The Further the Vision.

When I was still in the youth program, I remember my dad coming home one day and telling me about an activity that had taken place with the youth in another ward (little bit of vocab time. A "ward" is defined as a "congregation". Contrary to popular belief, we do not attend a physic ward for church on Sunday...). A table had been placed on one end of a big room, and a telescope on the other. You could look in the telescope and see a tiny Hershey's Kiss . On the way to the table, there were a bunch of shiny bags. If you picked up a shiny bag, you got what was in the bag. If you made it to the table, you got the candy there. 

What the kids didn't know was what was in the bags. They were shiny and fluffy...it had to be better than a small Kiss, right? Maybe not. Inside the bags were dirt and fish hooks. Under the table however, was an entire bag of chocolate. The tagline to the activity was this,

The further the vision, the greater the decision.

That phrase has stuck with me ever since and helps me to remember what is important. The society we live in now is very limited on patience. When we want something, we want it right away! We have fast food places that can get us sustenance in under 15 minutes. When an internet page takes more than 10 seconds to load, we refresh the page. There are so many things around us that are instant. However, the most worthwhile things we can ever have in this life take time and effort.

We are worth too much to our Heavenly Father to get distracted by shiny bags. We must keep ourselves focused on the long term. As we do that, we will make better decisions. Elder Randall L. Ridd in the 2014 General Conference stated, 

"My young brothers, if you are not proactive in educating your desires, the world will do it for you. Every day the world seeks to influence your desires...Ultimately, the choice is yours. You have agency. It is the power to not only act on your desires but also to refine, purify, and elevate your desires. Agency is your power to become. Each choice takes you closer to or further from what you are meant to become...Always ask yourself, “Where will this choice lead?” Develop the ability to see beyond the moment."
(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/the-choice-generation?lang=eng)

So, what do we want? Do we want to give away great, eternal blessings, for a temporary fix? Or do we want to return to live with our Heavenly Father, using the Christ-like attribute of patience as we travel there? We must never deviate from our course in order to fall prey to Satan's shiny bags. Despite how he makes them look, they will never satisfy. Lasting peace and happiness comes only through Jesus Christ! If we aim our vision high and far, the decisions we make will be geared towards the heavens, back to our Father who resides there. 

We can also have this in mind as we look at others. Our physical eyes can only see so much. As the Lord taught Samuel the prophet, 

"...Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."

-1 Samuel 16: 7

We need to see one another for what we can become, not just for what we are right now. Just as we would have a far vision for who we want to be, let us not restrict others to who they are now! The atonement of Christ has the ability to change that. When we further our vision of others, the way we decide to treat others will be different.

I would encourage you to spend some time today thinking about your goals. Where are you now? Where do you want to go? What do you need to do to get there? And, just as importantly, what will you do to help someone have a greater vision of themselves as well? I know that as we make decisions with patience and vision, our decisions in both what we do to ourselves and others will be of greater value to us!

The Cat Came Back...

Episode 224, The Cat Came Back.

One of my favorite things to watch is the old Muppet Show episodes. Talk about clean fun! We would get together and watch episode after episode after episode. There is one in particular that includes a skit about a cat who just won't go away. Little Benny does all that he can to get rid of this cat, but nothing seems to work!

Let's break this down a little and look at the first verse.

"Little Bennie had a cat that they wouldn't let him keep. So he put her up for sale at a price he thought was cheap. He took her to a neighbor to ask him for advice. He said, "Leave the kitty here. She can help me with the mice."

But the cat came back, she wouldn't stay away. She was sitting on the porch the very next day. The cat came back, she didn't want to roam. The very next day it was Home, Sweet Home."

At first, Benny wants to keep this cat, but he gives it away to be obedient to his parents. Way to keep the commandments, Benny! He doesn't try too hard, though. He only goes as far as giving the cat to a neighbor, which is still close by. If Benny really wanted to, he could go over to the neighbor's house and visit the cat anytime. Plus, it wasn't too hard for the cat to find it's way back.

How often do we do that in our own lives? Some of us have our vices- little things that we do even though we know they aren't the best for us. Because we know we need to, we try and put them away, but not too far away. We still want to cheat every once while!

Pretty soon, Benny learns that this "vice" of his isn't too good anymore. He starts to try and send the cat away because of both obedience and his own desire to just get rid of it. The same can be said of us. Eventually, our vices can turn into addictions. Those addictions have the power to take over our lives, and even when we try to get rid of them, they find a way to come back. That is what Benny learns. No matter what he does, the cat always comes back. Benny does everything, from sending the cat out west, to blowing it up, to shooting it through a cannon.

"So Bennie bought a gun from the Human Cannonball. He put the cat inside with Tri-Nitro Toluol. When he pulled the trigger, the cannon made a roar. The neighbors all surrendered 'cause they thought it was a war"

I think the reaction of the neighbors is very interesting. They hear this giant comotion, and quickly surrender. Think about your friends for a minute. When things get hard, do they encourage you to keep going? Or in the face of tough battles or peer pressure, do they surrender because it is easier? Do we ourselves surrender, because it is easier than fighting?

