appreciative audience and subsidized living so that more time could be spent teaching and ministering. To the government, a religious system requiring teachers be popular would have the perceived benefit of keeping a populace united longer and thus keep the peace and prevent dissentions of large blocks of people unwilling to accept unpopular doctrine.

Also, considering the fact that the Law of Moses provided for the priests to be given a portion of the sacrifices brought to the temple, it could be said that Nehor was merely trying to extend this system and make it more effective.  According to the Law, the priests received perishable offerings, and those offerings had to be discarded if they were not eaten after two days.  Nehor’s teaching could be have been seen as suggesting greater efficiency, advising offerings of money that would be non-perishable.  It is easy to see why his ideas would be attractive in that respect. (This might also alert us that the Law of Moses policies must have had a symbolic purpose that would have been lost if Nehor’s ideas had been allowed to change temple worship.)

Theoretically, Nehor’s doctrines of popularity look like they would create a win-win-win situation, but like all false doctrines, when the fruits begin to be revealed, they turn out to be lose-lose-lose.  This is seen in v9 when Nehor encounters Gideon, who will not yield and who instead admonishes Nehor with the real words of God.

Now, because Gideon withstood him [Nehor] with the words of God he was wroth with Gideon, and drew his sword and began to smite him. Now Gideon being stricken with many years, therefore he was not able to withstand his blows, therefore he was slain by the sword. (Alma 1:9)

In a religious system requiring teacher and preacher popularity, it becomes necessary for listeners to not only indicate their favor clearly, but to indicate their disfavor clearly.  And if rejected preachers do not stop preaching, the popularity system is required by their own values to ratchet up the rejection until the unpopular preaching stops. (Hence, severe persecution and martyrdom, a la Ammonihah.)

Also, in a religious system of preacher popularity, those who do not like a popular preacher become the transgressors who must be punished, since they are not submitting to the majority law. Thus, Nehor (having started the system) considered himself the authority best suited to enforcing the values of popularity.

When we see it this way, we see how the relatively benign-sounding value of popularity, if allowed to become a governing principle, becomes tyrannical and doesn’t leave room for those who even believe or preach differently.

Nehor was guilty of murder (and was of course taken and tried for his crime), so in a society in which his was not the majority, his system did not bring the peace it seemed to promise. Even when his priestcraft spread and his adherents began persecuting those whose views they didn’t like, it didn’t bring peace. And in later years in the city of Ammonihah, which was governed by a priestcraft leadership, it is shown that their system eventually brought them to destruction. A city full of popular teachers is not going to teach unpopular truths, even if those principles are necessary to save.  Thus, we can’t expect truths to survive undiluted in any system that uses popular choice of teachers as a principle of organization.

I think this is helpful to realize because popularity is a big part of how our culture is organized today.  The TV shows to be broadcast or movies to be distributed depend on becoming popular. Authors want their books to become popular bestsellers.  Political leaders must become popular to get elected. (We see how it is a flawed system, but checks and balances make it less flawed.)

It the midst of all this, it is nice to remember that popularity is not the way to measure truth.  The truth will be the same whether the majority subscribes to it or not.  It will be the same, whether the one who teaches it is skilled with rhetoric or not.  Our responsibility is to seek for the truth and hold on once we find it, irrespective of the number of people who believe it, irrespective of the likeableness of the teacher.  We can look for people who tell the truth.  We’ll find it in everything virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy.  Also, it is nice to know that our church leaders aren’t chosen based on a popularity campaign.

Ending persecution in the church

In Mosiah 27, there was a situation in Zarahemla in which the members of the church felt they were being subjected to great persecution from the unbelievers and they complained to Alma and Alma took it to King Mosiah.

I think it is neat to see how both Mosiah and Alma handled it. After counseling with the priests, King Mosiah made a proclamation that no unbeliever should persecute members of the church, but Alma also sent strict commands throughout the church that there should be no persecutions among church members as well.  They recognized that the problem could be coming from both sides equally. (None may be so blind to the persecutions they inflict as the members of the church, convinced as they are of their rightness.)

