Audio Version:
I had a late-night encounter with an unwanted houseguest this summer. I was walking in from outside and suddenly felt a sharp sting between my big toe and toe #2 – right where the two toes come together. (Yes, I was barefoot – don’t start.) As I yelped and lifted my foot another fiery sting caused me to yelp again. Then a THIRD time! By then I figured out what was going on and reached down to find the little creature. It was gone.
The pain was outrageous. I hopped around on one foot, focusing on controlling my language. I had stepped on a scorpion, and he made me pay. Thrice. Now I have stepped on scorpions a couple of times before, but they didn’t get their stingers up in time, and paid the ultimate price of being squished. This guy was different. When I stepped on him, he went between my toes and got his tail up and was going to keep stinging me until one of us escaped.
My son came in to see what the commotion was about. He grabbed a blacklight flashlight that we keep handy – just in case – and turned off the lights. The scorpion was on the ground right behind me. He was quickly reduced to a flattened ex-scorpion.
Thankfully I learned that I am not super allergic to a scorpion sting, but man, did it hurt! Within a couple hours my leg was numb from the knee down, and it took several days to get back to normal.
Of course any religious examination of scorpions will lead any Latter-day Saint directly to Elder Patrick Kearon’s awesome General Conference address that included a scorpion story. (You remember him: He has the excellent British accent.)
So I went back and read it. This time, something jumped out at me that has been on my mind lately, and is very timely with Conference coming up next weekend. Here’s what he said:
“When we choose another path from the one we know to be right, as taught by our parents and leaders and as confirmed to our own hearts by the Holy Ghost, it is like stepping onto the desert sand in flip-flops instead of shoes. We then seek to justify our lazy or rebellious behavior. We tell ourselves we’re not really doing anything that wrong, that it doesn’t really matter, and that nothing all that bad will result from letting go just a little from the iron rod. Perhaps we console ourselves with the thought that everyone else is doing it—or doing worse—and we won’t be negatively affected anyway. We somehow convince ourselves that we are the exception to the rule and therefore immune to the consequences of breaking it. We refuse, sometimes willfully, to be “exactly obedient” and we hold back a portion of our hearts from the Lord. And then we get stung.” (link)
Here is the line that jumped out at me: “We somehow convince ourselves that we are the exception to the rule and therefore immune to the consequences of breaking it.”
The idea of convincing ourselves that we are the “exception to the rule” is what I refer to as “looking for prophetic loopholes.”
Elder Ballard touched on that idea regarding those searching for loopholes in the Church. He said:
“Those who live according to Heavenly Father’s eternal plan will not want to absorb any information that is illicit or untoward, nor will they destroy their spiritual sensitivity through immoral acts or the consumption of any harmful substances. Neither will they search for doctrinal loopholes to find reasons to challenge the ordained leadership of the Church nor tamper with the simple truths of the gospel. They will not attempt to justify any lifestyle that is contrary to the plan of happiness. If they do any of these things, they will never find the inner peace and joy that living the gospel brings.” (Link) (Bold and italics added so you’ll notice)
Wait! There’s more!
President Henry B. Eyring added this:
“When a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and reasonable, squaring with what they want to do, they take it. If it does not, they consider it either faulty advice or they see their circumstances as justifying their being an exception to the counsel. Those without faith may think that they hear only men seeking to exert influence for some selfish motive.” (link)
This is especially applicable at Conference time, but also applies to any counsel given to us by our leaders. President Eyring added this testimony:
“Every time in my life when I have chosen to delay following inspired counsel or decided that I was an exception, I came to know that I had put myself in harm’s way. Every time that I have listened to the counsel of prophets, felt it confirmed in prayer, and then followed it, I have found that I moved toward safety.” (link)
There is a strong possibility that next weekend one of the prophets will ask us to do something that we might not be all that excited about doing. It happened recently when President Nelson asked us to stop calling ourselves Mormons, and the response covered the spectrum between some people immediately making the change to others saying they will never make the change.
