Liars, Cheaters and other trifling people

We are all imperfect.

I get that.

I probably lead the parade on the imperfect issue.

However, I become frustrated that people who are placed in leadership capacity are not just imperfect, but spend time and energy justifying why their personal imperfections should be in some sort of protected class that everyone must respect.

Case in point, the scout "leader" who in company with two other "leaders" from his unit managed to destroy some ancient stone monuments in Goblin Valley, Utah then had the temerity to post it to Youtube as if what they did was hilariously funny and laudable.

Then, the one "leader" is now revealed to be seeking disability from the state of Utah for his issues resultant from an automobile accident.

I'll be blunt.

Having just been in a hellacious wreck myself, I cannot imagine using my free time and precious energy to go vandalize public or private property. It does not compute.

What is the thought process that goes into those kinds of actions?

"Hey, I was nearly killed so I'll go destroy something to prove I'm disabled!"

Or maybe this one:

"Because of my leadership position in scouts, I'm above the rules that ordinary people have to obey so destruction of property is okay for me but not for you!"

Then again, there is this trite phrase:

"It's not what you think!"

Justification is a self-induced slippery slope. There is no excuse possible, but we make up one anyway as if it will somehow erase our stupidity, our arrogance and our pride and make our vile actions palatable.

That is not possible.

Either through direct means or through the indirect follow-up of life in general, we pay for every single choice we make whether the results of said choices are good and laudable, or disastrous and bad.

We cannot long escape consequence.

In the eternal scheme of things, all those "leaders" involved in this debacle can and will be forgiven, and they should be. But they should also have to pay the price for their choice to be deliberately stupid then try to cover it up with veiled excuses of why their actions were secretly good and noble even though they might not have started out that way.

That is like driving down the highway and suddenly shifting into reverse at highway speed. You can do that, but likely the results will be neither optimal or desirable.

Destruction of the shared property of our nation is vile. But worse yet is the preening self-justification of grown men now faced with consequences who are teaching actively that they should be excused because they are somehow a benefactor in their actions.

I'm not buying it and neither are the millions of people who have seen the video (yes, the idiots made one!), read the countless articles, or know these men in person and now have reason to doubt their capacity to care for their sons on scout outings.

None of us is immune to consequence. We can lie, cheat, trifle our words and skate around the truth, but God will not be mocked. Eventually, consequence shows up and the payment may be dear. What of those boys, who seeing this in their adolescent state determine that they can do whatever they want to do so long as they create an adequate cover story?

What other monuments and shared landmarks will be destroyed in the name of personal fun?

It's time to restore some integrity, personally and nationally.

Cowboy up, dudes. Accept both the condemnation which you EARNED and the consequences which are most assuredly deserved legally and fiscally for what you have done. Likely, you also deserve some consequences in Scouting.

Only then can you make any semblance of restitution for what you have done and only then can the forgiveness process of others mean anything.

And being truly sorry would be a good first step.

Of Infinite Worth

Selling one's self short is a common practice in our society. Whether we do so because we are misinformed about our true worth or because we have chosen to diminish the light we bear within so others will not feel "uncomfortable" in our presence, either way, the world is a darker place because of that choice.

Many women particularly have become masters at the art of selling themselves short.

I do not speak of merely self deprecating speech, false modesty or false humility for accomplishments garnered through the use of God-given talent. Instead, what I think about are those souls who have been sold into a kind of bondage that has falsely been sold to them about who they are because they are women.

Women are a crowning touch on the creations of God. There was a reason God chose to bring His fair daughters to the earth as the last portion of His Divine creation. We are WORTH MUCH to Him. He kept  us in reserve to come forth when the world was ready, when our protector in man was already here to be in place conspicuously for our good.

We are not second class, instead, we are created to be first class. Not above man or the rest of creation, but to be equal to man but granted a defined and distinct purpose that goes beyond the mere physical attributes God divinely appointed to our gender.

We have half of the procreative power within. We need the man to complete that action. The man needs the woman to complete him just as the woman needs the man.

Completion doesn't imply neediness the way the evil world chooses to define it. To need completion means that we recognize our worth, our value and our place in the plan of God as a continuation - a part of perpetuation for this creation.

Selling ourselves short or for a very cheap price means that we do not understand who we really are. It means that we allow - by 'accidental' choice or design - someone or something else to tell us who we are and how much we are worth... or most likely, not worth.

