What the Wise Man Built

I have been quite contemplative these past couple of weeks as I decided I would take time to truly investigate, meditate, and pray about the current political climate and the stance I should take. The greatest comfort to me was found in reading this invitation from the First Presidency about participation in this year's election. I will not be writing a post about my political views nor anyone else's; however, as I was reading the sections of the Book of Mormon that were on my schedule for the week, I appreciated the things the Spirit taught me about wisdom, freedom, and judges.

Just goes to show that when you have questions, even about politics, the gospel always has the answers.

One of my all-time favorite phrases from any book of scripture is found in Mosiah 23:13: "stand fast in the liberty wherewith ye have been made free." Christ truly is the spirit of freedom. He frees us from both spiritual and temporal darkness and death, "the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ" (Mosiah 16:8), "they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men" (2 Nephi 2:27). That freedom came at a great cost -- the cost of one perfect Soul to free the rest who would have Him do so. Actually, He did it even for those who don't accept Him as their Savior -- even they will be resurrected (2 Nephi 9:22).

In our current turbulent climate, I know that the best choice still remains what it has always been: choose Christ. How do you choose Him? Well, first of all by following the first principles and ordinances of the gospel: (1) faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (2) repentance (3) baptism by immersion for the remission of sin (4) receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost by proper authority (5) facing life with faith, hope and charity -- sometimes referred to as enduring to the end.

Along with that process of learning and believing, something essential to our ability to make good decisions is wisdom. I have found that true wisdom is a gift given only from God. People can educate themselves, have a lot of experience, and learn lots of things from lots of sources. But true wisdom comes from the fountain of all wisdom - our Heavenly Father. It is wisdom that requires faith, humility, and being "quick to observe" (Mormon 1:2).

The concluding chapters of Mosiah speak especially of government -- judges, kings, and rulers -- and mentions principles about wisdom that we would benefit from applying. "And now let us be wise and look forward to these things [potential political corruption], and do that which will make for the peace of this people" (Mosiah 29:10). What would make peace? How can we be peacemakers? "Let us appoint judges to judge this people according to our law... for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God" (Mosiah 29:11).

Wisdom is rare because we are constantly tempted by pride, justification, and seeking to get gain at the expense of others.

So I ask you to remember that primary song (if you aren't sure what "primary" is, click here; and if you don't know what song I'm referring to, click here), thinking of the words "the wise man built his house upon the rock." How interesting that he was building a house. Abraham Lincoln once referenced the Bible's words, "a house divided against itself cannot stand" (Mark 3:25). A wise man builds a house in such a way that it cannot fall -- clearly division and contention are not a part of that construction process. Also, I feel it important to note whereon he was building said house -- on a rock. One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon references the Rock on which the "undivided house" must be built: "...Remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Heleman 5:12). Oh how we desperately need our society to build its foundation upon the Rock. In this shifting world, He is the only sure foundation, the only sure place.

Alma was faced with political turmoil in trying to free Amulon's people from the dictatorship of the Lamanaites (Mosiah 23). The people were terrified of the tyranny of those who ruled over them, but instead of giving in to the heatedness of the situation, Alma directed the people toward God and therefore "they hushed their fears" (Mosiah 23:28). I realize that our nation, our "people" are also in the heat of division, confusion, and yes, fear. However, I know that there is one sure answer to maintain stability on a personal and familiar level even if not on a national or global level: be wise, and build a united house on the Rock. As we do so our fears may also be hushed, and in the midst of any amount of turbulence we may still find the humility and wisdom to "give thanks in all things" (Mosiah 26:39), "bearing with patience the persecution which [may be] heaped upon [us]" (Alma 1:25).

To end, I repeat the words of Mosiah, "choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given by the hand of the Lord" (Mosiah 29:25).