My Mormon Third Eye: I See... Forgotten Scriptures

Sunday, January 18, 2009

I See... Forgotten Scriptures

We all know them. Those powerful, inspirational scripture passages that move our souls to a higher plane of celestial consciousness. “This is my work and my glory; the bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” “When you are in the service of your fellow man, you are only in the service of your God.” These are the references you memorize in seminary; they become the worldwide Releif Society and YW program mottos; they are the arrows in the quivers of our fulltime missionary warriors on the frontline of the war started in pre-earth heaven for the souls of men.. They are the basic building blocks of the Kingdom of God on earth and in heaven

Did you know, however, that there are other precious pearls of wisdom in the standard works? I affectionately call them Forgotten Scriptures. They are moving, poetic, deeply meaningful, and often forgotten in the shadows of more famous references. My anecdotal research has revealed that every famous scripture has a superficially undervalued yet absolutely essential companion near it, kind of like the wife of a prophet or apostle. While very few members could honestly correctly answer the name of Boyd K. Packer's wife, everyone would agree that she is an absolutely essential element of his apostolic duty to testify of Christ. Likewise, forgotten scriptures contain beautiful expressions of reverence or faith that lends the more prominent partner richer significance. It is the difference between feeding and feasting on the word of God. Here is

one of my personal favorites from one of my favorite voices in the wilderness, Isaiah:

“For my thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

This is the “go to” scripture in Isaiah 55: 8-9 for the downtrodden and depressed searching for meaning and hope that God is at the helm, looking out for them in the depth of their difficulties. If you stop there, however, you miss a strikingly simple, yet robust simile in verses 10 and 11 explaining exactly how His thoughts and ways are woven into the tapestry of our lives:

“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.”

The promises in verses 8 and 9 possess much more potency to penetrate our problems and tame our trials when we picture them as snow and rain that bathe the earth with their life-giving powers before returning skyward. Isaiah will never be the same for me again.

I've been quietly hunting down forgotten scriptures with immense satisfaction for years; it's time they received the amount of attention only the Mormon Third Eye can provide. I could post many more, but I don't want to deny anyone the thrill of the hunt. Feed the hunger! Discover your forgotten scripture today and feast on the Word of God!

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The Mormon Third Eye Quote of the Week

"As men of the priesthood, we have an essential role to play in society, at home, and in the Church. But we must be men that women can trust, that children can trust, and that God can trust. In the Church and kingdom of God in these latter days, we cannot afford to have boys and men who are drifting. We cannot afford young men who lack self-discipline and live only to be entertained. We cannot afford young adult men who are going nowhere in life, who are not serious about forming families and making a real contribution in this world. We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Priesthood Session Conference, October 2012

Why My Mormon Third Eye?

When I politely excused myself in the middle of dinner to make a bathroom stop, how did Mom know that I had uneaten peas in my pocket to flush down the toilet? When I came home late from a youth dance and slid quietly into bed to avoid waking parental units, how did Dad know, without looking at the car, that I smashed in the front bumper? When I watch my daughter play a video game, how do I know that she's not ready for her Geometry final?

Its the Third Eye. The notorious eye in the back of the head, the extra view of life that God blesses parents striving to do the right thing so they can see more of life than the children they chase after.

Our third eye also permits us to see things and feel emotions that are too refined, too far on the edge of our standard two-eyed peripheral vision to enjoy in its fullness. I've learned that I have a Mormon Third Eye; that is, as a life-long, fully-dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I have unique perspective on how the doctrines of the gospel and the demands of my faith in them intersect every other part of my mortal existence to create the entertaining, self-deprecating kaleidoscope of my life.

So... for those of you bold and bored enough to read this far, every so often I'll be sharing here what my Mormon third eye sees. Third eyes are relatively huge; they see the humorous, the entertaining, the embarrassing, the beautiful, the inspirational, and even the moral and political; however, they tend to ignore the evil, depressing and destructive: there is enough of that in world already!

The Four Secrets to Successful Living

Always Go Where There is Free Food - This includes ward and work parties, wedding receptions and missionary open houses; the money you spend to buy the ingredients for the world-famous triple chocolate cake you bring doesn’t count.
Never Pay Full Price for Anything – See my posts on Black Friday escapades for more information on this.
Never, Ever Press the Red Button - Usually, if you are faced with a red button somewhere, don’t press it – it usually means trouble. For example, the red button launches the missiles. Do yourself a favor and don’t press it.
Any Problem You Face Can Be Solved With Bungee Cords and Duct Tape - Bungee cord and duct tape technology has saved many marriages and ward parties. I’m not just talking about problems with plumbing or keeping groceries from bouncing around the trunk; I know of relationship and family issues that have been solved with creative applications of these two substances.