Keep the Lower Lights Burning

Note the lights on the shore

Even while those around us may be using Survival Strategies against us, we can live Paradoxically and feel Sustainable Joy despite them.  This is because Jesus lives.  It is because he is King of Paradoxical Strategies.  He walks with all those who will walk in his ways.  Now and forever.

Because that is true we have the power to Paradoxically “keep the lower lights burning” for our Survival children, spouses, family members, neighbors, friends, etc.  When we stay true to Christ, the party, the safety, the love, and the Sustainable Joy is always right here within the family.  Watch the following video for the story behind the "lower lights."

 

Listen:  “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy” A Cappella sung by Dan Ellison, Spencer Ellison, Steven Jensen and Trevor Nielsen

Figure 1 describes how Paradoxical Strategies--sacrificing first--might be difficult in the beginning, but overtime our ability to sacrifice and our faith increase.  This causes the perceived intensity of the sacrifice to decrease while Sustainable Joy increases. 

When we use Survival Strategies, we hurt other people.  They suffer and we don't...at least in the beginning.  What makes Survival Strategies bad for us are the end results.  They don’t last.  And things end up worse than they were when we started.  When we seek to get what we want first regardless of the desires and feelings of others, we end up not getting what we want at all.  Of course there is a draw to Survival Strategies because often times we do get what we want at first.  We may even be living the good life now, seemingly winning the game while others are losing.  But the issue is, that’s all going to end.  It never fails to end when we employ Survival Strategies.

Figure 2 describes the full story behind Survival of the Fittest Strategies.  In the beginning our perceived intensity of Joy is high.  We’re riding high.  Everything is great!  The sacrifice required of us for the Joy we’re receiving is minuscule.  We like it that way.  Get what we want for the least amount of sacrifice.  But over time, the Effects of Joy decrease.  What’s happening is our Effect Sensors are becoming numb to the Pseudo Joy.  Without an appropriate level of sacrifice, feelings of boredom, lethargy, apathy, and stagnancy are the result.  The initial Pseudo Joy puts a smoke screen up so we aren’t completely aware of the incremental decrease of real Sustainable Joy.  The Survival Effects kill our motivation to sacrifice.  If we don’t sacrifice at the level we’re capable of, we’re not working our faith muscles.  Atrophy occurs.  As the perceived intensity of Pseudo Joy wanes, normal level sacrifices seem over-the-top hard.  Even though we’re doing close to nothing, the perceived intensity of such a sacrifice seems beyond our capacity to bear.  This robs us of our motivation to sacrifice.  It makes us think we need to go hunting for more of that Pseudo Joy to resolve the conflict.  It turns our arrows to Survival of the Fittest Strategies.  We’re like a black hole.  We need to suck the Joy out of others to feel good.  We need to somehow regain that state of getting what we want for the least amount of sacrifice.  We’re basically forced to use Survival of the Fittest Strategies to obtain our desires and resolve our conflicts.

One very prominent Survival of the Fittest Pseudo Joy Effect is the acceptance and praise of the world.  When the world goes against Jesus Christ and his Paradoxical Strategies, it serves as a smoke screen to the real Joy we receive from choosing to live his ways.  Here are some examples.

Herod and John the Baptist
Herod was a man who was in an authoritative position during the life of Christ and John the Baptist.  He was a tetrarch, which is a governor of one of four divisions of a country or province.  When he heard John the Baptist teach, he believed in him but wasn't baptized.  Herod committed sin when he took his brother Philip’s wife unlawfully.  John called him on this and so Herod put him in prison.  Herodias was the name of Philip’s wife and she too was angry with John for calling them on their adultery.  She set up a scheme to trick Herod into ordering John’s death.  She had her daughter go dance for him and when she pleased him,

“...he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.  And she, being instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.  And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.” ~Matthew 14:7-9

So he believed in John and knew he was a man of God but because he feared losing the good opinion of the people, he folded under their pressure.  It’s a sacrifice to stand up for what is right and what is not generally accepted.  Herod would not make that sacrifice.  He feared the people more than he feared God.  He took the easy way out—Survival of the Fittest Strategies.  But what is it like for Herod now?  The majority of us who believe in Christ look upon him as a bad example.  He is not accepted among us.  We see that when presented with a challenge to choose Paradoxical or Survival, he chose Survival.  None of us would want to be governed by such a man.  He showed his true colors.  Full story found in Matthew 14  and Mark 6:16-29

Paul & King Agrippa
On the other hand, Paul was a believer.  He was persecuted, abused, beat, whipped, shipwrecked, and imprisoned but continued to stand for God using Paradoxical Strategies.  On one occasion he had to stand before King Agrippa and and another man in authority, named Festus, to declare his faith in Christ.  At one point Festus said he was mad. 

“But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.” ~ Acts 26:25

That’s a sacrifice.  To be accused of being mad when we are speaking the words of truth and soberness is painful.  It’s also totally frustrating.  King Agrippa almost changes his colors but then doesn’t.

“Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” ~Acts 26:28

The Paradoxical Results for Paul:

He is one of our most esteemed heroes and role models.
Agrippa—who is he?

Lazarus and the Rich Man
There are a couple of people in the new testament with the name Lazarus.  One was in a parable Jesus told. This parable demonstrates Survival and Paradoxical Results pretty efficiently.


“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” ~Luke 16:19-31

That’s a pretty clear warning about what our eventual results are going to be given our present choices.  But because we’re still in the middle of the game and we haven’t reached the final result, we may look around at the Survival people and think they’re winning and that it pays to use Survival Strategies.  But to this the Lord says,

“Your words have been stout against me...Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?  And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.” ~Malachi 3:13-18

This is the Paradoxical result:

“Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.  And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.  Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” ~Malachi 3:13-18

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” ~Matthew 6:33

Getting the House Clean
So let’s bring these epic scriptural stories and words of counsel down to our everyday life. As a mother, my endless desire is to get the house clean.  I want my kids to help with this.  How do I use Paradoxical Strategies as opposed to Survival of the Fittest Strategies to accomplish this goal?  If I put my desire to have a clean house above them, I get angry at them for messing it up and for not helping to clean it.  That is Survival thinking.  It will result in forcing them to clean and in them disliking cleaning.  I know this because I’ve not only tried it but am repeatedly sucked into this way of thinking.  But here is what my Paradoxical Cause has taught me to do:  Center your desires up on training them to make and keep their commitments.  Teach them that is how to obtain Sustainable Joy.  It’s the only way to develop confidence.  When you voluntarily make commitments with those you love and then keep them, you make that love an action word.  You grow the love.  You grow the Joy.  Train them to work out of love for their team, for confidence, for Joy instead of out of fear that they will get in trouble if they don't.

This is an endless battle for me.  It’s so easy for me to get frustrated because they don’t see or value the Sustainable Joy in it.  They don’t want to commit or keep their commitments.  They don’t see the value of this team—the family.  They want to belong to all kinds of other teams first.  They complain about not having any friends.  But why not start with the friendships made in the family?  Why not be a true friend here?  Then take those same skills and use them in their other relationships.  That is Paradoxical!

Kid Survival of the Fittest Strategies are seeking to be apart of all kinds of other teams without first seeking to be apart of the family team.  Fun and popularity are the readily seen Pseudo Joys they seek after.

I once watched the making of the “Lord of the Rings” with my kids.  Wow, those people were having the time of their lives working and sacrificing!  What would it be like to be apart of that team?  Everyone worked together on a common goal.  So many people made and kept their commitments to each other in order to bring about this amazing end product.  That’s Joy.  

So why can’t  the family’s goals be equally (if not way more) important?  Why can’t family members see that what creates that love, friendship, and excitement in the journey is everyone’s valuing the team, their fellow team members, and common goals?  Why go out looking for another team that’s more happening, more important, more fun, more exciting?  This is my answer:  It takes a leap of faith in Jesus Christ to choose to make and keep our commitments to our family.  “The Lord of the Rings” was already a hit movie when we saw the making of it.  The successful results were readily seen.  Everyone wants to be apart of a successful result but not everyone wants to take the risk of devoting oneself to an effort that doesn’t yet have a readily seen fun, successful ending.  However, because of all of the stories in the scriptures that witness to us of Jesus Christ, his Paradoxical Strategies, and successful endings we can see with eyes of faith that obtaining our own successful ending is only a matter of time.  That is faith in Christ.

“And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” ~Alma 32:21

Seminary Tables
I taught seminary a few years ago.  We had a stake scripture chase activity.  Students and teachers met at the stake center in the gym.  There were various round tables set up.  As the youth came in they picked what table they wanted to sit at.  I watched as a popular table formed.  A few kids were apparently the popular kids and others their followers.  After the popular kids’ table was filled with people, a couple of the popular kids got up and moved to a different table just to see if people would follow them.  The result was that many did.  Other did not.  Some who originally were sitting with us also got up to find the most popular tables.  No one wanted to be with the unpopular people.  And the unpopular people were the apparent losers.  The people who would not play this game just stayed where they were regardless of being left alone.  The popular kids were using Survival of the Fittest Strategies.  I know they didn't completely understand what they were doing but this whole scene made me sick.

Listen:  “Popular” from the Broadway play, "Wicked" 

So if kids do this with their own families, what the heck, right?  They are always looking to be where the fun and popularity is.  Fun first.  No work.  No sacrifice.  They want to be apart of the “in-crowd.”  They don’t want to be left out.  But all the while they are the ones leaving their family and others out, not caring about the first team they were assigned to, not realizing the joy and happiness that come from sincerely valuing what they already have.  And we demonstrate how we value our family by making and keeping commitments to them.  We all work together to live.  Why turn your parents into nags?  Why tempt them to turn to Survival of the Fittest Strategies to get you to do your part?  Kids live in the house.  They eat there.  They use the facilities.  They leave their stuff around.  Because they are partaking of the privileges of the family, they are inherently bound to the commitments.  When they complain, whine, and try every means to get out of keeping their commitments, they are Survival.  They are communicating through their actions that they will not love their parents or siblings through voluntary Paradoxical Strategies.  Now I know they are young and still learning and many are not even consciously doing this but that doesn’t change the fact that they are indeed practicing Survival of the Fittest Strategies to obtain their desires and resolve their conflicts.  That will bug us parents even though (or especially because) we have committed to Paradoxical Strategies.