There is a way to approach such circumstances that can help us from being stung, and keep us safe: When presented with a request, challenge, assignment or change from the Lord’s servants, the first thing we need to do is start adjusting our minds, hearts and lives to accommodate the change. Let’s call it a “Nephi Mindset.”
“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7)
Depending on the issue, the “Nephi Mindset” can be a difficult leap of faith, or it can be easy-peasy. Either way, I highly endorse it.
In contrast, those looking for exceptions and prophetic loopholes usually begin with the same word: “But….” In the immortal words of Peewee Herman, “Everyone I know has a big but.”
Do you have a big “But?” For example.
But…it’s really just a suggestion not a commandment.
I know what the prophet said, But… I think he meant something else.
But…I like the way I’ve been doing it, and I’m a good person.
But…plenty of people do it my way.
Often we respond to challenges with this specific “But:” “I am going think about it and wait and see how it plays out before I will commit. As soon as I am sure it is legit, I’ll get on board.” The problem with this “But Mindset,” is that it runs counter to the Lord’s order of things. “Wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith,” (Ether 12:6) The key word in that scripture is “after.”
Boyd K. Packer told of receiving guidance from the prophet Harold B. Lee:
“We once had a major decision to make. When our prayers left us uncertain, I went to see Elder Harold B. Lee. He counseled us to proceed. Sensing that I was still very unsettled, he said, “The problem with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.” Then he quoted this verse from the Book of Mormon, “Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith”
He added, “You must learn to walk a few steps ahead into the darkness, and then the light will turn on and go before you.” That was a life-changing experience from one verse in the Book of Mormon.” (link)
A “But Mentality” is reluctant to take such a leap of faith, and instead searches for loopholes and how to be the exception. Contrast it with the “Nephi Mentality” and a willingness to trust in the Lord’s servants, and the Holy Ghost and take the leap.
It is not a small thing to declare ourselves the exception to what the Lord asks of us. That option should only be explored after we have done everything in our power to adjust our hearts, minds and lives to comply. In many cases, it would be wise, and safe, to discuss our rationale with a Church leader before we try and squeeze through a loophole.
I’m not saying that there won’t be situations where an exception might be justified, but it is not frequent, and by no means is it a simple thing. We will be accountable for waving off prophetic instruction, just as we are blessed in complying with it.
The opportunity to choose between a “Nephi Mentality” and a “But Mentality” will most likely present itself next weekend. Last year at Conference Elder Neil A. Anderson said, “I testify that in this conference we have heard the voice of the Lord. We should not be alarmed when the words of the Lord’s servants run counter to the thinking of the world and, at times, our own thinking. It has always been this way.” (link)
Hopefully we can spend our Conference experience looking for ways to be like Nephi, instead of looking for loopholes, exceptions and buts.
P.S. Don’t get stung.
In the Oct 2001 General Conference, Bishop H. David Burton said: “It is said that a fence-sitter eventually has to come down on one side or the other. If we are sitting on the top of life’s fences, now is the time to muster the courage to stand tall on the side of righteousness and shun the shackles of sin.”
That thought has come to me more and more often in the last few years, as we see increasingly cunning tactics from the adversary and increasingly higher expectations from Church leaders to help us learn how to stand tall.
I feel that the fence is going to be shaken this weekend (and throughout the coming months), and if we’re still sitting on it then we’re about to find out which side we fall on.
Well done.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom. It brought to mind something I said while teaching the 16-17 year olds in Mount Vernon, WA, 27 July 1994. It came to my mind and I thought it profound enough to write down and keep.
“One of the greatest stumbling blocks for us members of the church is that we like to think of ourselves as exceptions to the rule. We rationalize and maneuver to fit the standards and commandments to us when we should be using our energy to fit ourselves to the standards and commandments. We will never be let into the Celestial Kingdom as an exception. We will be let in only when we fully conform to the standards set for admittance by our Father in Heaven.”
