Sometimes, the only thing keeping us connected to a situation, especially damaging ones, is our emotional involvement. We easily get caught in the wave like movement of those emotions and allow ourselves into situations that we would reject under clear thinking. Tonight I sat next to a man on a plane that works for Fox. He told me that he would take his daughter to the sets where they were filming TV shows and she would see how it was actually done. Being able to see the fake cities that they used in NYPD Blue and the chocolate sauce blood in other shows gave her a new perspective on TV violence. Suddenly, her emotional connection to what was happening on TV completely dissolved. When a scary part would come on the TV, her dad would cover her eyes and she would say, "Dad, it's just chocolate sauce." She didn't really get involved in what was on the screen. She could see it for what it really was.

How often are our emotional attachments to situations based on false pretenses? I would say very often, especially the negative situations. People struggling with addictions are often caught up in the fantasy of the situation or the emotional roller coaster that they experience but if they could step back for a second, they would see that not only are they getting involved in an activity that isn't good for them, but it's something that they themselves don't even really want. They have no desire for the actual activity once that emotional attachment is severed. That is one of the reasons that we're told to count to 10 when we're losing our temper. If you can just give yourself a small amount of time to let the emotions settle, you'll be able to see more clearly. So, I think that this brings a whole new light to the mist of darkness that we're supposed to be experiencing during our lives here on earth. I'm not saying that emotions are negative things by nature, but they can be used against us to cause us to be blinded to the road we're on and the effects of our choices. Choosing to break that emotional connection can free up our ability to see clearly all of our choices and the paths that will follow each choice. So, if you're struggling with something in this life, try and learn to recognize the emotions that precede your slip. What can you do that would break those emotional threads before you fully act on them? What can separate you from what you're feeling and your actions so that you can see clearly?

Labels: avoiding temptation

In Mosiah 24, there is a group of good people following the prophet Alma. They have been placed in bondage and are submitting patiently to the all of their hardships. Within one year of this, the Lord had miraculously delivered another group of people under the direction of Limhi and Ammon. This other group got their guards drunk and took off in the night and we have no record of them stopping until they were safe in Zarahemla. The scripture says "...and they pursued their journey." Now, that group was Ammon and Limhi's group. Let's go back now to Alma's group. They were in bondage also, and seemed to be extremely faithful and worthy of miracles. Yet they find themselves in bondage and again, just a year earlier, the Lord had helped another group escape and find safety. In Mosiah 24:16, the Lord said to Alma, "Be of good comfort, for on the morrow, I will deliver you out of bondage." Alma gathered the people together and the Lord miraculously caused a deep sleep to come upon their guards while Alma and his people fled into the wilderness towards the same goal as the previous group, Zarahemla. God had obviosly shown his power in causing this deep sleep and showed that this faithful group of people would be protected. But here's where the account get really interesting.

"and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley...they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens and had delivered them out of bondage; for they were in bondage and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God.
And now the Lord said unto Alma: Haste thee and get thou and this people out of this land, for the Lamanites have awakened and do pursue thee; therefore get thee out of this land, and I will stop the Lamanites in this valley that they come no further in pursuit of this people."

Okay, so here's my question. The Lord obviously showed his power in making the Lamanites fall into a deep sleep. This was obviously a very righteous group of individuals. They traveled one day's journey and stopped in a valley to thank God for all that He had done for them. And the Lord practically interrupts their praises and says, "Get going. The Lamanites are coming and I'm not going to stop them until they get here." The Lord even tells them that He'll stop the Lamanites. He has the power to do that. So, here's my question. Why not stop the Lamanites where they are? Why let them get to where the people of Alma are right now before stopping them? I'm not second guessing the Lord, I'm saying I think that He wants us to learn something from this. Alma's people were released from bondage and went a day's journey and started to set up camp. The Lord released them, they didn't do it on their own. Do you think that the Lord might have been thinking, "You're stopping? What are you doing?! The Lamanites are only a day's journey away! And you're stopping?!" Now, there's a lot to discuss there. We could talk stopping our journey for even good things like praising God or the difference in attitude when we have to work for our escape and when it's delivered to us. But I want to point out that we all do this. How often does Heavenly Father help us to avoid sin and temptation only to have us camp ourselves a day's journey from the enemy? When we decide that we're completely done with sin, how far away do we really get before we decide to set up camp? Do we go until we're in the safety of our capital city with friends, leaders, and guards about to protect us? Or do we travel a day and decide to set up camp, even if it's thank the Lord that we got out of that one? I imagine what really happens most of the time is that we make our escape, but leaves crumbs along the way. We set up camp a day away and thank Heavenly Father that we've grown and we're doing so much better now and that the temptation may even be leaving us. "Wow, I can't believe how dumb I was. I'm never doing that again." But little crumbs of thought and habit might catch our eye and soon we're following that same trail we took out, right back in. It's not like someone came out to get us and pull us in. We're following our own trail right back there. And what's worse, when we realize what's happened and what we've done, we flee back out (sometimes by another of the Lord's miracles) and we set up camp again a day away. But this time, we're going to point our tent the other way and put a few things in the path that will stop us from going back there again. But that's the thing. We're not moving! We stop our journey in that same spot. Well guess what? It doesn't matter what place in the path to make it harder to back down the same road you came up. If you're sitting still, your mind and habits are going to draw you back into whatever you're supposedly leaving behind and with only one day's journey between you and that horrid place, it doesn't take long to suddenly say "What? How did I end up back here? What was I thinking?" So, will it be said of us "and when they had traveled all day they pitched their tents in a valley" or will it be said "and they pursued their journey?" Keep going until you're safe in the stronghold, surrounded by friends, guards, and strong walls. (Hint: Temple, Church...). Don't settle for the valley that's just a hill climb away from sin.

Labels: avoiding temptation, lds, scriptures