HELPING ME BECOME MY ETERNAL SELF 2

Last week, in case I was unable to convey the purpose of my lengthy introduction, I was trying to present the Thought that we are all the product of those inputs we receive as we walk the path of life upon which we have been placed.

What we become as we are impacted by those inputs will be determined by the quantity as well as the quality of those we allow to be our mentors, along with the portions of their messages we choose to inculcate into our lives.

The purpose of today’s Thought will be to identify three categories of mentors who have a possibility and probability of being allowed to be contributors to that which we will eventually be eternally.

Because of my life’s involvement in teaching the gospel of Jesus the Christ, I will use scriptural titles to designate these three types of mentors.

I feel I need to make you aware that when Kathleen was doing her editing of this Thought, we had a lengthy discussion on the appropriateness of the titles I used for the three categories of mentors. Therefore, if you struggle with the titles it will be understandable. However, I feel the descriptions of the categories appropriately identify the three types of mentors I desired to discuss in this series of Thoughts.

Telestial Mentors:

Even those who are born with limited senses and lack the ability to demonstrate the activity of what is happening in their minds will be affected by this category of mentor. These are they who sacrifice so that we will not only know how to function in this world, but to some degree we will be able to find satisfaction. They make it possible for us to learn how to walk, speak, get nourishment, wear proper attire and contend with the weather. They teach us how to improve upon our birth situations and stations, helping us to best utilize our shelters, diets, vocabularies, entertainments and labors.

In short, these are the multitude of mentors who fill our lives with knowledge and talents which are necessary to make life’s journey physically passable and enjoyable, or at least acceptable.

Terrestrial Mentors:

Most of us, sometime during out mortal passage, have moments when we are not thinking of or trying to learn how to better our physical environment. In those moments our thoughts often begin with the simple self-inquiry, ‘is this all there is to life? – is there no greater purpose?’ It is in those moments we may begin to seek for mentors who can help us make movement toward growth in spiritual areas and end the confinement which total concentration on the physical can create.

Those who begin this pondering process will soon find themselves drawn to mentors who talk about strange things like, the needs of ‘others,’ service, peace, love and forgiving, along with a plethora of other humanitarian concepts.

Those who continue this process will find that they become aware of mentorship coming from sources which do not have physical form. For example, I believe that each of us was taught in our pre mortal life while we had only our spirit body many truths and attributes which will be an important part of our eternal beings. If we can learn to listen to the spirit body which resides within each of us, our physical body would be astounded at the growth which could take place.

Just think for a moment of the potential of being able to receive understanding from our own spirit body. Not that we were as advanced as the Savior in our pre-mortal progress, but when He went to ponder and opened his physical mind to his spirit mind He was thereby communicating with the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament.

Another non-physical mentor is the promised Holy Spirit, who to those who truly seek will become a mentor and comforter as they sincerely ask. Since the Holy Spirit is a member of the Godhead, hopefully we would be wise enough to pay whatever price possible to gain the privilege of His mentorship.

Celestial Mentors:

Before venturing further into this category of mentors I want to share a quote from Joseph Smith, which is found in the Documentary History of the Church Volume 1 Page 339 and was given on the 13th of April 1833.

And again we never inquire at the hand of God for special revelation only in case of there being no previous revelation to suit the case…

It is a great thing to inquire at the hands of God, or to come into His presence; and we feel fearful to approach Him on subjects that are of little or no consequence, to satisfy the queries of individuals, especially about things the knowledge of which men ought to obtain in all sincerity, before God, for themselves, in humility by the prayer of faith… (Joseph Smith Jr. – Documentary History of the Church, Volume 1 page 339)

Although, mentoring can come from The Mentor, it seems He wants us to make sure we have exhausted and searched out all we can glean from Telestial and Terrestrial mentors before we turn to His personal wisdom. After all, He is the source of all knowledge and understanding. When we learn the necessary physical understandings and add to that the knowledge of how to become good and honorable beings, we are actually being added upon by His Omniscience.

In the weeks to come I will be taking from the wisdom found in the scriptures, concentrating mainly on that which we should reap from the Terrestrial and Celestial mentors.

There now, I have done it again, another Thought for a Sabbath Day spent entirely on an introduction.

(To be continued)