The Real Battle Being Carried On:

Below is an excerpt of an address (“Why a Savior Is Necessary, and Why Only Jesus Christ Could Qualify”) given by Robert J. Matthews at a BYU Devotional on December 4, 1984 (https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/robert-j-matthews_savior-necessary-jesus-christ-qualify/).  It seems that the implications stretch over several areas of personality and society.  I would occasionally like to add some of my thoughts about some of the different implications on this blog:

"We often talk about the War in Heaven and what took place there. We understand that the Savior was selected in that premortal life as our Redeemer. We knew him there. Our first acquaintance with Jesus began many thousands of years before we were ever born into mortality. When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption, we must begin with our premortal life.

"I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the War in Heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer was going to force everybody to obey. He said, “I will save them all,” and we interpret that as meaning that he was going to have forced obedience.

"It has seemed strange to me that a third of all the spirits that could have been born into this world would have favored a plan that would cause them to have forced obedience. Most of us do not like to be forced. As I see it, the real issue was not so much one of force as it was that Lucifer said he would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without excellence, without effort, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That is the lie he promulgated in the pre-earth councils.

"That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing. We have certain aspects of that in our life today where something is offered for nothing (a free lunch we sometimes call it), with certain kinds of subsidies that promise to guarantee the reward without the effort. On that basis, Lucifer led away many spirits, but individual progress does not come that way.

"Only by serious and strenuous exertion do we improve in character and in spiritual growth. In our society we still come in contact with many who are influenced by this erroneous philosophy. They think they can achieve salvation and exaltation without a struggle. We are still fighting the War in Heaven with the same participants and the same issues, but we are fighting it on new territory and on a different battleground.

"Having ascertained that the devil’s program was one of promising excellence without effort, we can better appreciate the real struggle that Jesus had, that we all have, to do our best in this world to overcome our weaknesses and to obtain redemption from the effects of mortality. It is in view of the premortal life and the issues that were fought in the War in Heaven that everything else in the ministry of Jesus and in the gospel must be understood."

And...

My children do have ancestors among "those who stayed" on both their parents' sides. Hers helped settle Santa Clara and later Enterprise while mine helped settle the Pine Valley area. In each case there were formidable barriers to overcome. Every little town you pass on the highway in Utah has an amazing story, if you're willing to dig it up. I keep asking myself; 'Are we living up to what they passed on to us?' and 'Am I passing on similar good habits and standards to my children?' From today's discussion in the car, I'm at least satisfied that they will not live life expecting a handout and that they are beginning to understand the value of hard work and true generosity to those truly in need. I'm very thankful for that.

Hurricane Peach Days 2012

     Recently I was involved in the Hurricane City Peach Days Celebration.  My son had been playing the role of Alf Hall in the drama based on the historical facts of the digging of the Hurricane Canal.  He got a job which hours made it impossible for him to participate.  I was informed that I was taking his part on the day of the dress rehearsal.  It was a struggle.  I've never been good at memorizing lines.  I would study, sweat (the cooler was on the brink in the old auditorium as well), and rely on the encouragement of other wonderful cast members between scenes.  I ended up ad-libbing without changing the meaning more often than not.  I never could get my verse right in one song, but it was a humorous one so the audience didn't seem to mind my word-changes.  But, as it rolled on into the third evening I had a sense that those men, and their supportive families, who built the canal were aware of our acting.  Not that every word was exactly as they would have said, but the real-life drama of heart-break and sacrifice they actually took part in was what we were conveying to the audience.  I had an impression that it is important to them that we understand that they did go through with it, that they did not give up, and that our present blessings here would not have been if they had not done.  I could not help but feel, standing backstage peeking through the curtains waiting for my next appearance, that they want us to be aware that they carried on, keeping faith in God, even when things seemed unlikely to work out.

     What we celebrate at Peach Days is what some determined families were able to do by getting a little water to the Hurricane Bench. They were told by the experts of the time that that part was impossible. All they had were picks, shovels, 

wheelbarrows, and a little black powder to dig and tunnel 8 miles through rock slides, steep talus slopes, and sheer cliffs. Without asking for handouts (only an investment from the LDS church), they did the impossible.
     The following conversation took place not long after the canal was finished. James Jepson, along with John Steele, had been the inspiration and leader of the project: 

     "Do you remember how Brigham Young called a group of people to Dixie?" asked James Jepson of an incredulous G.H. Brimhall (then president of BYU) as they viewed the final product. 
     "Yes."
     "Do you remember that of the half who came,only half remained?"
     "Yes."
     "Well," said Jepson,"the men and women who built this canal are the children of those who stayed!" 

