worldliness

Although all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are aware of their divine mission on earth, that mission is sometimes very hard to adhere to. We are commanded to be “in the world but not of the world.” In the quote by McConkie and Millet, it is very bolding stated that the problems in the church stem not from the harshness of the commandments, but from the Saints inability to “forsake the world” and simply follow those commandments.

The greatest trial that seems to afflict the Saints is that we can’t accept the fact that we are different. Why do we want to be different? There is the potential there to lose our friends, to be mocked and laughed at. Too often we try to maintain our social status or rise up the tier of popularity. We put other things before the church. We don’t want to be weird or different. But we are different. The friends that we would lose are not truly friends; and the ones that we don’t lose may someday join us in our quest. President David Bednar said, “We are a weird people. Let that weirdness work for you.”

We have been told it is impossible to serve two masters. We cannot “ . . . eat, drink, and be merry . . .” (2 Nephi 28:8) on Saturday and faithfully serve the Lord on Sunday. Even if church isn’t missed, the presence of a clear head and conscience will be missing. These petty things become more serious as one tiny step leads to another. I had a friend who decided to start going to parties with her friends. She said she didn’t drink, and her friends admired her for this. But soon she was drinking as well, though she said she was still admired because she was not sexually active. She thought she could do what they did and still stand for truth and righteousness. My friend was mistaken. It’s impossible. In the end, Satan won. She now lives with her boyfriend, doesn’t attend church, and doesn’t keep in touch with her parents – not the ones here on earth, or the ones waiting in heaven.

People don’t understand how it is to be looked at weird for being “The Mormon.” Labels are nasty things. We want to recognized for who we are, not what we are. Benjamin Hart told me that, “Being afraid of what people think of you will only bring you down. We don’t want to be recognized as different, and yet we all want to be individuals. The greatest need for human beings is to belong. But if we start to worry only about what the Lord thinks of us, we won’t care so much what other people think. These little difficulties will make us stronger.” This is very true. The need to belong is, although a temporal want, very strong. But being accepted doesn’t necessarily mean being loved. The world will accept whatever it sees fit to accept; but one wrong step, and the world will just as easily reject you.

It is one thing to be conscientious about how people think of us; it is another to let their opinions mean more to us than our own. When we begin to give up the things that matter the most to us to avoid mockery, we are walking into Satan’s net. This is what he wants to happen. Nephi mentioned something about this; he said that “ . . . after they had tasted the fruit they were ashamed, because of those that were scoffing at them; and they fell away into forbidden paths and were lost” (1 Nephi 8:28). This problem of caring too much of what other people think of us isn’t a new problem, faced only by our generation. The human desire to “fit in” transcends the ages. But the results, at least here, are very clear. Too many people release the iron rod, perhaps thinking they will grab it again after they have had their fun or made their “friends.” This thought is in vain. Though it is, of course, possible to grab a hold of the rod again, the effort it takes to find it in the darkness is very great. Rather than try, many will simply give up. The easiest course is to never let go.

Many people try to accept the world and assume Christ is hidden in the picture somewhere. But the gospel is not an upscaled version of “Where’s Waldo?” Rachel Lott said that, “Our focus must be on Christ. If we look in the right direction and concentrate on him, we won’t be lost. It’s easier to look at Christ and see the peripheral in the background than to look at the peripheral and see Christ in the background.” Once Christ has been found, the easy part is believing. The hard part is leaving everything else behind to follow Christ. Men are admonished that they must repent and live the gospel, giving up their earthly joys, if they are to have the full reward. This is hard for some people to hear; for the “ . . . guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center” (1 Nephi 15:2). Change is perhaps the most difficult thing for a person to do. Patterns are created, and we are defined by our lifestyle. Who wants to change what they are? But this attitude doesn’t understand the gospel. The only change that Christ offers us is for our benefit, and we will be happier in the end, liking who we are. Those who look at the gospel as a chore are missing a very important key. Many young people are willing to do anything to remain in good standing with the person they love. They crave that respect, that love, which the other person might give in return. If the gospel is truly understood, sacrificing worldly treasures for the love of Christ is hardly a sacrifice at all, but rather an honor.

Things from the world are not necessarily bad; but many people don’t understand that some things are, and these must be avoided at all costs. Old habits must be forgotten. “If you’re trying to drive forward, you can’t watch the rearview mirror at the same time” (quote taken from my mother, Linda Hart). Trying to stand with one foot in the world and the other out will only tear us apart.

The commandments don’t change for people as they get older, either. It never gets any easier; we just get stronger. Everyone is as susceptible, at any age and any time, to fall. Only by building up defenses may we remain strong. The path of righteousness is indeed a narrow path. If we try to take ornaments and treasures that are precious to the world with us, we will be overburdened. We won’t fit. Somehow, we have to let go of these things in order to “ . . . travel unencumbered down the narrow gospel passageway.” The first step? Faith. Like that famous mustard seed, a little bit of faith can grow into the power to keep us moving on the right track.

None of us can do it alone; we weren’t meant to. That’s why there is a Savior, there is an atonement. Because we believe what he teaches, we are different from the world. Only when we accept our divine nature will we be able to complete our mortal journey.