So I got a voicemail from Jason today, offering his election condolences, and asking me if I was "mourning the loss of the Republican Party, and wondering if the whole country was going to go down in shambles?" Sorry I didn't get back to you Jason, but this post will be my response. Actually, last night and this morning I was feeling pretty forlorn, being sure that the world would soon be going to Hell in a handbasket. And, I still think it may do, but then in a rare moment of meditation, I had an epiphany, what I would like to think of as a little spiritual prompting to give me some solace. So, I'll share it here with all of you.
As most of you are endowed, you will get my drift. Having recently served a two-month stint as #1 on the I.F. Temple endowment cast, I pretty much have the script memorized. I focus on it in that setting, but I don't often contemplate it out of the blue. This morning was different. I don't know what lead to it, but a certain part of the ceremony just popped into my mind, and I found myself mentally reciting it over and over. You can read the essentials of it in Moses 4, but I'll just synopsize and paraphrase it here to protect the temple version, and still get you to the applicable principle. As with most things in the temple, this is highly symbolic, but of course it thereby makes a powerful point. It relates to the episode where Adam and Eve have succumbed to the Satan's enticement and then admitted their transgression to the Father. He then calls Lucifer onto the scene and gives him a chance to explain himself. Lucifer attempts to minimize his guilt by blaming his actions on tradition, but otherwise directly admits what he has done - even the father of lies knows better than to lie to God. The Father then curses him, equating him with a serpent, a snake, to crawl on his belly and eat dust for eternity. Always having more insolence than brains, Lucifer then arrogantly threatens that if cursed, he will get even by wreaking all sorts of havoc, even to the point of having his followers possess the physical bodies of God's children. To that, the Father suggests the futility of such vengence because He will place enmity between Lucifer and the "Seed of the Woman," a reference which we know refers to Christ, the Savior and the God of this world. Then, again applying the serpant symbol, the Father qualifies that while the applied state of enmity will allow Lucifer sufficient power to bruise the Savior's heel, or in other words, to create some degree of opposition against the Savior's cause, the Savior will have the power to crush the serpent's head, or in other words, to negate his efforts and ultimately bind him for eternity.
That's it, and not knowing why, I mentally recited ver batim the script 2-3 times before I realized what it was supposed to mean to my present concerns. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting that our new president-elect, nor any of the majority democrat congress represent Satan in any way. I believe that although much of their ideology is misguided, they have good intentions, and I want to give them a chance to do the right things, once they recognize the full gravity of our country's present state. At the least we can hope that the remaining republicans and a mojority of the democrats will sense the need for moderation, to control the more extreme voices of their bodies. I sincerely hope they can turn things around. We should all pray for them, and us in that regard.
However, countering this hope, I concurrently believe that the lack of respect for life, the entitlement mentatlity and the lack of personal accountability that have become so prevalent in our country, and that are so openly promoted by the far left agenda, are in fact Satan's ways. Our country's diminishing dependence on God is certainly Satan's way. I also believe that anything that would challenge our rule of law, our divinely inspired constitution or that would promote socialism is Satan's way. I also believe that any measure that would diminish America's support of Israel is Satan's way (1 Nephi 21:21-22, Mormon 8:21.) I believe these are evil developements, which are a result of Satan's influence on man as he attempts to thwart the Savior's plan. We see increasing levels of these interests among our politcal leaders, both new and old. We see our countrymen's attitudes progressively giving way to these lamentable philosophies and practices, and I have feared that it could ultimately take our country down (Ether 2:8-12.)
So, this is where I've been lately, and I have feared that Satan has been winning. However, my above experience has put it into perspective, and I now see our present circumstance as simply a good heel bruising - we're experiencing a good case of plantar fasciitis - and although it is painful, it will not kill us if at least some of us remain righteous. Ultimately, through His atonement, the Savior will crush the serpent's head. Only the gospel and the atonement can provide that hope.
Dad