I like the things they instructed the church in:

3 And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men;

4 That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

5 Yea, and all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the grace of God. (Mosiah 27:3-5)

So I see at least four ways that the church leaders wanted members to adjust their own attitudes in order to help decrease the contention and persecution:

“there should be an equality among all men” (v3)  -- Church members may have a tendency to look down on non-members, considering them benighted individuals and even to treat them as second-class citizens. It may all be subconscious, but nonmembers can tell when they are at a disadvantage, and it hurts them, just as it would hurt us if we were ignored or dismissed because of being Mormon.  So, we have to remember we’re all God’s children, and we’re all brothers and sisters and treat each other accordingly.

“they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace” (v4) – This is about what we do when we are the butt of the pride and haughtiness of the other guy.  Yes, it is obnoxious when people are scornful and proud and treat us like we’re the crud stuck to the bottom of their shoe, but if we know we’re children of God, we can be temperate in our responses and refrain from creating an even bigger problem by reviling back.  If we are disturbed by someone else’s pride, then we have given that person power over us. This is about stopping the conflict before it begins and about choosing to not be offended. 

“every man should esteem his neighbor as himself” (v5) – It is one thing to believe in the equality of man, but to esteem others as oneself takes it further along the continuum of charity. Do I trust others like I trust myself? Do I believe in the goodness of others like I do of myself? Do I accept and have patience with the weaknesses of others like I do myself? When I have conflict, do I dialogue on the issues as I would want to be dialogued with?

“all their priests and teachers should labor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want” (v5) – Physical labor has a wonderful way of reminding one of their physical limits, which is humbling.  In the Law of Moses, priests would partake in the sacrificial meal when worshippers brought their sacrifices, and when the priests labored with their own hands, they would retain appropriate respect for the work that went into bringing those sacrifices.  When priests and teachers work too, they won’t lay burdens on the people that would be too heavy, knowing they themselves will have to bear them.  This keeps leaders from persecuting members.

I think this is a good thing to think about because I would like to be sure I have a way to stand up for righteousness without persecuting.  What do you think?

“How can I keep my covenant to always remember the Savior?”: Insights on the Youth Sunday school lesson

I had my first experience last Sunday with teaching from the youth Sunday school curriculum “Come Follow Me” manual. 

I really like how it is structured around questions because I’ve found good questions to be one of the best ways to get me interested in learning. 

At first glance, these questions seem both easy and difficult.  Easy because you feel sure that there is a good fast answer that you could give and then be done.  Difficult because you wonder how you could spend a full lesson learning about that particular topic.

I’ve found that in preparing these lessons, it is very important to read all the scriptures and talks suggested in the prep material, especially since the little blurbs describing the scriptures don’t often give a sense of the full deliciousness thereof.

I learned a lot from the lesson “How can I keep my covenant to always remember the Savior?” and I want to share some of the things I got from it that have helped me.

For a long time I have pondered how the sacrament prayer says we promise to “always remember Him” and I have wondered, “Does that mean all the time?  How does a person even do that going throughout a typical day?”  I’ve pondered this for years.  I’ve seen how my mind works, and I know that I can only focus on one thing at a time.   As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about what I am going to say, and that only, though I may take little mental breaks to deal with low-level concerns about other stuff in my life that pop up at me.

Also, I’ve had this idea in my head that “always remembering the Savior” means to think specifically about the events of the Atonement and Crucifixion only.  I’m not sure where this idea came from.

So I want to share with you some of the scriptures and pieces of conference talks that expanded my views.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

I think it is neat that while we promise to always remember Christ, this seems to promise that the Holy Ghost can help us remember too.  And I suppose remembering Christ’s words is part of remembering Him, so that will work too.

36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

 37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 37:36-37)

These two verses seem to me to describe a bunch of different ways of praying and looking at things while remembering the Lord. 

I particularly like how Alma says, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings.” It gives me a picture of someone taking a problem to a counsel, much like ward counsels.  But of course, when you counsel with the Lord, it’s just you and Him. 

When I counsel with the Lord, I usually go to an empty room and shut the door so that no one can hear me, and then I talk out loud to Heavenly Father just as though He were right there in person listening.   “Heavenly Father, I have this problem and it is this: ________.  It is really worrying/frustrating/angering me.  I’ve tried ____, and I’ve tried _____ and I’ve tried ______.  I’ve thought about trying ____, but if I do that, then _____ will happen.  And if I try this other thing, then ____ will happen and I don’t want that either.  I don’t know what to do, and I need help."

