Lehi’s insights into Adam’s Fall

18 …he [Satan] said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

19 And after Adam and Eve had partaken of the forbidden fruit they were driven out of the garden of Eden, to till the earth.

20 And they have brought forth children; yea, even the family of all the earth.

21 And the days of the children of men were prolonged, according to the will of God….

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.

23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.

24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2:18-25)

One of the great things about Lehi’s discourse on the Fall is that he gives us something that no other place in scripture gives us—Adam’s reasons for partaking the fruit. All other places say that “[Eve] took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” making it sound like Adam ate mindlessly what Eve gave him.

But here we get the first inkling (though it is not explained fully) that Adam fell (ate the fruit) so that he could have children. This suggests something we are familiar with—that Adam and Eve knew they would have to separate if one ate the fruit and the other did not, that Eve would have to leave the Garden of Eden and Adam would not need to.

Think of what would have happened if Adam had decided not to partake of the fruit too. He and Eve would have been separated and would not have been able to have children. Not only that, Eve would have been endlessly lost, having fallen forever, and being separated from Adam, so she would have been unable to have children, especially the distant descendant Jesus Christ who would atone for her sins as well as all others.

The apostle Paul realized this too, since he wrote to Timothy:

14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (1 Timothy 2:14-15)

Paul’s words about Adam not being deceived seem totally incomprehensible unless we take it as a hint that Adam was tempted to eat the fruit once before and resisted the temptation, and it was only the prospect of losing Eve and the means to have children that persuaded him to eat the fruit.

Paul’s words also highlight that Eve’s salvation (and everyone else’s too) depended on her having children. She had to have children, her children had to have children, and so on, to ultimately bring Christ into the world so He could atone for us.

LDS scholar Hugh Nibley pointed out that Eve, though fallen, still exhibited great love of the truth by working to keep her marriage together so that she could keep the commandment to have children. (Having broken one commandment, she didn’t want to break any others.)

After Eve had eaten the fruit and Satan had won his round, the two [Adam and Eve] were now drastically separated, for they were of different natures. But Eve, who in ancient lore is the one who outwits the serpent and trips him up with his own smartness, defeated this trick by a clever argument. First she asked Adam if he intended to keep all of God's commandments. Of course he did! All of them? Naturally! And what, pray, was the first and foremost of those commandments? Was it not to multiply and replenish the earth, the universal commandment given to all God's creatures? And how could they keep that commandment if they were separated? It had undeniable priority over the commandment not to eat the fruit. So Adam could only admit that she was right and go along: “I see that it must be so,” he said, but it was she who made him see it. This is much more than a smart way of winning her point, however. It is the clear declaration that man and woman were put on the earth to stay together and have a family—that is their first obligation and must supersede everything else.(Hugh Nibly, “Patriarchy and Matriarchy”, http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/transcripts/?id=151)

So it seems that both Adam and Eve must be remembered for their strong commitment to marriage and family and having children.

Who's the greatest?

46 ¶Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

48 And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great. (Luke 9:46-48)

I had lots of questions about what Jesus said here. How does one receive a child in Jesus’s name? Is that like when a woman bears a child? Or does that mean meeting and accepting a child for who they are? Or does that mean accepting a child into the church by baptism? Or does it mean accepting truth even if it is taught in the simplest way by a child?

I think it could be all of these, but most especially I think it could mean accepting a child into the church at baptism, since that would best qualify as “receiving [a] child in [Christ’s] name.” Considering the disciples were wondering who was the greatest, I think Jesus making the child the focus to make the point that EVERYONE in the kingdom of God is to be treated and respected and loved as if they were the greatest, as if they were like Christ. There is to be no excluding or patronizing or pride, no jockeying for status or power. Yes, there must be order in the church, but Jesus clearly didn’t mean that order to divide the church into classes on any account.

How would we treat each other if we were to pretend we were receiving Christ in each other. We are all little embryo Christs anyway, so this is not so far-fetched.

