Truth Lay Dead

All that I hear from the devil’s mouth

Is never question what I said

Oh, when I try to find

Where I’ve been lead

And the assault won’t stop

Until the truth lay dead

-The Echo Era

This is half of the chorus from one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands, The Echo Era. I love these lyrics a lot, and it's mostly because of how spiritually applicable they are. In 3 Nephi 18:18, it says "ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat."

Satan is bitter and angry, and he will never stop his assault on us, not until "the truth lay dead." He seeks to destroy our happiness and to pervert the simple truths the Lord gives us in the form of scripture and prophetic counsel. We are all trying to find our way, and we can choose whether to follow the Lord or not, and that choice decides what path we are going to allow ourselves to go down. 

Because the assault won't stop, we must defend ourselves. We must protect truth and light, and never, ever let them die in us. 

Ich Liebe Dich, Ti Amo, Je T'aime Cheri, I Love You So

So because of recent developments in certain areas of my life, I found a lovely section of the Topical Guide that makes me very happy: Family, Love within. This section obviously focuses on love between married couples and in the family unit, and I was interested in what the scriptures describe as a healthy, loving relationship. What do the prophets say about "true love?"

In Ecclesiastes 9:9, we find that husband and wife should "live joyfully." Titus 2:4-5 teaches us that women ought to "love their husbands...[and be] keepers at home."
I did notice, however, that when the scriptures talk about love and marriage, it seems to be somewhat of an unequal relationship, where women are nearly always describes as being subservient to their husbands. This never made any sense to me, because I've been taught my whole life that marriage is an equal partnership, a team.

So naturally, I looked deeper and ended up finding small phrases that really change the perspective of all of these seemingly unbalanced relationships. In Titus 2:5, after listing all the things a good wife should be, it is mentioned that all of it is so "that the word of God be not blasphemed." This indicates that it is the wife's job to make sure that in guarding and making her home, she also ensures that her family is aligned with God, and that includes her husband. This idea is further confirmed by D&C 121:41, "No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned." After all, "the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and...the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness." (36)

This puts all the other scriptures in a different light. Everything that women and men are counselled to do as husband and wife require the righteousness of the priesthood first and foremost. If the man is unrighteous in his dominion, then the woman has no obligation to follow him because her duty is to the Lord. I love this principle because it affirms the nature of marriage and how husband and wife work as a team. Neither is above the other, and they are one in purpose. It's about accomplishing things together and drawing closer to God, and that is what it should always come down to.

There Is No End to Space

If there's anything cooler than space, I'd sure be hard pressed to find it. Space, astronomy, physics; it's all astounding and I love it because it's such a direct testament of God. This week I had If You Could Hie to Kolob stuck in my head, so I decided to read through Abraham 3, since that's what the hymn is based on.

I love this chapter not only because of how cool it is intellectually, but because it gives me a very strong sense of peace. Oftentimes I get bogged down in the details, wanting to know how everything works, and I get frustrated when it doesn't happen. But this chapter always reminds me of the Lord's power.

"I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all." (Abraham 3:19)

He knows everything, and it's okay that we don't, because He does, and He will reveal to us what we need. It's okay that I have questions and that I don't know how everything works. It's not a sign of weakness in faith, but rather a testament to faith's strength. If we had no questions, there would be no point in faith, and ultimately, faith is what makes us strong.