Sunday, August 28, 2011

WHY

My shelf of things I don’t understand continues to be piled higher, is filled to the brim, overflowing and only occasionally am I able to take an item down, dust it off and carve a bit off of a bulky piece.

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why is life’s curriculum so varied for the offspring of common Eternal parentage? Why do some glutton upon porcelain with golden forks while others search cans of filth for morsels to sustain? Why are some comfortably clothed with silks in mansions while others freeze upon their cardboard mattresses clothed in rags?

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why is education abundantly provided for some and withheld from others? Why do some enjoy the production of their own hand while others consume the labors of generations past? Why are some provided with the miracles of modern-ness while others linger in darkened decades? Why is the progress of some repressed while others are propelled upon speedy tracks?

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why do some have minds which are bright and quick while others seem to be dull and slow? Why do some have mortality long beyond their allotted three score and ten while others have their lives pass in shortened terms? Why do some enjoy freedom from pain and sorrow while others suffer throughout their sojourn?

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why do brothers and sisters seek their own benefit at the detriment of others? Why are we who seek to have bounteous tables content to leave scraps for others? Why is my thought right, leaving all other choices to be wrong? Why do I think I see clearly and consider my brothers and sisters blind? Why do I seek to make my limited understanding dominate earth and heaven alike?

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why do I go through life seeing only darkly through the glass? Why does the light of future events have such limited extension? Why do I not receive more obvious intermittent grades but must wait to know how I did until the Final? Why do I allow the view of others to supersede the comfortings of the Spirit?

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why do I let the cloudiness of the future interrupt my concentration on today’s loving relationships? Why do I let a reckless thoughtless moment destroy calendars filled with joyfulness? Why do I feel such a need for being comforted and so little need to comfort? Why do I consider ‘me and I’ more powerful positions than ‘we and us?’

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Why do we refuse to find commonality in theories, philosophies and revelations choosing to concentrate on differences? Why is it so difficult for some to see the hand of a Creator and others to value knowledge beyond man’s meager attempts as naught? Why do some brush away principles with the cloak of mystery while others feel that man has the capability to understand all?

They do not come like lightning springing from the ground
They will not come because I demand it so
They come as gifts from Heaven whispering gently to my soul
Answers come in that moment when Father knows I will hear and understand

Sunday, August 21, 2011

BUSHES – BUDS - BLOOMS

Jose Fulano had gone through 15 cycles of dry and wet seasons of the year. Tonight he sat by his bed trying to remember the first day his mother took him to the small vegetable garden behind the humble home which Jose, his three brothers and two sisters shared with his father, mother and grandmother. Patiently, his mother had shown him how to know the difference between a plant springing into life and a weed. Joy filled his heart the year she handed him some precious seeds and sent him out on his own to put them into the freshly cultivated soil.

After 10 cycles of wet and dry seasons Jose was taken from the secure feelings he had gained when working in the small vegetable garden behind the home and followed his father and his two older brothers to work with the coffee plants on the hills which surrounded their little home and the small garden.

Jose’s years now became filled with the long process required to change the small coffee plants which had grown in the bedding area, transferring them carefully into the polycover planting bags and replanting them into the most shaded area of their land and then after six months, moving them to the coffee plantation where, if they survived, they would remain until time to go to the part of the plantation where they would finally, after three or four years, begin to flower and produce beans.

It excited Jose to think that those little plants he had so carefully watered when he first was taken to the plantation by his father were now abundantly producing the beans which, when dried, brought all the wonderful things into his family’s life.

For many years he had watched his father and then his older brothers lead the three little burros down the trail away from the plantation on the way to trade at the pueblo in the valley far below. Today his father had told him that in the morning it would be Jose who would be taking the three small, heavily loaded burros to the village tomorrow.

