ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE

 

We have the deepest and darkest nights in this earth life. If we endure them well, these nights teach us, give us a broader perspective and in the end heal us. And this is how the healing happens. After every deep and dark night comes the dawn.

Cast your mind on the death of the most prolific, important, significant and worshipped person who has ever lived on this earth. Thirty-four years after His birth, a huge, terrible storm swept over the land of America. The upheaval was of such proportion that the face of all the land was torn apart and deformed. Cities caught on fire and collapsed into the sea and mountains were upheaved (3 Nephi 9:5-22)

So great was the storm that a thick, frightening vapor of darkness covered the land. So dark, thick, suffocating and palpable was the darkness that the stars and the sun could not produce any light for three days (v 23). Imagine the chaos. Could people find their children and their loved ones? Did they know if anybody survived? Could they walk in any direction not knowing where they were? If they were hurt, could they get help?

Imagine such suffering that echoed across continents and caused the Spirit of God to exclaim: “The God of nature suffers” (1 Nephi 19:12). Such was the darkest night that brought about the light of dawn which proclaimed: “I am the light and the life of the world.” (3 Nephi 9:18).

There was no more fitting way to proclaim the Saviour to be the light of the world, the dawn after the night, the power that brings life, the truth that says nothing in this life is lost. This is not the beginning and not the end. First the night and then the dawn….first the death and then the life…..first the emptiness and then the full cup….

I stand in awe of Your sacrifice

And Your soul’s pain;

The body freely given

For nothing of You to remain.

 

I ache, I ache,

Knowing the cost;

Then I remember where You are

And I am comforted

Knowing nothing is lost.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Fill My Cup Lord by Danny Hahlbohm)

YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD PART 2

"Wherefore, be faithful.....succor the weak,
lift up the hands which hang down, 
and strengthen the feeble knees."

D&C 81:5

"On one occasion, as a missionary in Tonga, I received word that a missionary was very ill on a somewhat distant island. The weather was threatening, but feeling responsible, and after prayer, we left to investigate the situation. Extra heavy seas slowed our progress, and it was late afternoon before we arrived. The missionary was indeed very ill. Fervent prayer was followed by administration, during which the impression came very strongly to get him back to the hospital on the main island, and to do it now! The weather had deteriorated, but the impression was strong - 'Get back now' - and one learns to obey the all-important promptings of the Spirit. There was much concern expressed about the darkness, the storm, and the formidable reef with its extremely narrow opening to the harbor. Some found reasons to stay behind; but soon eight persons had boarded the boat.

No sooner had we made our commitment to the open seas than the intensity of the storm seemed to increase seven-fold. As the sun sank, so did my spirit seem to sink into the darkness of doubt and apprehension. I found my spirit communing with the spirit of the father of an afflicted child in the New Testament, as he exclaimed, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief'. (Mark 9:24) As we rolled and tossed closer and closer to the reef, all eyes searched for the light that marked the opening - the only entry to our home. Where was it? Then I heard the chilling sound of the waves crashing and chewing against the reef! It was close - too close. Where was that light? Unless we hit the opening exactly, we would be smashed against the reef. It seemed that all the elements were bent on our total destruction. Our eyes strained against the blackness, but we could not see the light.

At the heights of this panic, I looked at the captain - and there I saw the face of calmness - the ageless face of wisdom and experience - as his eyes penetrated the darkness ahead. Quietly his weather-roughened lips parted, and without moving his fixed gaze and just perceptibly shifting the wheel, he breathed those life-giving words, "Ko e Maama e" (There is the light). I could not see the light, but the captain could see it. And I knew he could see it. Those eyes, long experienced in ocean travel, were not fooled by the madness of the storm or were they influenced by the pleadings of those of lesser experience to turn to the left or to the right. Soon we were in the protected harbor. We were home. Then and only then did WE see through the darkness that one small light - exactly where the captain had said it was. Had we waited until we ourselves could see the light we would have been smashed to pieces. But trusting in those experienced eyes, we lived.

And so the great lesson: There are those who, through years of experience and training, and by virtue of special divine callings, can see farther and better and more clearly - and can and will save us in those situations where serious injury or death - both spiritual and physical - would be upon us before we ourselves could see."  (Elder John H. Groberg, There Is The Light, Ensign Nov 1976)

It's a wonderful thing to bring yourself back into the presence of God but it is a powerful thing to bring with you another; one who was sick or lost or unbelieving; someone on whom your life had an impact, someone who needed your leadership and guidance. It is true that we are here to work out our own salvation but the mandate issued by the Saviour that we love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34) suggests that this is not our only responsibility. What exactly did the Saviour mean by this admonition? If the gesture of love was merely a poetic notion He would have just said, "Love one another". When the Saviour added 'as I have loved you' He meant that our love should be the source of salvation to one another as His was and is to us. The Saviour's love was undoubtedly the motivating force behind His infinite sacrifice, the sacrifice that culminated in salvation for all mankind.