How can a happy family be established with such people?  This is when the sacrifices parents have to make increase in magnitude.  It hurts.  And the pain lasts for so long.  In fact most kids don’t change their colors until after they leave home.  So how can there be love at home?  And why won’t they change their colors before leaving?  If they continue in Survival Strategies all the way up till they leave, they will never know the Joy that comes from pulling together as a family.  And without that, they are unprotected.  They will seek to be on every other team and never feel like they belong anywhere. 

Mice and Fairy Godmother symbols of Heaven's help.

So how can parents form a loving team in the face of most of their family members turning Survival?  It is imperative to have a team of people where all are working to make and keep commitments to each other voluntarily.  Who will be the team members if all the children are straying from the flock?

May I suggest that God the Father, his Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, and all the angels are apart of our team.  If we are choosing Paradoxical Strategies we have the whole of heaven on our side. 

Aragorn & the Spirits of the Dead Army
In the movie, “Lord of the Rings, Return of the King,” Aragorn is the leader of the armies fighting against an innumerable host of Orks.  The Orks are the bad guys and are using Survival Strategies to get what they want.  The good guys are way out-numbered and don’t know how they are going to defeat these creeps.  Aragorn gets the idea to summon the spirits of the dead.  Now these spirits are kind of scary and seem to have been bad during their lifetimes.  They are now living in an eternal hell.  Aragorn has the power to release them from this hell if they will change their colors now and fight for the good guys.  They do.  With their help the Orks are destroyed and the war ends.

Fear Not!
In 2 Kings another story like this takes place but this one is real.  The prophet Elisha and the people of Israel (good guys) are surrounded by the Syrian’s horses and chariots (bad guys) by night.

“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And [Elisha’s] servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?  And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.  And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” ~2 Kings 6:15-17

So the spirits of heaven who are on our side are not evil spirits that have a debt to pay to get out of hell.  They are spirits of light and love, who lived their lives Paradoxically while they were on the earth.  They are ALL on our side.  When it seems like we are too few in number and we’re left alone to do the work and to create love at home on our own, it’s important to remember that we are never alone.  Heaven is with us.  The party is here.  The happiness is right here in the family.  While we do have to wait for the Paradoxical results, when all people, motives, and deeds are made known, we don’t have to wait for the kingdom of heaven.  It is at hand.  And this is where Sustainable Joy comes from.  It is ours when we choose to obtain our goals and resolve our conflicts using Paradoxical Strategies. 

Ending with the beginning--lower lights metaphor: The lower lights on the shore may not seem very valuable. We may even feel like we're alone there. We may not even realize the impact we're having on the lives of our children and others. But when we keep our light burning and align it with the Light in the light house through Paradoxical Strategies, our light is the most valuable it can be, regardless of the choices and evaluations of others.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." ~Matthew 5:16

The Power of Love

Understanding that adversity is inherent to the Goal Achievement Journey equips us to deal with it without letting it defeat us.  Understanding that we have been given the power to incrementally increase the intensity of Sustainable Joy we experience through the use of our agency gives us the tools to defeat adversity.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” ~1 Corinthians 2:9

Most of us define adversity as having to deal with Survival of the Fittest people, natural disasters, accidents, our inherent needs not being met for whatever reason, and death, which includes the incremental approach to it through illness and disease.  All of these things bring us sorrow.  They are seriously hard to deal with. 

Adversity also includes temptation.  These types of Effects are used to lure us out of the Safe Spot.  They take down our forcefield so we are exposed more intensely to adversity.  As long as we use Paradoxical Strategies, we are protected.  But if we, like a fish, take the bait of temptation on the hook, we lose that protection incrementally.

“I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say.  But when you do not what I say, you have no promise”  ~D&C 82:10

Hard times can be a temptation for us to give up on using Paradoxical Strategies to obtain our goals and resolve our conflicts.  They tempt us to give up on Christ.  We speak our name when we demonstrate how we respond to them.  Do we give up on Christ or do we remain steadfast in him?  This is the whole purpose of our journey here on earth.  It is how we are being tested.  It is how God is determining just what substance each of us is made of.  Are we diamonds underneath a coal exterior?  Or are we dross?

See "Hold on Thy Way" by Elder Koichi Aoyagi

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
~"How Firm a Foundation", Hymn 85

While it is true that God doesn’t make junk, we can alter ourselves through our agency so that we become junk.  When adversity comes our way, we can defect from God and choose someone else to be our “maker.”

