It's difficult to get back into the swing of things after taking time off. After a lovely birthday weekend, doing most of the things I love to do...catching up on my shows, harvesting the garden, cooking, road-tripping, eating cake and ice cream, visiting with friends and family, sleeping (LOL)...I returned to work renewed, rejuvenated, and ready to go.
But once I was back in the saddle, it didn't take long to get discouraged with the mountain of work that lay before me. My approach to most things is: Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No. So I once again grabbed the bull by the horns. It took me some time (doesn't everything?) and a lot of breaks, but I got back on track and moved forward to the next.
This week, I also put some thoughts forward on my Facebook wall about some current issues, mainly stemming from the effects of Charlie Kirk's death. I call it the "Second Shot Heard Around the World" because it really was a revolutionary event. With the media, social media, and his memorial service televised around the world, millions were impacted. First, the stages of shock, then the stages of grief. My assessments and observations (and questions) eventually derived from not only how the masses have been impacted, but the directions so many have gone in order to make sense of the senseless.
Then, the chaos quickly ensued. Video clips, emotionally-invoking productions on the life of Charlie Kirk; hundreds of thousands of posts, reels, videos, etc. The reactions and political polarizations took the nation by storm. Amazing how one life taken can impact the world.
Sound familiar?
What is Faith?
Perhaps the biggest thing I've observed is the polarization of beliefs and Faith. To me (and based upon my own experiences), they are not one in the same. It was a horrible experience leaving the LDS (Mormon) church...a terrible divorce and yes, a death of my heart, mind, and soul. LDS friends shunned me, abandoned our friendships. The ward I was a member of...my social life? Gone (everyone but one). My belief in Joseph Smith and all the Mormon prophets, the Book of Mormon, LDS Scripture? Gone. Those who have read my book, Through the Eye of a Needle, have an understanding of what I went through. I was miserably lost and broken.
I've had so many Footprints in the Sand moments since then. I've had to go through so many trials and tribulations...physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual battles...to learn how to see and how to walk my life's journey with Faith, what and who to trust and not to trust. It's not an easy road, but I've learned a lot about the Nouns--the people, places, and things--that have been placed in my life with purpose.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths."
(Proverbs 3: 5-6)
Martyrdom and a Land of Opportunity Opportunists:
America has long been known as a land of opportunity. I typed in "What was the religious climate in the 1800s in America?" into AI, and, among other things, it brought up "The Second Great Awakening" in revivalism and evangelism, denominational growth, and social reform in the early 1800s. It described diversity and tensions, adaptations and challenges in the mid-to-late 1800s. Ironically, this was also the Industrial Age. The evolutions that stemmed from several religious revolutions culminated in a time of invention and opportunity. (Those who watch The Gilded Age and watched American Primeval, those are two good series set in that time period.)
As an example closer to home...Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, was in the early to mid-phase of denominational revivalism. His vision of two personages (which, by the way, is polytheism), the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, etc. (Mormon scripture) were all developed in this time period. Joseph Smith was considered a martyr for his religion, and it might have all ended there...until Brigham Young took the reins. An opportunity in the Gilded Age. He took the religion to a whole new level, with Utah and Salt Lake City as his empire. There's a statue of Joseph Smith on Temple Square. There's a monument of Brigham Young at 1st South Main in SLC.
My kids used to tease me and say, "Mom, what was it like back in the olden days, when you were a kid?" Olden days?? Little brats! Of course, I could always tell them what life was like without cell phones, computers, Saturday morning cartoons on a 19-inch TV, and no McDonald's...but I also lived a very sheltered life when it came to knowing or understanding social and political issues. For example, I would innocently belt out "Book of Mormon Stories" or "This Land Was Made For You and Me" long before I learned that this land was never "their land" to begin with. As I learned more about my Native heritage, I had a lot of questions that no one could (or would) answer. After all, I was raised to believe I was a Lamanite. I was raised to believe that the Mormon church was the only true church on the face of the earth, and all others were wrong. Why? Because that's what Joseph Smith said.
"Then He went into the temple and began to drive out
those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written,
' My house is a house of prayer,'
but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"
Luke 19:45-46
All Creatures Great and Small
One of my favorite shows is All Creatures Great and Small, a BBC TV series based on the book(s) by James Herriot. For those who haven't read the books (I did in grade school), it contains the tales of a young, small-town veterinarian, the community he lives in, and the animals he cares for. Perhaps the most amusing thing I see repeated in this series is that his boss, Mr. Farnon, continually cares for animals for free, when he should be charging for his services. One might think: "How on earth does he stay in business?" But he does.
Some may think that, because I left the LDS church, I'm against the people of it. That couldn't be further from the truth. I know so many good people from all walks of life...Christian, Mormon, Muslim, Buddhist, Wiccan, pagan, atheist, agnostic, etc. All creatures great and small! No, the things I'm against are hypocrisy, lies, deception, and acts of evil and malintent. However you believe is not my point...
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder." (James 2 14-19)
And now we have another devastating shooting at an LDS church in Michigan. More innocent lives lost. I'm curious about motive (which is still in question), because I sure hope it's not because of Charlie Kirk. I sure hope it's not because of left and right extremism. I sure hope it's not because the LDS church did him wrong, shunned him, abandoned him, hurt him. The lines between good and evil are becoming clearer, and we cannot say we haven't been warned, countless times. (Exodus 34: 6-7)
Does it really matter which Jesus you believe in?
Well, yes, apparently it does. The history and evolution of Christianity have led us up to the present day. Cults and televangelists have sprung up for decades. We have corporate and political systems intermingling, influencing, and marketing to the masses. We have mega-religions and churches actively investing in the stock market and crypto. And now we have the liberal Jesus and the conservative Jesus duking it out in the fight of the century...drawing lines in the sand, instead of following (or even noticing) the Footprints.
Do you have to be on a bandwagon to be a believer? No! Do you have to go to church to be a believer? No! But if you do go to a church, remember: You will know they are Christians by their Love! Not conditional love, not how many members they have, not how much money they have, not how great their worship team is, not how much noise they make...but the love and peace of Christ (John 14).
And it's okay to say you don't know! Learn about Christ with the faith of a child...your own faith, not someone else's. Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). Beware of those who cry "lo here, lo there" (Luke 17). Don't lean on others' understandings or interpretations. You decide what you believe. Don't let anyone decide your spiritual path for you...it's between you and your Creator (Matthew 6). Your journey is your own, and your child-like faith will guide you. Be wise. Pray often.
The battles will not get easier. There are so many who don't know how to live a life of faith; they're living in fear. And believe me, I know that fear, all too well! I'm not going to lie to you; those first steps of faith are scary ones. It can be difficult, especially when we cling to the things we see and think we know, and reach out for the things we don't see and don't know. I can only tell you, the possibilities are endless.
Then Jesus said to His disciples,
"Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying,
"Who then can be saved?"
But Jesus looked at them and said to them,
"With men this is impossible,
But with God, all things are possible."
Matthew 19: 23-26
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