Just as in this life, in our pre-mortal state we were all at differing stages of emotional and spiritual growth. Bruce R. McConkie taught that due to man's free agency in pre-existence 'the spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it." (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:58-69, Book of Mormon Student Manual, p 192). This hypothesis suggests that some of us came here more spiritually developed than others, meaning our spirits are endowed with individual and unique gifts, talents and strengths. It also means that some of us are more susceptible to truth. What this doesn't mean is that those more developed are more worthy when we measure the worth of a soul. It simply means that those of us who are stronger have the responsibility to bring back with us those that are weaker; those who are sick and feeble and oppressed; and those who have perhaps had such spiritually and emotionally debilitating experiences in life that they have been rendered incapable to survive mortality alone. This goes beyond an occasional charitable casserole dropped of at the door. It goes as far as being actively invested in saving someone who needs to be saved. Our uniqueness ensures that we, like the captain in the above-mentioned story, have the power to get another through the storm, the storm that induces fear, alienation, loss of vision, despondency and despair. We each have something that someone else needs and when we stand on higher ground, we have the responsibility to lift another to stand alongside us.

When Ammon recounted the success of their missionary labours to his brothers he gave all credit to the Saviour claiming that He has saved their brethren the Lamanites from everlasting darkness and destruction and brought them into His everlasting light and salvation and now that they were saved they were encircled about with 'the matchless bounty of His love' (Alma 26:15). This matchless bounty of love was brought to godless Lamanites through the selfless efforts, anguish and afflictions of four brothers who could not bear the thought that one soul should be lost (Mosiah 28:3). And neither could the Saviour for He has loved us with a love unsurpassing; a love unfeigned; a love that is endless; a love that has suffered for all.

YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD PART 1

"Ye are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle,

and put it under a bushel,

but on a candlestick;

and it giveth light unto all

that are in the house."

- Matthew 5:14-15

"Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus in New York City during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The bus was filled with cold, tired people who were deeply irritated - with one another; with the rainy, sleety weather; with the world itself. Two men barked at each other about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; no mercy would be found here. 

But as the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver got on the intercom. 'Folks', he said, 'I know you've had a rough day and you're frustrated. I can't do anything about the weather or traffic, but here's what I can do. As each one of you gets off the bus, I will reach out my hand to you. As you walk by, drop your troubles into the palm of my hand, okay? Don't take your problems home to your families tonight - just leave 'em with me. My route goes right by the Hudson River, and when I drive by there later, I'll open the window and throw your troubles in the water. Sound good?

It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People who'd been pretending for the past hour not to notice each other's existence were suddenly grinning at each other like, is this guy serious?

Oh, he was serious.

At the next stop - just as promised - the driver reached out his hand, palm up,and waited. One by one, all the exiting commuters placed their hand just above his and mimed the gesture of dropping something into his palm. Some people laughed as they did this, some teared up - but everyone did it. The driver repeated the same lovely ritual at the next stop, too. And the next. All the way to the river.

We live in a hard world, my friends. Sometimes it's extra difficult to be a human being. Sometimes you have a bad day. Sometimes you have a bad day that lasts for several years. You struggle and fail. You lose jobs, money, friends, faith, and love. You witness horrible events unfolding in the news, and

you become fearful and withdrawn. There are times when everything seems cloaked in darkness. You long for the light but don't know where to find it.

But what if you are the light? What if you're the very agent of illumination that a dark situation begs for?

That's what this bus driver taught me - that anyone can be the light, at any moment. This guy wasn't some big power player. He wasn't a spiritual leader. He wasn't some media-savvy 'influencer'. He was a bus driver - one of society's most invisible workers. But he possessed real power, and he used it beautifully  for our benefit.

When life feels especially grim, or when I feel particularly powerless in the face of the world's troubles, I think of this man and ask myself, What can I do, right now, to be the light? Of course, I can't personally end all wars, or solve global warming, or transform vexing people into entirely different creatures. I definitely can't control traffic. But I do have some influence on everyone I brush up against, even if we never speak or learn each other's name. How we behave matters because within human society everything is contagious - sadness and anger, yes, but also patience and generosity. Which means we all have more influence than we realize.