“I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.  Ye do the deeds of your father.” ~John 8:37-41

“And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.” ~Matthew 3:10

Personal Story
It never fails to lighten my burdens when I understand things from a higher perspective.  When I gain greater light and knowledge I’m being told a greater story or being shown the bigger picture.  When I see it like this, I understand what’s going on and cease to be tormented so much by adversity.  I’m telling the bigger-picture story, as I understand it, through all my blog posts.  I’m telling it because I believe it will also lighten your burdens once you understand it from that perspective.  To know that our overall mission is to use Paradoxical Strategies in the face of Survival Strategies is so freeing!  We don’t see others treating us badly as a judgment.  Yes, it’s hard and it brings us sorrow but we can deal with that adversity as long as we know it doesn’t mean we are bad.  And this is all because of Jesus Christ.  He says over and over again throughout his ministry that we are judged by our own works and not by how others treat us.  We are not judged by the adversity we have to go through.  We are judged by how we Paradoxically handle that adversity.  If people don’t like us when we’re doing all we can to follow Christ, it’s hard.  But it’s less hard because he likes us.  He loves us.  He won’t leave us alone.

We are not necessarily judged by the adversity we experience but how we respond to it.
“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilæans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilæans were sinners above all the Galilæans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” ~Luke 13:1-5

We are judged by our works.
“And even unto the great and last day, when all people, and all kindreds, and all nations and tongues shall stand before God, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—If they be good, to the resurrection of everlasting life; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of damnation; being on a parallel, the one on the one hand and the other on the other hand, according to the mercy, and the justice, and the holiness which is in Christ, who was before the world began.” ~3 Nephi 26:4-5

We are not judged by how others treat us.
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” ~Matthew 5:10-12

Listen:  Not Alone by Red

Adversity makes us spiritually stronger when in spite of it we continue in Paradoxical Strategies to obtain our goals and resolve our conflicts.

Survival Effects purposefully used to lure us out of the Safe Spot are the kinds of Effects Survival of the Fittest people seek after. 

“For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world? Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?” ~Mormon 8:37-39

Partaking of Temptation Effects provides us with pseudo Joy.  They are immediate and give us too much cotton candy peace and require us to sacrifice too little.  They are false because they are not sustainable.  They actually decrease over time so we have to increase the dose in order to just feel okay.  Eventually we cannot even manage to feel okay.  Everyday we feel sorrow.  This is like the Effect of drugs.  It’s the addiction trap.  Even most of the drugs that doctors prescribe do not have sustainability.  Doses have to be increased in order to maintain the same intensity of Effects but the negative side-Effects correspondingly increase.  Illegal drugs are like Temptation Effects.  Prescribed drugs are like Mercy Effects.  We cannot take any doctor-prescribed drug without a commitment to do all that is within our power to improve our health.  If we don’t do what we can we are taking the Lord’s name in vain. 

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” ~Mosiah 13:15

His name is Mercy.  It’s the Paradoxical Strategies others employ to assist us in our journey.

Partaking of Temptation Effects masks our separation from Sustainable Joy—the Paradoxical Effects that guides us in our Goal Achievement Journey. 

Because of this we lose sight of our goal and the pathway we need to take to obtain it.  Because these Effects provide us with a numbing kind of peace, they cause us to lose motivation to sacrifice.  When we don’t consistently sacrifice in Paradoxical Strategies, our faith weakens similar to muscular atrophy.  So by the time the Temptation Effects lose their effectiveness we have very little strength or ability to exercise faith in Christ.  Even the smallest of sacrifices feel overwhelming.  These false Effects actually confirm us when we’re off track so that the Effects of Adversity act as a kind of censure when we’re on track.  Every time we try to get back on track the inherent Adversity is overwhelming because we have become so much weaker than we were before.

“I Wanna New Drug” by Huey Lewis

Paradoxical Effects, as already mentioned, are the real Sustainable Joy we experience when we engage in Paradoxical Strategies to obtain our goals and resolve our conflicts.  At first these Effects may not be extremely powerful.  They guide us but also nourish us.  They are more like a healthy and tasty meal than chocolate cake with ganache filling (see blog post Joy).  They are what sustain us from day to day in such a subtle way we may not even be aware of them until they’re gone. 

Listen:  “Big Yellow Taxi” by Amy Grant

Paradoxical Effects are given in Mercy, which means their intensity is incrementally increased and decreased depending on our own actions.  In short, Paradoxical Effects are Mercy.  And Mercy Effects are not an all or nothing deal.  Slowly but surely they give us space and time to get it right.  They both warn us when we’re deviating from our pathway and confirm us when we’re on it.  They demonstrate they are our friends because they assist us in achieving our righteous goals instead of distracting us from them.  When we deviate a little we feel gentle warnings.  When we continuously deviate, the warning Effects become increasingly powerful.  This is a result of our separation from our General Paradoxical Cause—Jesus Christ—and the general pathway to obtaining Sustainable Joy.

