I have read Acts a few times in my life, but as I was reading Acts 5 the other day, I came across a scripture that jumped out at me like it never had before. Either I didn't pay much attention to it before, or I am losing light (see D&C 1:33).
At this time in the Church, the Apostles have performed their first recorded miracle (Acts 3) by healing the lame man at the Beautiful gate of the Temple. Word of the miracle travels fast, and people are starting come in droves to listen to and be healed by the Apostles and join the Church. Then in Acts 5:15, it says "Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.”
Imagine the faith of these people that they would be healed of their sicknesses just by having the shadow of Peter pass over them! This scripture is also cross-referenced with Acts 19:11-12
“11 And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
12 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.”
People are able to be healed through an article of clothing from Paul! These two stories are great examples of faith and that, at least for me, are not as widely known as others.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
We Are Different
I have a little book called Made For Heaven, by C.S. Lewis; well actually it’s a compilation put together by his estate, I think. The second section of this book takes chapter 10 from his book The Problem of Pain. I was reading this little section this morning and read the following:
“I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock on of the doors in the house with many mansions.” (Made For Heaven, p.21)
Oddly enough, a primary song that has been sounding through our house lately has been “We are Different”:
1. I know you, and you know me.
We are as diff’rent as the sun and the sea.
I know you, and you know me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
2. I help you, and you help me.
We learn from problems, and we’re starting to see.
I help you, and you help me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
3. I love you, and you love me.
We reach together for the best we can be.
I love you, and you love me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
I think that maybe this universal truth of the difference of personality is what Paul may have been referring to when he wrote the following to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:14-27):
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
I like this scripture because it echoes other truths as found in the scriptures. The Savior said that “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11) and “He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.” (D&C 50:26) We each bring something unique and very important to the Kingdom of God. We need to be careful not to downplay certain callings and exalt others, but treat them like they are - different for a good reason.
Too many times (unfortunately, I think) we tend to compare ourselves to others and desire qualities or attributes that others possess rather than be thankful for our unique talents and personalities. Over the last several months, I have been thinking more and more about this. The overwhelming thought I have come away with is that we don’t know what others struggle with. To covet someone’s lifestyle is very shortsighted for we only see what others want to show us. We don’t see what is hidden from us, or worse the things that they deeply struggle with inside.
All in all, I have come away with two things.
First, I am trying to be more happy with the unique gifts, talents and abilities that I posses, regardless of my shortcomings. I continue to try to enhance my strengths and improve my weaknesses but not so that I can become like someone else, but so I can become who I know I can be.
Second, I have learned that everyone struggles with different things and just because on the outside others may seem to have it all figured out, we don’t know what hidden things they are dealing with. While I try not to be judgmental – or even worse, hopeful that others may be struggling in life – in a way I think this point of view allows me to have a little more empathy towards others, and it does help me to appreciate myself, something we all need to do.
“I am considering not how, but why, He makes each soul unique. If He had no use for all these differences, I do not see why He should have created more souls than one. Be sure that the ins and outs of your individuality are no mystery to Him; and one day they will no longer be a mystery to you. The mould in which a key is made would be a strange thing, if you had never seen a key: and the key itself a strange thing if you had never seen a lock. Your soul has a curious shape because it is a hollow made to fit a particular swelling in the infinite contours of the Divine substance, or a key to unlock on of the doors in the house with many mansions.” (Made For Heaven, p.21)
Oddly enough, a primary song that has been sounding through our house lately has been “We are Different”:
1. I know you, and you know me.
We are as diff’rent as the sun and the sea.
I know you, and you know me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
2. I help you, and you help me.
We learn from problems, and we’re starting to see.
I help you, and you help me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
3. I love you, and you love me.
We reach together for the best we can be.
I love you, and you love me,
And that’s the way it is supposed to be.
I think that maybe this universal truth of the difference of personality is what Paul may have been referring to when he wrote the following to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:14-27):
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?
20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
23 And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
24 For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
I like this scripture because it echoes other truths as found in the scriptures. The Savior said that “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matt. 23:11) and “He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.” (D&C 50:26) We each bring something unique and very important to the Kingdom of God. We need to be careful not to downplay certain callings and exalt others, but treat them like they are - different for a good reason.
Too many times (unfortunately, I think) we tend to compare ourselves to others and desire qualities or attributes that others possess rather than be thankful for our unique talents and personalities. Over the last several months, I have been thinking more and more about this. The overwhelming thought I have come away with is that we don’t know what others struggle with. To covet someone’s lifestyle is very shortsighted for we only see what others want to show us. We don’t see what is hidden from us, or worse the things that they deeply struggle with inside.
All in all, I have come away with two things.
First, I am trying to be more happy with the unique gifts, talents and abilities that I posses, regardless of my shortcomings. I continue to try to enhance my strengths and improve my weaknesses but not so that I can become like someone else, but so I can become who I know I can be.
