This is one of those intriguing topics I know less about, but a couple verses caught my eye yesterday so now we have a blog post exploring it:
10 And again, verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that have been ordained unto this ministry, that inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual.
13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected. (D&C 67:10,13)
Here, the Lord tells a group of elders why they haven't had the more heightened spiritual experiences they were seeking~ and I'm pretty sure He is no respecter of persons. The advice here is sublime. For the veil to be rent in front of us, for us to see Christ and even to have the ministering of angels requires three things:
A) Strip yourself of jealousies.
Jealousies in the LDS Church? Yes, it happens quite a bit actually. President Ezra Taft Benson nailed it when he described the thought process of jealousy..."if you succeed, I'm a failure." This includes excluding people socially, withholding church callings or any tactic to hold heads down because you're afraid of someone having a shinier moment than you. My dear girlfriend Missy said, "you rag on whom you're jealous of." So when you back bite, or habitually talk poorly of someone - look a little deeper and see what is going on. For us sisters, Sheri Dew did a splendid job of illustrating what jealousy looks and feels like among sisters (it seems brethren have some of this going on too). She called it the "Three C's ~ Competing, Comparing and Categorizing.
(Extra Reading: The Three C's ~ Competing, Comparing & Categorizing)
Don't be the one to begrudge another their gift or fortune, or allow that twinge of spite over another's lucky days. Even those whom you have little chemistry for. Karma is very real, and if you give into jealousy, you will diminish your own fortune in life (Alma 41:13-15). In other words, in holding others back or down, we ultimately hold ourselves back and down.
Dear President Holland also gave a delightful analogy of these same unkind dynamics found in varying degrees in different wards. "Furthermore, envy is a mistake that just keeps on giving. Obviously we suffer a little when some misfortune befalls us, but envy requires us to suffer all good fortune that befalls everyone we know! What a bright prospect that is—downing another quart of pickle juice every time anyone around you has a happy moment"! (Extra Reading: Quart of Pickle Juice)
One of the wisest things I've ever learned to do (and I wish I would have learned it years ago) when encountering someone else who is jealous or spiteful ~~ not to pick up the enmity they lay at my feet and engage with the ill will nor return the hard feelings. I just treat them like they're normal, as much as is feasible, and am pleasant with them without clamoring or groveling. Civility and kindness is never a regret, and leaves you at peace after the fact.
B) Strip yourself of fears.
Fear and worry are my old friends! In years past they were my constant companions.
Fear and worry are where you predict the worst possible outcome and suffer for it ahead of time.
It's hilarious when we map out just what it is ~ but we do it, don't we?
In this particular case, several prominent Elders didn't want to support the publication of the Book of Commandments (Doctrine and Covenants) because they were embarrassed by Joseph Smith's grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes as well as obsessing with Joseph's other flaws. They were afraid of being socially embarrassed. They predicted it would be a flop and would somehow reflect on them.
Yet the Doctrine and Covenants is one of my greatest treasures. What were they thinking?
What are we thinking when we fear?
Some very common fears in our time are financial and social fears. For example, we allow our preoccupation with money to crowd out some of the better and more elevating pursuits which potentially could fill our thought space and daily efforts. Instead our mental energy gets eaten up by despair and fear from the lack of money. Or even by the love of money and the drive to have more than we have. We push the Spirit away when we preoccupy ourselves or despair and fear over finances.
Nonetheless, those are such natural emotions and reactions to life's difficulties and I certainly wouldn't judge anyone for experiencing them. That would make me a huge hypocrite because I've been there. Luckily, there is a remedy...
Social fears (which are actually kind of related to money fears) can cause us to behave in unChrist-like ways. We miss out on meaningful connections and friendships because our poor self-esteems have to be seen in the right crowd with the right people with the right clothes and the right social status. We're afraid of how we are perceived, which in turn leads to us shunning or denying others inclusion. Peer pressure is a very real challenge to conquer. Peer pressure tends to behave the opposite of being Christ-like.
Some of the greatest friendships you will ever have will come from where you least expect it, if you allow it.
Two things help us eradicate fear. Trust and love.
When we love, it pushes out inferior thoughts and emotions and makes us quite brave.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18)
Love is intentional. It is often pre-meditated. To acquire love, we practice at it with thoughts and deeds. When we love, earthly values like money and social status take a back seat. Love is more powerful than any worldly pursuit or convention or intimidation. Love also leads to internal peace and confidence.
Which brings us to trust. Trust is the opposite of fear. Trust is the highest form of worship we can give to God. It is one of the few gifts we have to give to Him. Sometimes trust means taking one step at a time and letting that be good enough for now.
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. (Mosiah 4:9-10)
[And trust He sees you perfectly and that all experiences, both the self-inflicted ones and the undeserved hard experiences, have the great potential of elevating you ~ if you hold His hand or in other words, trust Him and look to Him.]
Jealousy and fear hold us back from heightened spiritual manifestations. Trust in God and intentional love busts up fear and probably jealousy as well. Trust and love also bring us much needed peace, confidence and well-being.
Which brings us to the third requirement:
C) Continue in patience.
I've recently re-discovered what a divine attribute and essential ingredient patience is. Here is another verse about patience and perfection:
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. (James 1:3-4)
[Trust that the trials of life lead somewhere important.]
Perfection comes from patience. Patience is all about how we react to life circumstances and respond to others. Perfection is measured by how we treat and how we engage with others.
Perhaps one of the best definitions I've ever heard describing true patience comes from Ezra Taft Benson (Lesson 24):
"Patience is another form of self-control. It is the ability to postpone gratification and to bridle one’s passions. In his relationships with loved ones, a patient man does not engage in impetuous behavior that he will later regret. Patience is composure under stress. A patient man is understanding of others’ faults."
"A patient man also waits on the Lord. We sometimes read or hear of people who seek a blessing from the Lord, then grow impatient when it does not come swiftly. Part of the divine nature is to trust in the Lord enough to “be still and know that [he is] God” (D&C 101:16)."
"A [person] who is patient will be tolerant of the mistakes and failings of his loved ones. Because he loves them, he will not find fault nor criticize nor blame."
Could this description ever be me? I want this to be me! This is one of the goals I mean to conquer by the end of the decade. Can you imagine how peaceful and powerful this kind of self-mastery would be?
These are some of the necessary steps to not only the ministering of angels, but also the veil being rent.
This has given me a lot to ponder and absorb.
Hope Christmas is wonderful for you.