For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great – I think this means that those among us who seem the least talented, the least smart, every “least” we can think of, even the least faithful we should treat as though they are the greatest. (I’ve observed that those who seem to have the least going for them are in need of the most care and attention.) There are echoes here of leaving the 99 and going after the 1.

As I’ve been thinking about these verses, they strike me as one of those sayings that is easy to talk about, but harder (maybe very hard) to put into practice. I’ve been working on it today, and it is wearing me out! But somehow, I sense it could really revolutionize my relationships, so I want to persevere. I sense that it will really help me develop greater charity, the kind of charity I need for the celestial kingdom.

What do you think? Do you want to try it with me?

Image: Carl Bloch, http://www.rickety.us/2011/04/carl-bloch-the-masters-hand/

Highlights of April 2012 conference

First I have to share that I experienced a moment of complete bliss during conference that will be imbedded in my memory for (I hope) a good long time. It was the during Saturday morning session. My husband and I were seated on the low granite wall on Temple Square in the standby line. The weather was warm and windy, blowing petals from pale pink cherry blossoms to whirl down and around us. The dark grey trees towering above us had a faint green mist of new leaves on them. We listened to conference through the outdoor speakers, and as the choir began singing “Love is Spoken Here,” I was overwhelmed with a glowing feeling of warmth, joy, and love, thankfulness that I could be there in such a beautiful place at that time, that I could hear such excellent singing about family love, that I could be with so many saints who resonated with faith in the gospel of Christ, that I could be with my husband, who I loved. It was a foretaste of heaven. (happy sigh)

I didn’t get into the conference center to see conference, but I did get to be in the Tabernacle for one session. (Yaaaaay for being in historic buildings!!) I got to spend another session with my sister Tennille and my brother Nelson. (Yaaaaay for being with family!) Two sessions I watched on video and two sessions I just had audio, and I think there are different advantages to each. Audio required more concentration, but note-taking was more difficult with video. Not sure why.

I want to share some of the highlights that stuck out to me, at least one highlight from each talk.

Elder Boyd K. Packer said family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. That is a clear statement of priority. It seems to me that if family time is put at such a priority in the church, then we should make sure that we have good things that we can do together and talk about during family time that make it something that the whole family appreciates and will want to guard.

Cheryl A Esplin said that children must experience gospel principles in action early while it is easy to believe them. I’ve found this is true for any age that it is necessary to apply gospel principles as soon as we learn them. Procrastinating the implementation of counsel tends to weaken belief that the counsel is necessary to follow or will be effective.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom pointed out the church and the gospel are not the same and mentioned that things of the gospel are less visible, and therefore less easy to measure. This reminded me that we can measure certain things about our activity like our attendance and visiting teaching and tithing, but we can’t measure our love and devotion to the Lord, our repentance and faith, or other inner qualities that indicate our commitment to the gospel. The inner unmeasurable things will be harder for us to improve if we are hungry for praise from others and not commendation from the Lord.

Elder Paul E Koelliker talked about seeking ways to awaken and nurture desire to know Heavenly Father and feel His Spirit. It really got me thinking about how we communicate the core benefits of the gospel to others. One of the ways that my desire to know Heavenly Father has been nurtured has been hearing stories from people I looked up to spiritually about how they sought and found the Lord’s help. These stories came at times in my life when I was casting about for something more I could do to bring greater blessings into my life.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks talked about sacrifice and how we make devoted sacrifices of time and talents, even in opposition to personal desires. When I look back through my notes of his talk, I saw he named a number of things we do as part of our duty that are sacrifices. I think I forget the many ways I sacrifice as a matter of course and yearn for bigger, more exciting acts. Elder Oaks said that our testimony of the Atonement inspires us to a desire to sacrifice out of gratitude. That is powerful.

