Lesson... Be or Do

We had a lesson today in Relief Society and it was really good.  Mike and I had a discussion before church and after church.  Mike taught the High Priest Quorum lesson and I went to the RS lesson....  Out of the May Conference Issue 2 talks were to be used as the lesson.

One was by Elder Lynn G Robbins, 

"What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?" 

pg 103.  

This talk had many concepts and issues.  I will quote many parts of this talk, he said it so well, why try to re do what was done well...

"To be and to do are inseparable.  As interdependent doctrines they reinforce and promote each other.  Faith inspires one to pray, for example, and prayer in turn strengthens one's faith."


"The do without the be -HYPOCRISY- portrays a false image to others, while be without do portrays a false image to oneself."


We see this in others, because it's easier to see the speck of dirt in another eye than to see the huge tree sticking out of our own eye.  Or another example Elder Robbins used was the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy: "Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites for ye pay tithe - something they did - of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and faith" (Matthew 23:23).  Or in other words, they failed to be what they should have been."


He used a few other examples to teach us:

• Entering the waters of baptism is something we do.  The be that must precede it is faith in Jesus Christ and a mighty change of heart.
•  Partaking of the sacrament is something we do.  Being worthy to partake of the sacrament is a weightier and much more important matter.
•  Ordination to the priesthood is an act, or do.  The weightier matter, however is power in the priesthood, which is based 'upon the principles of righteousness' (D&C 121:36) or be.

 Elder Robbins continues with: "Most of us create to do lists to remind us of things we want to accomplish.  But people rarely have to be lists.  Why?  To do's are activities or events that can be checked off the list when done.  To be, however, is never done.  He used an example of taking his wife out to dinner, which is the to do... But being a good husband is not an event, it needs to be part of my nature - my character, or who I am."


I can see these events in my life... and I have never been filled... or satisfied.  Because the void wasn't a void to be filled with an event,  it was a void that I needed to develop in my nature, or the who I am part of the do/be.  


Wish I had that tip of wisdom in my life/marriage like 30 yrs ago... HaHa... Things would have less complicated... but I am stubborn and slow to learn and be taught.


I will amend this as I finish putting my thoughts together... So Later...