Women have been trapped for generations in the nonsensical belief that they only have worth as defined by someone other than themselves and God. Nudity, promiscuity, vulgarity, coarseness, worldly worship and abandoning the role of nurturer and keeper of home and hearth are all the prices paid to be what the world said we should be. Becoming hard, rough, tough, and without feeling is the result of the price of trying to take an eternal spiritual being on a journey away from God and into the worship of the idol of man and his approval. That never brings true happiness but instead leaves an aching void of emptiness that cannot be filled with twerking, sexting, lewd and crude behavior or allowing our light to be diminished because we are ashamed to live up to our eternal potential.

Man is a creation of God just like Woman is... he isn't any better than us, just different. He has his OWN mortal and moral journey to make. Sometimes he chooses poorly. Just like the Father of Lies, fallen man wants others to share in his misery, so he LIES to women. And for women to take the word of fallen man over the Just and Holy words of our perfect and loving God does NOT make sense.

Mankind - both male and female components - are often petty, jealous, grasping and self-serving. It's the mortal and carnal nature we are striving - or SHOULD BE striving - to overcome to become Godly by CHOICE and action. Sadly, many have fallen victim to the ideology that becoming Godly is so far removed from the realm of possibility that all other substitutes for that pursuit are somehow not only acceptable but worthy of acceptation. THAT IS A LIE. The world would have us believe that we cannot change. The world would have us believe that we are inferior and destined forever to be so. The world tells lies.

Stop listening to that element world!! They would have you sell your sacred birthright for a mess of pottage for their own amusement. They would have you throw away the divine and holy light God has placed within you so that they can laugh when you stumble in the darkness. They are not your friends even if they have money and seem popular. FIND BETTER GUIDES.

Within the creation and the people who inhabit it are beings filled with light BY CHOICE. They are guides along our way - those brothers and sisters who point us toward our better self. They do not mock when we stumble, nor do they place a stumbling block in our path to create our fall. Rather, they are standing as sentinels that point the way toward that which is best, that which is holy, and that which is Godly toward which we may strive.

Do not sell yourself short!!

You are a Child of God - a divinely appointed heir to ALL that He has to give us. Jesus Christ paid for us with His Precious Blood! Don't throw that sacred offering away for the temporary praise of fallen man!

Elaine L. Jack once said, "The world would have you believe that you are of worth only if you have money, a certain physical appearance, sylish clothes, or social position. The gospel assures you that your value is not dependent on your looks or material possessions. … Part of what it means to be a Latter-day Saint is to know within your soul your eternal worth, who you really are, and why you are here on earth."

Barbara Day Lockhart opined, "Our eternal worth is given to us by God; it cannot be manipulated or decreased by anyone. Of course, if we are not living the commandments, we may lose sight of our divine worth and potential. Nevertheless, each soul’s inherent worth is always great in the sight of our loving Heavenly Father. I think that is imperative to know! Worthlessness is not an option for anyone".

John the Beloved taught us of the depth of God’s love: “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John. 4:8–10).

We have to live in this world. It is the place we agreed to come as part of our mortal portion of the eternal journey we are on. However, we do NOT have to be "of the world" just because we live in the world. We CAN choose something better.

Just as the prodigal son 'came to himself' after living a shallow life of debauchery and misery and found  himself returning home to his earthly father broken and in need of mending, we are all prodigals seeking our way home to our Eternal Father in Heaven and seeking His healing hand upon the brokenness of our lives.

We are of infinite worth to Him. God the Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ WANT us. They desire that we return home to their presence to live with them.

Russell M. Nelson spoke of our infinite worth when he stated, "A worthy woman personifies the truly noble and worthwhile attributes of life. A faithful woman can become a devoted daughter of God—more concerned with being righteous than with being selfish, more anxious to exercise compassion than to exercise dominion, more committed to integrity than to notoriety. And she knows of her own infinite worth".

"Important lessons about her divine mission may be learned from women of the scriptures. Mother Eve was a great example. She labored beside her husband as a partner. They both knew the plan of salvation. They both heeded commandments of obedience to God. Likewise, she prayed for divine guidance. She bore children. She taught the gospel to them. (See Moses 5:1–12; D&C 138:39.)

Sarah, in becoming the mother of Isaac in her advanced years, verified that nothing is “too hard for the Lord.” (Genesis 18:14.)

Mary, mother of our Redeemer, was the perfect example of complete submission to the will of God. (See Luke 1:38.) She kept confidences. (See Luke 2:19.) In faith, she endured grief. (See John 20:11.)The stories of these and other scriptural heroines show that women are essential in God’s plan for His children".

"So much is expected of a woman. Often she is a detective; she must search for lost articles and solve on a daily basis baffling “who done it” mysteries. Frequently, her eager audience requests her talent as a musician by calling upon her to sing—any time, any place. She is an artist, using crayons and coloring books, needles and thread, or other means to create works of art by her own hands. (See Psalms 90:17; D&C 42:40.) During the early life of most children, a woman is the principal disciplinarian. She treads the tightrope of judgment between being too strict or too permissive.