President Henry B. Eyring talked about laying an unshakeable foundation of faith by preparing with personal integrity, serving God and others, and demonstrating faith in Jesus Christ. This was a precious talk to me because at times I’ve felt myself shake with doubts and feelings of inadequacy. I’ve wondered how to achieve greater firmness in my faith, and this was an answer for me. One single phrase that stood out to me was when he quoted D&C 121: “if the very jaws of hell should gape after thee..” This meant a lot because I’ve felt the jaws of hell gaping after me, and I am determined to resist.

I loved Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s explanation of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. The question “Why should we be jealous when God chooses to be kind to others?” really caused me to ponder my attitudes that I’ve seen myself trapped by over the last month or so.

Elder Robert D. Hales challenged us to look in the mirror and ask ourselves where we stand. It reminded me that when we come to ourselves, we look with unflinching honesty at our choices and the consequences and then let the desire to change for the better swell in our breasts, even if it is just wanting a desire to change.

Elder Baxter asked us if there is more that we can do to support single-parent families. I’d thought about this before, but it is hard to know how far to go or what is best to do.

Elder Ulisses Soares talked about staying on the Lord’s side of the line and suggested we ask ourselves, “Do my actions place myself on the Lord’s or Satan’s side” and “Are my attitudes good or bad?” Lately I’ve felt afflicted by negative passions and attitudes that pull in different directions, yet which have seemed justified. I feel these questions will help me evaluate them and resist them better.

Two things that stood out from Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk was the importance of example of praying with children. In a secular world, children need that example. (I think adults need it too.) He also pointed out that temporary setbacks are overshadowed by consistent faithful practices, so if we are consistent, that will compensate for the occasional problems. I find that very comforting. I think it is also true in our lives that our temporary setbacks in living our faith can be overshadowed by our consistent faithful practices when we cling to the Atonement of Christ.

Elder Richard G. Scott gave a raft of insights about receiving inspiration. One that meant a lot to me was the caution to not yield to negative emotions. It suggested to me that while negative emotions come, I need not act upon them; I can still have self-control. I very much look forward to studying this talk when the full text comes out because I feel I need it badly.

The bumper sticker that President Dieter F. Uchtdorf shared seemed very significant to me. “Don’t judge me because I sin differently from you.” This is something that I frequently have to remind myself that what is easy for me may not be for other people, and for the things I struggle with, there are probably people who can do it easily. I hope they are patient with me, so I have to patient with others too. Also it was a neat thought that heaven is full of those who have been forgiven and who also forgive.

Elder Russell M. Nelson reminded me of how important it is for me to include heartfelt expressions of gratitude in my prayers. His talk was a great example as he shared a number of instances of temporal and spiritual gifts from God and ended each with “Thanks be to God!”

Elder Ronald R. Rasband said that while some of us are born with physical limitations, a perfect body is not required for eternal progression. (Thank heaven!) I’m beginning to think that physical limitations are an opportunity to develop in other ways, an opportunity to get really creative and ingenious, an opportunity to test our determination to achieve, and a way to provide others with chances to serve. I loved that he pointed out how Christ healed those who were “afflicted in any manner.”

Julie B. Beck’s talk reminded me of the book “Daughers of My Kingdom.” She quoted a number of things from it, and I realized that I need to read that book again and try to glean more things from it. Said that the Relief Society is not a program, but is an integral part of the kingdom and should be a way of life. This made me wonder if it was a “way of life” for me. She said we should eliminate fads and incorporate purposes. (I bet we are meant to absorb those purposes from “Daughters of My Kingdom.”) I’m going to miss her as RS general president. When I think of a strong woman, I think of Julie B. Beck.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson reiterated the special calling of the president of the church as a prophet to announce and interpret doctrines based on revelation from God, which takes precedence over scholarship that enhances understanding. I really appreciated this. As a blogger who focuses on the scriptures, sometimes the demarcation seems fuzzy to me and I start to fret that I might be taking authority to myself that I don’t have. I don’t want to silence myself unnecessarily, but neither do I want to speak where I shouldn’t.

