Forgiveness Is Required

This week's reading is another reminder that no one is perfect. Think of any of your friends -- and chances are very high that they have sinned against you, and you have sinned against them. And then think about how the two of you react. Do you get over the sins and get on with your friendship, or do one of you (or both) let it fester and allow it to tear apart your friendship?

From this week's reading:

I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (D&C 64:10)

The message is clear: we should be forgiving -- no matter what. I try my best to forgive, but I'm not always successful.

I find it hardest to forgive someone who just won't repent. You may know the type. They're always right. They refuse to apologize, but it's really "you" who sinned. They're angry at you no matter what you say. And when you do apologize, they rub it in your face and sometimes capitalize on your "weaknesses." I've even had people say to me that my sincere apology is fake -- full of flowery words. And then I realize that they just generally hate me and they somehow need that hate. How do you forgive these types of people? I usually end up letting them drift away and eventually forget about them. 

Also, we humans are built with this thing called "memory." It's a very useful tool in our day-to-day survival. If we can remember what hurts us, we can learn to avoid those situations and avoid further hurt. This seems counter to forgiveness. Because if someone stabs us in the back, it becomes very hard to trust that person anymore. It would seem wisdom not to associate with that person anymore.

But here's the rub -- in Jeremiah 31:34, the Lord says: "for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." So, sometimes -- yes, if we truly forgive someone, it would include forgetting as well -- sometimes realizing that we could be opening ourselves to more hurt later on.

In watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy this past week, I'm reminded by all the Christian overtones (and surprisingly, a lot of "Mormonism" as well). Gandalf tells Frodo to have mercy on Gollum, as the monster halfling (Gollum) still had a part to play. And throughout the story, Frodo forgives Gollum several times, while Sam is slow to do so. At one point (as Jackson presents it), Sam's lack of trust helps to push Gollum back over to the evil side. Frodo's forgiveness allows for a favorable ending.

Also, I noted how someone of Rohan says "Why should we help Gondor when they didn't come to our aid?" But they ride nonetheless. Again -- forgiveness saves the day.

People often equate forgiving someone as being freed of chains. That is -- we bind ourselves when we choose not to forgive. And I can testify -- that hundreds, if not thousands of times, I have forgiven many -- sometimes the same person several times, and the vast majority of the time, it works out much better for the two of us.

Because ... when it comes down to it ... nothing's more important that our interactions with other people as we help each other throughout life.

So -- think about it -- is there someone you know who needs your forgiveness? Can you find a way to forgive them, and free yourself? 

What are your thoughts?

The 50%?

Matthew 24:36-42 says:

But of that day and hour [of the coming of the Lord] knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Some people refer to this passage and somehow get the idea that exactly 50% of everyone will make it into the Kingdom of Heaven. Half go up, and half go down. Some others see this as a kind of Rapture that is to occur in the future -- where the more righteous half will be taken up prior to a period of "tribulation" among the not-so-righteous.

I, personally, think that piece of scripture is much more about being prepared, as we know not when Christ will come. But let's explore further this idea of the 50%.

First, notice the use of the word "taken" in the full context. When talking about the flood and the ark, Jesus seems to use "took them all away" as a bad thing -- as in, the water swept them away. And then he uses the same word (though conjugated differently) saying twice: One shall be taken, and the other left. If the original word holds true, then I think I'd want to be the one left behind, as to "be taken" may mean to "be swept away."

But either way: whichever of the binary you choose to believe, the meaning is the same: one will be saved and the other one cursed. So, let's talk in terms of being saved. I'll let you decide on your own for now what "being saved" means -- maybe we'll explore that question in a later post.

So, will only 50% be saved? I don't think the scripture is meant to show an actual ratio. I think it's only to depict that you can have two people standing in a field -- very similar to each other -- working away, similar desires, possibly similar builds -- in other words, no evident way to distinguish between the two. But yet, the Lord saves one and not the other -- for it's what's inside that matters.

