We Are All Enlisted

Today was a "we are all enlisted" kind of day.  I'm not a soldier or anything close to it, but felt an urgent, hopeful, purposeful call to action today.  It was quiet, but direct....and I'm grateful.

We are all enlisted till the conflict is o'er; Happy are we! Happy are we!
Soldiers in the army, there's a bright crown in store; We shall win and wear it by and by.
Haste to the battle, quick to the field; Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield.
Stand by our colors; proudly they wave! We're joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.
We are all enlisted till the conflict is o'er; Happy are we! Happy are we!
Soldiers in the army, there's a bright crown in store; We shall win and wear it by and by.

Hark! the sound of battle sounding loudly and clear; Come join the ranks! Come join the ranks!
We are waiting now for soldiers; who'll volunteer? Rally round the standard of the cross.
Hark! 'tis our Captain calls you today; Lose not a moment, make no delay!
Fight for our Savior; come, come away! We're joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.

Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe; Happy are we! Happy are we!
Glad to join the army, we will sing as we go; We shall gain the vict'ry by and by.
Dangers may gather--why should we fear? Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.
He will protect us, comfort, and cheer. We're joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.

In a world that is more and more confused each day it is so good to know Who we follow and why we do, and why we're even here to begin with.  ;)  This call to battle is not a physical thing, but spiritual and even more important.  It can be easy to be distracted, even by good things, but I'm grateful for the clarity and peace and purpose I found in these words today.

Mosiah 2:41, "Consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."

Alma 42:15, "And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also."

3 Nephi 11:15, "And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come."

We are or can be the "Hope of Israel":

Hope of Israel, Zion's army, Children of the promised day,
See, the Chieftain signals onward, And the battle's in array!
Hope of Israel, rise in might With the sword of truth and right;
Sound the war-cry, "Watch and pray!" Vanquish ev'ry foe today.

See the foe in countless numbers, Marshaled in the ranks of sin.
Hope of Israel, on to battle; Now the vict'ry we must win!

Hope of Israel, rise in might With the sword of truth and right;
Sound the war-cry, "Watch and pray!" Vanquish ev'ry foe today.

Strike for Zion, down with error; Flash the sword above the foe!
Ev'ry stroke disarms a foeman; Ev'ry step we conq'ring go.
Hope of Israel, rise in might With the sword of truth and right;
Sound the war-cry, "Watch and pray!" Vanquish ev'ry foe today.

Soon the battle will be over; Ev'ry foe of truth be down.
Onward, onward, youth of Zion; Thy reward the victor's crown.

Hope of Israel, rise in might With the sword of truth and right;
Sound the war-cry, "Watch and pray!" Vanquish ev'ry foe today.

I left church today wanting to spend all my time studying and learning the gospel better, but also wanting to spend all my time doing all the missionary work I could and finding all those that are searching for hope, as well as really wanting to learn how to do my family history research and....it can be overwhelming to think about all that there is to do, but it's also so exciting and helpful to know and have a purpose.  I need to work on my specific focus so that I actually do something, but I'm grateful for the inspiration and the HOPE!!!  We can't do everything, but we can do something...and we must do something.  Today.  :)  ....because God lives, we have a Savior, there is a Plan!  He wants us to be happy, to succeed, to come back to Him....and there is work to do.

Life's Purpose

I just saw this video the other day - Oregon to Patagonia.  I like it and what it made me think about (and maybe I was thinking way too much, but I've read a few related books and scriptures lately that got me thinking more about the message here)!  It's interesting and inspiring - live intentionally, do what you love, make things happen, don't just let life happen, act and don't be acted upon.  What do I really want to do or need to do?  ;)  More importantly, I wonder, what is the right balance....

In some ways the life portrayed here seems somewhat selfish?  Of course - this was just a year, and I can't judge his heart or reasons or purpose or options - of course it's better to be out exploring the world and bettering yourself than sitting at home.  He was doing good along the way, too (even in inspiring others that don't know him with the video); travel and caring to learn about others opens us up to that, but how do we find the right balance for living our lives proactively, setting our goals and working towards them and waiting on the Lord and doing His will?  Who is really in charge of our lives?  How do we live courageously, proactively, and humbly, selflessly?  Being responsible and routine may not be so bad - maybe some of the purpose and point of life is steadiness, but even in our habits I do think we need to be intentional and choose our life and live it fully.

