Mosiah 2:34-35 -- On Debt and Choice and Perspective

"I say unto you, that there are not any among you, except it be your little children that have not been taught concerning these things, but what knoweth that ye are eternally indebted to your heavenly Father, to render to him all that you have and are; and also have been taught concerning the records which contain the prophecies which have been spoken by the holy prophets, even down to the time our father, Lehi, left Jerusalem;
And also, all that has been spoken by our fathers until now. And behold, also, they spake that which was commanded them of the Lord; therefore, they are just and true."
Mosiah 2:34-35


I think the prideful part of us sometimes wants to rebel against the idea that we owe anyone, God or parent, everything that we "have and are." That's a huge burden that seems pushed on us. As we grow, we realize how many sacrifices our parents made for us and hopefully learn to respect that. Likewise, as we learn about God and all that he has done for us, we learn to respect that as well. Additionally, the fact that our parents want us to grow into our own people, and that God gives us help and direction and choice, allowing us room to make mistakes and to develop opinions and personalities helps us to realize that the whole system works because of love, not oppression.

The opposite is true with Satan and often with eartly oppressors. In the verse previous to the selection it tells us that choosing "the evil spirit" is like drinking damnation to your own soul. Our reward for following evil is never love, peace, or joy. It might be briefly rewarding in some way, but the end result is pain, guilt, and unhappiness. We ruin our own souls by mocking and harming others, and by choosing the short term thrill over the long term good. Everything that God does on the other hand is designed for our good, to help us rather than to hurt us. Warnings to avoid things that will harm us long term are spiritual "surgeon general" warnings. We can ignore them, which seems cool while we're being rebellious, but not later when we are suffering the consequences of our actions.

Today, let's work on overcoming the detrimental part of our rebellion, and really examine our actions and where they are leading... let's choose love over hatred, and to lift and heal and unite, understanding why God wants our hearts and learning to give them willingly.