My Mormon Third Eye: I See... How to Do Successfully Something You've Never Done Before

Sunday, October 11, 2009

I See... How to Do Successfully Something You've Never Done Before

The Book of Mormon is a handbook for righteous living. It is here that we learn how to repent, forgive, love, preach the gospel, study, ponder, pray and trust in the Lord's ways. If we are not paying attention, however, it is too easy to overlook more practical yet profound tips for successful gospel living. For example, did you know that it contains a foolproof formula for successfully doing things you haven't done before?

The Pattern

The divine pattern is drawn from the account of Helaman's Stripling Warriors, the teen and pre-teen sons of ex-Lamanite peaceniks who had raised their children without weapons in the house. They “never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives.” These are the five steps they followed to successfully do something for the first time- fight to the death in mortal combat to maintain the liberties of their fathers:

Make a covenant with God to do the something you've never done before- for the sons of the people of Ammon, it was to “fight for their liberty.”
Be taught by your mother to be valiant, courageous, and men of truth and soberness.
Be taught by your mother that “if you did not doubt, God would deliver you.”
Obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness.
Pour out your souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.

If you follow these steps while attempting to do the thing you've never done before, I promise you success. You may experience some difficulties along the way- the two thousand stripling warriors lost a lot of blood in their battles, and all of them suffered injuries-nevertheless because they followed the five steps above, they were victorious.

What is the challenging something on your horizon that you have never done before? Mission? College? Marriage? Your first child? A life-threatening illness? For parents, it could be sending a child off the first time to a mission, college, marriage, or to treatment for a life-threatening illness. Whatever the first challenge is, I promise you the Stripling Warrrior's formula works. Make the covenant to follow the Lord- make sure your mom trains you in righteous qualities- let mom teach you not to doubt God- keep the commandments with exactness- and pray for strength. If that first something is a righteous desire, the formula always works. I promise.

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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.