Look in the Mirror

There is a lot of money and effort being utilized to design and manufacture designer clothing.   Clothing makes a fashion statement.  But even more than that, the clothes we wear make a statement about who we are and how we feel about ourselves. Like clothes, the words we say also make a statement.  The words we say, and how we say them makes a statement beyond just the words we use. We should be as meticulous about what we say and don’t say as we are about what we wear. 

When our clothes get stained it’s good to wash them.  When our clothes get torn we ought to mend them or replace them.  When they are wrinkled we ought to iron them. When they are so faded and worn out we often discard, consign, or donate them. 

 Just as we take care of our clothes, we should care for and care about the words we use and the things we say in our texts and tweets and emails and phone calls and other messages we send and receive.  Again the words we use should be as carefully chosen and cared for as the clothes we wear.

Sometimes our carelessness with what we say is a reflection of innocent mistakes or clumsiness on our part.  But, more often than not, our carelessness often reflects something deeper.  When we handle something with dignity and respect, it is reflected in our positive thoughts, actions, and behavior. When we cherish and care for something we usually handle it with care and we take care of it. When we are careless, however, we reflect a level of apathy and indifference; we suggest to the world that what we wear or what we say to other people doesn’t really matter.  Or even worse, perhaps the apathy and carelessness is a reflection of how we feel about ourselves.  If we lack self-respect it is often reflected in our appearance, our attitude, and the words we use.

Communication, like good manners, matters.  We can build and strengthen relationships or we can tear down and destroy relationships if we don’t watch what words we use.

But we can take it to extremes. Sometimes we put too much emphasis on the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and the mansions we live in.  These are all material things and sometimes we get caught up believing that material things will make a better statement about us.   Materialism is the language of the world.  Too often people hear the language of money instead of hearing the language of the Spirit.  Too often people “set their hearts on the things of the world and aspire to the honors of men”.  Too often people believe that material things will bring them approval, acceptance, fame and attention, and with that fame and approval they will find happiness.

But all material things will come to an end.  Plus, you can’t take material things with you to the next life. But you will take the level of intelligence you have attained to with you.  This will include your character and your emotional intelligence.  If you have squandered the opportunities to develop your character, your talents and other God given attributes, while in mortality, what you will take with you will be reflected in the kind of person you have become.   Those who have obtained a higher level of intelligence in this life will have greater blessings in the next.

Human interaction requires skills and talents.  To relate with others we need to develop the tools necessary to do so.  Like a child that needs to learn to think and to speak in order to function and communicate in society, we all need to continually develop skills of relating and communicating. 

This is clearly obvious in the ever increasing divorce rate.  How we relate to one another, especially husband and wife, requires more skill and attention than we have ever expended before.  Relating isn’t easy but eternal relationships can and do exist, and we can begin to forge an eternal relationship when we invest in ourselves and our ability to communicate with our eternal companions.

Money is at the root of so many dead end marriages because the hearts of those involved often turned to money instead of God or each other to work out the difficulties in a marriage.  Money then becomes part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

There is one priceless commodity that could replace money or material things as the central focus in our marriage and in our lives.  If we replace this one priceless commodity, so much more mending and healing would take place .  That priceless commodity is charity.

Our self-worth is strengthened by our knowledge of our divine heritage and our eternal potential. When we realize we are children of Almighty God, and we have the power to possess divine attributes, we realize we have the power and potential to do great things in this life and become like God in the next.

It is not blasphemy to say that as God is man may become. God knows that it is impossible to achieve divinity in a fallen world. It is fallen man that sneers at the prospect because they know nothing of that God who created them.

It is only though exaltation that man achieves godliness. The power to obtain godhood is held by God and granted by God. What we can obtain and must obtain in this life is a perfect brightness of hope. And that perfect brightness of hope is within reach.

We can hope with all our hearts to become like our Father. It is a sublime act of worship to love Him with all our hearts and want to be like Him.

Developing the divinity within us requires discovering its divine source. This in turn helps us to discover God. The knowledge of God is so important and so crucial that none will dwell with Him that didn’t first know Him. Have the faith to find Him and by your faith and best efforts you will come to know God.

“Didn’t I tell you this is life eternal?”   John 17:3

Self-esteem and confidence build trust. Self-esteem and confidence build greater trust in self, in others, and in God.  Those who are skeptical, critical, and suspicious lack trust and usually lack confidence and self-worth . Those who are suspicious and skeptical and critical usually lack charity as well. They are often negative and bitter and full of prejudice. And prejudice is most often the fruit of low self-esteem and low self-worth.

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, how do we feel when we look at ourselves in the mirror? We should pray with all the energy of heart for the pure love of Christ so we can have charity, especially towards ourselves. Understanding this also sheds new light on the truth “even as you have done it unto the least of these ye have done it unto me”.  You are a child of God!  ~Love who you are and love God with all your heart.

There is quiet confidence that is born of meekness and humility not arrogance and pride. Arrogance and pride often resonate from an emptiness of character and are usually an overcompensation for, not a manifestation of, self-worth. Those who are meek and lowly are content that the process of becoming Christ like will require patience, a steadiness and strength of character, and a willingness to forgo the praises of the world for a happy rest that only God can grant. Meekness is rich in capabilities as well as possibilities. It is at the very center of a Christ centered soul.

There is a deeply significant truth about sharing I would like to share with you. Sharing isn’t about giving away everything; it’s about liking something so much that you keep a portion of it and liking someone else so much you are willing to share a precious portion of it with them.

