Sunday Series: The Recent Shift

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints acknowledges that following today's ruling by the Supreme Court, same-sex marriages are now legal in the United States. The Court's decision does not alter the Lord's doctrine that marriage is a union between a man and a woman ordained by God. While showing respect for those who think differently, the Church will continue to teach and promote marriage between a man and a woman as a central part of our doctrine and practice." (here)

In the past, I have often wondered (and sometimes complained about) how no one really teaches the correct way to balance truth and tolerance. Everything I read was vague, with comparisons that I didn't always understand, or that did not help. But today I had a thought: what if balancing truth and tolerance isn't something that can be taught?

This week, the Supreme Court, in a close 5-4 vote, legalized same sex marriage in all fifty states. If you haven't heard about it by now, I might be a little concerned for you. It seemed like everything exploded into rainbows when the news came in, and it's the thing on everyone's lips, for good or for bad. As the statement above says, the Church does not support same sex marriage. In fact, twenty or so years ago, the Church released "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" (full text here) which states that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children" and that "gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." As such, how could the Church support today's many gender-neutralizing movements? 

Of course, this is not the be-all and end-all of the Church's teachings on the topics of same sex attraction and marriage. Their teachings also include exhortations to love and support all of our brothers and sisters in this human family, even if they act in a way that is contrary to our beliefs. This is much different than the moral relativism preached in the world today- we believe in absolute truths. However, we also believe in agreeing to disagree, and treating each other with respect as equals in the sight of God. 

My thought today related to the balancing of truth and tolerance as mentioned above. The Church speaks about truth and tolerance, often in the same breath. But what is the best way to balance these seemingly contradictory principles? 

The car that I drive is a 2001 Saturn, a little blue car. It's also a stick shift, which is a rare sight nowadays. The first time I drove that car, I was with my dad. He tried to explain to me the best way to achieve balance between the clutch and the gas pedal. He used words like "about halfway" and showed me the engine rotations increasing and decreasing as he changed gears. When I attempted to move, I did so slowly, with a lot of jerking about, and occasionally stalling. I did not have another chance to drive this car until months later, when I took it out on my own. Again, I was met with much trouble, as the engine stalled and I could not figure out how to start it back up! As I slowly meandered through the neighborhood, I often misjudged the balance and ended up bouncing as the car struggled to stay alive. 

I have been driving that car for over a year now, and I not only know how to start it, I almost never stall the engine. I am able to stop and go smoothly, with little protest from the engine. I can accelerate quickly and I know how to use the gears to get up hills, or to slow down on ice. The only way to learn how to drive a stick shift, in my experience, was through practice and application of the basic principles that my dad taught me. 

I'm sure it's easy to see the parallel that I'm drawing. At first, the clutch and the gas may seem to be at odds with one another, yet in order to drive, both pedals are required. For a smooth ride, the driver needs to achieve a careful balance when shifting between the two pedals. I would like to compare the clutch to truth, and the gas to tolerance. Letting up on the clutch too quickly can result in jerking around. Not using it at all means being stuck in first gear, or even neutral, unable to move faster than about fifteen mph without ruining the car. Yet, too much on the clutch, and you will only end up coasting. Without gas, the car cannot accelerate at all, but will gradually slow until it stops completely. You need both truth and tolerance to achieve maximum speed and control, and they must be carefully balanced according to the situation. 

As a Mormon in this chaotic world, I am trying to learn how to drive, desperately attempting to balance truth and tolerance. Sometimes my engine stalls. Sometimes I get thrown around a bit. But I keep trying, keep practicing, so someday I can navigate the troubles of this world with relative ease. As same sex marriage becomes normal, this will become a necessary skill. I must stand firm in my beliefs of the absolute truth of marriage between a man and a woman, just as I must respect and treat with kindness those that do not accept the same belief. 

Like driving a stick shift, balancing truth and tolerance is a skill each individual must learn for themselves. Practice is necessary, and I think in the coming months, we will all have opportunities to do so. 

You're My Snowstorm

You are a blizzard, blowing violently in over the mountains. You rush wildly into every corner, covering every surface in that icy powder. You freeze the world into silence and peace, but also into chaos, traffic accidents, falls, and children playing (not all chaos is bad). Trapped indoors, or exploring out of them, I watch the flakes settle gently. It may be cold, harsh, and difficult to handle, but it is beautiful. You are beautiful. I can both scorn and love the snow somehow, disliking the cold distance that occurs, but enjoying the sun refracting off of the untouched inches of diamond. And though I love to see you go, I hate so much to watch you leave. But I know, in the end, you are not meant to stay. You are my snowstorm, blowing in for the winter and slipping out again as easily as spring melt, so that one morning I wake and you are gone.

Sunday Series: The Parable Of The Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

We discussed this parable in Sunday School today, and I enjoyed hearing the many different interpretations. My friend Daniel did ask a question that I'd like to explore, one that didn't really get answered in class. He asked, "If we sin, are we taking oil out of our lamps?" 