When I get it all out, I sit there and think and feel. And the first thing I feel and know is that Heavenly Father has heard me.  That impression comes by itself and it is wonderful and comforting. And then the next feeling that comes is a great sense of hope and optimism, that things are going to work out. It is so buoyant and joyful.  And sometimes I get impressions of what to do, and sometimes I am led over a period of days to a solution, and sometimes things just… iron out by themselves.  Feeling heard by Heavenly Father helps me be patient when I don’t get immediate impressions of what to do.

One part of the lesson suggested showing the youth pictures of Christ’s life from the Gospel Art Book and inviting them to think about how remembering these stories could help them during their daily lives. 

I thought this was a curious activity, so I decided to try it on myself.  I had the Gospel Art Book at home and I looked carefully at the pictures representing stories from Christ’s mortal ministry and I found myself thinking of times in my life when I identified with someone in the picture, or with an experience Jesus had. 

When I looked at a picture of His baptism, I remembered my own and the sweet feelings of that.  When I looked at a picture of Christ ordaining his apostles, I remembered when I had been set apart for my callings by priesthood authority. When I looked at the picture of Christ talking to groups of children, I remembered experiences I’d had talking to and playing with children and what a joy that was.  So many pictures I could identify something in my own experience to link it with. 

That’s when it sunk in that remembering Christ could be more than just remembering His atonement and death.

From Elder Holland’s talk “This Do in Remembrance of Me” Oct 1995:

We could remember the Savior’s premortal life and all that we know him to have done as the great Jehovah, creator of heaven and earth and all things that in them are. We could remember that even in the Grand Council of Heaven he loved us and was wonderfully strong, that we triumphed even there by the power of Christ and our faith in the blood of the Lamb (see Rev. 12:10–11).

We could remember the simple grandeur of his mortal birth to just a young woman. . . .

We could remember Christ’s miracles and his teachings, his healings and his help. We could remember that he gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf and motion to the lame and the maimed and the withered. Then, on those days when we feel our progress has halted or our joys and views have grown dim, we can press forward steadfastly in Christ, with unshaken faith in him and a perfect brightness of hope (see 2 Ne. 31:19–20).

We could remember that even with such a solemn mission given to him, the Savior found delight in living; he enjoyed people and told his disciples to be of good cheer. He said we should be as thrilled with the gospel as one who had found a great treasure, a veritable pearl of great price, right on our own doorstep. We could remember that Jesus found special joy and happiness in children and said all of us should be more like them—guileless and pure, quick to laugh and to love and to forgive, slow to remember any offense.

We could remember that Christ called his disciples friends, and that friends are those who stand by us in times of loneliness or potential despair. We could remember a friend we need to contact or, better yet, a friend we need to make. In doing so we could remember that God often provides his blessings through the compassionate and timely response of another. For someone nearby we may be the means of heaven’s answer to a very urgent prayer.

We could—and should—remember the wonderful things that have come to us in our lives and that “all things which are good cometh of Christ” (Moro. 7:24). Those of us who are so blessed could remember the courage of those around us who face more difficulty than we, but who remain cheerful, who do the best they can, and trust that the Bright and Morning Star will rise again for them—as surely he will do (see Rev. 22:16).

On some days we will have cause to remember the unkind treatment he received, the rejection he experienced, and the injustice—oh, the injustice—he endured. When we, too, then face some of that in life, we can remember that Christ was also troubled on every side, but not distressed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (see 2 Cor. 4:8–9).

When those difficult times come to us, we can remember that Jesus had to descend below all things before he could ascend above them, and that he suffered pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind that he might be filled with mercy and know how to succor his people in their infirmities (see D&C 88:6; Alma 7:11–12).

To those who stagger or stumble, he is there to steady and strengthen us. In the end he is there to save us, and for all this he gave his life. However dim our days may seem they have been darker for the Savior of the world.