When we continuously stay on the pathway, without deviating, the confirmation Effects (Joy) become increasingly intense and sustainable.  We basically rise to a higher emotional plane.  We experience a greater sense of well-being and overall happiness.  It is also true that if we deviate at this level the Sorrow we experience is much greater.  Over time Paradoxical Effects become so amazingly powerful that even the allurement of Temptation Effects have no power over us.   Why?  Because Paradoxical Effects are the most delicious, the sweetest, the purest, the best feeling we have ever felt and nothing compares to them. 

“And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?  And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.  And he spake unto me, saying: Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.” ~1 Nephi 11:21-23

“And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.” ~Alma 32:42

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” ~1 Corinthians 2:9 

Listen:  “Nothing Compares 2U” by Sinead O’Connor

When we develop our capacity to sense Paradoxical Effects to this degree the Effects of Adversity are more manageable.  We aren’t bowled over by our problems as much.  We are able to stand steadfast in the face of stronger and stronger winds.  We’re able to use Paradoxical Strategies at more advanced levels.  This is where Jesus was when he was required to Paradoxically sacrifice himself in Gethsemane and on the Cross.  It’s not that he didn’t suffer.  He did.  But he was able to bear such incredibly intense suffering without deviating to Survival of the Fittest thoughts, words, or actions.  He kept his heart full of love the whole time.  I don’t know about you but that is the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard of.  Through this intense suffering without ever turning, he developed his ability to sacrifice Paradoxically beyond the level that anyone else has ever obtained.

Watch this clip about Jim Caviezel's experience playing Jesus Christ in the movie, "Passion of the Christ."  (Note:  I can't say that I agree completely with Jim Caviezel's doctrine but the sharing of his experience is invaluable to me!)


I think that's what Jesus was going through X100 but he controlled his response process to it.  He felt the pain and felt the temptation to retaliate in Survival of the Fittest Strategies ("my humanity") but used his agency to see the bigger picture and the importance of loving to the end in Paradoxical Strategies.  In so doing he refused to accept and entertain those kinds of vengeance thoughts.  All of us couldn't do that.  There have been a lot of people who have suffered throughout history, many who have given their lives voluntarily, but none have been able to keep their hearts steadfast in love under the intensity of adversity and total irony of consequences as he had to endure.  He was their Savior!  He healed them!  He forgave them!  He taught them the way to everlasting life!  For which of these works did they crucify him?!

Remember that our Effects are the result of another person combining with or separating from us in thought, word, or action.  That action can even be done with our hearts as we wrap our hearts around others in pure love.  The more powerfully a person can Paradoxically sacrifice, the more intense his Effects.  So because of the At-one-ment of Jesus Christ, when he combines his heart with ours, we experience Sustainable Joy IF we are also sacrificing Paradoxically to the extent we are able.  When we separate from him and his Paradoxical Strategies, we feel Sorrow.  Thus we are motivated and protected by the love of Jesus Christ.  This is the Power of Love.  Everyone on this earth is sustained by this love to some degree whether we know it or not. 

Watch “Earthly Father, Heavenly Father”

Each of our choices to face our challenges with Paradoxical Strategies or turn to Survival Strategies affect our own proximity to the Power and Love of God.  The more we choose Paradoxical Strategies, the more intense and protective his Sustainable Joy becomes.  In essence, the Power and Love and of God is in us.
 
Listen to the end of this song:  “The Power of Love” by Air Supply

World Peace

There are two general ways we could choose to obtain our goals.  One is good.  The other is bad.  I refer to the good one as Paradoxical Strategies and to the bad one as Survival of the Fittest Strategies.

Galatians 6:7-10

Paradoxical Strategies
Paradoxical Strategies are seeking to achieve our goals by sacrificing first, waiting to receive last.   

“But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.” ~Matthew 19:30 

The goal of using Paradoxical Strategies is to obtain Sustainable results.  That’s why I call Paradoxical Strategies good.  The results are not temporary.  They don’t end after a short spurt of life.  When we use Paradoxical Strategies we put the work in up front.  In the end life gets better and our Joy increases in intensity and sustainability.  This is readily seen in fitness and nutrition.  When we take the time to exercise regularly and eat right, we enjoy a better, more sustainable state of health than we otherwise would had we not.

“Your choice of diet profoundly influences your long-term health prospects…Many older people suffer from debilitating conditions that could have been largely prevented had they known and applied the nutrition principles of today.  The chronic diseases—heart disease, diabetes, some kinds of cancer, dental disease, and adult bone loss—all have a connection to poor diet.  These diseases cannot be prevented by a good diet alone…Within the range set by your genetic inheritance, however, the likelihood of developing these diseases is strongly influenced by your food choices” (Nutrition, Concepts and Controversies, 10th ed., Ch 1 “Food Choicesand Human Health,” pg 3).

Also watch:  

23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

Survival of the Fittest Strategies
Survival of the Fittest Strategies are seeking to achieve our goals by receiving first and waiting to sacrifice until we are forced to do it.  Receiving first is focusing on what we can grab for ourselves right now.  That means we eat, drink, and be merry now and in the end, we pay for it (2 Nephi 28:7). But we don’t think about the end until it actually arrives.  The results we obtain using this method do not last.  They are only temporary and eventually die out, leaving us worse off than before.  Greater sorrow, pain, anguish, and remorse.  That is why I call Survival of the Fittest Strategies bad.  This way of obtaining our goals is also readily seen in the example of fitness and nutrition.  When we don’t take the time to exercise regularly and eat right, we develop health problems that otherwise could have been avoided.

