"Verily I say unto you, ye shall both have according to your desires, for ye both joy in that which ye have desired."
D&C 7:8
I like the idea here that the blessings and the joy that the Lord offers us are not bland, cookie-cutter generic happiness packages where everyone is forced into some Borg or Stepford Wives pattern, trading their personality and sense of self for what someone else thinks *should* make them happy. While we have some pretty good blessings that are similar to look forward to, like resurrection, eternal life, freedom from sickness, etc., God has never wanted to pour us into a mold and make us into carbon copies of one another. As he offered his two disciples different blessings because they joyed in different things, so he offers us what we will find joy in.
That said, of course we can't find happiness in wickedness (Alma 41:10). And we *do* sometimes have to give up things for God, including recognizing that God is wiser than we are and listening to his advice. In those ways, Matthew 10:39 applies: "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." But in that very same breath that we lose something, we gain better. It's kind of like giving up TinkerToys in order to become an architect. We sometimes have to let go of our limited and inadequate dreams and desires in order to realize who we are and who we can become with God's help. It's not God forcing us, but instead showing us something better. He doesn't take away our individuality or cause that love of building to change into suddenly wanting to be a dentist or a teacher instead. :) Instead, through our relationship with God, we learn to trust that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and that he will give us exactly what we want, but could never dream of or articulate. When we follow God, we get better than our dreams, because God is the best friend we could ever have and knows exactly what will make us falling-down happy. :)
Today, let's not assume that God wants zombie followers, and also remember that we still have a lot to learn. We can change without becoming less us--we can improve and still love who we are, and God, who loves us more than we do, and knows us better as well, can show us how... how to be more true to ourselves than our selfish imaginations have even considered, and how to be good and happy and how to love the people around us at the same time, without having to choose between those things. Let's trust God and learn from him rather than rejecting him because we are scared to lose what we have in this moment. Let's have faith, and strive for better.
D&C 7:8
I like the idea here that the blessings and the joy that the Lord offers us are not bland, cookie-cutter generic happiness packages where everyone is forced into some Borg or Stepford Wives pattern, trading their personality and sense of self for what someone else thinks *should* make them happy. While we have some pretty good blessings that are similar to look forward to, like resurrection, eternal life, freedom from sickness, etc., God has never wanted to pour us into a mold and make us into carbon copies of one another. As he offered his two disciples different blessings because they joyed in different things, so he offers us what we will find joy in.
That said, of course we can't find happiness in wickedness (Alma 41:10). And we *do* sometimes have to give up things for God, including recognizing that God is wiser than we are and listening to his advice. In those ways, Matthew 10:39 applies: "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." But in that very same breath that we lose something, we gain better. It's kind of like giving up TinkerToys in order to become an architect. We sometimes have to let go of our limited and inadequate dreams and desires in order to realize who we are and who we can become with God's help. It's not God forcing us, but instead showing us something better. He doesn't take away our individuality or cause that love of building to change into suddenly wanting to be a dentist or a teacher instead. :) Instead, through our relationship with God, we learn to trust that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and that he will give us exactly what we want, but could never dream of or articulate. When we follow God, we get better than our dreams, because God is the best friend we could ever have and knows exactly what will make us falling-down happy. :)
Today, let's not assume that God wants zombie followers, and also remember that we still have a lot to learn. We can change without becoming less us--we can improve and still love who we are, and God, who loves us more than we do, and knows us better as well, can show us how... how to be more true to ourselves than our selfish imaginations have even considered, and how to be good and happy and how to love the people around us at the same time, without having to choose between those things. Let's trust God and learn from him rather than rejecting him because we are scared to lose what we have in this moment. Let's have faith, and strive for better.
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