What Shall We Harvest?

Much as a classical painting uses darks and lights to balance each other, so are we a continual shifting of darks and lights in our thoughts, our actions, and our personality. We see that dark corners of our minds, where cobwebs grow and secret thoughts hide. If we could only get rid of those things which plague us on the inside. Thankfully, scriptures both old and new provide a course of action for doing so. All references are cited in the passages, so you can study the chapters in greater depth, at your leisure.

The key to rooting out evil in our own soul is to balance out the dark with the light. Where there is a void, other things will rush in to fill the space. Have you ever noticed that when you are busy on some extended project (school, work, construction of a house, etc.) you wonder where all your time goes? You'll have plenty of time when the project is finished ... except you don't. That time is taken up with other things. It is exactly the same with our spirits. If we pull something out, even if it is a bad thing, we need to replace it with something else of equal strength, otherwise the effort goes to waste.

In The Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob quotes another prophet, Zenos, in the Allegory of the Olive Tree. Two passages will illustrate the principle mentioned above.

57 And the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Pluck not the wild branches from the trees, save it be those which are most bitter; and in them ye shall graft according to that which I have said.

58 And we will nourish again the trees of the vineyard, and we will trim up the ^abranches thereof; and we will pluck from the trees those branches which are ripened, that must perish, and cast them into the fire.

59 And this I do that, perhaps, the roots thereof may take strength because of their goodness; and because of the change of the branches, that the good may ^aovercome the evil.

...

65 And as they begin to grow ye shall ^aclear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard.

66 For it grieveth me that I should lose the trees of my vineyard; wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard. (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jacob/5)

While the entire allegory is symbolic of the House of Israel, its scattering and gathering, there are definitely principles that can be applied to our individual lives. As shown in these scriptures, you cannot clear away the bad fruit of a tree all at once. If you cut away all of the branches, the tree will die. At the same time, if you do not trim away the bad fruit, or the worthless branches, they draw away strength from the roots, and the tree may die.

Now let us compare this to our own habits and actions. All of us have made resolutions to do a certain course of action, and we are very enthusiastic about it for a few days or weeks, and then we run out of steam. This tends to happen to most people around the start of the year - resolutions galore, cut out all junk food, exercise regularly, drink more water ... and then come March, the new exercise equipment is buried under laundry and the cupboards once again hold the forbidden goodies.

While we cut out the bad, it was not replaced with good. Note that the trees cut out the bad a little bit at a time, and immediately replaced it with good. We do not have the strength to do everything by ourselves. We can rely on trusted friends and companions for help in accomplishing this pruning of our souls. If there is any question what habits could use pruning, I'm sure trusted friends have a few ideas.

The parable of the Wheat and the Tares has application to this principle also. (see http://scriptures.lds.org/en/matt/13/25,29-30#25) Enemies of the Lord sowed tares (a weed) among the wheat at night. When this was discovered, in order to preserve the good (the wheat), they had to let both grow up together. Both wheat and tares look very similar until it is time to harvest. Only when the ear appears do the differences manifest.

With our habits, we can be certain that enemies of truth have sown tares all throughout our lives. You only need to click around the internet, turn on the TV or even drive down the street to see that there are messages vying for attention in your mind. All of these things are tares. Great care must be taken so that these do not grow up into bad habits and choke out the good. When you notice yourself starting to veer down darker paths in your mind, you can be sure that a tare has just manifested.

As our habits become actions, we harvest what we have sown. When tares manifest themselves, they can be plucked out and burned. But when we do so, we must make sure that we balance out the uprooted darkness with an equivalent amount of light. Otherwise we get off-balance, and we are more easily swayed.

Honestly Now

There is great value in simple honesty. Nothing sounds as contrived as nuanced truth. There is what is termed brutal honesty, which tends to point out unseen traits in ourselves that we need to work on. And there is plain honesty, which is simple, uncluttered and understandable. I take plain truth as my topic for the day.

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matt. 5: 37)

How many times have you heard somebody “swear by …” or “swear to …”? Why do they do this? Is their word not strong enough on its own that they must swear to its truthfulness by something beyond their control?

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. (James 5: 12)

Our oaths, the things that we agree that we will do, by our word only, must be our bond. There are contracts which are entered into and must be kept. The law states that it must be so. But oaths are more sacred than that. We are charged with keeping our oaths and our promises.

When we examine these verses of scripture, it is reiterated, keep your truth simple. Be plainly honest. There are no nuanced definitions or hidden meanings in words that are plainly honest.

