John 14:4

"And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."
John 14:4


Sometimes we imagine to ourselves that God requires too much of us... that we don't have enough information, or that we can't work for a future that we can't see.  Things like that... that God keeps us too much in the dark, and that he is asking us to obey him without offering any reasons.  This scripture is interesting in that light... Christ is telling his disciples that he is off to heaven, and that they know the place, and the way there. And, I think that even though we claim to have no knowledge, we know as much as they did.  The veil might have taken the details from us, but we know the truth, the goodness of that place, and how to get there.  We might not always like it, and we might not always understand that internal knowledge... but that fact remains that it is there.  Our spirits connect us to things, and when we try to deny those connections or ignore them, that is the only time that we get lost. :)

Helaman 11:16

"And now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee?  And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said."
Helaman 11:16


This is cool.  The prophet pleading for his people... and the thing is, he knows that God loves them and wants to bless them... it is really cool that he says, "give them another chance.  if you do, you can bless them, like you've always wanted to."  It's kind of like the whole prodigal son theme... if your loved one comes back into your life, no matter what they have said or done, you want to be able to welcome them back and have that close relationship you've always hoped for.  God wants that with us.  He loves us and wants us back, to talk to, to laugh with... all of it.  Sometimes I have a problem with authority... ask anyone who knows me even a little bit. :)  The thing with God is, even though he knows everything and has power over everything... he has zero of that "authoritative" attitude which rubs me the wrong way.  He never tells us to do anything just for the power trip.  He doesn't change his mind.  It isn't about power and authority at all, really... just about wanting to be with us forever, because he loves us.  So he shows us the way, and does everything possible to help us along the path.  Amazing.  It might be a good thing to imitate this prayer in our personal lives... Ask God to forgive us, and give us another chance... because if he does, then he'll get to bless us and hang out with us more.  It's a great motivation, and so much better than having nothing to offer. :)

Romans 6:4

"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Romans 6:4


I like this imagery here... I don't think that it always hits me that that is really not just imagery.  In some very real ways, God raises us from the dead.  We are basically walking corpses when we are in the thrall of sin.  We lose that spark of life, the hope and faith we have when we look towards the future.  And, through baptism, we become alive again... reborn, raised from the dead, given another chance.  And, luckily for those of us who have sinned since our baptism, every week when we go to Sacrament meeting, our new lives are renewed.  We renew those promises that we make at baptism, and so, really, we get a new chance every week. :)  I think God planned it that way because he knew how easy it is for us to sin.  ... Doesn't mean, of course, that we can go through our lives doing whatever we want and trusting the sacrament to take care of it.  There still has to be repentance (and for big things it has to be through the bishop), and some sincerity when you are making those promises... but that is really to be expected.  God doesn't want us to be walking corpses, see?  He doesn't want us to go through each day hating ourselves and wondering if things will ever get better... he wants them to BE better.  He wants us to be able to smile and look forward to the day, rather than dread it.  That's all that the whole sin thing is about anyway.  It isn't something that God forbids for a kick.  He knows that sin poisons our souls, and makes us sick and hopeless.  Some people think that is just the human condition, and that the answer is drugs or therapy so that we realize that sick and hopeless is okay. :)  But it isn't.  Repentance will make us healthier than we have been in a long time.  And happier... and that is all that God wants... for us to be happy, forever.  So when he raises us from the dead, and gives us a new chance at life, he asks us to walk in the path of happiness for a change... to give it a try and see if it works better than that quicksand we've been trying to swim in. :)  Maybe we should listen.

1 Thessalonians 5:5

"Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."
1 Thessalonians 5:5


Good morning, all.  I like this scripture... it reminds us of who we are. Not immaterial shadows or beings of darkness, but children of light... children of the day.  It might just be another way of saying "Children of God" since that is what God is... light, daytime, everything that you can think of that symbolizes goodness, clarity, and truth.  Sometimes it is hard to remember.  It is hard to reject the darkness and refuse to flirt with the shadows.  We can get addicted to the little patches of darkness in our lives... but that is another good thing about light.  When it is bright enough, *all* the darkness goes away.  And we are the children of light... destined to be bright ourselves someday, no matter how dim we feel now.  As we learn and grow and become brighter, there will be less and less room for darkness of any kind in our lives.  It takes time, and patience... and hope... but we can banish darkness from our lives, and be left with light, and truth, and beauty, and all the things that are good.  It's kind of like weeding the garden... we can start wilting if there are too many weeds around.  Clear them out, and we grow and flourish.  But, never, whether we are thriving or wilting, have we become the weeds themselves.
We are the good plants... the children of light, never the children of or the sources of darkness.  We just have to let go of our death-grip on the color black and give up our membership in the weed of the month club, and start acting like who we are... start polishing up and shining brighter and brighter... until the perfect day.  (Which WILL come, by the way, and I don't think that it is just going to be perfect in the eyes of God.  It will be perfect for us as well.)

Ezekiel 38:19-20

"For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;
So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground."
Ezekiel 38:19-20


Every wall?  *Every* wall?  Yikes.  So, if we're hanging out in Israel (and how far, exactly, does that extend?  Is it just Israel geographically speaking or "children-of-Israel" speaking?  And, when it says "all the men that are on the face of the earth, does that kind of show you the boundaries of these effects, or is that just the shaking, and not the wall-falling part?) at this time (prophecy of the coming of Christ in the last days), then we'd better hang around outside, eh? :)  Buy a tent, be prepared. :)

Helaman 4:13

"And because of this their great wickedness, and their boastings in their own strength, they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten, and driven before the Lamanites, until they had lost possession of almost all their lands."
Helaman 4:13


This is interesting because it seems like being left in your own strength is a huge curse.  I find that to be true in my life... those times when I feel uninspired and I know that I'm on my own, absolutely reliant upon only my personal strengths and weaknesses, those are the worst times in my life.  Becoming your best self is a good thing, and helps us grow and learn confidence... but even when I am at my best self, it isn't enough.  I still fail; I still wander off the path and get lost... I still have times when I feel isolated or scared or depressed.  That's when I need God, because he doesn't have my weaknesses, and he seems to be able to make everything okay somehow. :)