Action and Preparation are actually two sides of the same coin. Preparation is a type of action, one geared towards an event in the future. Action in this context is to endeavor to live the gospel more fully, to apply the atonement of Christ, and to bridle our passions that we may be filled with love. We can Prepare to do these things, and many times we must prepare in order to be successful at them.
The antithesis of this concept of action is avoidance. The devil seeks to blind us to the true nature of ourselves and of God. He is the father of lies, and he starts by lying about us. If you listen to the father of lies, you will first lose your ability to love yourself as God loves you. Once you lose that, you are open to his manipulations. The blindness that is possible through avoidance is total. We can choose to close our eyes, God allows us even that.
Avoidance is a topic all its own, and I'd like to focus on Action/Preparation this week, so we'll table Avoidance for now.
You can always identify Action because it will lay a foundation for something greater to come. "You're either growing or you're dying, there ain't no third direction." Taking the bar exam is hard, but it lays the foundation for a career. Planning a wedding is hard, but that experience of shared sacrifice lays the foundation for a joint life as helpmeets. Raising children is a strain, but "children are an heritage of the Lord", laying the greatest foundation there is. God's plan is for us to grow up, towards Him. In order to climb that Spire, you must lay the foundation stones, piece by piece, in accordance with His will.
To do this is to Act.
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"You're either growing or you're dying, there ain't no third direction."
ReplyDeleteBig Tom Callahan, Tommy Boy