Choose Joy over Misery
I am really having a hard time with this late hour of church. I just took a little power nap and woke up with my heart pounding. I looked at the clock and thought. I am going to be late, but no, we still have 90 minutes before church starts. I am going to do my best to be productive. Let's see how I do. Maybe doing this post before is the best way to do things.
It has been a good week. I am learning new things, have much more to learn, and hope to just continue the process. As you know from last weeks post, I was on the road. It was kind of eerie. I was commenting on that in my weekly letter to SnackPack. It was obviously late when I arrived. Then add to the fact that it was a holiday weekend of sorts, by the time I got downtown, it was going on spooky. I only had to walk a couple blocks to get to the hotel I was staying at, but seriously, we are talking ghost town eerie. It was dark. Every place of business I walked past was closed. There were no parked cars, taxis, or limos driving down the usually busy streets. Then I was suddenly accosted by a large group of skate boarders, not that that is bad or anything, but they came out of no where. There were like 20 of them. They were skating down the middle of the street, jumping over man hole covers and cross walk lines. They had the city to themselves, so it appeared. It was weird.
But that is not what I wanted to talk about.
I have been pondering 2 Nephi 2:25-26 this week. My mind has been filled with so many thoughts and impressions as I have pondered the words, meanings, and implications of it all. When I came home late Friday night, I found myself in the middle of an already deep discussion. The Professor and Queen were talking about a young student and his frustration with life. Evidently, he is challenged with some pretty hefty allergies, not really his fault or choosing. As a result of today's need to accommodate, he gets to sit at the "Allergy Table" during lunch times, for his own safety of course.
Like I said, I came in to the middle of the conversation and probably do not have it all right, but he, or his parental unit, did not feel he was being treated fairly at this table or something. He was feeling victimized of sorts. I understand this is a normal thing in his life. When he gets his name written on the board as a warning for talking, it is not because he is doing anything wrong, but because he is being singled out, picked on, bullied, or such by the teacher. When the second graders destroy the snow fort he was building with friends during recess, and the teacher informs him that the playground and fallen snow is public domain and she cannot force the second graders to stay away from the fifth graders construction site, he feels that no one cares about him, his rights, and/or perceived entitlements. He often gets frustrated and has challenges controlling his emotions. It is my understanding there is lots of anger, tears, hitting, and throwing in his life.
But, this is not about him. I am sorry if I have spent to much time about the matter already. The point I am getting to is about my verses. Lets start with 25:
Adam fell that man might be. This is a statement. Adam made a choice. It was something he thought about it, weighed in his mind, pondered, and determined it was the course of action he was going to take. As I routinely ponder his actions. I have come to understand that in Adam's mind, this was the best course. I don't know that he completely understood all the challenges it would bring or how difficult it would be at times to abide by the choice of this action. What he did focus on was the fact that not only he would "Be", but "We" would "Be", even if he could not fathom at the time the magnitude of "We/Man". Secondly, he was focused on the "Joy" that would follow.
His choice brought mortality, "are". It is no different than choosing to go to school, take on a new job, start a family, exercise faith, do something new, or plant a seed. We might imagine what it will be like; we sometimes even set our hopes and expectations on this imagined vision. But in reality, we don't know. Each choice we make will come with it's own set of challenges. The purpose however, is to bring "Joy", find "Joy", live "Joy", of overcoming those challenges, learning from them, looking back at the accomplishments of them, and really just progressing. But we must have the "Joy", that is most important. I think that many times, we lose sight of that part of it. We get too caught up, like the young man previously mentioned, in finding fault, misery, or reasons to be victims. We point fingers, make excuses, or seek reasons to object, instead of just moving forward.
As we continue with verse 26:
First, regardless of the challenges, difficulties, or choices made, we are not alone. In this plan, God has given us a Messiah. If you think about it, He, the Messiah -a God himself, chose to help us. He willingly subjected Himself to much pain and affliction to stand as a redeemer of our poor choices, if we would turn to Him. His willingness to redeem was done in love, but conditional upon our efforts to turn to Him, follow Him, and live as He would have us live. And even then, life will not always be peaches and cream, if you are one that enjoys them, if not substitute something you do like.
While it is true that we do not always choose the circumstances or challenges we find ourselves in, like an allergy, medical condition, birth location, and such. Some of the circumstances and challenges are a result of the choices we or others make. We are given the right to choose, act, and do for ourselves. This is called freedom. However, that freedom also comes with responsibility and consequences. Sometimes this is referred to as punishment, but is it really? It is just the law of justice playing out.
That being said, even with those punishments, as a result of our choices, we can still be redeemed, if we will turn to Him, repent, change, turn around, make course adjustments, forsake, or whatever you want to call it. It is not always easy, but it is possible. Let's find the "Joy" in doing so. Don't wallow in the misery of it, just move forward in "Joy".
Yep, I am rambling. Hope you get something out of it. I know I have.
On with the week:
The Queen has been busy while I have been gone. She has cleaned, organized, and taken on new projects. She is always looking for something to do.
The Professor has a couple of days of reprieve this week and then went back to the grind. She is battling a cold or something, which makes it even more challenging.
Tall Man made some course adjustments, learned to follow the whispering of the Godhead, and moved a grand.
Ehl-Bo gets to start a new job. We just learned about it and hope it fills her with Joy.
Puddin started a new job. It is still early to tell, but it sounds like it will keep him busy.
We were able to spend a little time with Ms. Hawkins. She is enduring the frigid wilds of the north and enjoying school.