No matter who you are, or where you are, or how mundane or tough your situation may seem, I believe you can illuminate your world. In fact, I believe this is the only way the world will ever be illuminated - one bright act of grace at a time, all the way to the river."

- Elizabeth Gilbert, author or Eat, Pray, Love and The Signature of All Things

I cannot read this story of the thoughtful bus driver without getting emotional. As Elizabeth Gilbert said, a bus driver is one of society's most invisible workers and yet, to me at least, he possessed more power on that rainy, dreary night than any military leader who conquers nations. Why? Because he lightened people's loads with as little as the palm of his hand. No weapon, no gadget, no instrument, just the palm of his hand. Often we think we are not skilled enough to lift another, to light the path at their feet, to carry their burdens. We often live from day to day wrapped up in a cloud of self interest full of our own problems, troubles, fears, burdens, responsibilities and pressures. We are told in the scriptures that in our day 'men's hearts shall fail them' and the love of men shall wax cold' (D&C 45:26,27). We see evidence of this all around us in public, where courtesy is denied and chivalry is dead. We have forgotten where we came from and who we are and most importantly we have forgotten the mandate that we could be and should be a light in this dreary world. We have forgotten we are our brother's keeper. In the midst of our own troubles and responsibilities, this charge may seem overwhelming but in reality it does not require much more of us than human kindness, a loving gesture, a smile - in short: a connection, an exchanged energy, a bonding with other human beings who are with us in this vale of tears. 

None of us is an island. We all need approbation, human contact, acceptance, understanding. We need someone to say: I see you, you exist. None of us need to do mortality alone, and we shouldn't do it alone. Consider another story from Elizabeth Gilbert:


"Back in 2002, I went away by myself for ten days to a tiny fishing island in the middle of Indonesia. It was the farthest-away place I could find on the map, and all I wanted right then was to be as far removed as possible from all that I knew. My life was a mess. My life, in fact, looked like a dropped pie; everything was on the floor in pieces. I was going through a bad divorce, and in the process I was losing a husband, losing a house, losing money, losing friends, losing sleep, losing myself. So I took myself to this little island 10,000 miles from home, where I rented a small bamboo hut that cost a few dollars a day. My plan was to spend ten days in silence and isolation. I hoped that making myself small and quiet would heal me. I guess what I really wanted was to disappear, and this island seemed the perfect place for it. There was no Internet, and I had no access to a phone. Transportation consisted of fishing boats, or wooden carts pulled by skinny ponies. Here, surely, I could hide from the world. 

Soon, I fell into a routine, Every day, I would walk twice around the perimeter of the entire island - once at dawn and again at dusk. While I walked, I would try to meditate, but usually I ended up arguing with myself, or ruminating over my life's many failures as I fell apart into tears. As for the rest of the day, I believe I slept a lot. I was awfully depressed. I hadn't brought any books with me to disappear into. I didn't swim: I didn't sunbathe; I barely ate. I just executed my two walks a day, and the rest of the time I hid in my hut and wished the sadness out of me.

There were a few other tourists on the island, but they were all romantic couples and they mostly ignored me - I was a skinny, hollow-eyed, solo woman who talked to herself and gave off a freaky vibe. The local fishermen also looked right through me whenever I walked by. Maybe I actually was vanishing from the material world. I certainly felt that way. But there was one woman who saw me - and that changed everything. She was a local fisherman's wife, and she lived in a tiny shack on the other side of the island. Like all the locals, she was Muslim. She dressed modestly, with a head scarf. She seemed to be in her mid-thirties, though she had spent a lifetime in the sun so her age was hard to determine. She had a chubby little toddler who was always crawling about and playing at her feet.

The first morning I walked by her house, the woman looked up from her work in her scrubby subsistence garden and smiled at me. I smiled back, as best I could manage. After that, she always seemed to be standing outside her house when I passed - once at dawn and again at dusk. After a while, it seemed like she was waiting for me to come by. She was my only point of human contact in the world, and her mere recognition of my existence made me feel slightly less lonely. Once, I glanced back at her, and I saw that she was still looking after me, her hand shading her eyes. She was keeping an eye on me, is what it felt like.

On my eighth night on the island, I got terribly sick. It could have been food poisoning, or contaminated drinking water - or maybe it was just that I had finally reached the bottom of my grief and everything bad was coming out of me at last. I was shaking and feverish, vomiting and scared. It was terrifying to be so isolated and so ill. Also, the generators weren't working that night; there was no light. I remember crawling toward the bathroom in the darkness for the tenth time and wondering, 'Why did I come here, so far away from anyone who cares about me?'