He awakened even earlier on that special morning, with his father’s instructions revolving endlessly through his head. He felt as if he had gone down the trail many times, found the buyer of beans and then gone to the market with his certificates to trade for the needed essentials for the family. In reality this would be the first time his foot prints would be found on the narrow winding path leading down to the pueblo below.

As Jose rounded a small bend in the path he saw a bush which looked like it was filled with red berries peeking through their velvety green coverings. His breakfast potato and corn soup had long ago worn off and he quickly filled his bag with the harvested berries. He hadn’t gone much further down the path when he pulled a berry from his bag and, pulling back the velvety green covering, bit into the berry. Bitterness filled his mouth and he felt that even with its redness this berry wasn’t ripe yet. Pulling berry after berry from his bag, repeated peeling and biting only brought repeated bites of bitterness. Discouraged, Jose emptied the rest of the berries from his bag beside the trail and looking at his arms which were scratched and even bleeding in a few places, wondered why such a plant would exist. It was painful to pick and brought fourth only bitter fruit.

Two days later, after faithfully following his father’s instructions and loading the small donkeys with the goods he had traded for, Jose returned to the small path leading to his humble home and the joys he shared with his wonderful family. When he passed the brutal bitter fruit bush in the small bend Jose once again wondered about the purpose for the existence of such a plant.

At the end of the next dry season Jose was once again instructed by his father on the impending trading trip. The beans were dried, the bags were loaded on the small donkeys and Jose once again found his feet moving slowly along the winding path to the little pueblo in the valley below. When Jose rounded the small bend and saw the brutal bush with its bitter berries he felt his arms throb as if they were once again experiencing the pain of the previous year.

Jose following his father’s instruction perfectly had another successful trading trip and two days later found himself climbing the trail leading to his humble home and the joys he shared with his wonderful family. As he approached the small bend where the brutal bitter fruit bush grew, Jose’s arms began to tingle. When Jose rounded the bend a wondrous sight filled his vision. The brutal plant was now clothed with a robe of red. Jose halted the small donkeys and paused to inhale the wonderful smells which seemed to float off of the red robe of beautiful roses. The tingles of pain in his arms were now replaced with tingles of joy about the beauties of the creations of God.

That evening when the family settled outside their humble home to exchange the joys they had felt and experienced that day, Jose related his experience with the brutal bush during the trade journeys of the last two years.

After listening with great interest his father asked Jose if he might say a few things about his story. Jose was anxious to hear his father’s comments and all the family gathered just a little closer. There had been other times when their father had wanted to make additional comments and the family knew his words would be filled with great wisdom.

He started by reminding Jose about his days at his mother’s side carefully caring for the small garden behind their humble home. He asked Jose what would have happened if he pulled up a plant while weeding the garden. Jose replied that the plant would never bring fourth the bounty it was created to produce.

Jose’s father then reminded him about the long process of preparing a coffee plant before it was finally ready to flower and produce beans. He asked Jose what would have happened if they had not put the small tender plants in the bedding area or moved them directly to the part of the plantation where the mature plants were, or if they had not carefully put them into polycover planting bags or if they had not harvested or if they had lost patience with the drying of the beans.

Last of all, he asked Jose, what would have happened if he had plucked the buds from the rose bush this year as he had done the year before.

Jose’s answer was always the same. The plants in the small garden would not produce the sweet foods for our table, we would never gain the wonderful things which bring added joy to our family if we didn’t carefully and patiently take the coffee plants through the steps until they were mature enough to begin to flower and produce beans, if I had once again picked the buds before they blossomed I would never have beheld the beautiful sweet smelling red robe.

Jose’s father then addressed the whole family, remember, remember my children there are essential and important stages which all of our Heavenly Father’s children must go through. If we impatiently try to rush that process or try to experience the fruit before it ripens or pick the buds before they flower, we will not be able to experience the full purposes which we were sent to have along the trail of mortality. We will have hunger in our souls rather than being filled. We will miss experiences which would have added to our growth. We will certainly miss many of the beautiful and marvelous sights which have been created to bring us joy in mortality.

