Hope

Mosiah 27:14
14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heardthe prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to theknowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.  

This scripture is filled with hope.   

"Will this make you a better person?”

Im so thankful for the recent counsel regarding the use of the internet and use of electronic devices.

A wonderful example of the need for moderation, balance, and wisdom is the use of the Internet. It can be used to do missionary outreach, to assist with priesthood responsibilities, to find precious ancestors for sacred temple ordinances, and much more. The potential for good is enormous. We also know that it can transmit much that is evil, including pornography, digital cruelty,⁸ and anonymous yakking. It can also perpetuate foolishness. As Brother Randall L. Ridd poignantly taught at the last general conference, speaking of the Internet, “You can get caught up in endless loops of triviality that waste your time and degrade your potential.”⁹

Distractions and opposition to righteousness are not just on the Internet; they are everywhere. They affect not just the youth but all of us. We live in a world that is literally in commotion.¹⁰ We are surrounded by obsessive portrayals of “fun and games” and immoral and dysfunctional lives. These are presented as normal conduct in much of the media.

Elder David A. Bednar recently cautioned members to be authentic in the use of social media.¹¹ A prominent thought leader, Arthur C. Brooks, has emphasized this point. He observes that when using social media, we tend to broadcast the smiling details of our lives but not the hard times at school or work. We portray an incomplete life—sometimes in a self-aggrandizing or fake way. We share this life, and then we consume the “almost exclusively … fake lives of [our] social media ‘friends.’” Brooks asserts, “How could it not make you feel worse to spend part of your time pretending to be happier than you are, and the other part of your time seeing how much happier others seem to be than you?”¹²

Sometimes it feels like we are drowning in frivolous foolishness, nonsensical noise, and continuous contention. When we turn down the volume and examine the substance, there is very little that will assist us in our eternal quest toward righteous goals. One father wisely responds to his children with their numerous requests to participate in these distractions. He simply asks them, “Will this make you a better person?”

Elder Quentin L Cook

Picket Fences

Growing up there was a white picket fence along the walkway to the front door of my childhood home similar to this one pictured.  I loved that little white fence and always wished that when I grew up my house would have a white picket fence too.

Society too has placed value on the white picket fence surrounding the beautiful yard and perfect home inside.

The white picket fence has become a symbol of the idyllic life.  Representing the perfect home, perfect family, and an excess of all you could want.  So many of us buy into to this dream, taking it on as our own goal, and feeling less-than if we can't achieve it.  After being married now for 10 years and experiencing the ups and downs of life. I have come to recognize that we are not all on the linear upward path of graduate from college, find the spouse of your dreams, get the best job, buy the perfect house (with the white picket fence of course) and then have the two or three perfect darling children. This is how we are taught life should be right.

The funny thing that I realized recently is that I wasn't actually wrong in wanting the picket fence it's self. It's just I didn't understand what a picket fence really is and what it really stands for.

Society has washed all of the effectiveness of the picket fence out of it and all that is left is the beautifully white washed facade of something that appears to have value but offers nothing of the real protection that is needed.

In Alma chapter 53 we see why picket fences were originally useful:

1 And now it came to pass that Moroni did not stop making preparations for war, or to defend his people against the Lamanites; for he caused that his armies should commence ... in digging up heaps of earth round about all the cities, throughout all the land which was possessed by the Nephites.

 2 And upon the top of these ridges of earth he caused that there should be timbers, yea, works of timbers built up to the height of a man, round about the cities.

 3 And he caused that upon those works of timbers there should be a frame of pickets built upon the timbers round about; and they were strong and high.

 4 And he caused towers to be erected that overlooked those works of pickets, and he caused places of security to be built upon those towers, that the stones and the arrows of the Lamanites could not hurt them.

 5 And they were prepared that they could cast stones from the top thereof, according to their pleasure and their strength, and slay him who should attempt to approach near the walls of the city.

6 Thus Moroni did prepare strongholds against the coming of their enemies, round about every city in all the land.

The picket fence was originally used to strengthen weak areas around a city.  They weren't painted white and decorative at the top, they were sharp and indicated injury to anyone that tried to cross them to attack. Pickets were effectively used to defend against the enemy that was trying to destroy them.   Have we placed a picket fence around our home and family and if so is it just for looks and status symbol or is it the kind that will actually be defensive and protective of the people we love the most.

In October 2013 conference Elder Scott spoke about defending our selves spiritually when he shared the example of the Ammonite father's in the Book of Mormon:

"The people of Ammon were at a critical moment of their spiritual lives. They had been true to their covenant never to take up arms. But they understood that fathers are responsible to provide protection to their families.6 That need seemed great enough to merit consideration of breaking their covenant.7.....Their past choices had exposed these Ammonite fathers to a carnal appetite that could again become a point of vulnerability that Satan would attempt to exploit.

Satan will try to use our memory of any previous guilt to lure us back into his influence. We must be ever vigilant to avoid his enticements. Such was the case of the faithful Ammonite fathers. Even after their years of faithful living, it was imperative for them to protect themselves spiritually from any attraction to the memory of past sins.

In between the many battles, Captain Moroni directed fortification of the weakest cities. “He caused that they should build a breastwork of timbers upon the inner bank of the ditch; and they cast up dirt out of the ditch against the breastwork of timbers … until they had encircled the city … with a strong wall of timbers and earth, to an exceeding height.”14 Captain Moroni understood the importance of fortifying the weak areas to create strength.15

These Ammonite fathers were much the same. They needed taller and wider fortifications between their faithful lives and the unrighteous behavior of their past. Their sons, who were blessed with righteous traditions, were not as vulnerable to the same temptations. They were able to defend their families faithfully without compromising their spiritual well-being.

The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment,16 when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.17"

"Each of us has had times in our lives when we have made poor choices. We are all in desperate need of the redemptive power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Each of us must repent of any rebellion. “For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.”22 He cannot because He knows what it takes to become like Him.

Many of us have allowed weakness to develop in our character. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we, like the Ammonites, can build spiritual fortifications between ourselves and any past mistakes that Satan attempts to exploit. The spiritual protections built around the Ammonite fathers blessed and strengthened themselves, their families, their country, and future generations. The same can be true with us."

You Never Know