I stayed in bed all the next day, shaking and sweating and dehydrated. I had a dreadful thought that I might die on this island all alone, and that my mother would never know what happened to me. That evening, after sundown, there was a knock on the door. On trembling legs, I walked and opened it. It was the woman from the other side of the island - the fisherman's wife. She din't speak English, and I don't speak Bahasa, but it was clear that she was checking on me and that she was worried. When she saw my condition, she looked even more worried. She put up a finger, like: Wait. Less than an hour later, she was back. She brought me a plate of rice, some chopped-up herbs, and a jug of fresh water. She came into the shack and sat on the side of my bed while I ate every bite of this healing food. I started crying. She put her arm around me, and I folded myself into her as if she were my own mother - even though we were almost the same age. She stayed with me for about an hour, until I was composed. She didn't say a word: she just sat with me, arms around me, as if to say: I see you. You exist. I will stay with you. I will make sure you are safe.

Only after she had departed did I have the clarity to piece together what must have happened. This stranger had come to find me because she'd noticed that I had missed both my morning and my evening walks, and she could clearly see: something is not right with this one. And because this was her island - her territory - and because she knew I was alone, she took it upon herself to look after me. She, who had so little to share, made me her responsibility and took the risk of reaching out.

The distance I had traveled may have been vast (10,000 miles from home), but the distance she traveled was vaster (all the way across the island, to knock on a stranger's door) and the kindness of her actions opened my heart to awe and amazement. And that's when I realized that my entire impulse had been dead wrong. I needed the exact opposite of isolation; I needed connection. This stranger had seen my need, and she had offered fellowship."

We are the light of the world. A light that transcends language, nationality, race, class. A light that speaks to all who belong to the human race. A light which was placed within us when we left our heavenly home. May we remember to keep it burning as we traverse the shores of mortality in hopes of saving a drowning soul.

Brightly beams our Father's mercy

From his lighthouse ever more,

But to us he gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled;

Loud the angry billows roar.

Eager eyes are watching, longing,

For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother,

Some poor sailor, tempest tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor,

In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning,

Send a gleam across the wave.

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save.

- Philip Paul Bliss

THE BOOK OF HOPE

Some two thousand years ago, during the bleakest period of Church history, there was on the island of Patmos an exile, a prophet and an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, the last apostle alive, all others having been killed before him. And to that rocky island prison, on a particular Sunday came the glorified, exalted Christ to the apostle whom He called 'The Beloved'. "Heralded by the trumpet-blast of the godly voice and standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks symbolic of the seven branches of the church in Asia was the Saviour. Some fifty or sixty years before He had hung in agony on the cross and had been laid in the dark recesses of a borrowed tomb. Now he stood in blinding, blazing glory before John: "I am he that liveth, and was dead", he declared, "and, behold, I am alive for evermore" (Revelation 1:18)" (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p 449)

So overcome was John that he fell to the earth as though dead but the Saviour touched Him and told him not to be afraid but to write down the revelation which he was about to receive for the seven branches of the Church who were facing life-threatening persecutions. "They knew the wrath of a government intent on enforcing the policy of emperor worship. They knew the clutch of fear at the approaching sound of Roman legionaires. By the time of Patmos, according to the traditions that have come down to us, Peter had been crucified, Paul beheaded, Bartholemew skinned alive, Thomas and Matthew run through with spears. John was the only surviving apostle (an apostle who would survive it all and never taste of death); all the others had died violently because of their faith. By the time of Patmos, the history of the Church included the lining of Nero's colonnade with crucified Christians and the savagery of the mobs screaming for blood in the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus." (The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, p 449).

The revelation which John the Beloved received is known to us as The Book of Revelation. There are many scholastic views of the book which offer explanations as to its' meaning. Some argue that the book needs to be considered with a non-prophetic view, that all that is contained therein pertains to the past, meaning John's day, referring to the clash between the Church and the Roman Empire. Others however, claim that the Book needs to be considered with a solely prophetic view and that the symbols within it are to be seen as future predictions of all the great events of history. Viewed either way, people throughout Christendom have found the Book of Revelation hard to understand. Joseph Smith has said, however, that "the Book of Revelation is one of the plainest books God ever caused to be written" (Teachings, p. 290). One can wonder how that can be so considering the extensive use of symbolism used by John when describing his vision. The clue to its plainness lies in the very heading of this book. Because The Book of Revelation was received by revelation, it can also be best understood through revelation. Thankfully, as Latter-day Saints, we not only have personal revelation to rely on for understanding of this book but also revelation given to latter-day prophets: "Thanks be to the interpretive material found in sections 29, 77, 88 and others of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants; plus the revisions given in the Inspired Version of the Bible; plus the sermons of the Prophet; plus some clarifying explanations in the Book of Mormon and other latter-day scripture; plus our over-all knowledge of the plan of salvation - thanks be to all of these things.....the fact is that we have a marvelously comprehensive and correct understanding of this otherwise hidden book" (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:431).

