"Err..." What?!

         

Sometimes, I read scriptures and don't learn a thing.  For years I was “out to lunch” in Sunday School; granted I have been a “hallway listener” for the good part of 20 years.  Sometimes it’s a hit and miss with my personal scripture study and prayers can be like brushing my toddler's teeth; not often enough, and a pain to hold still long enough to get it done. 

        I am married to a man who has scripture passages, quotes, lessons, and sermons memorized! He can, and often does, captivate groups of people in casual scriptural conversation. He will pull out brilliant insights, while I am trying to decode “Bible talk.”  

    For whatever reason, today, my eyes were opened and the Spirit turned the scriptures into reality.  I am a visual learner, so I appreciate this approach. I was down a rabbit hole, clicking hyperlinks, and landed on a word “Err.”(2 Nephi 28:14)  I deduce it means “error,” but I’m curious because the sentence is directed at the “humble followers of Christ.” I like to think of myself as a "humble follower of Christ” (ugh! I guess a “humble” person wouldn’t say they are humble. Anyway…)

I need to know what tripped up the humble people!?  

The Spirit brought it down to my level and showed me how it applies TODAY.

Read it like a newspaper.

Look around! What are people wearing?  What are people doing?  What are they believing?

We have all gone astray.(2 Nephi 28:14)

We have "stiff necks?" 

We are stubborn. We want to live by the principles we want. No one is going to govern us on how we should live or love. (Mormon 8:31)

We have “high heads?” 

Who isn’t self absorbed? We want to be seen, famous, viral, and influencers. Who isn’t updating status every day(sometimes multiple times)  or repetitively look at ourselves in mirrors, pictures, videos, and selfies?  Who doesn’t care about how many likes or followers we can get?  Who isn’t obsessed over trendy fashion, or the latest beauty hack? (Mormon 8:36 37)

“Errrrrrr"  This sums up a day in the HobiHome!

“They have all gone astray save but a few because of Pride, Wickedness, Abominations, and Whoredoms.” (2 Nephi 28:14, Mormon 8:36)

Pride?  LGBQ+, Black Lives Matter, Body Dismorphia, etc.(Mormon 8:28, 36)

Wickedness?Murders, Violence, Dishonesty, Secret Combinations, scams etc.(Mormon 8:31, 39-40)

Abominations? Hate toward others, Predjusts, Wars, Cancel Culture, Hate Speech, Riots(Mormon 8:29-31

Whoredoms? Immorality, Affairs, Pornography, Cohabitation, Prostitution, Rapes etc. 

Umm 👀  

 So, who are the few??

 

 In my opinion, the few are Christians. especially the Latter-Day Saints. Dare I say... our youth?

While still down the rabbit hole, clicking hyperlinks, I found a fun little message for the Latter-Day Saints in Alma 5.  (My translation below. For the real thig Go read it)

For anyone who is not a good guy (Christian,) or for anyone who is a good guy but may have some skeletons in your closet…you should be worried. You will regret not changing your actions. (Alma 5:36)

it continues...

(Alma 5:37)

All of us who claim to be LDS and have callings, go to the Temple, served missions, and bare testimony of the Church, are just like the World. We are like sheep. How are we any different from them? How would anyone know we are followers of Christ? We buy the clothes and products, listen to the music, get the surgeries, wear the tattoos, talk the slang, download the Apps, and follow pages/people who tell us how we deserve to liberate ourselves or be whatever we want to be (or identify as.)

Timothy 4

1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the alatter times some shall bdepart from the faith, giving heed to cseducing spirits, and ddoctrines of devils;

2 Speaking alies in bhypocrisy; having their cconscience seared with a hot iron;

3 aForbidding to bmarry, and commanding to cabstain from dmeats, which God hath ecreated to be received with fthanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

I see it... 

“My people (LDS) must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion, and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom.(D&C 136:31)”

“In the coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding,  directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. (Russell M. Nelson 2018)”  

Are we really that wicked? Are those scriptures really speaking to us, present day 2024?

My conclusion: 

                                A humble follower of Christ who does not "err" is (most likely) 

             "alone, with Christ."

 Was anyone else served "humble pie" today?

I need help to "see what I can't see"

God knows.

Like A Child

 

                                                      

    My three year old cried in disappointment when I turned into his preschool parking lot, but he didn’t protest when I got him out of the car.  He accepted my hand and walked beside me as tears rolled down his cheek. The other kids and their parents parted the way in sympathy as they heard us approaching. His teacher greeted him with a sincere hug and he searched her eyes for security before taking her hand.  With bottom lip quivering he willingly walked away from me.

 

 Before I was out of the parking lot, I asked God to comfort him.  I thought of him in a classroom with a dozen other kids, being redirected to focus, follow directions, sit still, and “use words”…all things he is unable to do right now. He is on the spectrum and nonverbal today is his 2nd day of special education preschool. I know he needs to be there, but it hurts to leave him anyway, because I love him.

Instantly my heart filled with peace and I realized, God can relate to my situation. He feels like this for me when I am going through trials.  He is confident, just like I am with my child, that trials will strengthen me, and he allows it because He loves me.  

All the way home I think about his sadness but his willingness to go anyway. Why was he so cooperative when he seemed so sad to be there?  

Back at home I noticed a scripture, (we are memorizing as a family) written on a large whiteboard hanging in our dining room.

 “…Be as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19)

To be honest, I couldn’t relate to that part of the scripture until that moment. Kids are sometimes some of those things. My child was all of those things at preschool this morning. He was submissive, meek, humble, and patient as soon as he recognized he was going to school.  He was full of love (and tears) when he kissed and hugged me goodbye but accepted his teachers embrace. Then he was corporative even though he knew he did not want to be there. 

When I returned for pick up, he ran to me with a mixture of relief and excitement (mostly relief) on his face and mumbled what sounded like: “Mum!” while falling into me.  It made my day.  It was the first time he has ever called out to me. 

Is it any different for God?

 God showed me important insights to that scripture.  As a parent, it is important for my kids to know I love them as they have trial and error in their lives. This applies to me as well.