Random Wanderings

As I taught the adult gospel doctrine class today, we studied Matthew Chapter 3.  John the Baptist was sent into the world to prepare the way for Christ. The main message that John focused on to prepare the way for Christ was the message of repentance. A question that I asked was “What does it mean to Repent?”

This was a class of adults that have many years of experience in the gospel and I told them I did not want the typical sunday school answer, but rather by their own experience what it means to them.

This is my own response to that question:

As a child I learned that the steps of repentance were; recognising our sin or mistake, feeling sorrow, confessing and or saying we are sorry, never repeating the sin or mistake, making amends or restoring what was possible to restore, obeying the commandments and serving the Lord.

My misunderstanding of what that all really meant caused me for many years to miss out on one of the most powerful aspects of the gospel.

I was so fearful of people, that the fear of confessing with the resulting consequences of punishment, fear of embarrasment, and fear of feeling inadequate was too overwhelming. I determined that I would never be put in the position of having to repent because I would never do anything wrong. 

I went out of my way not to hurt or offend other people so that I would not have to say I was sorry. I learned to forgive quickly because I had compassion for others being put in the position of having to say they were sorry. I made every effort to not retaliate because then I would have to say I was sorry too.

As inevitably comes in life, mistakes are made and hurt happens. I would quickly change what I was capable of changing.  But for those things that I was not capable of changing on my own, I would justify, deny my own weekness even to myself, blame the circumstances or other peoples weekness.

The Bible dictionary defines Repentance as: a turning of the heart and will to God.  Even though at the time I believed I was doing that, in essence I was really running the other way in denial.

In contrast, this is the way I live my life now.

As a signal to me of the need for repentance or change in my life, I pay close attention to these circumstances.

Emotional pain, conflict within myself between what I do and what my values or intellect tell me I should be doing, conflict with others, fear, particular annoyance with someone elses weekness, frustration, anger.

Then I turn to the Lord and ask for help. What do I need to learn? Where are these feeling coming from? What do I need to change? How do I change? Give me understanding? etc.

I have felt my Savior symbolically wipe away my tears, put His arms around me and lead me through the process of understanding and change.  He gives me experiences that help me understand what my actions feel like from the other persons point of view. That can lead to a quick change of heart and never wanting to repeat those actions. He gives me opportunity to develop needed skills. He places people in my life that can give me help or that say the right thing at the right time to help me know what I can do. He leads me in how I can make amends and say I am sorry and provides the opportunity when the timing is right.

After a time I realize that my life really has changed. Things that used to perplex me now come easily. Things that used to bother me now I look at with compassion and understanding. I feel more peace and joy in my everyday life.  When the situations described above enter my life, I no longer face them with fear. I look at them as opportunities for growth. Where they used to be daily occurances or even several times a day now they come a lot less often. I spend more time in the peace and joy of life rather than in the conflict.  For those things that I have not yet been able to overcome, I know it is just a process of time and trust in the Lord. As long as I keep that constant contact with my Savior then in time I will be redeemed even from those demons.

Intelligence is different than knowledge.  Knowledge can be based on perception or it can be relative. It can also be in error. Intellegence is based on absolute truth. It can be synonomous with wisdom, but to think of it only as wisdom limits it.

An example of absolute truth as compared to knowledge: Back in the days of Columbus, the common knowledge was that the earth was flat. We now know that is not true. All the people in the world could argue and even come up with supporting evidence that the earth is flat. It still would not make it true. Absolute truth is things as they really are, not what they may seem to be or what the latest theorys of the best scientific knowledge of our day may presume they are.

Scripture says: “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.”

It also says: “Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.”

Another scripture speaking about Christ says: “…he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;

Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.

As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;

As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;

And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.

And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;

Which light procedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space–

The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are goverened, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.”

Wisdom can be described as Knowledge+Experience. I think intelligence can start to be described as Absolute Truth + Power(action, experience)

The scripture above says Light + Truth. My view of light as described in the scripture above is “The Power” that moves the universe from the smallest particle to the greatest Star. A little of light is referenced in the other scriptures quoted above. It is easy to think of light as only the visible light that we see with our limited eyesight. But when we really think about it we know it as so much more. Light has energy to it. Think of electricity, fire, lasers. There is the whole spectrum of light not visible to our eyes. Think of x-rays, radiation, infared, etc. Another thing we might not think of but on some level we know is the power of thought. When we come to an understanding, we say we are enLIGHTened. We send our thoughts or intentions out into the universe and it puts into motion those things to fulfill the thoughts whether they be good or bad. I say prayer works in the same way just more specifically directed. (I believe God is an actual specific, physical, tangible, being)  I also think that radio waves and sattelite signals all work on the same basic principle.

If we add time to light then we get light speed. But I think for a lot of the power of light, time is irrevelant. When you get on the level of thought or prayer, distance dissapears and it can be instantaneous.

Intelligence is spoken of in the scriptures in two ways; what we normally think of, continuing enlightenment and also as an intelligence or an actual entity.

Intelligence was not created, it has always been. I believe we started off as an intelligence entity. One or our purposes and joys is to gather to us more intelligence or continued power and glory. We could not continue in our progress of gathering more intelligence without being combined with element. (our physical bodies) Therefore (God) our Father(guide, mentor, provider, protector) created for us physical bodies. By the power of his thought, vision, we were first created spiritually which then started the process by which we have been created physically. Our intelligence takes on the spirit combined with element.

We then have the opportunity with experiences talor made for us to increase our intelligence and therefore gain more power and glory to ourselves. 

My theory is that power in the universe is all related to intelligence. We started as intelligence in the universe. Then under God’s influence and Power Spirit and Element were brought together to create our bodies. As we continue in our lives we gather to ourselves more intelligence. God’s power and glory comes because of the amount of intelligence he has gathered to himself.  He teaches us how we can also gather intelligence to ourselves so that we too can gain more power and Glory.

One concluding scripture:”For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy.”