Free as a Bird

Birds have intrigued me during the last year.  Inspired by bird feeders, bird books, bird statues, and living birds, I observe their freedom to act.  They go where they want, unrestrained by borders, countries, laws and ordinances.  Seeing what most other creatures will never see, they make the air their home.  Having lightweight bones, slick feathers, and sharp beaks, they survive somewhere between heaven and earth.

They often eat by pulling food from the earth, and taking it to higher ground.  Their primary cautions are predators and weather.

God is mindful of each sparrow, and knows when they fall.  The average human pays little attention to birds, because they are not in their field of vision.  But in spending more time looking at the sky, one observes a vast world of birds.  Some extremely small.  Some extremely large.  What is their purpose?

I suppose they are to teach me something about freedom.  

1 Nephi 1:14 - A Merciful God

After Lehi read the book he had been given by Jehovah, he saw of their impending destruction.  He warned them with a double "wo" of what he foresaw (1 Nephi 1:13).  But then Nephi explains the following, which occurred to his father, Lehi.  

1 Nephi 1:14

And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy ^apower, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who ^bcome unto thee that they shall perish!

After Lehi both read and saw many great and marvelous things... tells me that perhaps there weren't all bad things that Lehi saw, concerning Jerusalem.  Perhaps he saw the wonderous things which they might be experiencing in the future.  Perhaps he saw the holocaust, but saw of the redemption yet to come.  It is promised that these are His covenant people, and they will be redeemed.  The entirety of what Lehi saw is veiled from our view, but it is not to Lehi.  And what he saw was not just horrible destruction, but also "great and marvelous things".  We too, can ask to see such things, and God willing, some of us may be able.  

He did exclaim many things unto the Lord.  Many things, not just a few.  All of them are words of praise.  Despite seeing all the destruction, it is clear that the great and marvelous things outweighed the abominations, destruction, and probably even persecution of this covenant people.  Lehi's not mourning their destruction, as we might if we were to view our homeland being destroyed in vision.  

Great and marvelous are they works, O Lord God Almighty!  This is a far cry from the atheism we witness so prevalently in our day.  Interesting how when things go bad, even atheists believe.  I wonder if anyone heeded Lehi's and the other prophet's warnings.  Either way, they praised God for the marvelous works.   

Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth.  What does high in the heavens mean, besides the obvious altitude? Typically something high, for example the sun, is able to have influence over thousands and thousands of miles below.  God's throne is high in the heavens, such that His light is able to shine over all His creations.  Lehi is praising, in a natural and not forced way, the power, the goodness, and mercy of God for all His creations.  This is a far cry from the mean, heartless, and un-merciful being that so many religions create to instill fear in their subjects.  

(I love pictures like this.  So beautiful.  I got it here, but if you are the true artist of the portrait, let me know so I can ask permission to share!:) Thanks!)

 Because thou are merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!  What does that mean?  Does that mean all who follow God will never die?  Never know pain?  Or the depths of hell?  Did the Savior experience death?  Did he know pain?  Or experience the depths of "hell"?  I think he experienced it all, moreso than any of us ever will.  He experienced our pains, our sins, and more.  Didn't the Savior turn to his Father?  Does that make Lehi a liar, or is he getting at something else here?  

Following God doesn't mean we will never die, or experience hardship.  Quite the contrary for some.  If we are true followers of the Savior, it only makes sense that our lot should somewhat mimic his.  He apostles were all killed, and so many of his true followers are so often persecuted.  But that does not mean they will not be saved.  God is merciful, and I think Lehi is talking about an eternal perspective here.  He (God) will not suffer that those who come unto Him will perish, as in eternal perishing, or eternal damnation.  There is hope!  We do not have to suffer eternal pains of hell.  All can be redeemed if we come to Him.  Although for some, that might seem hard, but the first thing to do is to try.  Ask for help, and He will help you turn to Him fully, if you're willing.

I hope my kids know how much I know this is true.

1 Nephi 1:9 - "ONE" and His Luster

Lehi's experience in being "carried away in the spirit" continues (previous post here).

1 Nephi 1:9:

And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his ^aluster was above that of the sun at noon-day.

Lehi saw "One".  One, with a capital "O".  I just had a funny thought come to me, just as I wrote that O.  In the last four years, it's been used heavily in the United States as a symbol to represent now President Barack Obama.  If you're reading from around the world, you may not be aware of all the bumper stickers, yard signs, and other paraphernalia in which the letter O is turned into an Obama symbol.  Even the Pepsi (cola) symbol was said to have been patterned after Obama's symbol, to show their support for the "first black president".  I won't wax political, but only comment that all politicians seem to act as if they are the Savior.  So many politicians are Anti-Christ – meaning they attempt to take the position of Christ, as if they will solve our problems.  Here, in just the 9th verse of this first chapter of the Book of Mormon, we already have a testament of Christ's nature.  He is the ONE, capital O.  He is the Savior, the God who will redeem us from our pitiful and fallen states.  If we let Him, I believe He would fix our financial situation, or wars, our broken families.  He would heal our disease, eradicating the need for a "health care system".  There would be no need for lawyers to fix problems of disputes, because if we truly followed Him, there would be none.  There would be no immigration problems to solve, no poverty, no abandonment if we truly followed Him.  How far we have come in the 21st century, haven't we? 

The One descended out of the midst of heaven.  From Lehi's perspective, this tells us a little about his viewpoint.  While the heavens had opened to Lehi, he is apparently still lower (physically) than where Christ came from.  The "midst of heaven" implies, as in verse eight, that He had been surrounded.  Likewise, He is the center of all, including the angels.  He is the center of the plan of salvation, the center of why we are here, and the center of where we are going.  He is.

(photo source - I really like this guy's zeal, and his website)

 He beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.  I have lots of thoughts about "luster".  We use this term to describe diamonds, gold, and sparkly things.  We often judge quality of a rare item based on this trait.  If we find silver with no luster, it is judged as old, tarnished, or difficult to utilize without bringing shame.  (Imagine pulling out tarnished silver for Christmas dinner and using it to serve guests with.  "Ooh, I LOVE your beautiful silver!"  Um, not quite.)  How did Christ shine like this?

A lot of people only believe what they see.  We have a body, and many believe when we die, that's just it.  They mourn the passing of their loved ones, often going to their grave site to display flowers and such.  On Memorial Day in particular, I don't know that I saw one grave in Utah without flowers.  I wonder why such attention is given to graves, when so many believe that death is not the end.  It's just a resting place.  Do these people believe that the spirit still hangs out there, as its new residence?  Or that such a place is the only way to get a message to the passed loved one?

I believe we have a spirit, and this scripture testifies to that.  Our skin does not naturally shine.  Skin is typically matte in appearance.  But Christ's "luster" was above that of the sun at noon-day.  It was shining, startlingly bright, such that surely Lehi couldn't even stare at it without his natural eyes burning out of their sockets.  (Also indicating that Lehi was likely taken in spirit, so that he could behold these things?)  So was his skin just shiny?  Or did he glow?  Did this light come from the cells of his then pre-mortal body?  Does this indicate that there is more to our bodies, and even our spirits, than meets the naked eye?

To me, this indicates that his body is intelligence.  The most minute particles of his body must have been so powerful as to emit this magnificent light.  Seeing that he came to earth to show us the way in all forms, and that he took on a mortal body, I think this is a great example that our spirits are and can be like this, if we follow him.  Some people are said to "glow", and I have met a few like that, although it wasn't anything physical I saw, I could see a radiance about their spirit.

Luster.  Definitely something worth looking into.