Our Lord and Savior’s Way
Jesus Christ uses Paradoxical Strategies.  This method of achieving our goals is interwoven all throughout his teachings.  In the Sermon on the Mount he instructs us to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, love those who despitefully use us and persecute us, and to give more to those who would force us to give to them.  He tells us that if we seek to obtain our goals by saving our life, we’re going to lose it in the end.  But if we obtain them by losing our life, we will gain it in the end.  Quite the Paradox.  When we implement these strategies in our lives, we obtain Sustainable results—eternal life (Mark 8:34-38).

Our Savior’s entire life demonstrated Paradoxical Strategies:
 
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” ~Matthew 9:35 

He wasn’t doing those things to receive.  He was sacrificing his time and God-given talents to re-balance and lift others in their lives.  But in return he received this:

“...the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” ~Mark 8:31

The key is to look at the Paradoxical result: “after three days rise again.”  Suffer first, win in the end.

Listen:  “Jesus, Once of Humble Birth”

Developing Faith to Sacrifice First
It takes faith to sacrifice first.  It’s a leap of faith.  We can’t see the Results with our physical eyes so we’re not sure that what we’re going through is worth it.  In the beginning and maybe for a long time it looks like we’re the losers.  That’s hard.  Our Savior appeared the loser while hanging on the cross. That’s more than hard.  But with faith, we can know and FEEL that we’re on the right track.  Because Jesus Christ walked the Paradoxical pathway first, we can sense when we’re on it and when we’re off it EVEN THOUGH IT MAY APPEAR LIKE WE’RE LOSING in our Goal Achievement Journey.  We sense him.  We sense his Spirit when we walk with him.  Walking with him is living Paradoxically by sacrificing first and waiting to receive last.  And after our metaphorical three days, we too will rise again because of Jesus Christ (Alma 39:9).  

Children have a tendency to use Survival of the Fittest Strategies.  They don’t know about Paradoxical Strategies yet.  Some do and we are all amazed by a child’s faith.  But if you have ever watched two small children fighting over a toy, you know what I mean.  It’s about “me first”.  It’s about #1.

The song by Toby Keith, "I Wanna Talk About Me" is kind of a humorous depiction of looking at our natural way of putting self first in our relationships.

It’s easy to see how the Loggerheads can predominate with this mentality (also see It's My Party).  

“Me first. I wanna talk about me and my needs.”
  
“But what about me?  I wanna talk about me and what I need.”  

It takes time to develop the faith to live Paradoxically.  It can’t be forced.  The more we know, the more we understand.  The more times we actually live through to the results of a Paradoxical process, the greater our faith becomes.  We can make greater sacrifices.  We can deal with more pain or endure it for longer periods of time.  It’s like developing muscles.  When we consistently subject our muscles to strength conditioning, they get stronger and increase in their endurance.

The “end” isn’t just the end of the world or the end of our lives and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, although those certainly are ends.  Ends or Results come when conflicts are resolved, when goals are achieved, or when forgiveness and repentance takes place so that relationships are mended.

The Natural Man
We all seem to carry our childlike Survival Strategies into adulthood to a certain degree.  This is the natural man.  We’re all still learning.

“For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” ~Mosiah 3:19
 

The natural man is that “me first” side of the child in us that we want to grow out of.  The other side of the child in us is humility and faith that we don’t want to grow out of.  We need to hold on to that side because it is a characteristic in us that enables us to trust Paradoxical Causes to help us.  They sacrifice first for us, and wait for us to choose to pay it forward.

The goal of Paradoxical Strategies is to wean ourselves of natural man tendencies little by little, line upon line.  And wouldn’t you know it but the process to do that is to deal with other Survival of the Fittest Strategies, attitudes, and situations that are used against us by other people.  Trials and adversity that provide the refiner’s fire are the result of natural disasters and natural-man disasters.  But this is why we don’t have to go nuts when others treat us in a Survival of the Fittest way; unbeknownst to them they are just providing us with a chance to work our faith muscle out so that it will increase over time.  But our General Paradoxical Cause, Jesus Christ, won’t give us more than we can take even though some days it seems like he is.  It all works out in the end  Listen to this song by Group 1 Crew (feat. Chris August) called "He Said" that reminds us of this promise.

Taking the Lord’s Name In Vain
Serious issues arise when an adult (or even a child in some cases) who has been continuously treated with Paradoxical Strategies, chooses Survival of the Fittest Strategies anyway and won’t change.  The goal of Paradoxical Strategies is to increase our faith but it is also to persuade people engaging in Survival of the Fittest Strategies to change their colors (Alma 24:23-25).  We want them on our team.  We want them to defect from the Survival team.  We’re not ashamed of this goal.  We shout it to the world:

“We want you on our team!  We want you to leave the Survival team you’re on right now and join us.  Down with the Survival team!  Just so you know, the Survival team is going to lose in the end.  They always do.” 