I remind myself of this from time to time when I feel a bout of laziness coming on. Endure to the end in faithfulness!
I love how a gospel topic can be supported with a Pee Wee Herman quote. Well said! I’m ready to listen and obey!
This was a fantastic post and I enjoyed listening to it, too! It’s nice to be able to choose either option, so thanks for all your hard work. It is appreciated.
Now, onto a story from President Packer that you might like. It came to mind while listening to your thoughts. President Packer was a mission president in Boston and shared the following experience in the April 1998 General Conference:
“As mission president, I attended a mission Relief Society conference. Our mission Relief Society president, a relatively recent convert, announced something of a course correction. Some local societies had strayed, and she invited them to conform more closely to the direction set by the general presidency of the Relief Society.
One sister in the congregation stood and defiantly told her that they were not willing to follow her counsel, saying they were an exception. A bit flustered, she turned to me for help. I didn’t know what to do. I was not interested in facing a fierce woman. So I motioned for her to proceed. Then came the revelation!
This lovely Relief Society president, small and somewhat handicapped physically, said with gentle firmness: “Dear sister, we’d like not to take care of the exception first. We will take care of the rule first, and then we will see to the exceptions.” The course correction was accepted.
Her advice is good for Relief Society and priesthood and for families. When you state a rule and include the exception in the same sentence, the exception is accepted first.”
(Source: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/04/the-relief-society?lang=eng)
BINGO, right?
Exactly.
This quote by President Packer was the first thing that popped into my mind as well, but I didn’t have time to look up the exact reference. Thanks for sharing it for me!
This is exactly what I needed to read today. I’ve been pondering about inspiration I’ve had on and off for the last couple of months (in reality, maybe even years.) I always have my big “but“ or questioning reasons why following the prompting may not work out rather than acting fully in faith on the inspiration and promptings I’ve received. In reality I believe I am experiencing a combination of doubting myself and doubting the Lord can make more out of me than I can do alone. It’s time for me to act in good faith, trusting and believing the inspiration and the path our Heavenly Father has for me and my family.
I’m so glad you’re back. I always want to be more than I am. More like the Savior. Thanks for helping me.
Thank you for the excellent article! I’m in 100% when it comes to the gospel and following the prophet. However, the rumors about the upcoming conference ‘blizzard’ have had me a bit concerned. Will I be strong enough to follow? In preparation for the coming snowstorm I decided that it would be a good idea to attend the Temple as much as possible over the last month. Recently we have been taught in our ward and stake (and ward council) that anyone can be lead astray, anyone can have a big “But…. ” moment. I don’t want that to be me. I want to be like Nephi and be able to follow the prophet without seeing the end from the beginning, without knowing the outcome, and without question.
Thanks so much for your post. It was exactly what I needed to hear.
Thank you! This is an excellent article. It also touched me so strongly on a personal level..crying…I’ll explain after the trial of faith passes..
Excellent, as usual….and thus we see how our behavior and attitude during and after Conference will help us mete out if we are Nephis or buts.
You have such a way with words and using these wonderful quotes to back everything up is inspirational.
As I’ve mentioned before and to everyone I know, I can’t wait for Conference!
Excellent! Thank you for the encouragement to have a Nephi mentality. Last conference Pres. Nelson encouraged us to choose a spiritual stretch. What could we do? We are already very active in church, follow a pattern of prayer and scripture study at home, and try to follow the commandments. We decided to attend the temple weekly since we have one near us now. Regular temple attendance led to a desire to write a little family history and to take our own family names to the temple, which were hard to find. It was so rewarding to realize there were generationally-close relatives whose work we could do. Last month I received permission from my father in law Weston to do the work of his sister and his sister in law. Weston passed away last week at age 94, and we had the memorial service just yesterday. I know that his sister and sister in law are grateful to him and to us for helping them progress and gain power and peace in heaven. The little family history I wrote was helpful to the grandson who gave his eulogy. Also – you get a star for quoting PeeWee Herman. I love that hilarious movie.