President Thomas S. Monson spoke about the moments of clarity that cause us to reflect on questions of where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going. I was touched by his story of the women who had her moment of sudden clarity about her priorities when diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. It suggests to me that if we choose, we need not wait for such a situation to come for us to achieve the same clarity. We can choose to see clearly what matters in our lives and how we should be living. I think seeing clearly can revolutionize our life priorities at any time if we follow that vision.

Elder L. Tom Perry talked about the Book of Mormon themes of the Lord’s power of deliverance and how reading about them can make us mighty under the power of deliverance. The lesson that the Lord is quick to deliver us in miraculous ways when we are humble and righteous was very compelling. I think we sometimes assume we know about the Lord’s deliverance, when we don’t know all the different ways He can deliver His people.

Elder L. Russell Ballard said we need to prioritize and put everything we do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens in the home. This is a fabulous guideline for helping us deal with the huge number of distractions that beckon. He challenged us to organizing our personal lives. I think that can help us be prepared for our challenges, opportunities, and duties.

Elder O. Vincent Haleck talked about how we need to acquire a vision of ourselves as the Savior sees us. I also loved his story about his parents fasting weekly for him and his siblings. I feel I may need to implement more fasting in my life. I want that same power and faith.

Elder Larry Y. Wilson talked about how we need to prepare our children to make wise decisions. While I don’t have children, I think that goes for just about anyone we have stewardship over—preparing by teaching with the Spirit. I thought it was good that he gave an illustration of unrighteous dominion; often we hear the term, but we may not know how to recognize an example in real life. I also liked that he gave an example of helping children make their own decisions and learn from the consequences.

Elder David F. Evans said that when conversion happens, it is never one person; it is always a family that is saved. It made me think of my family and how much I hope my siblings will make good choices. It made me think of ways that I could try to use my influence for good in my family.

Elder Paul B. Pieper had a very powerful statement. “The sacred cannot be selectively surrendered. Those who choose to abandon even one sacred thing will have their minds darkened and, unless they repent, the light they have shall be taken from them. Unanchored by the sacred, they will find themselves morally adrift on the secular sea. In contrast, those who hold sacred things sacred receive promises.” That’s a great warning. I think the variety of secular voices we subject ourselves to every day can cause us to surrender the sacred gradually and imperceptibly. Also, our unhealthy doubts can cause us to surrender the sacred. Pieper also said we should rely on sacred personal witnesses we have already received. That requires us to remember the experiences we had that first rooted our testimonies.

Elder Neil L. Andersen invited us to ask what Christ would think of each of us, based on assessments Christ made of others during His ministry. It is a searching question designed to help us achieve that clarity we need to make proper decisions. I like that he said that discipleship in these days will be a badge of honor in the eternities.

President Thomas S. Monson in his closing address had two bits of counsel that I really liked: first to pray always, and settle disagreements and contentions in our families. Praying has been a lifeline for me the past few weeks and it feels like I’ve gotten into contentions and disagreements, so I have some improving to do.

So, overall, have I noticed any patterns? It seems like there is lots of emphasis on

• Getting our priorities in order, with families very near the top
• Sacrifice and discipleship
• Cultivating righteous desires and the sacred
• Choosing the right
• Resistance to secular atheism

Spiritual Crocodiles

A few months ago I went back to visit my parents for a week and my mom asked me to help her clean out her old seminary posters that she had saved. It was neat reading through them as I put them in the trash. There was one that was so good that I had to copy out in my spiritual journal and today I want to share it. It’s about spiritual crocodiles.

Before I share that, though, here’s the story from Elder Packer’s 1976 conference talk about Spiritual Crocodiles that my mom's poster was probably based on:

We stopped at a water hole to watch the animals come to drink. It was very dry that season and there was not much water, really just muddy spots. When the elephants stepped into the soft mud the water would seep into the depression and the animals would drink from the elephant tracks.

The antelope, particularly, were very nervous. They would approach the mud hole, only to turn and run away in great fright. I could see there were no lions about and asked the guide why they didn’t drink. His answer, and this is the lesson, was “Crocodiles.”