The greatest purpose and meaning of The Book of Revelation is that it is a book of hope. It's main purpose is not history but prophecy. This is evident in the fact that the Book covers the history of the earth's 6 thousand years only briefly whereas it expounds on the period of the Millenium in lengthy detail. What does this have to do with hope? The Book of Revelation gives us hope in that Millenium reign when evil, "in all of its power and wickedness, shall be put down once and for all" (The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, p. 444). This knowledge would have given great hope to the saints who were witnessing the decline of the Church and the beginning of the Great Apostasy but it is of even greater value to us because it assures us that the forces of great evil which are gaining momentum in our day will one day be destroyed and come to an end. The Book of Revelation highlights the conquest of evil and that God is still over all and will triumph in the end, which triumph will cause all His creations to worship Him with glory and praise. The Book of Revelation presents the greatest contrast between the Saviour's first coming to earth and the second. Whereas the first time he was despised and rejected of men, when all this is over and the earth is rolled together as a scroll, even the earth will sing His praise and honour His name (Rev 4:9-11, 5:14, 11:17, 16:5).

The hope of true followers of Jesus Christ, and the hope referred to in John's revelation should be to gain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God. Moroni tells us that if we have no hope we must be in despair (Moroni 10:22). An absence of hope for something better than this telestial life would surely suppress any incentive to repent, deplete the power of endurance, entice fear and diminish belief needed to overcome the natural man. The Book of Revelation gives us hope that all these things are possible. In it John sees Satan as a red dragon driving a woman with a child (The Church) into wilderness (apostasy) (Rev 12). As the woman rises again out of the wilderness John records 'the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus' (Rev 12:17). This is a frightful depiction of our day which would leave us, the members of the Church, to the buffetings of Satan if we had no hope that we can fight the fierceness of the battle that we are engaged in: "Yet, of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most optimistic and the least pessimistic. For while we know that 'peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion', we are also assured that 'the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst' (D&C 1:35-36) (Ezra Taft Benson in CR, Oct. 1974, p. 90).

No one can read the concluding chapters of Revelation without feeling the hope that John felt as he looked forward to our day. It is somewhat appropriate that the Saviour would give him this glorious vision considering he was to live to witness incredible calamities, wars, pestilence, wickedness and the Great Apostasy. It might also be appropriate for us to assume that this vision was given to the beloved apostle, who would never taste of death, out of love so that the hope of the triumphant ending would enable John to endure everything preceding the Millenium when 'the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan' will be bound for a thousand years enabling a period of peace for those who will dwell with Christ in paradisiacal glory' (Rev 20:2). One would have to wonder what kind of chain it would have to be to bind the Prince of Darkness and what kind of bottomless pit could contain him? To believe that such a thing could ever happen means for us to believe that we are more powerful than him because we have kept our first estate. Because Satan is a spirit only, all his power is derived through spiritual means from those who live on this earth clothed in earthly tabernacles, meaning us. His power is added upon from spiritual energy that we create. We make him powerful by creating spiritual energy of darkness through sin or powerless by creating spiritual light through righteousness. Since the Saviour is the Light of the World, Satan is the opposite, the Prince of Darkness. The chain he will be bound with and the bottomless pit he will be cast into as referred to in the Book of Revelation are terms symbolic of righteous living of those who will qualify to live during the Millenium (see Eldred G. Smith in CR, Apr. 1970, p 142 and 1 Nephi  22:26). In other words, because of people's righteousness, there will be no spiritual darkness and therefore Satan's power will dissipate.

