"The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear!" (1)
There is truth in this world. There is a singular truth about God and His expectations for his children. Finding that truth in the chaos of cultures, generation gaps, religions, governments, societal trends, economic classes, educational pursuits(etc) is a difficult task and one that many claim is impossible in this life. A friend of mine described his belief that no person on earth knows what is going to happen when we meet death so there is no real need to worry about it until it happens. I appreciate conversations like this that I've been privelaged to have with intelligent and insightful friends who are offering their perspective on a deeply personal issue. My appreciation doesn't mean I agree however and that is because even though there are many details about life, death, and God's vision for us His children that I do not know (and will wait to learn about), I do believe that God has sent us to earth at whatever time and place to accomplish one mission. That is to stand for what is morally right and true (according to what opportunity each person has had during their life to learn of God and His expectations) in a standard that God has established for His children.
Religion has been given a bad rap in this generation. Somehow traditional or conservative Christianity is identified and so associated with Right wing politics, a certain turnoff to the tide of liberal and often young thinkers of our day. While I am not actively interested in politics(though my opinions about corruption and lack of moral fiber among all the parties could make for its own blog post) I declare that any such association between being religious and being republican or conservative or right wing nut job are misdirected. I'm certain that intelligent debates could be had on this topic but my claim is that there IS and always will be a place for organized religion. Why though? When every person can determine their own type and style of spirituality? It is simple. God has given us specific and personal information since the creation of mankind.
Personal spirituality, while a beautiful focus for any person to have, is missing the pieces that we cannot come up with on our own. It is missing the specific revelation that God has already sent to man on earth. Information about His plan for sending us to earth. Information about His expectations for us. Information about giving us weakness and trial. Most especially information about how to rise above our shortcomings and grow closer to Him in our trials. Religion holds the pieces to those puzzles. This is where it gets sticky, however, because for as many types of religion that the world holds there are many more interpretations of each type which are then further complicated by culture and history. With such a complicated web it is no wonder to me that the sensability of most women and men is to turn away from organized religion in pursuit of their own balance off spirituality to meet their personal needs for peace. I believe, however, the pursuit of digging and searching for God's revealed truth on earth today and as it was given throughout history is worth the search; however uncomfortable, confusing, or complicated it may feel on the onset of such a journey.
The question returns however to WHY? What is wrong with the approach that what is good for one person may not be the flavor for another? When an individual is already satisfied in their faith whether traditional or personally formed, what is gained by beating down a path that could complicate, change, or challenge what is presently comfortable?
The reason in my mind is simple. God is. He has created us as His children. He knows and loves us individually. He has a mission for each one of us and that mission has to do with the choices we make in this life. He wants us each to have more than just our thoughts and feelings to rely on as we take on such a mission. He offers His hand in guiding us with literal instructions as well as personal instructions that can come from Him if we seek that hand in our life.
A few weeks ago a heard a quote(2) about the parent-child relationship between God and me and you.
"Nothing is going to startle us more, when we pass through the veil to other side, than to realize how well we know our Father, and how familiar his face is to us."
That is why I write about religion and reach out to you, my friends and family. When I heard that and each time I read it and think about it, my heart is pierced with a knowing it is true. That penetrating feeling compels me to ask others to consider God beyond the context they may already hold. That when you die, you will recognize Him. You will remember Him as a Father. His face will be familiar to you. You're life on earth will become the microcosm it actually is in the history of your existence, only a sliver in your timeline.
What will you do with your sliver of time? What have you done to seek God's guiding hand?
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(1) Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: Source: Cited in John Bytheway, When Times are Tough, (Deseret Book, 2004), 30
(2) President Ezra Taft Benson. Source: “Jesus Christ, Gifts and Expectations,” Ensign, December 1988, 6.