I knew he must be joking and asked him seriously, “What is the problem?” The answer again: “Crocodiles.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “There are no crocodiles out there. Anyone can see that.”

I thought he was having some fun at the expense of his foreign game expert, and finally I asked him to tell us the truth. Now I remind you that I was not uninformed. I had read many books. Besides, anyone would know that you can’t hide a crocodile in an elephant track.

He could tell I did not believe him and determined, I suppose, to teach me a lesson. We drove to another location where the car was on an embankment above the muddy hole where we could look down. “There,” he said. “See for yourself.”

I couldn’t see anything except the mud, a little water, and the nervous animals in the distance. Then all at once I saw it!—a large crocodile, settled in the mud, waiting for some unsuspecting animal to get thirsty enough to come for a drink.

Suddenly I became a believer! When he could see I was willing to listen, he continued with the lesson. “There are crocodiles all over the park,” he said, “not just in the rivers. We don’t have any water without a crocodile somewhere near it, and you’d better count on it.”

The guide was kinder to me than I deserved. My “know-it-all” challenge to his first statement, “crocodiles,” might have brought an invitation, “Well, go out and see for yourself!”

I could see for myself that there were no crocodiles. I was so sure of myself I think I might have walked out just to see what was there. Such an arrogant approach could have been fatal! But he was patient enough to teach me….

Those ahead of you in life have probed about the water holes a bit and raise a voice of warning about crocodiles. Not just the big, gray lizards that can bite you to pieces, but spiritual crocodiles, infinitely more dangerous, and more deceptive and less visible, even, than those well-camouflaged reptiles of Africa….

On another trip to Africa I discussed this experience with a game ranger in another park. He assured me that you can indeed hide a crocodile in an elephant track—one big enough to bite a man in two.

He then showed me a place where a tragedy had occurred. A young man from England was working in the hotel for the season. In spite of constant and repeated warnings, he went through the compound fence to check something across a shallow splash of water that didn’t cover his tennis shoes.

“He wasn’t two steps in,” the ranger said, “before a crocodile had him, and we could do nothing to save him.”

Now here’s the text from my mother’s poster:

Crocodiles—And Satan’s temptations, tactics, and tricks

1. Are well-camouflaged. (“What’s wrong with it?”)

2. Victimize the young who are innocent or less warry. (“It can’t happen to me.”)

3. Victims underestimate how fast and powerful the enemy is. (Addictions—pr0n, gambling, debt, smoking, drugs..)

4. Victims see others who seem to be unharmed (“in the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can’t see”)

5. Wait in places where victims go to satisfy needs. (social—parties; emotional—peer influences)

6. Are patient and wait until victim feels safe and guard is down (late at night, relaxing, vacation, etc.)

7. Victims ignore warnings (parents, teachers, Holy Ghost, prophets’ messages)

It seems we have more spiritual crocodiles to look out for today than ever. I'm excited to listen to our guides in general conference!

Image: http://crocodilian.com/

Image #2: http://animal-wildlife.blogspot.com/2011/11/crocodile.html

The martyrs return with Christ

For verily I say unto you, That he [Christ] shall come; and he that layeth down his life for my sake and the gospel’s, shall come with him, and shall be clothed with his glory in the cloud, on the right hand of the Son of Man. (JST Mark 8:43)

It seems that all the martyrs will participate in the second coming of Christ! I suppose we will see Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, all the missionaries who were killed, all the former-day saints who were martyred, all the prophets who were killed for their messages, and any of us who give our lives for the truth. These saints are privileged to come specifically because they suffered death rather than deny the faith. In a sense, they overcame death.

Jude wrote about this in his general epistle in the Bible, but not with so much information about who but with more information about what they would do:

14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 1:14-15)

It seems those who have overcome in this way we be given the privilege of cleaning up the evil in the world because they would not submit to it during mortality regardless of the consequences. This will be the day of their complete triumph because they will finally get their way, and they can’t be gotten rid of like they were before because they will be resurrected.