     The canal is not in use any more, but it's still there, what wasn't ruined in the 1992 earth quake.  Take a hike along 'the ditch'.  Learn about the "Ditch Riders" (I knew Billy, the last one...father of the now-famous World Champion Bull Rider Cody Wright).  

You have to see it to believe it (Google "Hurricane Canal" to read about and see photos of what I'm talking about).

     I am one of the many blessed beneficiaries of those early pioneers' hard work. My family and I have been lucky enough to enjoy the peaches and pecans that the early settlers began the tradition of growing here. My children learned to labor for the good of others on the church farm, at its peak having 20,000 of the best peach and apricot trees in the LDS Welfare system (the return on their investment). We have wonderful friends among the progenitors of those original builders and have found many to be unusually generous and friendly. This is why I love Peach Days, and being a part of that play for which I could never get my lines quite right.
     The soil here doesn't look like much, but they were right. Get a little water on it and this is what can happen to your cucumbers and summer squash if you don't pick them for a couple of days:

Advice to My Children No. 5

5- Think positively. I don't mean the “spazzed-out” sales pitch kind of thinking promoted by what your old man thinks of as 'sharks'. I mean the genuine kind of thinking positive where you are always trying to see the good in someone you are talking with, their ideas, your ideas, someone else who you are talking about, etc. etc. That does not mean you agree with the disagreeable, the irresponsible, or the things you feel uncomfortable about. Even then you can express your disagreement in an honest way and encourage a better route, if there is one, without being condescending. Right when you are talking with someone or listening, remind yourself that that individual is a child of God and that you inherently love this person whether you agree with him or not. He will sense that spirit and more readily trust you and your judgement. Remind yourself of that when you are talking to yourself too.

Advice to My Children No. 4

4- Align your thoughts and activities in such a way that you will be on the same level, or “spiritual high” with those with whom you wish to keep company or associate...now and/or in the eternities...great men and women you look up to and love. Maintain the level of goodness so that their spirits will be attracted to yours and that you will be comfortable in each other's presence. Don't confuse such “goodness” or 'spirituality' with only appearing good so others will admire you. Define, become, and live your “goodness” genuinely. Consistently practice the “Sunday School Answers” of praying often, studying God's word, real service, general kindness, sacrificing some of your present pleasures for later greater good of all, etc. Make this goodness become part of you and you become part of it. Then those who you want most to be with will sense in you the goodness of Christ, and will be drawn to you. This is true for all relationships; friendly, “romantic”, or leader/follower, etc. Make yourself irrefutably 'irresistible'.

Advice to My Children No. 3

3- Practice admitting freely your own mistakes and imperfections.  Readily and sincerely apologizing for them, even when you risk ridicule (this feels a lot better than you think). Know that those worth apologizing to will not ridicule you, but readily forgive you...later if not immediately. Those who are not secure in their being will take advantage of what they interpret as an exposed weakness, but it will not kill you. You will have the peace of knowing you did right in trying to correct your mistakes, and the insecure will probably grow from your example. Do not grovel or apologize for things you ought not. Look to Christ's example to know the difference.

Advice to My Children No. 2

2- Choose for your associates and 'look-up-to-s' people who have developed true Christ-like traits; who are not ashamed to live His Gospel without a hint of superiority or 'special'-ness (you know what your dad means by that); who can exercise authority without being condescending or using unrighteous dominion; who have a direction in life based on goals approved by Jesus Christ Himself; who work hard at those goals with breaks of honest fun; who you can trust to endure hardships and unforeseen adjustments in life while staying true and faithful; who enjoy life without needing exaggeration or laughing at others' expense; who are as comfortable at the pulpit as they are with a wrench in their greasy hands; who you feel as comfortable with them at the pulpit as you do with a wrench in their greasy hands working on your car; and whose real hero is the Savior of all mankind. Become one of those people so even when there is no-one else physically present to associate with or 'look-up-to', you will always have good company.

New-Year's Advice to My Children

Here is some advice I would like to pass on to my children for the new year.  I will post one point each day until they are done.  I ask my children, who know me better than most anyone, to please do not balk at these for my obvious imperfections and inconsistencies.  Know that I am working at these and hope you will also.  These are based on half a century of experience and observing others:

1- Set worthwhile goals and work towards them. People who have good goals, short and long range, have a direction and purpose in life. If you are on a track, determined by goals, it's much more difficult for destructive influences (drifters, losers, etc.) to get you to drift or be wishy-washy, and you have to spend a lot less time making up lost ground when you finally figure out you've taken a wrong direction. Make sure your goals will keep and put you in places where you can be a blessing in the lives of other people. Spend a lot of your planning and implementing time on your knees. When you're not on your knees, work smart and work hard. Don't drift, but become your potential. Don't kill yourself over unmet goals...just adjust and keep heading in the right direction. The right direction is your ultimate goal...to become like Jesus Christ.