Maybe these ideas contradict and I'm making no sense, but I wonder if sometimes our goals or desires keep us from something else the Lord wants us to do and be?  Is it possible to be too focused or stubborn that we miss something else that might be more important?  How can we be selfless and still loyal to our goals?  How do we best strive to improve and make the most of life while being humble enough to give it all up when and if and as we have to?  Do we have to?  How does it work? ;)  How do we balance responsibilities, desires, talents, hobbies, and the Lord's will in our life?

What's the difference between fun, joy, purpose, and meaning?  What should we be pursuing here on earth? growth? learning? becoming?  How do we find the proper balance between that intense focus and trying to accomplish something, recharging our batteries, doing something we love, and selflessly giving our lives to the Lord?
Thoughts?!

I don't think we can judge anyone else's purpose or life (so I hope that's not how this sounds), and I think there are many ways to find the right balance in life.  We are each so different, but I found these talks and thoughts helpful to me in thinking about these questions:

• Developing a Christlike Character by President David O. McKay
• Christlike Attributes - the Wind beneath Our Wings by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• The Character of Christ by Elder David A. Bednar
• Give Us, This Day, Our Daily Bread by Elder D. Todd Christofferson
• 10 Characteristics of Jesus Christ and How to Develop Them
• Christlike Attributes

As President McKay said, "Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold, or of fame, or of material possessions. It should not be the development of physical prowess, nor of intellectual strength, but his aim, the highest in life, should be the development of a Christ-like character."

Selfishness

I loved and really needed to hear the talks today in sacrament meeting, particularly the reference to this talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell - "Repent of [Our] Selfishness":

"Selfishness is really self-destruction in slow motion....Each spasm of selfishness narrows one’s universe that much more by reducing his awareness of or concern with others.  Some selfish moderns need a Copernican reminder that they are not the center of the universe either!.... 

"Selfishness...causes us to be discourteous, disdainful, and self-centered while withholding from others needed goods, praise, and recognition as we selfishly pass them by and notice them not (see Morm. 8:39)..... 

"In contrast to the path of selfishness, there is no room for road rage on the straight and narrow way....Unselfishness is best grown in the family garden, and, likewise, diligently performing seemingly ordinary Church duties can further help us to overcome selfishness. The unselfish are also more free. As G. K. Chesterton said, if we can be interested in others, even if they are not interested in us, we will find ourselves “under a freer sky, [and] in a street full of splendid strangers." 

"Meekness is the real cure, for it does not merely mask selfishness but dissolves it! Smaller steps could include asking ourselves inwardly before undertaking an important action, Whose needs am I really trying to meet?....  

"Individual selfishness is finally acculturated. Then societies can eventually become without order, without mercy, without love, perverted, and past feeling (see Moro. 9)..... 

"Selfishness is actually the detonator of all the cardinal sins. It is the hammer for the breaking of the Ten Commandments, whether by neglecting parents, the Sabbath, or by inducing false witness, murder, and envy....Some of the selfish wrongly believe that there is no divine law anyway, so there is no sin (see 2 Ne. 2:13). Situational ethics are thus made to order for the selfish..... 

"Of unselfish George Washington it has been written: “In all history few men who possessed unassailable power have used that power so gently and self-effacingly for what their best instincts told them was the welfare of their neighbors and all mankind.”  Power is most safe with those, like Washington, who are not in love with it! A narcissist society, in which each person is busy looking out for number one, can build neither brotherhood nor community..... 

"In contrast, as I close, consider unselfish Melissa Howes, whose comparatively young father died of cancer several months ago. Just before, Melissa, who was then nine, was voice in family prayer, pleading, “Heavenly Father, bless my daddy, and if you need him more than us, you can have him. We want him, but Thy will be done. And please help us not to be mad at you.”"

Selfishness and pride truly are universal sins, but that makes it so much more important to be vigilant and humble enough to desire to change and work on doing it, with the Lord's help.  I think the reason this talk stood out to me so much was because lately I've been thinking about different forms of selfishness and Elder Maxwell's words are so clear and direct and a great reminder.

So, what do you do to focus on being selfless?

invisible

Have you ever wanted to be invisible?  Or felt like you were invisible?  It might sounds silly or like something out of a Harry Potter movie, but I've realized lately that I have a problem with wanting to be invisible.  This post might be sharing too much, but then I think that's the whole problem - I may need to be more open, vulnerable, visible.  ;)  So, here goes... This is my attempt to try to start to figure out and overcome (at least to some degree) my desire to be invisible.  :)

I've thought and written a little about this before (okay, a lot, but I didn't realize it):

