BECOMING

The last thing Jacob wrote before he waxed old and went down to his grave was the story of a man named Sherem who he describes in the seventh chapter of his book verses 2-4.

And it came to pass that he (Sherem) began to preach among the people, and to declare unto them that there should be no Christ. And he preached many things which were flattering unto the people; and this he did that he might overthrow the doctrine of Christ. And he labored diligently that he might lead away the hearts of the people, insomuch that he did lead away many hearts; and he knowing that I, Jacob, had faith in Christ who should come, he sought much opportunity that he might come unto me. And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil.

Sherem in verses 16-20 makes the following surprising declaration.

And it came to pass that he (Sherem) said unto the people: Gather together on the morrow, for I shall die; wherefore, I desire to speak unto the people before I shall die.

And it came to pass that on the morrow the multitude were gathered together; and he spake plainly unto them and denied the things which he had taught them, and confessed the Christ, and the power of the Holy Ghost, and the ministering of angels. And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment.

And he said: I fear lest I have committed the unpardonable sin, for I have lied unto God; for I denied the Christ, and said that I believed the scriptures; and they truly testify of him. And because I have thus lied unto God I greatly fear lest my case shall be awful; but I confess unto God.

And it came to pass that when he had said these words he could say no more, and he gave up the ghost.

We don’t have any exact dates in this part of the Book of Mormon, but we do know that Sherem probably would not have been more than three generations removed from the days when his faithful grandparents left their homes and followed Nephi into the wilderness to escape the persecutions of those who followed Laman. We know that those ancestors believed in the revelations of the prophets and the scriptures contained on the Brass Plates of Laban.

So my query is what happened?

This is not the first story nor the first time I have been stimulated to ponder at length about the processes we all go though as we are involved in the struggles of becoming. Hopefully, without causing too much confusion I will be able to share some of the conclusions to which I have come, at this point of my eternal journey.

Our personal spiritual sensitivity levels are not equally shared:

The Lord declared to Abraham that the children of Heavenly Father did not develop nor leave His presence with equal amounts of
spiritual growth.

Each of us receives an unequal amount of spiritual stimulation during our formative years.

Each of us accepts, rejects or rationalizes spiritual gifts to different degrees.

Many lose their sensitivity to the light of Christ, which is often referred to as our conscience because of constant rejection of counsel.

Many rationalize the whispering of the Holy Spirit to be nothing more than their subconscious minds reminding them of things they have previously heard or thoughts their own brilliance came up with.

There are those who listen to the light of Christ which is a universal gift given to all of Heavenly Father’s children, leading them to become sensitive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. There are those who are led to pass through the proofs which allow them to be blessed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. There are even a blessed few who have communion with the Lord as one man speaks to another.

Our mentors and tutorial experiences are widely varied – as well as our acceptances, reactions or rejections:

Some are born of goodly parents, while others are not so blessed - Some reject the counsel of goodly parents, while others overcome abusive parenting.

Some are provided with abundant educational opportunities, while others are never introduced to the most fundamental tools of learning – Some squander their abundant educational opportunities, while others overcome negative learning opportunities.

My circumstances during mortality are not the final determiner of my eternal state:

The Lord has made it clear that those who die without law will be judged on a much different scale than those who have been given much.

One of the most merciful teachings found in the Book of Mormon is that the Atonement of the Savior will cover all who go through mortality in a state of ignorance or innocence.

The requirements of judgement for those who have been given much is higher:

Living in an age when there are living prophets and apostles and you having received the verifying witness of the Holy Spirit to sustain them as such is an example of having been given much.

Living during a period when scientific and technological advances bring the accumulated knowledge of the ages into your home is an example of having been given much.

Living in a culture where the requirements to sustain the essentials of life are easily met, leaving you time to re-create and ponder is an example of having been given much.

Agency:

With my present understanding I like to think of agency as that gift which allows me to process internally all that has impacted me externally.

Hopefully, I will have sufficient wisdom to use all of the aids Heavenly Father has provided which will allow me to make guided decisions and to maximize my time in mortality.

As we compare the experiences of Jacob who had a visitation of the Lord in his youth with Sherem, who in spite of knowingly being deceived became a proselyter for the author of all lies and combine it with the inclusive mercy of the Lord, there is little doubt why we are in need of pondering.

Although it will probably be many millennia after we past the portals of death, we all should be left with little doubt that the choices we make will ultimately decide what our eternal state will be.

I pray your pondering today will include some time in thinking about what you are becoming.

I have often wondered how did I become me – while my neighbors became he and she?

Am I what I am because of what I was – or is what I was before the because?

Why are there things which make some flee – while with the same view others take a knee?

Why do some words cause me to believe – and at the same time cause my brother to leave?

There is no doubt as I wander and wade – I am what I am because of the choices I have made!


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY