Life
used to be easier, it used to be way less complicated. When our parents and grandparents were
living, things were much simpler. Life
has changed because of technology and blessings that we have been given in this
day and age. With the gifts that God has
given our planet, it has also changed the way we have things available to us
spiritually as well.
Scientists
have made us aware of the fact that the atmosphere that surrounds this planet
is changing. We get warnings all the
time to stay safe in the sun because the ozone layer is thinning. Yes they would have us believe it is because
we are all full of hot air and that we are destroying ourselves. I have always had a difficult time accepting
this fact. Yes there is a significant number
of people on this planet, but there is even a larger portion of unpopulated
land mass. It just didn’t make sense to
me.
When
changes that take place on the planet, there is no doubt that changes will take
place with us as a human population.
Because that’s what we do…we evolve.
The way we are today is different, our innerness is changing. There is more light that is currently making
it’s way to the surface of the planet, and at the same time the knowledge that
has been given to us is growing exponentially.
I
was talking to Colton a while back on how different things are just in my life. I remember watching tv and being so
disappointed when one of the 3 stations that existed wasn’t working. Today we have hundreds of stations that play
non stop if you have satellite or cable tv.
Even if you don’t pay for a service, you have the ability to watch
thousands of channels over your wi-fi connection with any smartphone that fits
into the palm of your hand. When I turn
on my electronic obsession of choice, most of the channels go unused because
they hold no interest for me.
I
remember having a car that needed to be registered and at the time we were
living in Seattle. We wanted to register
the car in Oregon and so one morning I got up,
showered and started my drive. It
was probably a 7 hour drive, and yes I managed to do it all without a cell
phone, computer, smart watch, or an in car GPS.
I recall getting to the DMV and registering the car, calling home to let
them know I was headed back and then doing just that.
A
miracle in todays world.
Remember
how people used to actually write letters?
You had to actually write or type on a piece of paper and put it in the
mail. Now we have the internet and
anything that we want to communicate can be sent almost instantaneously. In fact we are almost angry when things don’t
happen at the speed of light.
There
is a quickening in every sense that has and IS taking place. Heavenly Father is bathing us in his
light. I have a theory that in fact the
atmosphere is changing and physically allowing more light (Light of Christ) to
reach us on this planet. Because things are
ramping up. These are the last days that
we are living in that have been spoken and written about for so very long.
You
can FEEL it….I CAN FEEL IT.
In
Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, Lehi talks about the Large spacious
building, the rod and the tree among other things. His view of the rod follows a path that leads
us through life. Hopefully one that we
hold to for guidance. I
have a slightly different view of my rod.
My rod goes straight up…towards
heaven. Heaven is where my tree of life
resides.
The
real interesting part of his vision is the building. We usually view it as the world around us and society at
large that is making fun of those that are striving to be better. I have a different view on this as well. Usually
when we think of a well built building we envision a strong foundation. One that will resist stress and damage caused
from outside sources. A good foundation
goes deep and is built with the best materials that we have access to.
The
building as I see it is each one of us.
The bottom floor is our foundation.
Our tribe are the people that we first come into being with. They help us to
define our foundation. It is our family,
our church, our teachers, our friends…the people that we spend the most time
with. We need this tribe of ours to teach
us right from wrong. How to treat
others, and how to work. We need them to
give us our foot hold in life.
If
you have ever been in a busy city with high rises, you know that the view from
the bottom floor is not always a great one.
It can be messy with garbage that has been tossed as people go about their
day. It can be very noisy with traffic
and people rushing to their own destinations.
It can be downright unpleasant. As
we make our way up the stairs of the building our view changes. The noise is a little quieter, you can’t see
the garbage as well, the air is a little cleaner and you can breathe easier.
Go
all the way up to the penthouse and the view is vastly different, perhaps even
feeling like a different world. Up on
the top floor the noise from the
street doesn’t even find it’s way up.
There is no garbage because it is too far below to even come into
view. The air is so fresh that you open
the windows and leave them open, something that would not happen on the bottom
floor. Leaving the windows open on the
bottom floor leaves you vulnerable. On the top floor the sky is alive with
stars. Stars that were not even a
thought on the bottom floor because of the streetlights blocking their light.
Moving
from the bottom floor up is not always an easy thing to do. The people that live with you on that bottom
floor don’t want you to move. They want
you to stay with them. Change is hard,
and most people don’t like change. When
you decide to move up a level or two, they might try to talk you out of it or
make you feel guilty, or try to hold you back.
When
you get to even the middle floor and tell them how beautiful the view is, that
there are mountains, and maybe a lake or even the ocean they may not believe
you because to them it does not exist.
When you get to the top and tell them of all the stars, and that you
sleep outside under them they will call you crazy, because they would never
think of doing such a thing.
In
the story of the Tower of Babel – their climb was external as they attempted to
climb up to heaven. This is not the kind of climb that we want to make, It is all by show and forcing our way into
heaven. Our climb is different, though just as difficult because it is an inner
climb. Our climb cannot be seen by the
outer world unless we allow others to see it, or they see the actions we are
taking in order to accomplish our transition.
In
the Story of the Ten Virgins we know that there were 10 women waiting to go
into the wedding. When the time came, 5
found that they did not have enough oil in their lamps to join the wedding
party and went to search for more. By
the time they were able to obtain more oil the doors were closed and they could
not attend. Each and every one of us has our own lamp that must be filled with
our own oil. At this time in our lives,
what is the “oil” that fills our lamps?
In
girls camp one year, the leaders presented each girl with a small jar. They were instructed to keep this jar with
them at all times. Each time they
attended something they were given a small drop of oil. Each time they were present for flag
ceremony, each time they attended prayer, each time they were at one of the
classes or going on a hike, they got a small drop of oil. They were only there for a few short days,
but the girls that were doing what they were asked to do ended up with a much
larger amount of oil than some of the girls that decided to sleep in or not
help with the meals.
It
is by the small and simple acts that we choose to do each day that will enable
us to move higher in each of our buildings.
In so doing we also put drops of oil into our lamps so that when the
time comes we will not be left in the dark.
So really….as in the story, we can’t borrow oil from others. It is an action that each of us little by
little, every hour of every day, must do of our own accord.
What
do some of those acts look like? Well
for one prayer. It doesn’t really matter
what you call the one that you pray to,
as long as you do it. Give thanks to your
source for all that you have been given.
Acknowledge everything in your life, the good as well as the not so
good. It is in the not so good that the
growth occurs and this is where our strength comes from. Little acts of service are also on the
list. Anything from making the bed for
another, washing the dishes, giving someone a lift home, picking up a hitch
hiker, raking leaves, shoveling a driveway, and just sharing a smile with
someone that is down. Keeping the promises that you have made with
others is huge in my book…this one has many layers. The list is really endless.
One really important thing to remember, is to not get stuck on the lower levels. This world can be a challenge to the best of
us. Each day is an opportunity to be
just a little bit better. There are many
things in life that are not inherently wrong, but if we get stuck in them and
don’t climb then what is the use? In
this world we need jobs. That is just a
fact. Yet if that is what we concentrate
on and make it our only focus, we may always remain on the lower floors. Yes we might have the biggest house on the block, and die with the most toys, but in the end all you have is toys and those don't go with you. Even hobbies such as exercising, and playing
a sport can turn into addictions and keep us from taking the steps to where the
fresh air is.
Personally,
I don’t want to live on the bottom floor.
When you decide to move up a level, it’s going to make others
uncomfortable because they will feel like they should be moving even if they
don’t want to move…and that’s ok. We need to remember that there will be times when we are meant to move up to those upper floors alone. Many times we are asked to take steps that take us away from others. We are
meant to move on our own time and at our own pace. So if you feel the need or desire to climb those stairs, just remember that you are never alone. There are always others there helping us along our journey as we take those difficult painful stairs...even if we can't see them. Hopefully others will see us climbing the
stairs to the new level and at least want to come up and see how the view
is. Often times this will help encourage
people to want to change because they see the higher view.
The
energies on the planet are changing, and with that our view is changing. The real question is, does the energy make
you feel curious enough to see what is on the upper floor, or are you just
going to stay in the noise and pollution?
Come with me up to the penthouse…I hear the view
is amazing
_____________
If I could give a gift to
you
It would be a gift of light
sent with God’s eternal love
to show you with perfect
sight
how wondrous is his love for
you
for each of us on earth
he sent us here to learn his
plan
to learn of our royal birth
His light shines down upon
us all
bathed in eternal love
if we but look then we will
find
the wonders from above
It shines from every living
thing
even from the grains of sand
scattered as a billion stars
as we journey here as mortal
man
-->
Elaine Rudd