Second, I have learned that everyone struggles with different things and just because on the outside others may seem to have it all figured out, we don’t know what hidden things they are dealing with. While I try not to be judgmental – or even worse, hopeful that others may be struggling in life – in a way I think this point of view allows me to have a little more empathy towards others, and it does help me to appreciate myself, something we all need to do.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"...if ye are not one ye are not mine."
I wouldn’t normally write anything political, but because of the election last week, and the hotly contested Proposition 8 in California, I felt the need to write down some thoughts.
Last night I was reading a talk titled “The Blessings of Being Unified” by Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the First Quorum of the Seventy. There wasn’t much that stood out to me in this particular talk; a few stories about various stakes, wards, neighbors and families overcoming differences to try to be more unified in their various activities. As the talk was winding down, I was getting more and more tired, and almost skipped the last paragraph. I’m glad I didn’t. It reads as follows: “With gratitude in my heart, brothers and sisters, for you and for that which we are doing together, I pray that we may each resolve, in this era of social problems and economic difficulty, to follow as one our prophet-leader and others who have been called to direct us. May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, amen.”
You would think that these sentences were spoken in our day because of the economic challenges we are facing, and with the widening gap of political differences, including Proposition 8, we definitely have our fair share of social problems. As I read that last paragraph, this is what came to my mind. As a nation, we are definitely not united. We are more split than I think we have been for a long time. More and more issues are causing people to take one of two sides. There is hardly any middle ground anymore.
Then this morning I received an email about Scott Eckern, an LDS member who donated money toward and voted “Yes” on Proposition 8. Scott was the former Director of the California Music Theater, and second in command of the theater; this week at least one actor and composer of popular shows sent emails “decrying Eckern’s actions” and urging the artists and theater workers across the country to boycott the CMT. The mounting pressure of the emails and boycotts caused Eckern to resign his position. When did voting become something that should be decried? The email also links to a website that has been set up that shows people's names, companies and amount of money donated to help Proposition 8 pass. The site header says “The following individuals or organizations have donated money to the California Proposition 8 campaign which seeks to ban same sex marriages. Please do not patronize them.” So apparently organizations like UCLA, Disneyland, Intuit, Home Depot, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, Boeing, Morgan Stanley, Columbia Pictures and the cities of Long Beach, Claremont and Los Angeles to name just a few, are now in danger of being boycotted because some of their employees exercised their right to vote. These actions just amaze me. I can’t believe the bitterness and hostility that one group would go through to dismiss the will of the people.
Back to the talk I read last night; the last sentence hit me the hardest “May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one…” I shudder to think of where we are heading as a nation, and hope that somehow we don’t end up like the societies we read about that were destroyed because they were so divided. In D&C 38:27, the Savior said "I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." If as a society we are not one, we are not His. Who do we belong to, then?
Last night I was reading a talk titled “The Blessings of Being Unified” by Elder Hugh W. Pinnock of the First Quorum of the Seventy. There wasn’t much that stood out to me in this particular talk; a few stories about various stakes, wards, neighbors and families overcoming differences to try to be more unified in their various activities. As the talk was winding down, I was getting more and more tired, and almost skipped the last paragraph. I’m glad I didn’t. It reads as follows: “With gratitude in my heart, brothers and sisters, for you and for that which we are doing together, I pray that we may each resolve, in this era of social problems and economic difficulty, to follow as one our prophet-leader and others who have been called to direct us. May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, amen.”
You would think that these sentences were spoken in our day because of the economic challenges we are facing, and with the widening gap of political differences, including Proposition 8, we definitely have our fair share of social problems. As I read that last paragraph, this is what came to my mind. As a nation, we are definitely not united. We are more split than I think we have been for a long time. More and more issues are causing people to take one of two sides. There is hardly any middle ground anymore.
Then this morning I received an email about Scott Eckern, an LDS member who donated money toward and voted “Yes” on Proposition 8. Scott was the former Director of the California Music Theater, and second in command of the theater; this week at least one actor and composer of popular shows sent emails “decrying Eckern’s actions” and urging the artists and theater workers across the country to boycott the CMT. The mounting pressure of the emails and boycotts caused Eckern to resign his position. When did voting become something that should be decried? The email also links to a website that has been set up that shows people's names, companies and amount of money donated to help Proposition 8 pass. The site header says “The following individuals or organizations have donated money to the California Proposition 8 campaign which seeks to ban same sex marriages. Please do not patronize them.” So apparently organizations like UCLA, Disneyland, Intuit, Home Depot, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, Boeing, Morgan Stanley, Columbia Pictures and the cities of Long Beach, Claremont and Los Angeles to name just a few, are now in danger of being boycotted because some of their employees exercised their right to vote. These actions just amaze me. I can’t believe the bitterness and hostility that one group would go through to dismiss the will of the people.
Back to the talk I read last night; the last sentence hit me the hardest “May we avoid the pain and problems that come to families, neighborhoods, and institutions when they are not one…” I shudder to think of where we are heading as a nation, and hope that somehow we don’t end up like the societies we read about that were destroyed because they were so divided. In D&C 38:27, the Savior said "I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." If as a society we are not one, we are not His. Who do we belong to, then?
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