Mother is “secretary of labor” for her home. She teaches the work ethic with its responsibilities and rewards".

"A woman is a master communicator. And she communicates best in humble prayer. How many of us first learned to pray beside the bended knees of our mothers? Surely she knows that her children can walk alone only when they have found their pathway to Father in Heaven through prayer.

Certainly, a woman is a teacher. Someone said, “When you teach a boy, you teach an individual, but when you teach a girl, you teach a whole generation.”

J. Edgar Hoover said that “the cure of crime is not the electric chair but the high chair” (in Emerson Roy West, comp., Vital Quotations, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968, p. 78.)

I honor women who are not mothers. They know that motherhood is but one of the realms of womankind. The virtue and intelligence of women are uniquely applicable to other realms as well, such as compassionate service and teaching.

I am indebted to so many wonderful men and women who were my teachers. From grade school, I remember Miss Crow, Miss McLean, Miss Starr, and others. Later, Miss Bradford, Miss Cunningham, and Miss Snow were among my favorites. They were modest, gracious, and moral examples. They were not concerned with what I was to acquire, but with what I was to become. These marvelous unmarried teachers exerted an influence distinct from that of my angel mother. Their gleaming hopes, vicarious ambitions, and exacting demands were vitally important to my preparation for life.

A wise woman renews herself. In proper season, she develops her talents and continues her education. She musters the discipline to reach her goals. She dispels darkness and opens windows of truth to light her way.

A woman teaches priorities by precept and example. Recently I watched a television program in which a female lawyer was being interviewed. She was at home with her child on a full-time basis. When asked of her decision, she replied, “Oh, I may go back to the law sometime, but not now. For me, the issue is simple. Any lawyer could take care of my clients, but only I should be the mother of this child.”

Such a decision is made not in terms of rights but in terms of obligations and responsibilities. She knows that as she rises to meet responsibilities, rights will take care of themselves".

A righteous woman is a student of the scriptures. Many apply uniquely to her life. (See Gen. 27:46; Psalms 113:9; Proverbs 31:10–31; Ephesians 5:22–33; Col. 3:18; Titus 2:3–5; Jacob 3:7; Mosiah 4:14—16; D&C 25.) In the scriptures she finds “great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures.” (D&C 89:19.)

She need not have majored in physics to know divine truths, as “there is no such thing as immaterial matter.” (D&C 131:7.) She need not have graduated in astronomy to learn lessons taught by God to Abraham—the relation of the earth to the sun, the sun to the planets, the planets to the center of the universe, and more. (See Abraham 3.) When she sings “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are,” she knows scriptural answers".

Of course, there are times when a woman’s ability to endure is taxed to the limit. A teacher may have had enough of childish pranks, or a mother might be heard to say she’s “ready to resign.” She could become discouraged, especially if comparing herself unrealistically to others or focusing on what she is to do instead of on what she is to be.

Her self-esteem cannot be based on physical features, possession or lack of a particular talent, or comparative quantities of anything. Her self-esteem is earned by individual righteousness and a close relationship with God. Her outward glow is generated by goodness within. And her patience is much more apparent than any imperfection. (See D&C 67:13.)

Sweet serenity is found in fervent prayer. Then, we forget ourselves and remember the reaching hands of the Savior, who said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28.) As our burdens are shared with Him, they do become lighter.

Feelings of worth come when a woman follows the example of the Master. Her sense of infinite worth comes from her own Christlike yearning to reach out with love, as He does.

When her husband, children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews return from a day marred by the world’s rude realities, a loving woman can say, “Come unto me. I will give you rest.” Wherever she is can become a sanctified place, safe from the storms of life. Refuge is there because of her ability to nurture and to love unconditionally.

Sometimes this true love necessarily takes the tone of tough love. Her lessons of obedience and accountability must resemble those of her Master, who said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15; see also Ex. 20:6; Deut. 5:10; Mosiah 13:14; D&C 46:9; D&C 124:87.)

The Good Shepherd said, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15.) So a woman feeds her loved ones, providing succor and sustenance just as the Savior would do. Her divine gift is to nurture, to help the young, to care for the poor, to lift the brokenhearted.

The Lord said, “My work and my glory [is] to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39.) So His devoted daughter-disciple may truly say, “My work and my glory is to help my loved ones reach that heavenly goal.”

To help another human being reach one’s celestial potential is part of the divine mission of woman. As mother, teacher, or nurturing saint, she molds living clay to the shape of her hopes. In partnership with God, her divine mission is to help spirits live and souls be lifted. This is the measure of her creation. It is ennobling, edifying, and exalting.