Righteous living proceeds from a committed heart of true followers of Jesus Christ. It does not come from complacency that some of us in the Church are familiar with: "The abundant life is a spiritual life. Too many sit at the banquet table of the gospel of Jesus Christ and merely nibble at the feast placed before them. They go through the motions - attending their meetings, perhaps glancing at the scriptures, repeating familiar prayers - but their hearts are far away. If they are honest, they would admit to being more interested in the latest neighborhood rumors, stock market trends, and their favourite TV show than they are in the supernal wonders and sweet ministerings of the Holy Spirit. Do you wish to partake of this living water and experience that divine well springing up within you to everlasting life? Then be not afraid. Believe with all  your hearts. Develop an unshakable faith in the Son of God. Let your hearts reach out in earnest prayer. Fill your minds with knowledge of Him. Forsake your weaknesses. Walk in holiness and harmony with the commandments. Drink deeply of the living waters of the gospel of Jesus Christ" ( Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Abundant Life, Ensign, May 2006).

Being merely Church members is not enough, we must build the spiritual core within us which will enable us to stand when the mighty winds of apostasy descend upon us. Then no imperfect leadership in the Church can offend us, no transpired event in Church history will sway us, no Church teaching we do not understand will cause us to give up. If we are built on the spirit of prophecy and an unshakable testimony of  Christ, we will withstand any pressure to cave and any temptation to sin and seek justification for same through some imperfection that we insist we have found in the Church for such imperfections only serve as great stumbling blocks that obscure our vision from perfectly seeing the Saviour of all mankind. With an absence of fear, being filled with hope and armed with righteousness and faith we can defeat and bind the enemy who seeks our destruction and pave the way for Him who will 'wipe away all tears from [our] eyes' (Rev 21:4) and with whom we can live during the Millenial reign of peace and happiness. It is therefore, our duty here and now to 'drink deeply of the living waters of the gospel of Jesus Christ' that we might have reason to hope for a better world, a world where 'there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away' (Rev 21:4).

".....for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay,

that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness....."

(Moroni 9:6)

WHEREAS I WAS BLIND, NOW I SEE

"A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody - it was so bad he was even contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a priest and poured out his story of tears and woe. When he had finished, the priest said, 'Here's what I want you to do: Put a beach chair and your Bible in your car and drive down to the beach. Take the beach chair and the Bible to the water's edge, sit down in the beach chair, and put the Bible in your lap. Open the Bible, the wind will rifle the pages, but finally the open Bible will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and read the first thing you see. That will be your answer, that will tel you what to do'.

A year later the businessman went back to the priest and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom-tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his pocket, gave it to the priest as a donation in thanks for his advice. The priest recognised the benefactor and was curious.
"You did as I suggested?" he asked.
"Absolutely", replied the businessman.
"You went to the beach?"
"Absolutely"
"You sat in a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"
"Absolutely"
"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"
"Absolutely"
"And what were the first words you saw?"
"Chapter 2"

- Anonymous

There was a man in Jerusalem who was born blind, beginning alms, supposedly sitting by the gates of the temple, a perfect place where beggars might elicit feelings of compassion from those who passed by (John 9:1,8). It would have been difficult for anyone seeing this man to suppose that his life had a purpose far beyond the temple gates, a purpose that would be a witness of Christ's proclamation that He is the light of the world, "the light which shineth, which giveth you light" (D&C 88:11), "a light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not" (D&C 34:2). Much like the modern day businessman who considered his life was over, many in his day would have considered the blind man's life over when it had begun but they would have been mistaken for there was in God's plan a 'Chapter 2' for this man also.  And this 'Chapter 2' came in the form of Jesus of Galilee.

When Jesus and his disciples passed by on a certain Sabbath and saw the blind man, His disciples questioned Him regarding this man's fate. They were eager to know why he was born into the world of darkness, unable to sustain himself and dependent on the pity of others all the days of his life. Because of Jewish belief that accidents and calamities came as punishment for sin (Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 3, page 199) they asked the Master 'who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?' (John 9:2). Jesus' reply was that this man was born blind for a special purpose, that he may stand forever as a witness that Jesus was the Son of God (John 9:3). As a prelude to healing the man's blindness he proclaimed: "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world" (John 9:5). He then spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man (John 9:6) admonishing him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam which the man did and when he came back, he 'came seeing' (John 9:7).

One can only imagine the joy with which this man came back. His healing, however, stirred the hornet's nest and changed his life forever in more ways than one for Jesus chose to heal this man on Sabbath day, a burdensome day for the Jews, 'a day on which Rabbinism goes wild in enforcing petty, Satan-inspired restrictions that defy all sense and reason, restrictions that serve no purpose except to stand as a witness of the dire apostasy then prevailing among a once-chosen and once-enlightened people' (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p. 198). By healing the blind man, the Saviour deliberately violated the Rabbinical laws of the Sabbath for on that day it was forbidden to: 1. make clay, 2. apply a healing remedy to an impaired or sick person and 3. 'there was a specific prohibition against the application of saliva to the eyes on the Sabbath. This strange restriction came into being because of a common belief that saliva was a remedy for diseases of the eye' (Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 3, p. 201).