If we say more than yes and no, we risk entangling ourselves in subtlety and guile. We do not have control of the heavens or of the earth - we only control ourselves. At the end of the day, we are left with what we have made of ourselves.

One of the greatest compliments in all of scripture is this:

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! (John 1: 47)

We would do well to emulate Nathanael and speak plainly and truthfully, always keeping our word. There are few things more precious than the trust of another. If we speak truth, and rid ourselves of guile and deception, we can and will be trusted. In these uncertain times, it is good to have friends and associates that we can trust.

One Candle Per Person

The scriptures reference candles in many places, most notably in the New Testament, in the Sermon on the Mount. An Old Testament reference says this,

“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20: 27)

The spirit of man is knowledge, personality, wisdom, experience, imagination, spiritual nature; in short our spirit is what we are when we close our eyes and think. When the lights go out, what are you left with? You can’t really see. If it’s quiet, you’ve got nothing to listen to. When you’re not moving, there is little to physically touch. So you’re left with who you are inside. That is the spirit of man. That is the candle of the Lord.
Now, back to scriptural candle references. Keep in mind the things we just discussed.

“Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.” (Matt. 5: 15)

When a man gains knowledge that brings him light, or enlightens him, does he hide it and hoard it for himself? No, he puts it on a candlestick, or he places it into its proper place, and he shares it with those close to him - “all that are in the house.”
Knowledge shared with others enlightens everyone. Knowledge of truth does not do any good inside one head. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained. It is only by sharing and teaching that we really gain the knowledge for ourselves.
One last question, can a man hoard fire? Can he keep light to himself? The answer is no. Note that in the scripture above, if a man puts his candle under a bushel, it is out of sight for him also. So it does not benefit him unless he shares it with those closest to him.
We are given this one body, this one mind, to improve upon as we go through life. This candle we are given can hold one flame.
One flame alone does not light an entire house. While a single candle can be seen on a dark night from miles away, it does not drive away the darkness. So how can we drive out the darkness from our homes and from our lives?
By sharing our light with others. One single candle cannot light the world, but one candle can light another, which can light others, and so on. The process does not have to be linear. One candle, or one person, can enlighten many people. From there, the ripple effect goes out and changes the world.
Just as darkness is driven away when a light appears, so doubt and unbelief flee in the light of truth. Even with just one candle per person, we can light the entire world. All it takes is sharing your light with others.

Maintaining a Thoroughfare of Freedom

“Oh beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat across the wilderness!
America, America, God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.”
- text by Katherine Lee Bates, 1859-1929

What is a Thoroughfare of Freedom?

Thoroughfare (as defined by http://www.thefreedictionary.com/thoroughfare)
1. A main road or public highway.
2.
a. A place of passage from one location to another.
b. Right to such passage.
3. A heavily traveled passage, such as a waterway, strait, or channel.

The world in which we live has not had a history of freedom. In fact, from one generation to the next, nearly the whole of human experience has been oppression and tyranny. America is the exception. America is the road to freedom and liberty for all.
This land is a special place. It has been protected and preserved under the Hand of the Almighty for this time. It is a place where the gospel of Jesus Christ can flourish and can go out into all the world.
We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before. Their feet beat the path in the uncharted wilderness to create this great thoroughfare, this symbol to the world of freedom and liberty for all. God has shed his grace on this nation. But that does not mean we are free from responsibility. The land we live in rages under the storms of human pride.
“America, God mend thine every flaw.” This nation, once again, needs to turn to Him so He can heal us and mend our flaws.
When we turn as a nation away from the things of this world and direct ourselves to God, He will confirm our soul in self-control. The soul of man is spirit and body. So how can we “confirm our soul in self-control?”

Confirm (as defined by http://www.thefreedictionary.com/confirm)
1. To support or establish the certainty or validity of; verify.
2. To make firmer; strengthen: Working on the campaign confirmed her intention to go into politics.
3. To make valid or binding by a formal or legal act; ratify.
4. To administer the religious rite of confirmation to.

If the spirit and the body must be united, we must not only think righteously, but we must do righteously. The spirit (mind) of man must direct the body of man to do good. Only when we are acting properly and we are anxiously engaged in a good cause, controlling ourselves and turning away from our weaknesses, are we strengthened and supported by the powers of Heaven.
There is freedom and liberty when we follow the law. We believe in the Constitutional law of the land. We uphold that, and all of the principles upon which it is founded. We owe it to those who have come before to make sure this thoroughfare of freedom is not closed down, and is in good repair, for those who follow in our footsteps.