Sadly, this song ends with the cat back on Benny's doorstep. However, that isn't how the song of our lives needs to end. In the midst of trials and tests, it may seem like they never end. Those rough patches just keep coming back, even when we may feel like we are doing all we can to get out of them. The most reassuring comfort we can receive comes from our Savior, Jesus Christ. He himself said,

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

- John 16: 33

Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the world has been overcome. The evils that we face daily and the demons in our own lives can be conquered. If we use the atonement in our lives, our addictions, vices, and unrightious desires can be overpowered with strength. Unlink poor Benny, the cat never has to come back again! We cannot do anything alone. As we work with the Savior of mankind, our very natures can change into a nature more like Christ's. The natural man, with all it's natural desires and appetites, can be overcome. We need not fear, because Jesus Christ has already paved the way for us to overcome the world with him. Henry B. Eyring said that,

"...you need to understand is that the escape will almost never be out of the trial; it will almost always be through it. If you pray to have the experience removed all together, you may not find the way prepared for you. Instead, you need to pray to find the way of deliverance through it...Hard as things seem today, they will be better in the next day if you choose to serve the Lord this day with your whole heart. Your circumstances may not be improved in all the ways which you desire. But you will have been given new strength to carry your burdens and new confidence that when your burdens become too heavy, the Lord, whom you have served, will carry what you cannot. He knows how. He prepared long ago. He suffered your infirmities and your sorrows when He was in the flesh so that He would know how to succor you."

- Henry B. Eyring

I testify that that is true. Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, will prepare a way for us to escape and learn from our experiences. As we use the atonement of Jesus Christ, anything that is not right in our lives can be made right!

Taught From On High

San Diego, California. Built in 1993.

When I was living in California, we would drive on the freeway that passed the San Diego temple quite frequently. You would be flying down the road, and there would be the temple! Apparently, it is so stunning to the drivers going by that there have been several accidents. No wonder! People used to ask us all the time if Disneyland was making an extension, because they thought it was another Disney princess castle. In a way, they were right, except that the temple was built for someone greater than a Disney princess! It was made for you and I.

Nauvoo, Illinois. The original was built in the 1840's.

Temples are built as a House of God here on earth. In biblical times as well as modern, God has commanded His children to build a House for Him on earth so that we can recieve all the blessings that He has to offer us through the proper priesthood authority. In the temple, we make covenants with our Heavenly Father. Jeffery R. Holland has explained,

Salt Lake City, Utah. Dedicated in 1893.

"Covenants are binding, supernal, consummate contracts between God and his children. They are the solemn promises of Deity- a God who always keeps his word- that heaven will pour out unmeasured blessings upon all who are faithful and honor the conditions of their pledge. An individual can swear an oath, but only when God reciprocates in kind is a covenant established."

-Jeffery R. Holland

Without the blessings of the temple, we would be unable to reach all the "unmeasured blessings" that our Father in Heaven has for us. Through covenants, we are able to attain the glory that lies in store for us as children of God.

Suva, Fiji. Dedicated in 2000.

In reading the Book of Mormon, we can learn some very important lessons about the temple. In a city called Zerahemla, King Benjamin called his people together to speak to them. They gathered, as families, at the base of the temple they had built.

"And it came to pass that when they came up to the temple, they pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family...And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them..."

-Mosiah 2: 5-6 (Here is the link for the full discourse of King Benjamin. Fantastic read! https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/mosiah/2?lang=eng)

Bern, Switzerland. Dedicated in 1955 and again in 1992.

I think it is interesting how specific their location is recorded. Every single family that came to listen had their tent facing the temple. Not slightly to the left to keep the sun out of their eyes, or to the side in order to talk to their neighbor about what they hear, but directly facing the temple. It was right there in front of them! As they were being taught by a servant of God, they could be right in the shadow of the House of God. What an amazing reminder of the importance of God in our lives!

That is how it needs to be in our lives today. It needs to be a focus in our lives, despite everything else that is going on around us. The greatest blessings that we can receive here on earth from God are found in the temple. What reason could we find good enough to rationalize not receiving those blessings? Our journey to the temple isn't completed once, but over and over again to continue to learn and grow. 

Quetzaltenango Guatemala. Dedicated in 2011

Rome, Italy. Currently under construction.

Make the time to attend the temple. If you don't make the time, you won't have the time- Satan will make sure of that. If you don't have a recommend, just go out and sit on the grounds. They are just as dedicated as the inside of the building. Bring your scriptures with you! If you can go inside, go inside and do the work for those that have passed on. The blessings of the temple include strength, and I testify that strength will come to those that have often temple attendance. It will help you to feel closer to God and feel more strongly the desire that He has for all His children, including you, to return to live with Him. It will give you strength to overcome the temptations of this world, for in the words of Paul the apostle,

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

-Romans 8: 31 

Dallas, Texas. Dedicated in 1984.