Mourning for the Wickedness Helaman 7:11-29

Helaman 7:11-29

Mourning

Sadness over things gone wrong. There is not greater sadness than a mother that has tried her best to love her children and see them choose wrongly. If you have ever put great effort and love into something that you hold passionately to your heart only to see it go awry, then you will know the mourning.

Wickedness comes when we chose anything over God. Wickedness comes when we seperate ourselves from the love of God, of family, of those that deeply care for us and have the ability to make us better people.

Words and Phrases

vs 11 mourning for the wickedness of the people - the people came to see someone cry out in anguish for their wrong decisions. The problem? They did not believe they were in the wrong. That's the problem of being in the wrong... you can't see it. You have to have someone who is in the light show you how to get back into the light before you can see the darkness you were once in.

vs 13 why have ye gathered yourselves? he hoped it was so that they could learn and discover God's word. But they gathered merely to marvel. A curiosity really. Is that what the love of God is? A marvel, a curiosity. To those who do not understand it, I suppose it must be so.

vs 14 exceeding sorrow of my heart - only those who know the taste of heaven can mourn for those who cannot know heaven. Only those who have lived the laws of heaven, have known the joy that comes from living the laws of heaven, can mourn for those who refuse to accept the love of heaven into their lives.

vs 15 yea are given away - what to we give away ourselves to? entertainment, vanity, laziness, greed, anything that does not lead us to heaven will give us away to what will not take us to heaven.

vs 16 ye have given way to the enticingg - bribery, luring, enticing words, aromas, anything that will keep us from doing the Lord's work.

vs 17 Why has he forsaken you? I believe the Lord does not forsake us. He stands ready to hear our every cry, but it us that forsakes him and draws away from his love and wisdom. We draw away from him. We draw away from his word, his laws, his love, his atoning sacrifice.

Sorrow comes to those who do not get their way. But real sorrow comes to those who do not follow the counsel of God's prophets, God's word, and allow his love into their lives. Mourning comes when we allow other things to steal away our hearts and forsake the wisdom that God has given us. The thing about God's love is that it is just that. It is love. It is there for us to take, to share, to accept, to help grow, and to help another being do the same. When we love.. when we truly love another being we learn to let the other things go... so that we can feel of God's love in our life. We don't always know what is right. But we can know of God's love. When we feel God's love then we can know what is right. When we feel his joy in our heart, then we can feel his love.

When we go against his love, his word, and his wisdom then we feel mournfully sorrow. When we see others do the same, we might feel this same sorrow. Why? Because we are connected to all other human life by the God who made us all. It is impossible for the sins of others in our community not to affect us.

When another in the community within which we live, choose to do serious wrong and we turn our heads and say nothing, we might be considered respectful to their private lives, but when this life begins to spiral out of control, who then pays the price.

I did not understand Nephi's lament yesterday when he remembered the time when his forefathers first came to the land and were happy because they kept the commandments. But today I do. It is a blessing to live in a town that prides itself on helping others in need, or works hard to see that everyone hears and knows the word of God in their own way. It is an easier way of life when everyone you live with honors and obeys the same God, the same laws, and the same ideals that surround these laws. But even if you do not, you can still help others see and know that God exists in your smile, in your joy, and in your faith. God lives in your life and he can live in everyone that you see and hear.

A Good Name: Wisdom Ecclesiastes 7 P

Ecclesiastes 7

A Good Name:

Layeth not his heart

In the house of feasting.

But seeks to mourn

With those who mourn

And comfort those

In need of comfort.

Strengthens his heart in sorrow

And considers a sad countenance.

Seeketh the heart of the wise

In the house of mourning

And leaves the fools to their mirth.

Hears the songs that upbraid,

With an excellency of wisdom

That is meant to make better the heart.

Waits with a patient spirit;

For a thing's end brings more

Satisfaction than its beginning.

Resteth his anger,

Not in the hasty

Bosom of fools,

But rather in

He that giveth life.

Sees wisdom in he

Who can see the sun

And knows from whence

An inheritance finds profit

Knows that both wisdom

And money bring protection,

But wisdom alone giveth life.

Rejoiceth in his prosperity

But considers God

In his day of adversity.

Balances his righteousness

So that he perisheth not.

