Resistance and Submissiveness

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When I was younger, everyone at Church knew the story of Balaam. They knew it, not because of the principle it taught, but because they could talk about how "Balaam saddled his ass" and not get their mouths washed out with tabasco. Balaam is an archetype for many of us. He was a prophet in the land now called Israel, but he did not arrive there with Moses and his troupe. A rival tribal leader, having heard of how Moses defeated Egypt, called for Balaam to curse Israel and bless his people. Balaam went to that leader. His ass saved his life thrice enroute. When Balaam arrived, Balaam actually blessed Israel even though he had taken the bribe. You see, Balaam realized that life is about more than him or Israel. It's about discovering God's will and doing it whole-heartedly.

This is a common theme in the Old Testament. In addition to Balaam, for their strict faithfulness to their God over that of an idol we see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego thrown alive into a fiery furnace. Daniel is cast into a lion's den for his piety. Three unknown virgins are killed by fire. Then there's Balaam, who in addition to the leaders of Midian, was killed by the Children of Israel according to the commandment of the Lord. Sometimes we forget that the prophets were people, but we would do well to remember that the prophets were men of action. The Prophets are men whose names we know because they articulated and actuated God's will. Some of them became great men. Some of them died ignominious deaths. They didn't care about what was best for them; they actually did what was best in God's eye, because they understood that God's perspective goes far beyond our mortal probation.

Like Balaam, we resist God. Even as He tries to bless us, we insist that we know better, that we can do better, and that we don't need His help. We act like children and consequently come into dangerous circumstances. Sometimes, our ass saves us. Some of us die for our resistance. God allows this to happen because our disposition is decided, not based on what we do in life, but rather on what we have become.

I regularly meet people who tell me to keep my peace and make this blog private. I told one Wednesday night, "I don't care if people know what I think. I only care if they try to prevent me from living as I choose." Some of my close friends advise me against telling people what I know or think or learn on the premise that people might not be ready to hear it. In a way they are correct. I have realized that most people are not looking for truth. They secretly hope that the truth will happen to corroborate what they already happen to believe. I hope by doing this to get things to cross your mind so that you will think and reason and do your own homework with the intent that you will learn to be better because of my musings than I.

The fact of the matter that it isn't about you or about me. It isn't even really about politics; it's about principles, which is why over the last few months you may have noticed this blog take on a different tone. You see, I have realized that too many of these ordinary people in positions of responsibility talk as if they had power to exalt us when they can't even save themselves. None of them have walked on water, turned water to wine, healed the sick, raised the dead, or made the blind to see. None of them have paid for my sins; most of them don't even pay for their own. They want to distract us from the things that matter most, from the truth, and make themselves the be all and end all of our lives when they are actually completely irrelevant. Every one of them will die, and when they are dead, people will little note nor long remember them, no matter how many statues or bridges they name after themselves.

When I was 15 years old, a man named Blaine Yorgason taught me the true way to live life. Although it took me many years to understand, embrace, and decide to act upon this concept, I have come to believe in and act upon it, particularly in the last few years. You see, Blaine taught me the importance of submissiveness to the will of God. I no longer want to want what I want anymore; I desire to be what God knows I can be, and I invite Him to direct my life. In his remarks at that youth conference, Blaine explained that although we may not understand what happens in our lives, God knows and loves us, and He will not allow anything to happen to us that is not somehow calculated for our best eternal benefit. The longer we resist, the harder it is for us to fulfill our greatest potential as people. The people who don't believe in God are in the worst shape, and I feel sorry for them, because if there is no life after this one, everything they do is absolutely irrelevant. They are the people who call up Balaam and ask him to curse all of us who have Faith in Christ and believe His words. They resist God and consequently miss out on all He would offer them if they would be submissive.

It takes a great deal of faith to go out from Egypt, cross the Sinai, wage war, and build a civilization. It takes just as much in our day to act according to God's inspiration, especially when we are not sure we're doing what is right or if we heard the message correctly. That is noble faith, pressing forward into the darkness one step at a time only to find the pathway lit a few more feet before us. We cannot see the way until we begin to make our way. There's a reason why prophets are rare. It is difficult to trust. It is difficult to pack up your belongings, leave behind all you know, move out into the wilderness, build buildings, hunt for food, kill other people, and trust that you're not just following some lunatic with a stick into the wilderness. The bonus Moses's people had were that many of them had SEEN the MIRACLES he did before Pharaoh. How much greater is the faith of someone who has only cause to believe who still obeys! However, the message of the scriptures always has been: trust in God, and He will lead you to a land of promise.

Basically, what I am in my life, on my blog, in my classes, and in my free time is the best approximation of which I am capable to that which I believe God would have me be. Sometimes, like Balaam, I am shoved into the wall, stopped in my progress, or injured. Sometimes, I strike out at that on which I am conveyed through life because I cannot see. However, the events through which I was led in 2011 showed me more vividly than anything I have ever before experienced that if I trust in God, even if I set sail when the seas are tumbling rough and the gathering clouds dim my light, He will lead me to that land of promise, and I will be better off as I learn submissiveness to His will, His timing, and His commandments for me. I testify that if you will trust in God and become a little more tomorrow what He desires you to be than you are today that you will see His hand in your life and be able some day as I am to look back and see how He has brought you to your land of promise. I challenge you to practice submissiveness to His will, and I promise you that as you do, He will help you see the progress He has made and make you better off as a consequence than anything of which you might be capable on your own. That is the promise of His Plan of Happiness. This I know.