Cup Check and Other Things

It is a rainy Saturday morning in June and I am eating a bowl of Oh's cereal (bottom of the box with the cereal "dust") thinking about things.  At this moment, I am 1/365th of the way through year 36 on this planet and I am taking inventory of my life and rethinking the world around me.

Maybe it's the John Mayer lyrics going through my head:

"Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No, it won't all go the way it should
But I know the heart of life is good"

Maybe it's more than that.  Maybe it is some crazy cocktail mix of an epic post by G-Money last week, the tail end of Atlas Shrugged, Thomas S. Monson ("the future is as bright as our faith"), Ether 12:4 ("hope for a better world"), last day of school euphoria, and the Mavericks coming back to beat the Heat.  Whatever it is, it's got me "checking my premises" and thinking about a whole lot of things:

Thing #1:

"Damn, it feels good to be me".  I am so incredibly blessed when I consider the people that I have in my life and the experiences that I have had.  I have health, family, friends, faith in the truth, bread, and a roof.  Yes, there is pain, loss, unanswered questions, ambition, a bigger waist than inseam pant size, and a mortgage payment for a house that is not worth the loan.  But, seriously?  I came in with nothing 36 years ago and I could lose it all tomorrow "in one turn of pitch and toss" and yet my heart would be full for what has been given. 

Taking it a step further, the blessed quotient goes off the chart when I consider what I have in the context of what I have done to "earn it".  I am not only a member of the Unprofitable Servant Club, but I am its President, Vice President, Secretary, and Seargent at Arms (what is that anyways?).  

Thing #2:

I think that I am wrong about the state of the world that we are living in.  I understand that things are not liked they used to be and there is a steady decline of all things good, but I think that I am underestimating the number of good people and the overall power of right in a world sliding towards the wrong.  You see, I am that guy who digs talking in social circles about the "signs of the times" and how the world is heading to hell in a hand basket.  I am always quick to cite world events and share an abundance of examples of what I consider to be "spiritual wickedness in high places".  But in doing this, I am finding myself turning a blind eye to the incredible goodness that still exists all around. 

Thing #3:

¡Basta ya!  (Translated=Enough!) Things as I see it have to change.  Things may not and probably will not change, so the way I see things has to change.  On this subject, I remember a lesson taught to me by a Mr. Benjamin Bush in a place another world away in a town called Rocha.  The setting is a rainy day and two young Americans are in a foreign hemisphere trying to share what they know to be true about God in rudimentary Spanish with the humble people of Uruguay.  Needless to say, we were not having any success and I was struggling.  I was pointing out everything that I didn't have, everything that was going wrong, everything that I had given up, and all of the rejection and persecution that I was receiving voluntarily at the hands of "these people" (sound familiar?).  It was then that Benjamin Bush changed my life.

He told me that it sounded to him like I needed a "cup check".  It was obvious that his idea of a "cup check" was not my idea of a "cup check" (not to be confused with the General Manager of the Lakers, Mitch Kupchak) .  He told me to check my premises and figure out why I was doing what I was doing.  He taught me that happiness is not dependent on ideal circumstances.  In fact, happiness was a choice and is 100% under my own control at all times and in all places.

This morning I think of that lesson and what it has meant to my life.  In the context of that day more than 15 years ago, I raise my of morning orange juice (half full) to Mr. Benjamin Bush (wherever you are) and I say let the world go where it is going be it fast or slow, but I will not let the choices of others distract me from my path or destination.  Nor will I let the current culture or climate dictate the way I see the world around me.  I will hold on to my belief that the heart of life is good.  I will hold out, believing that my neighbors are good people and that my country is created and preserved by God and led by well-intentioned people that may be misguided at times, not because they are bad, but because they are kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.

Thing #4:

Maybe it's because I am a Cub fan, but I believe that the good guys will eventually have their day and win.  After all, sure there are bad things happening all around us, but there are good things to.  Kids are learning about how to be like Jesus every Sunday in church.  People are accepting the gospel and being baptized like Jesus every day throughout the world.  Young and old men are taking upon themselves the authority to act like Jesus would act.  Every Sunday, millions of people around the world walk into church buildings beaten and bruised by worldly influences and walk out stronger saints healed by the gospel of Jesus.  Every Sunday, MY OWN SLATE IS MADE CLEAN through the atonement of Jesus and I get to try again to work out my salvation, forge my faith, and be better.  What more could I possibly ask for?

I know I, and others, have gone there already on this blog, but it really does boil down to the words of the poem/hymn, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

"I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
'There is no peace on earth,' I said,
'For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.'

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
'God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men.'

Till, ringing, singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!"

I will not be the guy who bows his head and doubts because of the current headlines and the decisions of those around him.

Last Thing:

This morning I have a new favorite scripture.  How can you not feel good about things when you read these words of revelation from the Prophet Joseph Smith...

"Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy.

Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. 

Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!"

Rain in June and cereal dust be damned!  Forward, not backward.  Courage, brethren!  Good times have been ours and are ours now.  I do not doubt that all things are possible and our best days are yet to come.