In fact, in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, our Lord of this sacrament table has chosen to retain for the benefit of his disciples the wounds in his hands and his feet and his side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and perfect. Signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you. It is the wounded Christ who is the captain of our soul—he who yet bears the scars of sacrifice, the lesions of love and humility and forgiveness.

Those wounds are what he invites young and old, then and now, to step forward and see and feel (see 3 Ne. 11:15; 3 Ne. 18:25). Then we remember with Isaiah that it was for each of us that our Master was “despised and rejected … ; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3). All this we could remember when we are invited by a kneeling young priest to remember Christ always.

We no longer include a supper with this ordinance, but it is a feast nevertheless. We can be fortified by it for whatever life requires of us, and in so doing we will be more compassionate to others along the way.

One request Christ made of his disciples on that night of deep anguish and grief was that they stand by him, stay with him in his hour of sorrow and pain. “Could ye not watch with me one hour?” he asked longingly (Matt. 26:40). I think he asks that again of us, every Sabbath day when the emblems of his life are broken and blessed and passed.

This helped me realize that always remembering the Savior doesn’t mean I am restricted to only thinking about his suffering in Gethsemane or his crucifixion.  I can think of all the other parts of His life too.  In fact, since many things I do are similar to things He did, I can think of Him at those times and ponder how He did those things.

From Elder Eyring’s Oct 2007 general conference talk “O Remember, Remember”:

When our children were very small, I started to write down a few things about what happened every day. Let me tell you how that got started. I came home late from a Church assignment. It was after dark. My father-in-law, who lived near us, surprised me as I walked toward the front door of my house. He was carrying a load of pipes over his shoulder, walking very fast and dressed in his work clothes. I knew that he had been building a system to pump water from a stream below us up to our property.

He smiled, spoke softly, and then rushed past me into the darkness to go on with his work. I took a few steps toward the house, thinking of what he was doing for us, and just as I got to the door, I heard in my mind—not in my own voice—these words: “I’m not giving you these experiences for yourself. Write them down.”

I went inside. I didn’t go to bed. Although I was tired, I took out some paper and began to write. And as I did, I understood the message I had heard in my mind. I was supposed to record for my children to read, someday in the future, how I had seen the hand of God blessing our family. Grandpa didn’t have to do what he was doing for us. He could have had someone else do it or not have done it at all. But he was serving us, his family, in the way covenant disciples of Jesus Christ always do. I knew that was true. And so I wrote it down, so that my children could have the memory someday when they would need it.

I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.

More than gratitude began to grow in my heart. Testimony grew. I became ever more certain that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. I felt more gratitude for the softening and refining that come because of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ. And I grew more confident that the Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance—even things we did not notice or pay attention to when they happened.

The years have gone by. My boys are grown men. And now and then one of them will surprise me by saying, “Dad, I was reading in my copy of the journal about when …” and then he will tell me about how reading of what happened long ago helped him notice something God had done in his day.

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness.

I really liked this bit from Elder Eyring’s talk because it shows how looking back over the day to see what God has done for us is yet another way to remember Him.  And what’s even cooler is that it shows me that journaling about what we notice is actually a way to make a tangible memorial of how we’ve been keeping that covenant.  And that memorial becomes a memory aid for our future selves so that we can remember even more.  It builds on itself. 

From Elder Christofferson’s talk “To Always Remember Him”:

I wish to elaborate on three aspects of what it means to “always remember him”: first, seeking to know and follow His will; second, recognizing and accepting our obligation to answer to Christ for every thought, word, and action; and third, living with faith and without fear so that we can always look to the Savior for the help we need. . . .

You and I can put Christ at the center of our lives and become one with Him as He is one with the Father. We can begin by stripping everything out of our lives and then putting it back together in priority order with the Savior at the center.  Whatever we “get away with” in life or manage to hide from other people, we must still face when the inevitable day comes that we are lifted up before Jesus Christ, the God of pure and perfect justice.  We know that challenges, disappointments, and sorrows will come to each of us in different ways, but we also know that in the end, because of our divine Advocate, all things can be made to work together for our good.

So I see a bunch of different ways that we can remember Christ from what Elder Chrisofferson said. 

1)   Seeking revelation about what we should do.

2)   Looking at everything we do with an eye towards how Christ would approve or disapprove of it on the day of judgment (and of course choosing to not do what He would disapprove).

