Let Earth Receive Her King

I have written before about the time near Christmas that I asked my daughter what she had learned in primary class that day. She responded that it was better to give than receive. In the eight subsequent years, this mantra still doesn't sit right with me, though it is a frequent Christmas topic. I would like to make the case that it is better to receive than give, or that receiving is at least as important as giving.

I think the principle that giving is better than receiving has some unintended consequences. I am a pretty good giver of gifts - however I am a lousy receiver. As I have pondered the topic, I can identify five different ways that I am or have been a terrible receiver.

1. The Denier
If it is better to give than receive, I always want to be the giver. When my children were born the ward relief society president approached me to see if they could bring in a few meals to help out. I was belligerent that we didn't need any help - we were self sufficient, had plenty of family around, and we didn't want to be a burden on anyone else. I denied gifts that were freely given.

2. The Score Keeper
Children receive gifts with joy. As and adult, I find myself mentally keeping score. If someone gives me a gift, I feel obligated to give them a gift also. If giving is more important than receiving, we need to keep the score the same. You compliment me, I compliment you, and we both come out even.

3. The Careless Receiver
Sometimes gifts are received with joy, but then set aside and mistreated - they aren't maintained and soon fall into disrepair. Though the gift started out very valuable, through neglect it loses its value. I am guilty of being careless with gifts.

4. The Apathetic Receiver
If giving is more important than receiving, maybe the thing given doesn't matter - it is just the act of giving that is important. Sometimes I have received gifts that I have considered worthless. There was one Christmas growing up that I didn't want anything that Santa had brought. I didn't know that my parents had tape recorded the whole thing. Later when we listened to it, I was embarrassed by my actions. As a general category of ways we can be poor gift receivers, being apathetic is one of the worst. Doctrine and Covenants section 50 teaches that it is only when teachers teach by the spirit, and learners receive by the spirit that both are edified. The same is true with giving and receiving gifts. If a gift is not received, was it really a gift?

5. The Demanding Receiver
Another way that I might be a bad receiver of gifts are the times I have felt entitled to a gift - that because of position or privilege I deserved something. Me, me me. More, more, more. This, too, negates the nature of a gift.

Not all gifts are equal. I prize some of the gifts I have received much more than others. Christ's Atonement is the greatest of all gifts ever given. Some people deny the gift that Christ offers. Others try to keep score with Jesus, thinking their own efforts and sacrifices will somehow make them more deserving of Christ's grace. Some people have been careless with the gifts they have already received, and yet others see no need for grace at all.

Songs that we sing at Christmas time remind us that receiving, and receiving Christ, should be part of our Christmas worship. "Joy to the world, the Lord is king. Let earth RECEIVE her King."  I want to be a better receiver of gifts this Christmas. And I particularly want to be a better receiver of Christ.

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven.

No ear may hear His coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still,

The dear Christ enters in.

 (O little town of Bethlehem)

Living without the Spirit

I love the studying the scriptures. I had an interesting experience recently as I studied Moroni 9 - a chapter that I rarely ponder. It lead to an answer to a prayer, and the rediscovery of an awesome ensign article. 

Moroni Chapter 9 is kind of a depressing chapter that contains Moron's observations of terrible conditions of his civilization. The chapter is tucked between Chapter 7's description of the Light of Christ, faith and charity - and Moroni 10's promise. Normally Chapter 9 is a pathway to 10, not any sort of a destination. (It has only been quoted 50 times as listed in the Citation Index.) This time, as I read Moroni Chapter 9, I was impressed that there are two lists contained within the chapter. The first is Mormon’s observations of the eventual state of people living without the spirit. The second is some counsel to his son Moroni about how to keep the Spirit with in in perilous times.

Verse	Text	Summary
3	Satan stirreth them up continually to anger one with another	Angry, Contentious
4	When I speak the word of God with sharpness they tremble and anger against me (1 Ne 16:2)	Angry
4	When I use no sharpness they harden their hearts against it	Hard hearted
5	For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death	Angry No respect for life
5	They have lost their love, one towards another	No love
5	They thirst after blood and revenge continually	Bloodthirsty Hateful
8	Slay people indiscriminately (non-combatants)	Bloodthirsty No respect for life Lawless
8	Feed the women upon the flesh of their husbands, and the children upon the flesh of their fathers.	Unkind Cannibalism
8	No water, save a little, do they give unto them (prisoners)	Unkind
9	Depriving prisoners of that which was most dear and precious above all things, which is chastity and virtue	Rape
10	They did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death	Unkind Bloodthirsty
10	They devour their flesh like unto wild beasts	Hard hearted Cannibalism
10	And they do it for a token of bravery	Prove their bravery with savagery
11	Without civilization	Lawless No Trust
12	Delight is in so much abomination	Delight in evil
16	[Many widows and elderly people] faint by the way and die	Mistreat widows and elderly
17	Awful brutality	Anger Brutality
18	O the depravity of my people!	Sinful
18	They are without order	Lawless
18	They are without mercy	Unkind
18	I cannot any longer enforce my commands	Unruly
19	They have become strong in their perversion	Entrenched in sin
19	They are alike brutal, sparing none, neither old nor young	Unkind No respect for life
19	They delight in everything save that which is good	Seek happiness in evil
19	The suffering of our women and our children upon all the face of this land doth exceed everything	Don’t help others
20	They are without principle	No morals
20	They are past feeling	Callous Heard Hearted
23	Perish... because of the wilfulness [to seek] for blood and revenge	Bloodthirsty No morals
24	Nephites deserted over unto the Lamanites	No Loyalty

