"And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.
O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal."
2 Nephi 9:38-39
I think this is scary... not because God is being mean or unfair in any way, but because of the fear of being so wildly inappropriate. Not sure if that makes sense, but to me, spiritually-minded seems like the people at the wedding who are greeting the bride and groom and talking quietly and happily about the event, and the carnally-minded people would be the ones that crash the party drunk, vomiting on the carpet and saying lewd things about the bride. ... It doesn't really harm the people at the wedding physically to see something like that, but some emotional damage perhaps, and it definitely spoils the mood for a while, and is completely inappropriate to the occasion. And afterward, if we were the drunk people and it was a family wedding... remembering our behavior and the hurt that we caused would truly be awfulness.
I feel like that is what we run into in the world, constantly... and within ourselves. A choice about how we are going to approach and perceive things, how we are going to act, and who we are going to be. There are times when relaxation and humor are perfectly appropriate... but is it ever appropriate to vomit on the carpet and say lewd things? What kind of people do we want to be, and what kind of a world do we want to live in? What kind of behavior is appropriate around other people? Children? God? Is there a difference in how we should treat others?
I look back on my life thus far and I see very clearly times when I have been that drunk guy crashing the wedding. Not literally, but definitely figuratively. I have been wildly inappropriate to the occasion, to the people, in many situations. Remembering that past behavior fills me with regret. And I think that is what God is getting at here. Do we want to die like that? Do we want to be that guy for eternity? Crashing weddings, not caring about anyone else, offending anyone who dares to question us? Or we would we rather be, perhaps, the guests who are enjoying the company and the food and the celebration, who will remember the beauty and not regret a moment of that occasion?
Today, let's be mindful of God and the occasion. Let's be mindful of the people around us and not tread on their feelings or their sensitivities. I know that God has a sense of humor, and I am definitely not saying that we should never relax or enjoy ourselves. Let's just try to avoid harm to others, and actions we will surely regret. Let's repent when we know we are in the wrong, and try to do better, and BE better, physically and mentally.
O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal."
2 Nephi 9:38-39
I think this is scary... not because God is being mean or unfair in any way, but because of the fear of being so wildly inappropriate. Not sure if that makes sense, but to me, spiritually-minded seems like the people at the wedding who are greeting the bride and groom and talking quietly and happily about the event, and the carnally-minded people would be the ones that crash the party drunk, vomiting on the carpet and saying lewd things about the bride. ... It doesn't really harm the people at the wedding physically to see something like that, but some emotional damage perhaps, and it definitely spoils the mood for a while, and is completely inappropriate to the occasion. And afterward, if we were the drunk people and it was a family wedding... remembering our behavior and the hurt that we caused would truly be awfulness.
I feel like that is what we run into in the world, constantly... and within ourselves. A choice about how we are going to approach and perceive things, how we are going to act, and who we are going to be. There are times when relaxation and humor are perfectly appropriate... but is it ever appropriate to vomit on the carpet and say lewd things? What kind of people do we want to be, and what kind of a world do we want to live in? What kind of behavior is appropriate around other people? Children? God? Is there a difference in how we should treat others?
I look back on my life thus far and I see very clearly times when I have been that drunk guy crashing the wedding. Not literally, but definitely figuratively. I have been wildly inappropriate to the occasion, to the people, in many situations. Remembering that past behavior fills me with regret. And I think that is what God is getting at here. Do we want to die like that? Do we want to be that guy for eternity? Crashing weddings, not caring about anyone else, offending anyone who dares to question us? Or we would we rather be, perhaps, the guests who are enjoying the company and the food and the celebration, who will remember the beauty and not regret a moment of that occasion?
Today, let's be mindful of God and the occasion. Let's be mindful of the people around us and not tread on their feelings or their sensitivities. I know that God has a sense of humor, and I am definitely not saying that we should never relax or enjoy ourselves. Let's just try to avoid harm to others, and actions we will surely regret. Let's repent when we know we are in the wrong, and try to do better, and BE better, physically and mentally.
No comments:
Post a Comment