I think the answer is both yes and no. A different answer applies depending on the situation. I would argue that sins of omission do not remove oil, but that sins of commission do. 

With a sin of omission, of not doing a good thing, I would say that we are simply failing to refill our lamps, letting the oil burn down. Thus, we have less oil, but we have not really removed any from our lamps. Doing this for too long can result in a spiritual lack and a sputtering flame of faith. We can commit sins of omission for a fairly long time before burning out.

A sin of commission, on the other hand, results in an oil spill. It sloshes out uselessly onto the ground. Committing sins can have greater consequences far faster than simply forgetting to read your scriptures or not going to church. They can also result in excommunication (though I'm not sure exactly how to apply that within the parable). Spiritual burnout can occur far faster when sinning by commission. 

And, of course, repentance is always key. In every case, a speedy change of heart can help us refill our lamps and shine brightly again. Repenting is the key to keeping our flames of faith from sputtering out. 

Do you agree? How else would you answer this question? Please let me know!

Babysitting Adventures!

10/10 Totally great! Fun bike rides, some good movies, flooding, a Kool-Aid stand.....

Okay, I know, story time. So the kids and I were having a movie night in their basement, watching Brave, when we hear the rain start. It was easy to tell it was a pretty big storm from the volume, but it wasn't enough to bother the movie so we kept watching. Then, right after Merida makes her speech about marrying for love (which is brilliant, by the way), I realize that what I'm hearing is no longer dropping as much as...well...gushing. So, of course, it's leap into action time! I'm afraid I might have freaked the kids out a bit, in my haste to identify the source of the noise and then stop it. It turns out, the window well had filled up 7-8 inches with rainwater, and since the windows aren't completely waterproof, it was leaking in. So we got a bucket, and ALL the towels in the entire house to stop up the leak and hopefully help dry out the carpet. Long story short, a lot of neighbors got called, and we put a sump pump in the window well, which worked wonders, and it's a good thing this family is remodeling- they had one of those fancy industrial fans and some of the guys knew how to set it up to dry the carpet.

this fan

So in the end, it wasn't too stressful at all but it certainly makes a good story! We filled about a bucket and a half with water, so I'd estimate that to be 6 or 7 gallons, at least, that came through the window before we got it all fixed. Turns out the problem was that the drainpipe was right next to that window well, and since it had rained so much, the drainpipe couldn't handle it and it flooded right over into the window well. And that was my Saturday night!

Other than that, it's been a very chill weekend. We did a Kool-Aid stand yesterday afternoon, and I think I may have actually tanned, just a tiny bit. Today we went to Great-Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner, and played Apples to Apples afterwards. We've watched a few movies, and the kids rode their bikes a lot. I went with them once, and otherwise just sat outside and watched them. And we drove my car everywhere, because their van is so fancy that it's intimidating. But, the kids loved my car! Especially the manual windows that you actually roll down on your own. They were enamored with them. It made me feel a little old, but it was also a bit funny. 

In conclusion, babysitting is always an adventure! I highly recommend it to people who like children and potential disaster.

Called to Serve

Yesterday was an exciting day! I received my mission call, and opened it three and a half hours later on a live video stream to my friends and family back home, and with nearly all of my closest friends from Provo here in my living room.

The actual opening was quite the roller coaster, struggling against the temptation to skip ahead, and the anticipation of what it would be. It went a lot faster than I'd thought it would as well. But the time has come, and I'm proud to say I've been called to the Washington Vancouver mission!

This was the last place I'd expected to be called, but I am so psyched to go. As I announced it, on Facebook and in person, I was surprised how many people commented with "oh I know someone out there!" The family of one of my roommates actually lives in Vancouver. It's incredible- I already feel connected to this place.

Getting ready to go will be fun- I report on July 22, only 47 days away! I need to do the rest of my shopping, go to the temple, and just generally prepare. It's official- I am going to serve a mission.

I've been thinking for months about the scripture to use for my missionary plaque, and I finally settled on 2 Nephi 22:2, one of my favorite scriptures. It reads:

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation."

I love this scripture, because for me, fear is something that was getting in the way of me serving a mission. I was so afraid, right up until the moment I had my call in hand. And perhaps that was Satan trying to discourage me, but whether it was him or just me, I know that this scripture speaks the truth. As I go out into the field to serve my God, I know that He will be with me and guide me. He will strengthen me. I am so excited to serve.

And hey, if I'm lucky, I might just be able to use this blog! I can have my parents put up my emails from Washington, and that way it will stay up to date. I cannot wait to meet the people of the Washington Vancouver mission.

Mission Calls

My call for my mission arrived in the mail today. I've been staring at it in anticipation, fighting the urge to open it. But, as is culture and custom, I have to wait so people can watch and see. I will be opening it at 6:30, and I am counting down.

Odd Thoughts

I just had a realization. My best friend throughout middle and high school was named Danielle. Now I've moved out to college, and one of the best people I've met out here is Daniel Lee......Something's odd here. But in a good way :) I'm just destined to be great friends with a Danielle(e), I guess!