We demonstrate what our team is by treating others with Paradoxical Strategies.  We say to them:

“This is what it is.  Check it out.  We’re not going to turn and revile again when you revile us.  If you need clothing, food, shelter, love and compassion from us, we’ll give it to you.  We’ll take care of you.”

Read:
3 Nephi 6:13
Mosiah 4:16-23
Mark 10:42-45
Alma 17:11
Alma 17:20-25

Everyone has something to offer, however small.  We may not be able to give back exactly what we receive, but we have something we can give.  We need to give it to turn our internal facing Survival arrows externally in Paradoxical Strategies (Mosiah 4:24).  I think this idea is very well said in the "Little Drummer Boy" Christmas song.  Listen to one of my favorite renditions of that song by Pentatonix:  Little Drummer Boy.

If someone receives all this kindness and love but continues treating us with Survival Strategies without any plans of changing to Paradoxical Strategies for an extended period of time, what the heck!? Right!? (Jacob 5:49-51) We are responsible for how we respond to a Paradoxical Team Members’ sacrifice for us.  What will we do once we receive their sacrifice?  Will we keep using Survival Strategies?  Or will we join their team and change to Paradoxical Strategies to obtain our goals (Parable of the Talents)?

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” ~Exodus 20:7

The Survival of the Fittest Team
Here’s the issue with Team Survival:  there are people on that team that are stronger than we are and PURPOSEFULLY operating in Survival of the Fittest Strategies to get what they want.  Their whole game plan is to take advantage of the weak.  They want to trick them.  They don’t want them to know what’s going on until they are completely trapped into habits that force them to be on the Survival team forever, being sucked dry of those who are stronger thereby being forced to suck dry those who are weaker JUST TO SURVIVE.  So they bait us with incremental temptations.  They start small because if they started big, we would see them for what they are and jump ship.  They give us a lot of something for nothing up front.  They say we don’t have to do anything for it.  We just receive lots of goodies, lots of freebies, lots of the vain things of the world like riches, honor, money, substance, fine apparel, stuff to adorn our churches, harlots, peer acceptance, and the praise of men.

“But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.” ~Moroni 7:17

“And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.” ~2 Nephi 28:21

“And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.” ~2 Nephi 28:22 

So when we choose to obtain our goals using Survival Strategies, we join that team.  We may be able to beat out those weak ones but don’t forget there are stronger ones lurking, hiding, lying in wait for the moment to take advantage of us where we are weak in the end.

"Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. And thus he flattereth them, and telleth them that it is no sin to lie that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him." ~D&C 10:25

The Great Tempter and Accuser
After we take the goods and become addicted to them, Survival people will blow the whistle on us.  They will stand there accusing us before God and men.  They will shame us and won’t let it rest.  In fact many Survival Causes will purposely tempt us out of the Safe Spot so they can then accuse us of breaking the rules and of being untrue to our God and unworthy of returning to him.  We actually think that is true.  We believe them!  And so for shame we won’t go back to our Paradoxical Cause.  We don’t reach for him.  We don’t repent.  We just wallow.  This keeps us in this cycle for years and years and years.  Hell.  Definitely hell.
 
“...for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” ~Revelations 12:10

“Laying wait for [Jesus], and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.” ~Luke 11:54

So Survival Causes have two strategies they use to lure us out of the Safe Spot:  Adversity and Temptation.  Once out, they have power over us.  And they shame us which basically prevents us from going back to the Paradoxical Team.  We feel like we don’t belong on that team anymore.  We think those team members will view us like a defector.  

Unfortunately there are people who are acting like they belong to the Paradoxical Team who will treat those who have defected but then want to come back, like Survival Team Members would treat them, with accusation, unrighteous judgment, and coldness.  These are wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).

Protection vs. Subjection
Paradoxical Causes protect us against Survival Causes when we remain in the Safe Spot—meaning we’re using Paradoxical Strategies.  But if Survival Causes can trick us into believing that Paradoxical Causes are just trying to subject us to them by putting fences up to prevent us from enjoying all the goodies, freebies, and vain things of the world, then we might actually fight against that protection (#Korihor).  They say it is our right to receive first and enjoy our “privileges.”  Gluttony is a right.  Lasciviousness is the joy of life.  They say receiving first is the way it ought to be.  The trouble is that it is not the way it is.  If we want Sustainable Results, we must sacrifice first.  The good stuff comes in the end and it comes forever.  It is the law. 

Time Limit:  Enter Justice
We can see that there needs to be a time limit for allowing Survival of the Fittest people or natural disasters to be the fire by which we are refined (1 Nephi 2:24).  If allowed to continue for too long the bad guys will take good guys out completely (Alma 27:12).  Some people would use their agency to repent for Survival Strategies once they have been loved by a Paradoxical person.  But there are some people who would take advantage of Paradoxical people, use their sacrifice for selfish gain, and never have any intentions of turning Paradoxical themselves.

