Are You Sleeping on Duty?

Some of you might not know but I am a military brat. My father was a career sailor, doing twenty-two years in the United States Navy. Having a parent deployed on a regular basis helped me to be more aware of the outside world as a child than I think is common for civilian children. One thing I have noticed as I have gotten older is that that military influence has definitely shaped how I see certain things in my life.

One example of this came during my scripture studies this week. I've been studying St Luke and something really stood out to me when I read Luke 22:45-46.

45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow,

46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

In these verses, the Savior is kind of chastising the Apostles who fell asleep when they were supposed to be guarding as He prayed in the Garden. It really struck me that He found them "sleeping for sorrow". That phrase got the wheels turning in my brain. It made me realize that when we are allowing ourselves to be lulled, it saddens Heavenly Father.  He knows how vigorously and persistently the adversary attacks His children and it must make Him sad to see us dropping our guard.

I've long cherished the idea of my home as a castle, a fortified sanctuary from the world, but this week I've come to realize that I need to also view myself as a soldier living in enemy territory. I need to be doing the things that help keep me armored against the insidious attacks of the enemy. Armor that is neglected becomes rusty, ineffective and eventually incapable of stopping enemy assaults. The beautiful thing is that even if we have allowed our armor to degrade, the Lord has given us the tools to get it back to like-new status if we are but willing to use those tools to restore our damaged armor. Any blacksmith can tell you that fixing damaged armor is not easy but isn't the protection it gives worth the work? What are some things you do to help restore your armor when you discover that you have allowed it to get tarnished or rusty?

Choosing to be Christ-like Brings Blessings

Something has been on my mind a fair bit lately and I'd like to share my thoughts with you. I keep thinking about the so-called "culture war" that is unfolding in American society. It's difficult on many fronts and a tactic I have seen is those who claim to be Christian being attacked for standing for traditional marriage or chastity by those who are not fans of one, the other or either. And many of their opponents like to throw the scriptures about loving thy neighbor at them.  Then there are those who claim to be Christ-like but who openly endorse things that Christ would not have.

This summer I decided to read the New Testament for the first time. When I was studying the scriptures this week I came across the following scripture in Titus 1:16:

"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

This made me realize that it is not nearly enough for us to claim to be Christian. Our behavior AND our words both must exhibit Christ-like behavior. We must show love, even to those we disagree with, but also make it clear that we support Christ-like behaviors and condemn those behaviors that the Lord has called abominable. When we are doing our best to strive to be obedient to all His commandments including "Love thy neighbor as thyself" and "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in" then we are eligible for the blessings that are predicated upon our obedience. Our firm commitment to the Gospel may also serve as a beacon to help others who are seeking to find their way back to the Savior and Heavenly Father.

Another scripture that stood out to me was verse nine of the first chapter of Hebrews:

"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." 

Two things stood out to me in this verse. One is that it directly addresses how blessed the Hebrews were because of their love for righteousness. But I also found it interesting that it also stressed that they hated iniquity. It is not enough for us merely to be doing the righteous things from day to day. We also need to make sure that we do not accept iniquity in our own lives. 

As I thought more about how I could live that “hatred for iniquity” I realized that it means not accepting things into my life that I know to be unrighteous. I realized that one place I could start was by becoming more discerning in the media entertainment I consume. Just because I am not the one committing a sin, it does not follow that it is okay for me to listen to or watch someone else doing so. 

This really touched a nerve as I thought about my future children. My husband and I are looking forward to welcoming children into our family (hopefully) in the months and years that lie ahead and I realized that I need to become the person now that I would like them to look up to later. Now is the time for action!