And considers his foolishness

So that he lives a long life.

Fears God

With the strength of wisdom

That brings the sadness of truth

That he is a sinner.

Judgeth not others

For their cursing.

But knows of his

Own cursing.

Asks, how do I truly know

The wisdom that elusively

Stretches before me

And dives exceedingly

deep within me?

Will yet apply his heart to know,

to search, to seek the reason of things.

Realizing that a good name

May be found in

Only one man

Amongst a thousand.

Is a precious ointment

on the day of death.

Linda Conkey Shaw copyright July 9 2010

Wisdom. Why does it elude us so? Why do we think we are wise and find out we have come so short a distance after traveling for so many years? Wisdom is defined as having experience, knowledge and good judgment. Sometimes children seem to have more than adults.

One child who was celebrating his 5th birthday with his grandfather who was celebrating his 50th birthday, said to his grandfather, "Hey we are the same age, because zero's

don't count."

And they don't. And true wisdom helps us know that age is but a number on our journey of eternal life. Experience shapes our lives, but not necessarily the wisdom within us.

Children often surprise us with the wisdom they possess, not because of their knowledge or experience, but because of their lack of experience and knowledge. It amazes me with what they often can say and come up with as it relates to the world of adults. They see life so matter of fact. It is their naivete's, honesty, and limited perspective that brings them the wisdom that so often eludes adults. Untainted by the world "of foolishness", they serve to remind us of what our maturity has forgotten.

Jesus said we should see life as little children. I am often reminded of how much humility and joy comes from a little child. My youngest grandson has a smile that lights up my world. He enjoys life to the fullest. His smiles, laughter, and questions delight me. We were sitting outside (he's 5) and he noticed our lawn chair, and its ability to have its back lowered or raised. He began to look at it from all angles. Finally he said to me,

"Gramma, look see how high this can go? Gramma, look see how low it will go? Look what makes it stay high. See how this works?"

He is observant beyond his years. His wisdom lies in the structure of life. I marvel at how much wisdom he already has in learning to understand how things are put together.

My other grandson need only hear a song and he will sing it and then play it on the piano. I marveled at his piano talent at such a young age. His wisdom lies in the melody of life. Then there is my youngest granddaughter.(18 months) She speaks to us with sign language (and a few words) and manages just fine to maneuver all through her world of discovery. Her wisdom comes through her pure joy of discovery, and the delight of her soul in making all around her smile.

It is my prayer that we will discover that wisdom comes not only from knowledge, experience, and good judgment, but also from the pureness of a new soul that craves life and sees it all anew. I believe that if we can all remember this child-like wisdom of seeing the world through the magic of belief in ourselves, in others, and in all that we experience we might just find some sense of true wisdom and give ourselves "A Good Name".

Words and Phrases

vs 1 -precious ointment - for healing, for comfort, for relaxation, for safety. a good name.

vs 9 anger restest in the bosom of fools.- Be slow to be anger or be foolish in your actions

vs 12 wisdom giveth life - without wisdom there is little life worth living. Wisdom keeps life balanced. Different people have different talents for wisdom.

vs consider the work of God - this alone is wisdom

vs 15 just man perisheth in his righteousness - He who is so sure he is right and is unwilling to change.. He who is not humble enough to admit his faults will cause himself so much grief, that he will perish in his righteousness

Vs 16 neither make thyself overwise - too much of anything is not good

vs 19 Wisdom strengthened the wise - I think of McGuiver (television) He was very wise with all of his knowledge and could always get out of trouble with his knowledge. Knowledge can keep us from trouble and help us fight our battles. The wise know that they need not be physically strong to win a battle. I think of David and Goliath.

vs 20 - not a just man upon the earth - we are all sinners. We all make mistakes even the wise. especially the wise because they believe their wisdom protects them.

vs 24 exceedingly deep who can find it - somethings that we contemplate about wisdom are much too much to comprehend. We must do our best and then let it go. it will come in time. For me it was understanding what love was. I thought it was about saying a few words. Now I know it is so much more. It is doing, saying, living, and breathing for another that you love.

vs 29 God hath made man upright - He wants us to live a good life. Man seeks many different ways to wander from God. But if we want we can have wisdom and walk upright before God.