Repenting Early Instead of Regretting Later

A poignant line from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "Maud Muller" reads: "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"  What Whittier describes is a fictional account of a judge who loses a potential love for a young woman, because she is of low social status, and both he and the woman throughout their lives remember the other and regret "what might have been".  While the account is fictional, the fact is that we all have only one life to live and as time passes we may well wish that we had made choices differently.

Yesterday, I saw a bit of TV footage of a former celebrity being taken in handcuffs by police officers after receiving a prison sentence for crimes he committed many, many years ago.  The man had been well-known and well-loved almost universally by society for many years, but now he has lost most people's love and respect.  Granted, my basic assumption is that the justice system worked properly and he’s getting a legal punishment that is deserved--I don't doubt that--but it still strikes me as tragic.  Fame and the loss of it is of minor consequence, but what is happening to him personally is something else.  I couldn’t see his face all that well, but he didn’t seem happy or strong.  The man is old, and if anything, the feeling that seemed apparent in his face and his movement was only a recognition of something horrible and an inability to do anything about it.

I imagine that at some point in the past he probably felt guilty about what he’d done, and I think everyone that does wrong either fully repents or finds a way to keep living despite being guilty, whether they feel guilty or not.  That second possibility can be a very bad thing, in that if people find a way to move on without setting things right (as much as is possible), that in itself can prevent them from ever setting things right and restoring the parts of their soul that are damaged.  I can’t help but think that this old man has a very different outlook on life and his own actions, compared to the way he did decades ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he felt like it would have been much better to have had this justice attended to much earlier in his life.  I imagine that he has no desire to hurt anyone now, but regardless, he has to deal with the consequences of his actions and I’m sure he regrets all of this happening at this point in his life (for one reason or another).

I could be wrong about his thoughts; whether or not he really feels any of that, I can’t be sure.  But, I am sure that everyone who doesn’t repent will feel that same kind of regret, though when applied to an eternal judgment I think that feeling will be deeper.  At the same time, I think it will be balanced by a sense of God’s perfect justice.  I imagine that understanding God’s justice cannot be a complete comfort to people, but I think it will in some way balance the regret (the foundations of which will be immutable).  That balance isn't something to hope for, though; I would hope that we would be able to approach our final judgment in a different way, because of how we act following our own wrongdoing.  All of the guilt and regret that we feel early in life will be valuable if it leads us to correct our wrongs.

Last thoughts for now:
What might yet be is that we might be able to gain all that our Heavenly Father has, including the greatest joy possible.  We all will commit sin, but we all have an opportunity to right our wrongs.  Thankfully, during this mortal life it's never too late, but with every day that we let slip by without repenting, we are less likely to choose repentance.  May we all show gratitude for Christ's Atonement by examining our lives and determining to set right those things that we have done wrong, and may we find joy and peace in doing so.

Our Covenant to Weep

I've seen some good advice in recent years about helping others who are grieving.  When tragedy strikes, it is very natural that we feel sadness, and it's a mistake to try to avoid feeling that sadness or prevent others from feeling it.  In fact, it is part of our covenant as disciples of Christ to do just the opposite.

Among other things, Alma spoke as part of the baptismal covenant dealing with helping others during their times of trial.  Specifically, (in Mosiah 18:8-9) he listed that those who make the covenant "are willing to":

1. "bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light"
2. "mourn with those that mourn"
3. "comfort those that stand in need of comfort"

We're explicitly given a very interesting instruction in the Doctrine and Covenants (42:45): "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die".

(So while I think my thoughts before were valid in an earlier post on 07 December 2008, I guess I can cut that one guy in the picture a little bit of slack when he was mourning the loss of President Hinckley.  But only a little, because I think that mourning with others is meaningful when we actually know them and can communicate directly with them about their loss.  Anyway...)

Jesus himself, the ultimate exemplar, wept for someone He knew He was going to raise from the dead.  It's the shortest verse in scripture: "Jesus wept."  (John 11:35)  Even though Jesus knew that Mary and Martha's mourning would not last long, He took the time to weep with them--to mourn with them.

Last thoughts for now:
We all will have cause to mourn at times.  To me, an important way of showing love to others is to recognize that their feelings are real and valid, and we can do so effectively by sharing those feelings.  More than that, taking time to weep with others is also part of being a covenant disciple of Christ.  I hope to always remember that.

Do We Truly Follow the Prophet?

Last week, while visiting another ward, someone from their elders quorum mentioned that the next general conference is approaching.  I'd been contemplating President Nelson's talk from the last general conference (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng) and what I should be teaching about it today.  It was an unusual lesson in that I taught the same thing roughly a couple of months ago and the quorum president felt that we should review it again.  As I heard, last week, that the next conference was approaching, it occurred to me that we have little time left to obey President Nelson's instruction to us before he gives us more.

I did take his counsel to heart.  In fact, one of his remarks has struck me possibly more than any other from any general conference in my lifetime: "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."  I believe it easily, as I've already seen people I love fall and lose the blessings of their testimony.  But there's a difference between hearing God's word through His prophets, and obeying that word.

I counted the number of direct instructions President Nelson gave us, starting about two thirds of the way into his talk.  By my count, he gave fourteen direct instructions and implicitly directed us to act another seven times.  Specifically, he told us to do the following: "Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart.  And then listen!  Write the thoughts that come to your mind.  Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take."  He then suggested that it should be a daily activity: "As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will 'grow into the principle of revelation.'"

Pray.
Listen!
Write our thoughts.
Record our feelings.
Follow through with actions.

Does our religion mean something?  Does our claim to discipleship mean something?  One method for gauging this would be to ask: are we following the direction of the prophet of God?  Are we seeking revelation from God and then writing down what we receive and acting upon it?

I write this with a bit less focus on just myself, partly because President Nelson's counsel was directed to everyone living on the earth.  Some of us, and likely many of us, are not already doing what he directed us to do.

If not, what are we to do?  The answer is simple: we are to obey.  If we're not doing all that we should, we still have an opportunity.  He told us to "stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation" and again to "increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation."

So we should get some paper and a pen, or open a new computer file where we record revelation regularly.  We should "choose to do the spiritual work required".

Naturally, President Nelson told us of promised blessings, but he also gave a very direct warning, letting us know that some of us will not survive spiritually in the modern world.  That's a thought that merits concern, and his counsel merits the obedience of true discipleship.

Last thoughts for now:
We have a little less than a month left to obey the prophet's counsel before we receive more.  Granted, late obedience will still bring blessings, but by not following the counsel now we risk not following it ever, and God is only telling us these things so that out lives can be better for it.  A while back I picked up a small, fat notebook and began recording what I believe are inspired thoughts and feelings.  I haven't been seeking revelation daily yet, but I know I can improve, and I know that as I follow President Nelson's counsel by seeking revelation I will be better prepared for what God has to give us in the next general conference.