"Verily, verily, I
say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood
how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for
you;
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."
Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-19
We're little children compared to God... a good thing to remember. It is easy to start thinking that we are more than cool: that we can handle everything ourselves, especially our lives, or that we don't need God. However, as this scripture tells us, we "cannot bear all things now." We need help, and although independence is a good thing--learning to take responsibility for ourselves, to learn to stand on our own feet without leaning on other people--God is the only way we have any autonomy at all. He is what allows us a sense of self. He offers us the choices that we make in life.
Perhaps it seems ironic or contradictory, but only through reliance on God can we be truly free. Just like I tell my students who are extolling the virtues of anarchy... sometimes we need laws in order to have more freedom.
Interesting as well, in these verses, that the rewards are specifically mentioned as earthly rewards. A lot of times we have to deal with that whole delayed-gratification thing, and have faith that things will work out in the end. :) This is actually a good thing that teaches us a lot of patience, but not so here. :) "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness" doesn't have to wait long. Earthly rewards are specifically promised. :)
So, you know, in addition to learning to be independent today, perhaps we should take some time to thank God for making it possible for us to be independent beings... to be able to choose and act and learn. :)
And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."
Doctrine and Covenants 78:17-19
We're little children compared to God... a good thing to remember. It is easy to start thinking that we are more than cool: that we can handle everything ourselves, especially our lives, or that we don't need God. However, as this scripture tells us, we "cannot bear all things now." We need help, and although independence is a good thing--learning to take responsibility for ourselves, to learn to stand on our own feet without leaning on other people--God is the only way we have any autonomy at all. He is what allows us a sense of self. He offers us the choices that we make in life.
Perhaps it seems ironic or contradictory, but only through reliance on God can we be truly free. Just like I tell my students who are extolling the virtues of anarchy... sometimes we need laws in order to have more freedom.
Interesting as well, in these verses, that the rewards are specifically mentioned as earthly rewards. A lot of times we have to deal with that whole delayed-gratification thing, and have faith that things will work out in the end. :) This is actually a good thing that teaches us a lot of patience, but not so here. :) "He who receiveth all things with thankfulness" doesn't have to wait long. Earthly rewards are specifically promised. :)
So, you know, in addition to learning to be independent today, perhaps we should take some time to thank God for making it possible for us to be independent beings... to be able to choose and act and learn. :)
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