Beside Jesus' attempt to open the eyes of the Jewish leaders so they can see that in Him is the correct law, it was His intention to put people in the position of choosing between Him as the Son of God and the Sabbath traditions of the elders which kept people in blindness and pernicious superstition. In effect, He was saying 'Choose you this day whom ye will serve' (Joshua 24:15). It would seem the blind man who came to see had ample opportunity to make this choice for he was called upon by the elders three times to account for his experience (John 9). When his testimony of Christ persisted, he faced the fate worse than death for the Jewish leaders had proclaimed that anyone who believed that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). In a religious society where excommunication from the synagogue climaxed in hate and vengeance, this would have been a very difficult choice to make. The man, however, could not deny the healing power he experienced and was cast out. When Jesus heard of it, he sought the man out and asked him if he believed in the Son of God to which the man replied: "Lord I believe" (John 9:38). And so for this man began Chapter 2. Not only because he came to see physically, but spiritually also. Having received of the greater light, he could now see the path to his salvation.

Which is the greater, spiritual or physical sight? In a world that seeks to tear us apart and keep us bound with traditions of darkness, we very often stumble and create situations from which we cannot see a way out. And often we are victims of circumstance and we suffer things beyond our control. Sometimes our suffering and our finite vision brings us to the point where we think that our life is no longer worth living and we contemplate the unthinkable but God is there with a contingency plan shining a lantern at our feet so we can see 'Chapter 2'. And once we are willing to trust in that contingency plan, we are empowered to turn things around, to value this mortal experience. Why? Because it leads to eternal life where all that we suffer in this life will be added to our glory. For there, where once we were blind, we shall 'see' and we will worship at His feet praising His goodness and mercy and declaring that He truly is 'the light of the world', a light which disperses all darkness and invites all men to come unto Him.

" Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying: I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12)

TO LOVE AND BE LOVED

"A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said: 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.' The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said: 'You have seen Hell.'

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said: 'I don't understand.'  'It is simple', said the Lord, 'It requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other.'

- Author unknown

When the Saviour comes again, the saints who will be ready to meet Him will be a Zion people. They will be the people who have learnt to feed each other, care for each other, carry each other's burdens and who have shown and given love. In latter-day scripture the Lord admonishes the Church to  '......succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down and strengthen the feeble knees' (D&C 81:5). The fact that there are people in the Church who are weak and whose hands hang down and who have feeble knees would suggest that the Church is full of members who are struggling. It also suggests that the Church is not perfect for the Church is US. We, the members who make up the Church of Christ live at many different levels of moral development and spiritual awareness. Our tendency, however, is to act as though everyone has a common understanding of the gospel and an equal ability to live its principles. This leads us to criticism and judgment of our fellow brothers and sisters who we believe should live by our personal view of what the Church should be. This view tends to make us believe that we should exclude from our fellowship those we do not consider worthy of our elevated circle. Included in the group we deem 'unworthy' are also those we consider 'different' from 'normal' church members, those who do not fit the so called 'Mormon mould'.

I fear that instead of working together to make the Church a more charitable institution some of us are ostracizing and even persecuting those who are different and do not conform to our way of thinking, desiring to prove them wrong. I have heard of many such cases over the years, instances that have driven people away from the Church and that have left them expecting a higher level of Christian behaviour from its' members. Even though we are in the Church primarily because of the covenants which we have made with God, acceptance is something we all need to feel a part of the body of Christ. Even though some of us may have different opinions, passions or ideals "....the Church includes all of us who have taken upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ and given our allegiance to His restored gospel. The Church includes the limitations, weaknesses, and prejudices as well as the faith, hope and charity of all of us who call ourselves Mormon, from the apostles and prophets in Salt Lake City to the latest converts in New Guinea, Nigeria, and the Ukraine." (Robert A. Rees, Forgiving the Church and Loving the Saints: Spiritual Evolution and the Kingdom of God, Sunstone Magazine, February 1992)