As for actual numbers -- it could be more than 50% saved, and it could be less. We have no way of knowing whether it the 90% range, or more in the 10% range. But I do know that it's not a 50/50 thing -- whoever does better than 50% of others will be saved -- as this doesn't make any philosophical sense. I know that we will be saved on our own merits, and not in comparison to other people's merits -- in other words, we're not going to be graded on a curve. Otherwise we could end up tempting others to do evil as a way to get ourselves into heaven.

So, now we've lost the meaning of 50%, the question now becomes: Who exactly will be saved?

Here, there is a very subtle meaning in the parable -- it doesn't matter what church one may or may not belong to. Jesus might as well have said: "There will be two sitting in a church service, and one shall be taken, and the other one left." No way to distinguish between the two churchgoers, but one is more ready to be saved than the other.

It isn't knowledge that will save us. At one time when Jesus was casting out some devils, they spoke and testified that they knew he was the Son of God -- but that knowledge alone didn't save them. And yet I see many times over in several religious debates: "We will be saved and you won't be saved because you are wrong." When in actuality, Jesus is warning: It's not a test on knowledge, but rather, it's a test on what you do with the knowledge given you, and how we treat other people. Are you willing to do the preparations and be ready to be saved when the time comes?

So in summary: we don't know how many will be saved. Belief, by itself isn't sufficient, unless we internalize it and allow it to change us. We will not be graded on the curve -- we will be saved on our own merits. And are we ready?

Building Up Zion

Right now in our Church History reading, we're currently around August 1831. The Saints have already left New York, have been settling Kirtland, Ohio, and then Joseph Smith goes with a contingent to check out Jackson County, Missouri, which is designated as Zion -- their "promised land."

But when they arrived in "Zion," they found a small frontier establishment. The land didn't look very exciting. The people already living there were hostile and very "uncouth." So, the guys turned to Joseph Smith and asked, "Are you sure about this? It's a big hole in the ground. How can this be Zion?"

When Joseph Smith inquired of the Lord, he received confirmation that Jackson County was indeed Zion. It just needed some love and attention. The Saints were to buy land, develop it, and turn it into something.

I'm reminded of the "twelve spies" in Numbers 13 that Moses sent to scope out the promised land. When these spies returned from Canaan, 10 of them reported: "The land is great, but the people there are strong and they will destroy us. Their cities go up to heaven. Etc. etc." These reports caused the people (in Numbers 14) to again wail and ask to return back to Egypt, and this is even after all the traveling they had done so far.

But two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua (Oshea), gave good reports. They saw the potential, and knew the children of Israel could take the land. God, in his anger, proclaimed that none of the adults except for Caleb and Joshua would enter into the promised land. After all -- Canaan was the one goal -- the one reason for bring the people of Moses out of Egypt, and across the desert for so many years. How could the people lose sight? Could they not trust in the Lord? Sure enough, many died of a plague shortly afterward.

Joshua and Caleb ultimately led the remaining Israelites -- the rising generation -- into the promised land and then the Jews flourished and built up a strong nation.

Likewise, the Saints who built up Independence in Jackson County also flourished for a short time -- until fierce opposition would drive them out only two years later -- but we haven't gotten that far, yet.

Later, as you probably know, the Saints would ultimately journey to Salt Lake City, Utah, and build up a new Zion in the mountains. Though, we still consider Jackson County to be the site of the New Jerusalem that is yet to be built -- and it will yet become the promised Zion.

But I think the biggest takeaway from all of this is that Zion is what we make of it. If we see it in its undeveloped state and toss it aside, then we miss a wonderful opportunity. If we instead see the existent potential, and choose to develop it, then Zion arises.

So, we can all build our own Zions. If we see something we don't like, we can still take it and turn it into something wonderful, and grow, and learn things in the process.

So -- go out there and build your own Zions! And then you can look back to see everything you've accomplished.