Forum 4-Every Little Step

The command “be ye therefore perfect” has always been intimidating (Matt 5:48). How am I, a mortal, supposed to be perfect? I make mistakes, everyone does. It’s part of being a mortal, a human. How would I even go about becoming perfect?

In my New Testament class, we studied Christ’s “Sermon on the Mount” in terms of it being steps on our path to perfection. We’re all familiar with the form of the Sermon of the Mount: different blessings given to those with certain characteristics. But what if it isn’t just a list of blessings? What if it’s a list of instructions as well?

This was a new way for me to look at something I’d been taught about my whole life. But as we studied Matthew 5 in the context of being a set of steps, I was able to see a deeper level of teachings.

The first beatitude is “blessed are the poor in spirit”, followed by “they that mourn”, “the meek”, “they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness”, “the merciful”, “the pure in heart”, “the peacemakers”, and finally “they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake”. (Matt 5: 3-10) If we look at these as steps on the path of becoming perfect, we are first to become “poor in spirit”. While this could be taken to mean “humble”, I think that “meek” is closer to the definition of “humility”. I think that “poor in spirit” does require some degree of humility but as we discussed in class, I think that it means something more along the lines of realizing that you are meant to become perfect and seeing how far you are from that goal.

This step requires humility but when you realize the enormity of the gap between the potential you and where you are, that is truly humbling. Each step naturally leads to the other and so you progress along your path towards being a better you. But reaching the top step of hungering and thirsting after righteousness isn’t the end. After that, the scriptures refer to “they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, which is the same reward promised to those who are poor in spirit.

In other words, moving through each of the attributes doesn’t mean that you’re perfect by the time you get to the “top step”. It doesn’t really work that way. But through the process of working on these attributes, we bring our lives into harmony with Christ’s teachings and God’s will to the point where we become perfected through Christ. Full perfection doesn’t come in this lifetime but in working to acquire these attributes, we become more like Christ. And that is how, for me, the command “be ye therefore perfect” ceases to be a source of stress and instead becomes an encouragement.

Forum 3-A Woman’s Place

How is a woman to act? How is she to dress, to speak, what is she to look like? How is she to be treated? All of these are questions that relate to women’s role in society and have been debated and discussed countless times by countless people. There has been a large variety of answers, some influenced by religion, some by cultural ideas and ideals, some by philosophy, and some by practicality. Despite the long length of time that these and other related questions have been discussed, there is still no unified consensus to be found.

I think that God’s attitude toward women reflects the broader questions that face women all over the world as they search for who they should be. John 2 contains the account of Jesus turning water into wine. One thing that has always bothered me about this account is the manner in which Jesus responds to his mother Mary’s request for help when she discovers that the wine has run out. According to the King James Bible, Christ’s response is “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4) What a condescending response! And to His mother, of all people! Such a response is very un-Christ-like. It doesn’t have any of His typical warmth and love and willingness to serve.

However, if you were to look at the Joseph Smith translation of this passage, Christ’s response is “Woman, what wilt thou have me to so for thee? That will I do; for mine hour is not yet come” (JST John 2:4). It’s incredible the difference the change of a few words can make. To me, this kind of response illustrates God’s attitude toward women. Christ doesn’t even hesitate. His first response is to ask how He can help and to say that whatever she needs, He will do. While this may not be uncharacteristic of Christ in general, it is what I learned about why Christ calls His mother “woman”.

In Greek, the word used for “woman” has the connotation of being almost a term of endearment. It carries the idea of high honor and regard. So in calling Mary “woman”, Jesus is using a word with affection and respect. That is how God views His daughters and that is how they are meant to be seen. The Bible is sometimes criticized for its treatment of women but this passage demonstrates the way God intends for women to be treated. He really does love us and respects and honors us more than we could ever know.

As humans it is all too easy to become critical and disparaging of both ourselves and others so seeing the tender way in which Christ treats everyone, especially His mother, is a much-needed reminder to be kind. If Jesus, the literal Son of God, feels and demonstrates such love and care for every person, we should too. We should emulate the unceasing patience, kindness, and goodwill found in Christ’s interactions with others. We should, as He commands, “love one another” as He has loved us” (John 13:34).

So I guess that in the end, a woman's place is a place of love, where she is loved and where she treats everyone else with love. In God's eyes, every woman is His beloved daughter and that is where she belongs.

Forum 1- "I Have A Work For Thee"

One of the assignments for the New Testament class that I’m taking this semester is a weekly forum about something that we've learned about so that we can both better apply the scriptures to our own life and share our insights with others. I’m choosing to share my thoughts via my blog or “letter series” as I prefer to think of it.