• Connected (September 2011)
• Here to Learn (June 2012)
• Team, Community, Companionship, Connections (August 2012)
• Inspired (July 2012)
• Courage, Confidence (August 2012)
• Confidence in Him (October 2012)
• Window to His Love (June 2013)
• Freedom (July 2013)
• Claustrophobia vs. an open heart (July 2013)
• music (September 2013)
• Do you have room? (December 2013)
• Accepting Love (February 2014)
• When our fears shall flee away (October 2015)
• To Be Known (January 2016)

As I mentioned in June 2013, I have liked the song "A Window to His Love" for a while, but I am realizing more and more how much I have misunderstood and misinterpreted its message.  I started to realize my problem with being invisible a little over a year ago.  I was talking to a friend about an experience I had running into someone who many people would know.  I had actually talked and worked with her a bit just before we ran into each other, but I was "invisible" (just an email).  I would never have expected her to know who I was and I didn't want her to feel bad for any reason that she didn't....so I didn't say anything to her about the fact that we had talked recently or introduce myself in the context that she would have recognized.  Being the neat person that she is she stopped and asked me about myself and undoubtedly this came up and then she felt bad for not recognizing me.  So, it got me thinking....is there ever a reason to pretend to be small or less than we are?

Marianne Williamson has said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

How can we...how can I be true?  genuine?  By being visible.  Being me.  ;)  I think one reason I've liked "A Window to His Love" so much and why I feel invisible is because I'm an introvert.  I like to be in the background.  I recharge by having quiet time to myself and this song seemed to give me permission to be that - quiet, in the background, invisible, but....maybe that's selfish.  By not inserting myself or allowing others into my life I'm not giving all that I can or should and not growing as I could, either.  I think that what I sometimes saw as "humility" or an occasional lack of confidence might actually have been a form of pride.  Interestingly enough I just found this article by Julie de Azevedo Hanks (the one who wrote "Window to His Love") - 4 Ways What You Think is Humility Could Actually be Pride.  Good article! 

I work in a setting where I relate to the idea of wanting "to be so pure and clear that [no one will] even know I'm here, 'cause His love will shine brightly through me."  I don't want to do anything to diminish or distract or tarnish, so sometimes I think it's best to be "invisible" and not insert myself. And again it goes along with my introverted personality and the fact that I like to observe.  ;)  I love this blog post by a friend of mine that I knew in DC.  I've felt similarly sometimes - “Enough had been thought, and said, and felt, and imagined.  It was about time that something should be done.”  :)

I think this being invisible thing is related to faith, fear - confidence, courage - humility, pride - passive, active - visible, seen, real, open, vulnerable, broken - being present, connected - showing who you are, the good the bad - being genuine - accepting love and giving love - remembering that no man is an island - being mindful - repenting, changing, growing - being committed and invested.

Elder Quentin L. Cook posted something related and helpful on Facebook recently:
"It is common today to hide one’s identity....What we are seeing in society is that when people wear the mask of anonymity, they are more likely to engage in [hateful] conduct, which is so destructive of civil discourse. It also violates the basic principles the Savior taught.
"The righteous need not wear masks to hide their identity. I encourage you to continue to seek to become who you should be—a disciple of Jesus Christ in thought and in action. Set goals to apply Christlike attributes to your lives and pray for help in developing them. As you do, you will allow yourself to be an influence for good wherever you are."

I don't think we need to insert ourselves or draw attention to ourselves unnecessarily.  I think there is still value to being observant, thoughtful, and considerate of others and those qualities are valued in some instances, I'm sure, but for me (and maybe others like me) I think I may need to be more aware of the times where I turn inward and assume speaking up might be getting in the way.

Maybe a better word for me in that song might be 'instrument'....instead of being a window to His love maybe I need to work on being an instrument in His hands.  I shouldn't focus on not being seen, but on using my unique talents and experiences to do His work and His will.  That could be scary and hard, so that's where the faith, repentance, courage comes in.  Ultimately, I think many of these thoughts come down to the fact that we need to try to become more like the Savior.  I think that's really the intent behind those words - window and instrument.  He was never invisible.  He was always there giving and caring about everyone around him.  Even when He looked for time alone there were often people that followed and He would still reach out and treat everyone with respect and love.  He had no selfish desires, but was open to giving and loving others, being seen, being a part of the world around Him then and still.  :)  He's there, not hidden from us.

As we learn of Him, walk with Him, I believe we find more confidence and courage to do His will.  I don't think it will have anything to do with being invisible, but in being alive and active and involved and happy.  Believing in Him helps us believe in ourselves and with His help we can be more than we thought possible.  That's the Plan and that's the power of His love that He wants us to feel and then share.  ;)  "Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever" (Moroni 7:44-48).