Ah, beautiful day…. (happy sigh of anticipation)

Image: http://toeveryonethatbelieveth.blogspot.com/2008/03/why-seek-ye-living-among-dead.html

Reaction to Paul’s “unknown god” sermon on Mar’s hill

32 ¶And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

33 So Paul departed from among them.

34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. (Acts 17:32-34)

It seems like those who said “we will hear thee again of this matter” received Paul’s words favorably in comparison to those who mocked, but when you compare them to those that “clave unto him, and believed,” we see it wasn’t totally sincere.

If waiting to hear the message again sometime isn’t a good reaction, then what is it really? It is a reaction that indicates the person has been taken by surprise and wants to respond, but doesn’t feel up to it right then, and doesn’t want to close the door on the possibility of accepting in the future. Unfortunately, all too often, the someday of hearing it again doesn’t happen.

I once got into a conversation with one of my teachers about the Book of Mormon, and he told me he would talk to me again about it. He never did. I suppose part of it might have been my fault because I didn't try to start another discussion about it. I was waiting for him. Maybe he was waiting for me to bring it up again.

Have you ever had a gospel discussion with someone and this kind scenario happened? Did you pursue it?

Need for constant preparation

14 And it came to pass that on the morrow, that when the Lamanites saw that we were in the borders by the wilderness which was near the city, that they sent out their spies round about us that they might discover the number and the strength of our army.

15 And it came to pass that when they saw that we were not strong, according to our numbers, and fearing that we should cut them off from their support except they should come out to battle against us and kill us, and also supposing that they could easily destroy us with their numerous hosts, therefore they began to make preparations to come out against us to battle. (Alma 58:14-15)

These verses stood out to me recently as I was reading through. I noticed that the Lamanites were not prepared for battle. You’d think they would keep themselves in a constant state of preparation and alert, having taken over the city Manti in the first place, but no. And do they prepare when they find Nephites in the borders of the land? No. They only prepare once they decide it necessary to fight. The problem is, during the time they were preparing, the Nephites were putting their strategy in place.

16 And when we saw that they were making preparations to come out against us, behold, I caused that Gid, with a small number of men, should secrete himself in the wilderness, and also that Teomner and a small number of men should secrete themselves also in the wilderness.

17 Now Gid and his men were on the right and the others on the left; and when they had thus secreted themselves, behold, I remained, with the remainder of my army, in that same place where we had first pitched our tents against the time that the Lamanites should come out to battle. (Alma 58:16-17)

If the Lamanites had been prepared already, there would have been no time for the Nephites to split off their special ops groups.

Now, this is one of those times when I'm going to use the Lamanite failure as a lesson. I think this shows us the important principle of staying prepared in our fight against evil and temptation. If you prepare only after you have seen the enemy threatening, you are too late.

The tricky thing is, it requires faith to prepare before seeing the enemy. It can seem like preparation is pointless when no enemy is in sight. It can be hard to know exactly what to prepare for. UNLESS… you have prophets. Prophets are the men on the watchtower who can see the enemy from far away and who sound the alarm as to the way to prepare. Our prior preparation may be what makes the difference between our success or failure.

I'm really looking forward to general conference in a week. My husband and I have never been in the conference center yet and we're going to try to go to one of the general sessions. We don't have tickets, so we're going to be standing in line hoping some seats stay empty for us. ;-)

Fiery darts of the adversary and our defense

23 And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

24 And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction. (1 Nephi 15:23-24)

Lately, one question I found that I had was this: just what are the fiery darts of the adversary? Obviously “fiery darts” is being used as an image for an idea, so what is the fiery dart representing?

Fiery darts are poison darts. They spread infection and corruption. Fiery darts are insults and slurs cast against our faith, targeting our identity, our self-esteem. They are often intended to make us feel bad about our previous decisions to choose the right. They are accusations against good works that put the worst possible construction on our motives and acts. The fiery darts are aimed at our eyes to try to blind us, or to make us see good as evil.