The sun dipped below the mountain and the family retired to their mats and hammocks.

Jose didn’t remember when he finally stopped looking into the brilliant night heaven. He slipped from awake to sleep with thoughts of patience, love, avoiding unnecessary painful experiences and trying not to hasten the process he was sent to earth to fulfill in preparation to return as a completed work to that Father in Heaven who had planted him in goodly soil and given clear instructions as how he
might return matured and fruitful.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

MEANINGFUL REPETITION LEADS TO MASTERY

A sweet old lady forgets to turn off the water in the bathtub, which when she returns to the bathroom is running over on the floor. Not knowing what to do, she rushes to the phone and calls the plumber and is informed he will be right out.

A few minutes later she looks at her list of things to do and realizes she is supposed to go grocery shopping that morning. She immediately grabs her keys and drives to the store.

The plumber shortly arrives and knocks at the door and the sweet old lady’s parrot responds in its best parrot voice, “Who is it?” The plumber responds, “It’s the plumber!”

The parrot responds, “Who is it.” Louder the plumber responds, “It’s the plumber!!”

The parrot responds, “Who is it?” Now shouting the plumber yells, “IT’S THE PLUMBER!!”

The parrot responds, “Who is it?” The plumber now exasperated and turning red in the face, fills his lungs and is about to screech with all his might when he passes out cold on the door step.

Shortly thereafter the sweet old lady returns and seeing the plumber out cold on the step and says, “Who is it?” The parrot responds, “It’s the plumber!”

I can’t remember when or who first told me this joke (maybe Buddy Hackett), but I have used it numerous times during my life in talks and to remind myself that thoughts, words and actions constantly repeated become habitual.

We are constantly reminded in all areas of our lives about the disastrous results if those thoughts, words and actions are negative.

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) Besides the decay which comes to the great God-given gift of our minds, there is a great danger as we constantly think about the base behaviors of mortals, that before long these thoughts begin to be part of our vocabulary and actions. Although the final judgment has not been made, more and more data seem to indicate that predatory and violent actions are predicated on an extended exposure to deviant and destructive materials.

Vulgar and profane words repeated often enough, become lodged in our minds so firmly that our speech is soon filled with filth and it becomes almost impossible for us to engage in an intelligent conversation. It is interesting to me to listen to people who are able to moderate their speech on network television, but on cable every sentence is punctuated with garbage words.

Addictive and self-destructive behaviors do not take control of one’s life because of the first sip, but because of the ensuing gulps. There has been a lot of discussion about certain people having a greater propensity toward being controlled by stimuli. Personally, I think we are all capable of falling prey to any substance or stimulus we ingest either through our mouths, our noses, our eyes, our ears or our arms.

Luckily, this same habit forming phenomenon can be a force which will cause us to have lives filled with uplifting thoughts, words and actions.
If I carefully filter that which I allow to enter my mind, I will probably find my thoughts are becoming more elevated, and uplifting. One of the added bonuses I realize as I screen those things imputed into my mind is that I become more positive toward people, more universal in my thinking about the brotherhood of mankind, and more tolerant and forgiving in my relationships.

As I eliminate my reliance on vulgar vocal pauses in my verbiage, I find that I have less need to retract my statements and others find our conversations more engaging. One of the beautiful things that I find happening is that if I purge my words of the vulgar and profane, those with whom I am conversing soon seem to respond in kind.

Although repentance has become somewhat of a negative term in our politically correct society, I have found that quick and complete repentance is the greatest safeguard against yielding my agency to some substance or other addictive stimulus. I also firmly believe that repeated positive actions lead to character development and a more fulfilled life. Prayer becomes easier and more sincere as we become dedicated to frequently repeating the process. Scripture reading, searching and pondering results in astounding benefits as it is daily adhered too. Service fills the soul and enlarges our capacities as we frequently seek opportunities to help a brother or sister. Career and church calling success results from regular productive work in our appointed stewardship.