We were studying the writings of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price (for information on this book of scripture, click the following link: http://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/introduction?lang=eng) when we read verse six in chapter 1: “And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son”. This really struck me. God is an all-powerful being and yet, He is giving Moses a task, part of God’s own work. Why? He’s God. He doesn't need people to do things for Him because He could just do them himself and more efficiently too. So why did God give this to Moses?

Part of God being God means that He is our Father. As such, He is our Parent and part of His role is to teach us. And how do we learn? We learn through experiences. So in giving Moses a work to do, God is giving him an opportunity to learn and grow. What incredible patience and what an example of good parenting.

Moses isn’t the only one for who God provides this kind of opportunity. He has given each of us tasks to complete while we are on Earth, tasks that even when they’re frustrating and difficult and hard, are designed to promote growth and teach us something in a way that we are best able to learn it.

That leads me to another thought that struck me. Not only does God entrust us with portions of His work so that we can grow, He knows us so well that He knows exactly what we need to learn and how best to teach us. He knows us individually. He loves us individually. We’re not just a collective group of people to Him; we are precious sons and daughters. Each of us matters to Him. We are literally His children. He said as such when he called Moses “my son”.

And so, I learned another lesson from this one simple piece of scripture. God cares for us. He cares for me and He cares for you. He sorrows when we sorrow and He rejoices when we rejoice. Our relationship with God should be deeply personal because there is a deeply personal connection. Think about it-you are a child of and important to the greatest, most powerful Being in the universe.

Whenever you feel sad or hurt, alone, tired, angry, etc., remember. Remember that you are a precious and valued son or daughter of the Most High. You are someone of importance and you have a work to do that has been entrusted to your care. You have been trusted to carry out a task for the Creator. You most definitely matter. Remember. Remember that you are a child of God.

One Of Those Kinds Of Moms

I had an experience a few weeks ago that really struck me while I was out shopping with my mom. My mom knows the manager so they were talking when a third woman came up and joined the conversation. She assumed that my mom knew the manager from working with her so she started asking if my mom worked for this or that company. With every "No" from my mom, the woman looked more and more puzzled until she finally asked "So where do you work?".

My mom, who hasn't held a company position since I was born, told her "I'm a stay-at-home mom". As soon as she heard this, the woman who, just seconds before had been enthusiastic about getting to know my mom, stopped, looked confused, and promptly lost interest in talking to her. The only thing she said was a faint "Oh". She even had a look of embarrassment on her face-not for her mistake, mind you, but for my mom, who had had to admit that she stayed at home with her children.

What struck me about this encounter is the immediate way in which this woman dismissed my mother, as if she couldn't have be of any interest or have anything intelligent to say, all because she didn't work outside of our home.

Reality is quite to the contrary. My mother is one of the most intelligent people I know. She not only went to college, she graduated with a degree. Although she may not have used that degree in a way that can be easily summarized on a resume, believe me, she has used it.

One of the things that I remember most about being little is playing with my mom. What is really important to me is what we played. I had an alphabet puzzle that she'd help me to do over and over again so that by the time I was one, I knew the letters of the alphabet. I had some plastic play food that she used to teach me rudimentary cooking skills. She'd take me to parks and let me explore and when I was three, she helped me to get my first library card of my own. She read countless books to me and fostered a love of learning. She made a game out of learning to sew by giving me scraps of fabric and buttons to decorate them.

Every day since I was born, she has educated me-and my siblings-in things both academic and practical. (Not to say that academics are not practical, I just can't think of an other way to distinguish the two.) My mother has raised us to have values and standards and to stick to them. She's raised us to think for ourselves and to desire to learn. She's raised us, supported her husband, helped manage our home, been an active participant in our church, and continue to pursue interests of her own. Oh, and did I mention that her degree is in psychology? I can guarantee that she has used that degree innumerable times. And I believe that she has used it effectively.

My mom is an amazing woman and yet, this is not the first time I've seen her mentally dismissed by someone for being a stay-at-home mom. It's just the first time in a while that I've known about which is why it really struck me.

Looking back, I remember my mom being asked why she hadn't chosen to put us in daycare so she could have more time or so she could go back to work. She's even been asked things along the lines of "Don't you feel like you're wasting your degree because you don't have an actual job?". An actual job.

Apparently they've never tried raising four kids. That is job enough for anyone and I would even dare to say that it is a more complex and challenging job than any "actual job" out there.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: my mother is amazing. I'm proud of her and I hope to make my own children proud one day by following in her footsteps and using my education to raise my children as a stay-at-home mom. Thank you, Mom, for choosing to stay home and raise me. It may not be possible for every mother to do this but thank you for making the sacrifices that you have to make it possible for you. Thank you, Mom, for ignoring the critics who tell you you're wasting your time. Thank being you for being "one of those kinds of moms".

Love,
Elicia