My Mormon Third Eye: I See… Our Most Formidable Enemy

Sunday, July 29, 2012

I See… Our Most Formidable Enemy

As we make our journey through life, we are bound to confront an enemy. Enemies which, if not properly identified and overcome, threaten our eternal destiny. Sometimes it could someone as simple as the school bully; more serious enemies arise in the form of addictions with the potential of altering our eternal familes- pornography, mind-altering drugs, etc. Today the Mormon Third Eye seeks to answer the following question- aside from the devil himself, from the among the amazing array of enemies, both temporal and spiritual, that threaten to destroy us, who or what is our most formidable enemy?

A careful, circumspect study of scripture stories reveals that mankind’s most formidable enemy is… us!

Two critical elements constitute a successful enemy- a wrong choice, and someone to make it. We are taught that Satan is the father of lies, but in order for those lies to hurt us, we have to choose to believe them. For example, we know that before Alma the Younger in the Book of Mormon was humbled by the appearance of an angel to cease destroying the church, one the many things he was guilty of was “giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them. “ Alma the Younger gave members of the church of God “the chance,” or option, of an evil alternative, but it was still up to them to choose it. When the Savior visited Ancient America, he taught the residents there that ”ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” My favorite reflection of this priority principle in the scriptures is King Benjamin teaching his people about the true nature of evil: “But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.”

I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer not to perish, so I’m going to watch myself, my thoughts, my words, and my deeds. Because of our God-given free agency, we truly are our own worst enemy. We can blame the world’s temptations on the adversary, but we must be held responsible for acting on them. The world needs a new scary sign on its front yard- “beware of man.”

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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.