3)   Setting our life priorities with Christ first.

4)   Facing challenges by trying to discover how the Lord will make them be for our good.

5)   Looking to the Savior for help in our challenges.

It’s a good bet that a lot of this is pretty engrained in us already.  (Or at least it should be.)  It is neat to know that these things constitute part of fulfilling that covenant to “always remember Him.”  I guess I had never thought of it that way before.  I never thought they were related to that promise to “always remember Him.”

After all this, when I was studying, I remembered something I’d learned long ago as a writing tutor about Cognitive Load Theory.  This theory says that a person can only keep in their working memory a limited number of things at a time, and when more things are put on it, stuff drops off.  We can only remember so much.  As a writing tutor, this theory was the reason we encouraged students to write down on their papers what they were going to do to fix their paper so that they could still remember it all once the tutoring session ended. 

But I could see a new application of Cognitive Load Theory when I related it to the covenant that I would always remember Christ.  It meant that I would have my list of mental things that I’d need to remember, and Christ required that I place Him on that list and keep Him there all the time.  When I take little mental breaks, and check my mental lists, Christ needs to be there. 

As I’ve been trying to practice this, I’ve noticed that it really does feel like Christ is with me, at least in my mind.  I have to wonder if this is the same thing that Christ experienced with respect to Heavenly Father when He said:

And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. (John 8:29)

I told the class I was teaching that they were lucky to be getting this lesson this early in their lives because it really has the potential to change everything.  Little changes in things we do often mean the harvest is multiplied.  I think if I had had this lesson and applied it at their age, my life would have been much better.  I would have been able to avoid a lot of the mistakes I made. 

I really want to be changed because of what I’ve learned from this lesson.  I think it could make a big difference my life.  I recognize it will be something I need to work on continually, and I really hope it doesn’t turn into something I do just for a week and then forget about.  Because I know that I have a tendency to do that, as Mormon wrote:

1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.

4 O how foolish, and how vain, and how evil, and devilish, and how quick to do iniquity, and how slow to do good, are the children of men; yea, how quick to hearken unto the words of the evil one, and to set their hearts upon the vain things of the world!

5 Yea, how quick to be lifted up in pride; yea, how quick to boast, and do all manner of that which is iniquity; and how slow are they to remember the Lord their God, and to give ear unto his counsels, yea, how slow to walk in wisdom’s paths!

6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide. (Helaman 12:1-6)

It is likely that I will forget, but I want to remember.  I suppose Satan will try to tempt me to forget, to think that it is too much effort to try to remember Christ always. 

But it’s not.  It just requires a thought. You can’t get much easier than that.  I just have to mentally reach for Christ and keep reaching.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. (D&C 5:36)

What do you do to always remember Christ?  What mental habits have you built for yourself?

Re-examining Jesus’s appearance on the road to Emmaus

When Jesus visited two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus, they were talking of the events of Jesus’s crucifixion and the news of the resurrection and were sad.  The main cause of their sadness seems to have been a sense of betrayal—they had trusted Jesus to be the one who would redeem Israel militarily, but contrary to their expectations He had been crucified.  They seemed to not know now where to look for redemption, and the stories of Christ’s resurrection only confused them.

When Jesus meets them, He asks them about their concerns and he listens to them, and when they’ve gotten it all out in the open, His answer is instructive: “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26)   I suspect that the term “fools” was not just an epithet meaning “unwise,” but also one expressing they were in a spiritual state bordering on apostasy.  For them to forsake Christ because He had not militarily redeemed Israel would be apostasy. 

Quick sidenote: What do you suppose was Christ’s tone and manner as he said this to them?  Was he loud and harsh?  Or was he gentle?  What would have better conveyed his concern for them?

Anyway, thinking about these things, it seems to me that Jesus’s visit was meant to pull back into the faith two disciples who were wandering because the prophesied events had not gone according to their expectations.  Through the rest of His visit with them, He shored up their knowledge through the scriptures, and when they finally recognized Him through spiritual manifestations, they had gained the foundational knowledge upon which to base their testimony.  Then, His actual presence, when they recognized Him, had much more power.