How can we come to the point of total acceptance? The answer is simple: love. When Nephi wanted to know the interpretation of his father's dream of the tree of life the angel that came when summoned asked Nephi if he knew what the tree represented. Nephi said it was the love of God. The angel confirmed this truth and as soon as he did Nephi was given the vision of the Saviour's ministry among men. Why? Because Jesus is the embodiment of God's love for us. The Father cannot show his love for us in a greater way than to sacrifice His Only Begotten Son for the sake of the rest of us. Jesus is our mediator between us and the Father. We cannot go to the Father but through Him and so the exchange of love between us and the Father passes through Christ. How can we show the Father that we love Him as He has loved us? Jesus himself gave us the answer: "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15)  What is the very first commandment? To love God with all our might, mind and strength. And the second? Like unto it, to love our neighbour as ourselves. In other words, first love God and second, love that member in your Ward that you think is slightly weird. When we enter the Celestial Kingdom, we will not enter it alone. We will walk through those pearly gates with our families first and then with those we have saved. The trick is, we never know which member of our Ward needs saving because we are not in a position to completely know the heart of another. A former bishop came to realise after many years of counselling people that some of us due to some trauma or excessive hardship have an impaired ability to live certain commandments and are feeling it is beyond them to develop into morally responsible adults. Of the more stronger of us, it is expected to 'succor the weak', not drive them away by our judgment, criticism and intolerance. He recounts the following story:

"Two years ago an attractive woman moved into our ward. She dressed and carried herself in a provocative manner. She attracted men quickly and was openly flirtatious, even with me. Through a series of interviews her troubled history unfolded. I discovered that she had been born out of wedlock, abandoned by her mother at an early age, sexually abused by a grandfather and uncle while still a toddler. She was taken into several foster homes in which sexual abuse continued. She was promiscuous in her teens. She was taken in by an LDS family where the father made sexual advances toward her. Yet when she was twenty-one, she served a successful mission. One would have thought that her life had changed completely. Following her mission she became engaged to a fellow missionary with whom she later became intimate. Her self-esteem crumbled and the engagement was broken. Six months later she was working as a prostitute in Los Angeles. This woman was given a new beginning when she began to work with a psychotherapist. It was clear that it would be very difficult to overcome the burden of such an abusive and troubled past. Through long hours of counseling with me and with her therapist, loving attention from home and visiting teachers, financial assistance, and various other forms of fellowship, we supported her efforts to break the pattern of her desperate and self-destructive need for male attention. After some time, she made a carefully planned move to be near her mother in another state. Unfortunately, I learned recently that she was back in Los Angeles working as an escort for rich businessmen. While she was in our ward, this sister was the subject of criticism by other ward members who only saw the surface of her behaviour. Being aware of her history, I knew it was completely unjust to judge this woman by normal standards of morality, and yet I couldn't betray her confidence by telling others why she should be treated with greater patience and charity." (Robert A. Rees, Forgiving the Church and Loving the Saints: Spiritual Evolution and the Kingdom of God, Sunstone Magazine, February 1992)

To feel God's love, we must first experience love of other human beings. It is extremely difficult for people to feel the love of a person whom they cannot see when they do not feel loved by people that they can see. Those who doubt God's love are usually those who doubt the love of their parents and others. These are they who feel unlovable. It is our responsibility as fellow saints and disciples of Christ to make the Church fulfill its' central mission - to bring love to every human being by bringing them unto Christ. The Celestial Kingdom is reserved for those who have learnt to love God, themselves and their fellow beings. We cannot abide in the presence of Father's pure love if we have not learned to love purely ourselves. To live with Him, we have to be like Him. In the process of striving to be like Him we never know whom we can rescue from some dim corner of the chapel. 

It is true that no unclean thing can enter the kingdom of heaven (3 Nephi 27:19) and therefore we need to live righteous lives. However, keeping ourselves unspotted from sin alone will not ensure eternal life. The real deciding factor on judgment day will be whether we have learnt to love through our faith on Him who has beloved us. We who carry His name should be beacons of God's love. We are the light by which suffering hearts can find the shore. We must reach out to the unloveable, the different, the downtrodden, the weak. We must provide the shelter from the storm and put our loving arms around each other for we are all broken, afflicted, weary and tempest tossed. May we find the love of God in each other's arms and may we keep those arms ever open and our lights ever burning to light the way for those who are lost.

Brightly beams our Father's mercy

From His lighthouse evermore,

But to us He gives the keeping

Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled;

Loud the angry billows roar.

Eager eyes are watching, longing,

For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;

Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,

Trying now to make the harbor,

In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning;

Send a gleam across the wave.

Some poor fainting, struggling seaman

You may rescue, you may save.

- Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876