Selfishness, on the other hand, just keeps all of it to oneself. But the opposite is also true: those who surrender everything seldom respect themselves and what they have to offer. Sacrifice is genuine when that portion of what is being sacrificed is being offered at a high cost, not something being taken to the dump or easily discarded.

Therefore the second great commandment is deeply profound because it includes a balance.

            It can be likened to a kind of perfect intonation. A pitch can be sharp or flat without an equalizing effect. A pitch too sharp could be likened unto too much self-love and selfishness. A pitch too flat could be likened unto too much focus on others for approval and validation.  But perfect pitch with regards to loving ones neighbor as oneself is a perfect amount of treasuring who you are and what you have balanced with sharing with someone else, whom you respect and treasure, a portion of yourself.

What is the Worth of a Soul?

There is a scripture that states that "many are called but few are chosen because their hearts are set on the things of the world and they aspire to the honors of men."

I have pondered, at great length, the last part of this phrase “aspiring to the honors of men.” Of all the meanings, including awards, fame, prestige, attention, and other recognition and accolades there is a more subtle meaning that I believe has deep, deep implications.  It has to do with how we see ourselves.

Each of us has emotional needs.  Some of these needs include acceptance, approval, and validation. But sometimes we worry too much about what other people think.  I believe those who are too caught up in worrying what other people think have a deeper problem: they are caught up in attention seeking because they do not realize their own self-worth.  They are trying to fill the emptiness inside them by relying too much on having other people fill their empty cups.  I believe the deeper problem for those who seek too much approval from others is that they are desperately lacking in the ability to love and respect themselves.

Low self-esteem is a difficulty that many have to deal with, but the problem is even more aggravated when they look to others, especially the wrong influences or destructive influences, for approval, acceptance and validation.   They try to please, placate, acquiesce and conform to get the approval, the acceptance, and the love they so desperately feel they need.

The truth is that it starts from within.  There is another truth that states, you can’t fully love others if you don’t love yourself.    Instead of worrying about what everyone else thinks of us, we would do well to consider first what we want or think. Before we can invest in others with our time, love and attention, we must first do the necessary things to invest in ourselves.  Becoming more righteous is the best investment. As we develop Christ-like attributes, we will be filled with love, power, and strength.  And we will be filled with charity, the pure love of Christ and by our fruits the world will know that we have chosen the better part and the more excellent way.

By aligning our mind and will with the mind and will of Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, our hearts and minds will be strengthened and our confidence will wax strong in the presence of God.  Grace will sustain us in our weakness, and as we trust the Lord, He will help strengthen us to be valiant in our testimony of the Savior as we love and serve our fellow men.  Our light will shine, our harvest will be great, even an hundred fold, and the measure of our lives will testify of our devotion to Jesus Christ.   The abundance of our character will touch and bless the lives of others without drawing unnecessary attention to ourselves.

The worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God.

THE PROMISE OF PURITY OR HALF-RIPENED APPLES AND OTHER THOUGHTS

If you were offered two apples, one half-ripened and the other fully ripened from the same tree, which fruit would you prefer?  Of course the answer appears easy: you would want the fully-ripe apple. But what if you had to wait longer for the second apple to ripen?  What if you had to wait for a considerable time?  Would you have the patience to wait even when the first apple is available and offered to you?

Sexuality could be likened to these two apples.  Although it sometimes appears forbidden, sexuality is not a forbidden fruit: it is a fruit that we must wait for, until we are legally married as husband and wife.  Many times we will be offered, if not tempted, to partake of the half-ripe apple. The world believes that you should taste the half-ripened apple before you get married so you will know if the fruit is desirable and the feelings are mutual. 

Isn’t it logical to assume that those who taste a half-ripened apple before marriage are often disappointed?  There is no guarantee that this is always the case, but those who try to test and see if there is chemistry too early, may have a half-ripened, empty experience. Perhaps they even assume, because it was an empty experience, that there was something wrong with the relationship or something wrong with the other person, or that the chemistry wasn’t there.  Or, like a one night stand, the empty experience proves that while chemistry may have been there for a moment, the chemistry was fleeting and didn’t last. 

Perhaps the greater problem in this isn’t that there isn’t chemistry or a connection, but that the connection is being attempted too early.  Isn’t it logical to assume that, although biological, sex before marriage isn’t in harmony with truth and with the Lord’s admonition that passions and appetites should be reserved within the bounds the Lord has set?    And without truth, life is empty, and there can be no fullness of joy.

When we violate our chastity and our virtue we trade love for lust.

I am perplexed by how so many people around me are blotting out and killing their consciences and the very moral compass that is the only way they can tell right from wrong.    

Individualism fosters moral relativism which breeds moral, sexual, and spiritual rebellion.

Integrity is a true reflection of our character and our conscience.

Wishing things turned out differently is really not an option. Ask yourself this question: Do I want things as they once were, or do I want things as they are now.  Therein lies the answer.

Sometimes love skips along like a skipping stone, and like many relationships, the heart stops skipping and the love doesn’t last.  Each stone is different. Most skip once or twice.  Searching for love is like searching for the right skipping stone, but once you have found it, and believe in it, it has the potential to skip on and last for eternity.

Bless mothers who live in such a way as to set an example of purity and virtue for their sweet, innocent, virtuous girls, bringing peace and giving hope that virtue and honesty and holiness are the purest way to happiness.

How much our Father in Heaven loves us! May His kind and wise influence guide and direct our lives through the light and love of His Only Begotten Son.