Course Corrections

Sometimes after church we review the day and go AKK, AKK about things that were not done correctly. Seldom are they GIANT errors, but they are small things that if not corrected will lead to false traditions or incorrect teachings. I had thought that once the branch was established, these things would go away. Then I remembered the Old Testament, where all the prophets kept trying to keep people on the right path. And I remembered the New Testament where Paul kept writing letters to the churches reminding them of the right way and counseling them to avoid errors. And of course the entire Book of Mormon is about prophets warning people and correcting false doctrines—of dissenters being beguiled by flattering words and choosing things pleasing to the carnal mind. And in spite of Paul saying there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” we have hundreds of different churches on the earth today.

In an aside, we were discussing baptism on Sunday and our Kenyan teacher commented that some churches baptize by sprinkling, some by putting a cross on the forehead, some by waving a flag over you, and some by having you jump across fire. Interesting. I didn’t know that. And I wonder if they have read the scriptures that say Jesus was baptized by immersion and he told us to follow his example.

So anyway, I was reminded of our former stake president who had a wife in the hospital with cancer. As he drove toward the hospital pondering and praying that things would soon get back to normal and they could resume a normal life. The Lord spoke to him:”Stan, this IS life.” So I realized I shouldn’t get upset at the irregularities. I should not expect them to go away. I should recognize that this is my lot in life: to recognize them and correct them.

Why do people say and do things that are not in harmony with God’s teachings? It’s the age old battle of good and evil. The “father of all lies” offers quick gratification and long term misery. The Father of Truth offers the difficulty of self-mastery in the short term, with joy, peace, and happiness in the long term. It takes faith that if we go through the correct way now, we can have great rewards down the road. So the reasons?

1. They don’t know what they should do.

2. They don’t understand how to do it.

3. They don’t understand why it’s important and the ramifications of error.

4. They don’t have faith enough to trust God it will work out better with more joy and happiness when they choose right.

5. They don’t care. (I don’t think many people here fall into this category.)

How else do people go off course? They listen to the wrong voice. Satan offers such beguiling ways that are pleasing to the natural man. “All roads lead to God.” Sounds easy. No responsibility to choose the right path. Whatever you do will be okay in the end. The problem is it’s not supported by scriptures. They say, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” And “Not everyone who sayeth Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” So one way to separate the cunning voice of the adversary from the truth is by reading scriptures.

The scriptures say: “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.” And immediately a voice whispers, “You can’t do that. You might as well not even try. It’s not going to happen.”And so we tend to discount that commandment, remain in our sins and expect it will all somehow turn out in the end. Instead, if we exercise faith that Heavenly Father won’t give us a commandment we cannot accomplish, we will put in full effort. There are some things we can become perfect at—paying tithing, being honest, etc. And some that while we may not be perfect, we can show great improvement—showing more love and kindness, forgiving others, etc. And ultimately we have the promise that if we put in our full effort, the Savior’s atonement will take us the rest of the way to perfection. So, indeed, we are much ahead by believing God and exercising faith and trying to keep the commandments, than by listening to discouraging words and quitting.

So I’m rambling. I guess what I want to say is that course corrections will always be there—for ourselves, for the branch, for others. We just need to be prepared to teach, to encourage, to help, to let them see the consequences of their choices, to help them increase faith and trust in God, and then pray that the people will choose what is best for them and for the church.

And now, a gratuitous picture: As we were visiting a member, we had some additional interest in our conversation.