Our visit with Songbird was short, but she appears to be super busy with the new term and work.
That is our week in a nutshell.
It has been a good week. I am learning new things, have much more to learn, and hope to just continue the process. As you know from last weeks post, I was on the road. It was kind of eerie. I was commenting on that in my weekly letter to SnackPack. It was obviously late when I arrived. Then add to the fact that it was a holiday weekend of sorts, by the time I got downtown, it was going on spooky. I only had to walk a couple blocks to get to the hotel I was staying at, but seriously, we are talking ghost town eerie. It was dark. Every place of business I walked past was closed. There were no parked cars, taxis, or limos driving down the usually busy streets. Then I was suddenly accosted by a large group of skate boarders, not that that is bad or anything, but they came out of no where. There were like 20 of them. They were skating down the middle of the street, jumping over man hole covers and cross walk lines. They had the city to themselves, so it appeared. It was weird.
But that is not what I wanted to talk about.
I have been pondering 2 Nephi 2:25-26 this week. My mind has been filled with so many thoughts and impressions as I have pondered the words, meanings, and implications of it all. When I came home late Friday night, I found myself in the middle of an already deep discussion. The Professor and Queen were talking about a young student and his frustration with life. Evidently, he is challenged with some pretty hefty allergies, not really his fault or choosing. As a result of today's need to accommodate, he gets to sit at the "Allergy Table" during lunch times, for his own safety of course.
Like I said, I came in to the middle of the conversation and probably do not have it all right, but he, or his parental unit, did not feel he was being treated fairly at this table or something. He was feeling victimized of sorts. I understand this is a normal thing in his life. When he gets his name written on the board as a warning for talking, it is not because he is doing anything wrong, but because he is being singled out, picked on, bullied, or such by the teacher. When the second graders destroy the snow fort he was building with friends during recess, and the teacher informs him that the playground and fallen snow is public domain and she cannot force the second graders to stay away from the fifth graders construction site, he feels that no one cares about him, his rights, and/or perceived entitlements. He often gets frustrated and has challenges controlling his emotions. It is my understanding there is lots of anger, tears, hitting, and throwing in his life.
But, this is not about him. I am sorry if I have spent to much time about the matter already. The point I am getting to is about my verses. Lets start with 25:
Adam fell that man might be. This is a statement. Adam made a choice. It was something he thought about it, weighed in his mind, pondered, and determined it was the course of action he was going to take. As I routinely ponder his actions. I have come to understand that in Adam's mind, this was the best course. I don't know that he completely understood all the challenges it would bring or how difficult it would be at times to abide by the choice of this action. What he did focus on was the fact that not only he would "Be", but "We" would "Be", even if he could not fathom at the time the magnitude of "We/Man". Secondly, he was focused on the "Joy" that would follow.
His choice brought mortality, "are". It is no different than choosing to go to school, take on a new job, start a family, exercise faith, do something new, or plant a seed. We might imagine what it will be like; we sometimes even set our hopes and expectations on this imagined vision. But in reality, we don't know. Each choice we make will come with it's own set of challenges. The purpose however, is to bring "Joy", find "Joy", live "Joy", of overcoming those challenges, learning from them, looking back at the accomplishments of them, and really just progressing. But we must have the "Joy", that is most important. I think that many times, we lose sight of that part of it. We get too caught up, like the young man previously mentioned, in finding fault, misery, or reasons to be victims. We point fingers, make excuses, or seek reasons to object, instead of just moving forward.
As we continue with verse 26:
First, regardless of the challenges, difficulties, or choices made, we are not alone. In this plan, God has given us a Messiah. If you think about it, He, the Messiah -a God himself, chose to help us. He willingly subjected Himself to much pain and affliction to stand as a redeemer of our poor choices, if we would turn to Him. His willingness to redeem was done in love, but conditional upon our efforts to turn to Him, follow Him, and live as He would have us live. And even then, life will not always be peaches and cream, if you are one that enjoys them, if not substitute something you do like.
While it is true that we do not always choose the circumstances or challenges we find ourselves in, like an allergy, medical condition, birth location, and such. Some of the circumstances and challenges are a result of the choices we or others make. We are given the right to choose, act, and do for ourselves. This is called freedom. However, that freedom also comes with responsibility and consequences. Sometimes this is referred to as punishment, but is it really? It is just the law of justice playing out.
That being said, even with those punishments, as a result of our choices, we can still be redeemed, if we will turn to Him, repent, change, turn around, make course adjustments, forsake, or whatever you want to call it. It is not always easy, but it is possible. Let's find the "Joy" in doing so. Don't wallow in the misery of it, just move forward in "Joy".
Yep, I am rambling. Hope you get something out of it. I know I have.
On with the week:
The Queen has been busy while I have been gone. She has cleaned, organized, and taken on new projects. She is always looking for something to do.
The Professor has a couple of days of reprieve this week and then went back to the grind. She is battling a cold or something, which makes it even more challenging.
Tall Man made some course adjustments, learned to follow the whispering of the Godhead, and moved a grand.
Ehl-Bo gets to start a new job. We just learned about it and hope it fills her with Joy.
Puddin started a new job. It is still early to tell, but it sounds like it will keep him busy.
We were able to spend a little time with Ms. Hawkins. She is enduring the frigid wilds of the north and enjoying school.
Our visit with Songbird was short, but she appears to be super busy with the new term and work.
That is our week in a nutshell.
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