 
Read:
Alma 1:16
Mormon 8:37
John 12:42-43
1 Nephi 19:7 

This is bondage for a Paradoxical person.  If Survival people are not kept in check by the laws of Justice, they would eat up the Lord’s vineyard, overrun it, abuse it, walk all over it like a carpet, live like a parasite on it. 

So that’s why there is another Cause that needs to be involved besides Paradoxical and Survival Causes.  This is the Cause of Justice.  It is our Father in Heaven and all those who are called to uphold the law.  So while Jesus Christ and all of us who have taken upon us his name take the Paradoxical role, the Father stays in the Justice role.  The Father tells us when we have bowed our heads long enough to a Survival person.  He is able to tell after various trials and much time that a person is not going to change his/her colors.  He allows his people (Paradoxical Team Members) including his own Son to suffer first but then in the result, he will sanction one of three strategies:

1.  Loss of Protection:  Exit Mercy
He will take the offenders out himself by not protecting them against stronger Survival Causes and natural adversities, which will eventually seize them.  Basically they get taken out by their own teammates

"And that great pit, which hath been digged for them by that great and abominable church, which was founded by the devil and his children, that he might lead away the souls of men down to hell—yea, that great pit which hath been digged for the destruction of men shall be filled by those who digged it, unto their utter destruction, saith the Lamb of God; not the destruction of the soul, save it be the casting of it into that hell which hath no end." ~1 Nephi 14:3

“Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.” ~2 Nephi 28:23

2.  Defense
Authorize and empower beyond their own natural strength his Paradoxical Team Members to defend their families, lands, country, rights, religion, and homes against the Survival Team

“And they were doing that which they felt was the duty which they owed to their God; for the Lord had said unto them, and also unto their fathers, that:  Inasmuch as ye are not guilty of the first offense, neither the second, ye shall not suffer yourselves to be slain by the hands of your enemies.  And again, the Lord has said that: Ye shall defend your families even unto bloodshed.  Therefore for this cause were the Nephites contending with the Lamanites, to defend themselves, and their families, and their lands, their country, and their rights, and their religion.” ~Alma 43:46-47

First Offense—the one who started the Survival fight.
Second Offense—This is when we continue in Paradoxical Strategies despite the reviling.  We don’t revile again but the Survival Causes just continuously walk all over that, which constitutes the Second Offense (1 Peter 2:23 , 3 Nephi 6:13).

“We would not shed the blood of our brethren if they would not rise up in rebellion and take the sword against us. We would subject ourselves to the yoke of bondage if it were requisite with the justice of God, or if he should command us so to do.  But behold he doth not command us that we shall subject ourselves to our enemies, but that we should put our trust in him, and he will deliver us. Therefore, my beloved brother, Moroni, let us resist evil, and whatsoever evil we cannot resist with our words, yea, such as rebellions and dissensions, let us resist them with our swords, that we may retain our freedom, that we may rejoice in the great privilege of our church, and in the cause of our Redeemer and our God.” ~Alma 61:11-14

But if the majority of Paradoxical Team Members defect to the Survival Team, seeking to obtain their goals in wickedness and forgetting to have faith in sacrificing first/waiting to receive until last, then they will lose their enhanced power to defend themselves.

“Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness; and they saw that the Lamanites were exceedingly more numerous than they, and except they should cleave unto the Lord their God they must unavoidably perish.  For behold, they saw that the strength of the Lamanites was as great as their strength, even man for man. And thus had they fallen into this great transgression; yea, thus had they become weak, because of their transgression, in the space of not many years.” ~Helaman 4:25-26

3.  Separation
Direct his Paradoxical Team Members to separate from the Survival Team (1 Nephi 2:1-2, Exodus 3:7-8, 2 Nephi 5:1-6).

When Paradoxical people are separated from Survival people, the Survival team can no longer have them as their slaves, taking advantage of their mercy.  In reality, Survival Causes are taking advantage of our General Paradoxical Cause’s mercy (Exodus 20:7).  This is their craft (Alma 35:4).  It is how they survive.  There’s only so long that the Father will allow that to happen.  If it is defeating the purpose of strengthening Paradoxical people’s faith or winning over Survival people to the Paradoxical Team, he will end their relationship either by natural disaster, war, or separation.  This is what is referred to as “ripe for destruction.”

“Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe.”
~Alma 37:31

When the freebies (#Mercy) of Paradoxical Team Members are taken away, Survival Team Members have no choice but to repent and join the Paradoxical Team or they will crash and burn.  If they still refuse to repent, they may choose to start a war upon the Paradoxical Team because they can’t subsist in a closed group.  They will eventually kill each other off (#Crash&Burn).  They need to feed off of a Sustainable source to live.

This is why we can never obtain world peace as long as Survival of the Fittest Strategies live in us and in the people among us.  If we want the wars, terrorist attacks, and natural disasters to stop, we must each voluntarily choose Paradoxical Strategies and strive to win others over to that team, allegiantly trusting that Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father have our backs.