Successful golfers become so because they have repeated the correct movements of the fundamentals of their swing until their minds, nerves, muscles and joints have developed the memory sufficient to repeat the same swing time after time regardless of the conditions and stresses where it is to be used. If the golfer repeats unsound techniques they will never be able to have repetitious desired successful results. Although it may be true that as the mind, nerves, muscles and joints begin to deteriorate the once ingrained movements are modified and in some cases lost; nevertheless, there are moments when all seems to be restored in a blissful moment and we witness a ball flying long, straight and true.

I have confidence that all those attributes and characteristics we have developed into our souls memory will be restored to the eternal us. May we be wise and strive to form that being which emulates Godliness and not devilishness.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

MAKING PEARLS OUT OF SAND

Since ancient times, pantheists have believed that God was to be found in all living things throughout the universe. Primeval tribes deified the objects of heaven and earth. Modern man with all of his sophistication stands more often than not in awe of the many wonders of nature. This enduring reverence is easily understood when we look around at the mystically unknown and the overwhelming grandeur which are found in every glen and upon every hill.

Along with the enigmas which we continually encounter, there also seems to be something beyond the senses which binds and intertwines man’s life with his environment. If we are attentive some of our most valuable lessons can be extrapolated from an earnest exploration of the mechanism of this marvelous orb and its inhabitants.

A sincere contemplation of the wondrous evolutionary conversions which the earth and it creatures are completing will add volumes to understanding the true purposes and possibilities of our existence.

Millennia ago, deep in the folds of the earth, extreme pressures of the shifting plates of the earth were brought to bear on deposits of carbon. Centuries of squeezing and pushing followed, until finally the black lumps were transformed into stones which were no longer soft and ebony, but hardened and crystal. As decades tumbled upon each other the gentle shifting of the earth moved the crystalline pieces upward where they would eventually be discovered and chipped into brilliance.

Although coal in its original state was useful and beneficial, when it was transformed into a sparkling diamond its desirability and value increased immeasurably.

The homely oyster, when its shell is invaded by an irritating particle of sand, puts forth a comforting solution to surround the invading substance and make cohabitation possible. When the solution hardens the oyster’s world is again put into upheaval and another soothing layer is applied. Patiently and slowly a pearl of great price develops around the insignificant speck of sand.

There are times when man either inadvertently or deliberately participates in these phenomena found in nature which leads to making his surroundings more loveable and livable.

Some years ago, while visiting some friends in a rural area of Idaho, my attention was drawn to a beautiful flower garden which was in a glorious state of many colored splendor.

I exclaimed to my host my appreciation of this flamboyant and fragrant piece of ground and then asked if I had somehow missed seeing it on previous visits. He ducked his head and snickered and then informed me that this was the spot that his pig pens had occupied. My memory was pungently restored as I recalled the less pleasant fragrances emanating from this area in previous years.

By laboriously drying and tilling, planting and weeding this former eye-sore and nose-offending land had been transformed into a place of repose and beauty.

It would be wonderful if before too many candles are placed, this lesson of life could be comprehended. Sadly, we seem to demonstrate by our tardy comprehension, that we assume we are all gifted with endless eternities to learn.

We pray for placid and peaceful existence, ever forgetting that it is life’s pressures which mold and refine our characters. We are ‘ever seeking for the good life, with our feeble attempts to surround ourselves with protective shields trying to keep out irritation; not fully understanding that it is the living with and overcoming of these nuisances which help build admirable strengths and attributes.

Through diligent searching in hidden crevices for enlightenment, we may discover that even those places in life which seem most repugnant can be cultivated until they cause our countenances to blossom.

Nature seems to scream from every cavern and across every ocean: Listen and Learn. The purpose of existence is to progress. Progression can be wrought only by change.

We are here to change the rough, raw and repulsive parts of our characters into that which is polished, cultured and pleasant.