I think this has a good lesson for us.  We or others around us may struggle with testimony when prophesied events happen differently than expected.  Christ (and by extension Heavenly Father) still cares for these and desires they obtain personal witness as well.  The witness needs to be built upon a better understanding of the scriptures, spiritual witness, and also personal experience.

Afflictions consecrated for our gain

1 And now, Jacob, I speak unto you: Thou art my firstborn in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness. And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of thy brethren.

2 Nevertheless, Jacob, my firstborn in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain. (2 Nephi 2:1-2)

That part about God consecrating our afflictions for our gain has to be one of those very comforting, but often overlooked principles.  We often repeat that bit from D&C 122 about our suffering being but for a small moment and how we will be exalted if we endure it well, but this adds the principle that our afflictions can become advantages to us and that we can profit from them.

I ran across this scripture at the end of May and I wrote about it in my scripture journal because the week before I read it I had taken a fall while mountain biking.  I scraped up my right palm pretty badly and I had a pretty bad gash in my right knee, along with a sprain that I didn’t notice until my cut was healing.  I found myself limping about, trying to keep my right knee straight so that the gash would have time to close.  I had to spend some time on crutches to give it a rest. Bending my knee was uncomfortable, and I yearned the day it would finally heal, when I’d be able to bend it normally and be active again. 

I wondered how that affliction would be consecrated for my gain, and I can now look back and say that I feel more sympathy for those who injure in those places.  (I’m sure we all wish we could have the proper sympathy without having to suffer something like that, but experience really is a great teacher.)  I also learned that it is possible to persevere and do things anyway when they have to be done. 

When our afflictions help us learn greater charity and perseverance, that certainly consecrates our afflictions for our gain.

How else might it help?

Mosiah reads the record of the Zeniffites and the people’s reaction

5 And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until they returned again.

6 And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again. (Mosiah 25:5-6)

This is interesting because it seems that even though the Book of Mosiah only gives us the record of Alma from the time they left Nephi-Lehi to the time they got to Zarahemla, evidently their record also contained history from further back to Zeniff.  It would be really interesting to see if they redacted King Noah’s history to reflect how things really were.

7 And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement. (Mosiah 25:7)

Why might it be helpful to us to know that these records were read to all the people? I suppose it gives us a preliminary picture of what it will be like in the day when all the books are opened and everyone’s works are read upon the housetops.

Some of us have had an opportunity to read our parents’ journals. What about our grandparents or great grandparents’? What will we learn from their lives? What will strike us with wonder and amazement about their accounts? Might we begin to see patterns that we would not have seen if we only read our parents’ accounts? Might we begin to understand how each generation affected the following generation?

8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered out of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been slain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of bondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.

11 And again, when they thought upon the Lamanites, who were their brethren, of their sinful and polluted state, they were filled with pain and anguish for the welfare of their souls.

12 And it came to pass that those who were the children of Amulon and his brethren, who had taken to wife the daughters of the Lamanites, were displeased with the conduct of their fathers, and they would no longer be called by the names of their fathers, therefore they took upon themselves the name of Nephi, that they might be called the children of Nephi and be numbered among those who were called Nephites. (Mosiah 25:8-12)

We see here that records have the potential to arouse all kinds of different emotions, from every end of the spectrum, from pleasant to unpleasant. Joy, sorrow, gratitude, and pain all seem stronger when you knew the people in the story, and it is cranked up a notch when it is people you’re related to. We wish the story could have nothing but good, but we may be disappointed.

We also see that the people who had been part of the story became a sort of witness of the truth of the record. The people who escaped from the Lamanites were a witness that they had escaped, while it is sad to think of those who were not there because they had been killed by the Lamanites.  Also, Alma and his people just being there were a second witness of the power of God to deliver His people, and also they could attest to the polluted state of the Lamanites, who they had to escape from.

I suppose we may think that we have to choose an all-encompassing observation and emotion through which to see stories, but it may be hard to do that. Stories can be complex, and so can people, mixes of good and evil.

When I apply this story to myself, it makes me wonder what other records besides my journal will end up saying about me. I hope it is good things. I hope I can repent of my sins fast enough that my sins as recorded in others’ records will not be mentioned to me at the last day.