Or they may not even be directed at us; they can be directed at church leaders and against God and we’ll still feel like we got hit. Fiery darts can be used at long-range to keep us out of the battle. Compare this to our offensive weapon—the sword of the Spirit—which is used at close range in hand-to-hand combat. (http://demondope.com/site/?p=243)

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (Ephesians 6:16)

The shield of faith quenches the fiery darts, causing them to lose effect. And as Nephi described, the rod of iron (the word of God) keeps us from being blinded by the fiery darts of the adversary.

In what way do we hold up a shield of faith in our lives? What do we have faith in?

We have faith most of all in our Savior Jesus Christ. How does that become a shield to us from the adversary?

For me, when I realize that I have done something wrong, my faith in Christ shows me I can repent and escape that sin. I don’t have to live with my sins forever. It shows me that I can rely on Christ to help me become better than I am.

We have faith in living prophets. How does that shield us from the adversary’s fiery darts?

We have faith in the scriptures. How does that shield us?

What other faith that we have shields us?

Why “go the second mile”?

Today I was reading the Beattitudes and I ran across this verse.

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. (Matt. 5:41)

I began pondering it, and now I think I finally understand the reason behind this commandment from Jesus and why it is in the Beattitudes. Jesus recognized that there would be times when we might be forced to give service. (I have heard that this commandment is based on the context of how Roman soldiers could and would force people to carry their gear while on the march.)

Again, Jesus knew there would be times when we’d be forced to serve, and Jesus knew being forced to serve would not help us spiritually, and it can even be bad for us if it causes resentment and animosity to arise in our hearts. But…. He knew if we do extra after having done the good we were forced to do, then it becomes of real benefit to us because that extra mile was something we chose to do. When service is our choice, it makes us a better person.

Going the extra mile doesn’t just bless us, it blesses the faceless other person who would have been compelled to go that second mile once you finished your first. It also allows your light to shine on the person who compels you to go the mile when they see you are willing to make your own choice to serve without being forced. It shows them there are people willing to serve of their own volition, and it can raise their estimation of the goodness of humanity.

De-clutter with prayer

Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. (Alma 43:21)

If you are deep in trouble with clutter, you need the Lord’s help. You need miracles, and a bunch of them. You need the miracle of inner change that will help you change your circumstances. Those miracles can start with fervent, sincere prayer, constant prayer.

• Pray about your confusion of what to keep and what to let go.
• Pray for a different and better perspective of the purposes that your stuff should have in your life.
• Pray about your worries about what you might need “just in case.”
• Pray that you will be given the spiritual gifts of ingenuity and resourcefulness if a need for something you have let go suddenly arises.
• Pray to have the spiritual gift of discernment and to acquire better judgment about your needs than you now have.
• Pray to discover better criteria by which to judge how much is enough and what should be gotten rid of.
• Pray to have stamina and endurance—mental, emotional, and physical—to deal with all the decisions you must make about your stuff.
• Pray to be kind to yourself and not be judgmental of your past self as you begin to make different decisions from what you made in the past.
• Pray to maintain your motivation during times when progress seems slow. Pray for renewal of desire to de-clutter.
• Pray find disposal methods that are BOTH easiest AND wisest.
• Pray to be led to people who can teach you good habits of dealing with stuff and who will teach you both by example and by edifying words.
• Pray to find ways you can change your personal habits such that you won’t get in this predicament again.
• Pray to find people who will validate your efforts and celebrate with you over your efforts.
• Pray to feel peace and not fear.
• Pray to be able to overcome temptation and any obstacle that might stand in your way to de-clutter.

For a story about how praying helped someone de-clutter, you can read my post “Prayer: the powerful tool for overcoming the fear of de-cluttering” on my blog Zion Space.

For a post about how de-cluttering involves repentance, you can read my post “De-cluttering and repentance” on that other blog as well.

If you want to see how clutter is closely related to idolatry, you can read the chapter from my book here.