Incidentally, our speakers did a great job. It's a topic I often ponder about, because the gospel teaches two immutable truths: Moral agency brings with it both blessings for choosing the right and consequences for choosing poorly. And I think sometimes people mistake trials when they are actually consequences.
An example from natural law recently reemphasized the notion of consequences for me: If you drop something heavy on your foot, it will hurt a great deal.
I learned this the hard way a few weeks ago, when I accidentally knocked my laptop over onto my right foot. Fortunately, nothing was broken, though X-rays revealed a "deep bone bruise," and I had to wear the boot (pictured) for a couple of weeks, as well as deal with a great deal of pain and swelling.
Do not mess with gravity. You will lose.
When it comes to spiritual laws and consequences, I see a lot of misery around me generated from one key misunderstanding: That we can choose whatever we want and to act however we wish without suffering the consequences that will result of those choices. It is one of Satan's favorite lies, and he is having a lot of success in blinding minds with it in our day and age. Certainly, I, too, have fallen victim to this false ideology when I've made poor choices and then suffered the consequences that followed. Sooner or later, they always come.
Trials, on the other hand, often come as a result of things out of our control, such as a number of health issues, some financial problems, natural disasters, etc., or they can come from the poor choices made by other people.
I had a talk about this same matter with a very wise member of my bishopric, and he pointed out that, sometimes, our consequences, in turn, become our trials.
Point taken.
"Control what you can control" is an idea that has been running through my mind over the past several months. As long as I do that, or try to do that as often as I can, I can avoid a number of unpleasant consequences.
With my penchant for clutzyness, though, I can make no guarantees.
Nevertheless, as Elder Dale G. Renlund taught in the April 2015 general conference, quoting Nelson Mandela:
"A saint is a sinner who keeps on trying."
No comments:
Post a Comment