You may have different summary words. They mostly show the recurring themes of anger, losing a respect for life and law, and seeking happiness doing evil. There is also a callousness towards life, where life itself loses all meaning. Are there similar themes in society today? Perhaps some. Do I at times feel angry or callous? Sometimes - hopefully in decreasing amounts. 

How would you counsel your child to endure similar conditions? These are things that Mormon said he was doing, or admonished Moroni to do to keep the Spirit and persevere amid such depravity.  

4	I am laboring with them continually	Don’t give up
6	Let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation;	Don’t give up Responsible to do your best
6	We have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God	Don’t give up Battle is individual Focus on the eternal
25	Be faithful in Christ	Be Christ centered
25	May not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death	Take note of the evil, but don’t focus on it
25	May Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever	Focus on the eternal
26	And may the grace of God the Father,... be, and abide with you forever.	Feel God’s presence through the spirit Develop Christlike attributes

My impression from the list was that I need to be less angry and more kind, less proud and more humble, less self-centered and more aware of the needs of those around me. And I should always be centered in Christ. 

While studying those lists I was reminded of an Article Elder Groeberg wrote in the April, 1986 Ensign entitled, “Investing in Eternity”.  In the article he includes a list of how we act when we have the Spirit, and when we don't. 

When You Have the Spirit	When You Do Not Have the Spirit
1. You generally feel happy and calm.	You may feel unhappy, depressed, confused, frustrated most of the time.
2. You feel full of light.	You may feel heavy, full of darkness.
3. Your mind is clear.	Your mind may be muddled.
4. You feel love for the Lord and others.	You may feel empty, hollow, cold inside.
5. You feel generous.	You may feel selfish, possessive, self-centered.
6. Nobody can offend you.	You may be offended easily.
7. You are very forgiving and kind.	You may usually be on the defensive.
8. You feel confident in what you do.	You may become discouraged easily.
9. You don’t mind others seeing what you are doing.	You may become secretive, evasive.
10. You want to be with those who love you—especially familymembers.	You may want to be alone most of the time. You avoid others—especially family members.
11. You are glad when others succeed.	You may be envious almost constantly of what others do and what they have.
12. You want to help others be happy, even those opposed to you.	You may be envious almost constantly of what others do and what they have.
13. You willingly perform Church work.	You may feel hesitant, unworthy, and unwilling to perform Church ordinances.
14. You feel like praying and reading the scriptures.	You may not want to pray or read scriptures.
15. You wish you could keep all the Lord’s commandments.	You may find the commandments of God and rules of the family bothersome, restricting, or senseless.
16. You usually control your appetites and emotions. You are calm and control your speech; you feel no anger.	You may be a slave to your appetites. You give way to strong anger and outspokenness.
17. You generally feel a deep desire to help others—usually in a way no one else will know about.	When you help others, your main desire may be to have your actions noticed.
18. You speak and think good about others.	You are critical of others, especially family members and those in authority.
19. You feel sorrow when others have problems and sincerely desire to help them.	You may often question others’ motives and secretly delight in others’ problems.
20. You realize that your thoughts and your actions are open to God.	You may feel that what you do and think is only your business and no one else knows or cares.

I like those lists. I'm writing this post mostly so I know where to look to frequently review them. I think they parallel the list given by Mormon - the list by Elder Groeberg is the indicator, the list by Mormon is the outcome. 

Lastly, a little backstory. The day before I studied Moroni 9 I had lunch with a good friend. We frequently get together to discuss life and gospel topics. He had shared a document that he was writing. It included a quote and by and a photo of Elder Shane M. Bowen. The photo triggered the memory of a talk Elder Bowen had given in our stake several years ago. I had also been deeply impressed by the talk his wife had given, in which she had referenced the article by Elder Groeberg - except I couldn't remember who had written it, only that she had talked about his list. I made a mental note to see if I could find my notes from that stake conference so I could locate the article. 

The next day I was deeply impressed as I studied Moroni 9, and started making this list. Again I thought about Sister Bowen's talk and decided I should act on this second prompting. Unfortunately I was unable to locate my notes from the stake conference. I began to try to identify someone who would have attended that same conference, and taken notes, and would be able to find them. A name immediately came to mind. It has been a while since I have had any interaction with this friend, yet I reached out. A reply came just a few hours later that he remembered the talk also, and had searched through his things and by "a miracle" was able to locate the talk. He sent me his notes which identified Elder Groeberg as the author of the article. From there it wasn't hard to find the talk. I'm grateful that God answers prayers, helps my study, and facilitates my growth.