"Along your pathway of life you will observe
that you are not the only traveler.
There are others who need your help.
There are feet to steady,
hands to grasp,
minds to encourage,
hearts to inspire,
and souls to save."
-President Monson
Over the past week I have thought a lot about the importance of peace and harmony in the world, on a general level but also in our relationships. I gave the a lesson in church today on this topic and I feel that I have learned a lot. I remember in high school when I was bugged by people a lot and I had a negative outlook towards people. I couldn't understand why people did dumb things and it was easy to get frustrated. Not that I was extremely hurtful or anything, I promise... My attitude changed and I don't remember why but I am grateful that it didn't last long. Christ says blessed are the peacemakers. I know that there are many people in my life that have demonstrated this. There are so many people out there and so many points of view and that how its suppose to be but at the same time this leads into many conflicts. It can be challenging to be the peacemaker yet well worth it. I think in our everyday relationships we should do those things that bring us closer to each other. Its so easy to tare people down rather than build people up. I have a strong desire to build people up. I asked the class how do we get to where we build people up? and I was impressed with a guy who commented that it all starts with what we think, then it will go to our words, and then to our actions. I am very familiar with this natural process of thoughts, words, actions - however I had never applied that to this concept. I was also impressed by a story about Joseph Smith. There were a group of men that came to his house with the intentions of killing him. Joseph calmly talked to them and was himself. Joseph rose to leave and the men wouldn't let him leave without being his escort because it wasn't safe out there. The told each other that they felt different than they ever had when they shook his hand and knew that they would never hurt him when he spoke to them. This was a great example of how to deal with persecution.
If we love God and are trying to be like Christ than we will start to feel charity to our fellow men. We will start to serve them, stop criticizing, and we will enjoy our lives more. I read an article today that 4 people were shot in a baptist church in Illinois and one person died. After Studying for this lesson I just couldn't believe that this happened. There is so much bad in the world and people are gong through so much, now is the time to start loving our neighbors! The following scripture from the Doctrine and Covenants speaks on how Government can help to establish peace:
2 We believe that no government can exist in apeace, except such laws are framed and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the bfree exercise of cconscience, the right and control of property, and thedprotection of life.
4 We believe that religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of aworship to bind the consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should punish bguilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
-Doc134
1 comment:
A part of me hesitates to write on your blog because you wonderfully summed up the need for peace. As I told you yesterday, the part that impacted me the most was when you pointed out that peace begins with our thoughts. I've been thinking about thinking lately. I really feel like it is the key to loving our neighbors and avoiding pride. A Book of Mormon teacher shared with me some insights on Jacob 2 in the Book of Mormon. The Nephites struggled with pride because they did "suppose that [they were] better than [their brethren]" (vs. 13). The problem wasn't that they obtained riches, but that they tried to obtain "more abundantly than that of [their] brethren" because that thought they were better. Jacob then provides the antidote to the insidious disease of pride. He pleads, "think of your brethren like unto yourselves" (vs. 17). He continues to counsel the Nephites to be free with their substance, clothe the naked, deliver the captive, administer to the sick, etc. This tells me that charity begins with how we think. This principles appears in Doctrine and Covenants 121:45 which reads, “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly...” Charity depends upon the purity of our thoughts.
So if we need to think about others like unto ourselves, the question arises, how do we think of ourselves? Do we love ourselves? Do we see our own divine nature? Have you ever wondered why we sing "I am a Child of God" so often and why the words aren't "You are a Child of God"? Perhaps we emphasize our divine heritage so much because before we can truly love others, we must understand God's love for us individually. W must love ourselves.
I started writing this post this morning, and left it on hold for a minute. Amazingly, related insights peeked out at me all day. Today as I skimmed Elder Eyring’s talk, A Child of God, I learned the solution for overcoming pride “is simply to remember who God is and what it means to be his child...with this as our reality, it i not hard to feel that the needs of those around us are as important as our own or that the most humble person has divine potential.” Isn’t that powerful? We need to learn to see the divine potential that hides in each of us.
These discoveries led me to ponder on how God thinks. In Isaiah 55:8-9, we clearly learn that God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. The mundane and trivial things of the world probably never clutter his mind. He also views each of his children with complete perspective of their identity and potential. Hugh Nibley’s article, Zeal Without Knowledge, explores how man’s mind is limited because it can only think one thing at a time. Nibley suggests however, that God’s thoughts surpass this inhibition. I do not know how God thinks, but I know that his thinking is perfect. Hopefully as I come closer to Christ, He will change my thinking.
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