Her saintly calling is opposed by Satan. He would shatter the family unit and demean the worth of woman. He would triumph if one man would offend or fail to honor her, or if one woman would deny her infinite worth and behave beneath her dignity. The vulgar portrayal of her beauty as an object of lust, the vile invasion of her private purity, should provoke righteous indignation from all caring people.

The gospel has been restored in these latter days so that the light of the Lord can prevail over efforts of the adversary. This day has long been prophesied. The Lord has promised worthy Saints of our time: “Upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:29.)

A woman’s richest rewards will come as she rises to fulfill her destiny as a devoted daughter of God. To all faithful Saints He has promised thrones, kingdoms, principalities, glory, immortality, and eternal lives. (See Rom. 2:7; D&C 75:5; D&C 128:12, 23; D&C 132:19.) That is the potential for women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is exalting, everlasting, and divine.

God bless us to honor each woman in her divine mission as a woman of infinite worth, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen".

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE! AND MOST OF ALL, REMEMBER THAT YOU MATTER!

What are you looking for?

The conundrum of what is being sought relative to what is being offered is one that has plagued mankind since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden's relative peace and calm for the jangled world of making our own way amid briers, thorns and noxious weeds of a world less than paradisaical.

When job hunters are trying to find work at a pay level sufficient to keep a modest roof overhead, feed them more than once a month and pay their bills, they hope the skill set they offer will be appreciated for what it is - a work in progress.

The pinch is the oldest rub of them all 'you have to HAVE experience to GET experience'. Even in the most mundane of employment circumstance, the ability to show you have done more with your life than sit around scratching your indecisive ass is essential lest your application for employment wind up filed away in the circular file.

For those who have real world work experience, the issue is more like 'sure, you have experience - but it is the wrong kind, not enough, or too different' in order to qualify for the employment opportunity.

How did our world get so very skewed as to believe that everyone could accept a position and from day one in said posting never have to be educated on how that company choses to operate, what methods differ from what you've experienced previously and at a pay barely above the poverty line even for a highly qualified person?

Don't know the answers... just know there is a problem.

We keep praying and searching for a job for Rick. It may well turn into a job search for me as well in due time.

The question still remains "what are you looking for?" and so far, we don't seem to be "IT".

PULLING TOGETHER

A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn’t injured, his car was stuck deep into the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

“Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.”

The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull Warwick!”

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch.

The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, “Why did you call all of those names before you called Warwick?”

The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he’s part of a team, he doesn’t mind pulling.”

Why do I share this?

We tend to have blinders on from time to time regarding just who is helping us or "pulling with us".

Merely knowing that people are there to pull for or with us is NOT enough.

We must have open and unapologetic gratitude for them lest they decide they are not valued in our lives and move on without us to hamper them in their own pursuits by our lack of attention to them.

Although we often remember to thank the visible people in our lives, we can be lax in remembering to thank those no longer in our sight. To begin the list, God should be thanked first, last and always. For it is only in and through His mercy, merits and grace that any of  us - from the lowly to the proud - even exist in life.

We should be grateful to Christ Jesus for his Atonement in our behalf. Were there only one of us in need of  His aid, He would have still willingly paid the price in His precious blood. He would not have looked upon our plight and said "nope, there is just the one, so never mind". He Atoned for us as individuals out of pure love.

Then, we should think upon the chain of family that conspired to create us. Whether famous or infamous, noble or ordinary work-a-day people, our family is the one unit of people who deserve our gratitude for giving us the opportunity of living.

While it is true that we don't get to pick our family, most of  us ARE blessed to have a good one that is there for us, prays for us, supports us and most of all encourages us to reach for the best that is within us. They are our first and best friends, our greatest cheerleaders through good times and bad, and the most ardent advocates in our behalf when the world walks away.

We need to remember we are not without friends as well. These are the additions to family whom we choose to add by heart. They are the supporters that joined the game late, but who cheer no less fervently for our success. They can be considered the "transfer students" to our school of life. They may come to stay or they may yet transfer away, but while they are a presence in your life, appreciate them and learn from them sifting the good and worthy from that which is chaff.

Pulling together, we can shift the orbit of a sin sick world. Pulling together, we can petition for and expect to receive miracles where only darkness existed before. Pulling together, we can lift ourselves and those around us to a  higher plane of being by simply seeing and being openly grateful for those named and unnamed souls willing to be hitched with us to pull together through the eternities that stretch out before us and also behind us with those people who lived and died long before our birth.  We are not alone. And isn't that a blessing?

Thank God for pulling together with us and for pulling us together... it is through Him that our puny efforts are made complete through Jesus Christ. They make our efforts whole.