My Mormon Third Eye: I See... the Right Priorities of Family and Faith

Sunday, August 29, 2010

I See... the Right Priorities of Family and Faith

The Mormon Third Eye saw what it could see at the Restoring Honor Rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC yesterday. It was an inspiring event full of hallowed accounts of heroes in faith, hope, and charity. What the Mormon Third Eye saw, however, were two lasting examples of great, powerful men who, in the midst of their successful lives, had their priorities straight with their family and faith.

The first was the eminent industrialist Jon Hunstman Sr. He was announced as the recipient of the Restoring Honor Charity Merit award for his life-long commitment to philanthropy. I watched the reaction of the thousands of people surrounding me as they explained how he given hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the Huntsman Cancer Institute, and how he planned to die broke, which would involve donating two billion dollars to help those less fortunate. The crowd was awestruck, however, by his commitment to family; first, to the fact that he had nine children, and second, to the announcement that he would not be there at the rally in person to receive his award in front of 500,000+ people because... at that very moment, he was attending a granddaughter's wedding. This great man who knew fame and fortune also knew that family was a higher priority.

The second was rally organizer Glen Beck. He doesn't trumpet from the rooftops that he is an active member of the church, but he does run his life and his massive and influential talk show empire according to gospel values and principles. The Mormon Third Eye, through its intricate network of reliable sources, learned that Beck's “people” were encouraging him to schedule his Restoring Honor event this year on “912,” September 12th, capitalizing on a similar successful downtown DC rally held on September 12th last year. He refused, however, because September 12th this year was on a Sunday. Instead, he decided to hold the rally on 28 August, and deal with rabid criticism that he was taking advantage of Martin Luther King's classic “ I Have a Dream” address delivered at a large rally held at the same location 45 years ago. This faithful Saint risked the success of an event of a lifetime to keep the Sabbath day holy.

Where are our priorities?

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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.