Are You an Eagle In a Chicken Coop?

Whatever our personal Destiny, we can compare it to being an eagle that was born to soar through the skies.  But what would happen to an eagle and its Destiny if it was raised as a chicken?  Watch the following video to see.

We may end up in the chicken yard because of our own choices or because of the choices of others.  Usually, it's a combination of both. Our caretaker may be like the kind old man in the video who only had good intentions or it may be someone more like Mother Gothel in the Disney movie Tangled. 

When we develop numbed AND scattered Effect Sensors it's like being trapped in a chicken yard without any way to escape.  And we may not even have a desire to escape because we have no recollection or idea that our life could be any better.  When we have continuously chosen to ignore the guidance of Causes who want to assist us in becoming the eagle we were meant to be we also numb ourselves to their sustaining comfort.  They are always there and always trying to help us get out of the chicken yard but we want to do things our own way, the way we have always done them.  These choices cut us off from being able to sense Real Effects. 

"Our responsibility is to ‘receive’ that which our Father offers. ‘For unto him that receiveth it shall be given more abundantly, even power’: power to receive all that He can and will give us—now and eternally; power to become sons and daughters of God, to know ‘the powers of heaven,’ to speak in His name, and to receive ‘the power of [His] Spirit.’" ~Elder Kent F. Richards

We scatter our Effect Sensors when we continuously go to multiple conflicting Causes for comfort and guidance without choosing one to remain allegiant to.  Even as we refuse to listen to our eagle trainers, our ears are wide open to listen to all the other chickens in the coop.

"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" ~Ephesians 4:14

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." ~2 Timothy 4:3-4

When we numb our Effect Sensors, we are left in a vulnerable state.  We may have made it so we don't have to feel the trials and adversity of an eagle but more intense adversity is always on its way.  With numbed Effect Sensors we're blind to it until it hits us.  Pseudo forms of comfort and guidance have limited protection. When Adversity surmounts them we'll be left defenseless. That's when the fear sets in and we start scrambling for other Causes and their Effects like chickens fighting for food or pecking order.  When confronted with this kind of challenge and we still don't return to God, we will be forced to rely on Causes that conflict with him, who have selfish pecking-order reasons for offering their support.  Relying on selfish Causes for extended periods of time scatters our Effect Sensors and creates pecking-order chickens out of us. 

When our Effect Sensors are both numbed and scattered we feel like we're trapped in the chicken yard and have no recollection of the sky and the mountains where eagles soar. We forget that we were born to fly. There's no way to break out...unless we repent.

"Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;" D&C 19:15-17 

"The captive exile hasteneth, that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail." ~2 Nephi 8:14

"Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?" ~Isaiah 49:24

"As I pondered the history of Dresden [a city in Germany completely ruined by bombing in World War II] and marveled at the ingenuity and resolve of those who restored what had been so completely destroyed, I felt the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit. Surely, I thought, if man can take the ruins, rubble, and remains of a broken city and rebuild an awe-inspiring structure that rises toward the heavens, how much more capable is our Almighty Father to restore His children who have fallen, struggled, or become lost?" ~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Repentance
Now I know that the word repent has a negative connotation in the chicken yard because it is assumed that if someone tells us we need to do it, they are accusing us of sinning. This was the case in a story from the Book of Mormon when a missionary named Aaron was trying to teach a group of dissenters about Jesus Christ and his Atonement. The following scripture verse is the dissenter's response to Aaron's invitation to repentance (his invitation to become the eagle he was meant to be). So even as he sits in the chicken yard trying to maintain his pecking order, he says:

"Thou also sayest, except we repent we shall perish. How knowest thou the thought and intent of our hearts? How knowest thou that we have cause to repent? How knowest thou that we are not a righteous people? Behold, we have built sanctuaries, and we do assemble ourselves together to worship God. We do believe that God will save all men." ~Alma 21:6

The issue is all of us who know better have the need to repent continuously. It's part of learning how to fly. We're always drifting to one side or the other of the balance of purity. That's a fact. Repentance is good news! It's how we can break out of the chicken yard. It's the means by which we get out of the pecking order game the world and its Conflicting Causes are playing.

"And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption." ~Alma 34:16 

"May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals." ~President Thomas S. Monson

Sin
The word sin also carries a negative connotation in the chicken yard.  If we can think of sin as the mistakes of a repentant person, we can get around all the Toxic Shame and Blame of the pecking chicken society.  If we recognize what we have been doing wrong--what hasn't been working for us, and seek to rectify the situation, the sin becomes a past mistake.  If we deliberately continue doing what's wrong and seek to justify ourselves in it, it remains a sin.  

We're all just trying to learn how to fly.  We're not going to be doing it perfectly right now.  That means there are some things that, even as we speak, we can improve upon.  Imagine that!  Fearing to admit we're wrong (when we are), or admitting that we still have some things to learn, because we think it reflects on our worth is a dead end street.  

Viewing the situation objectively is the key.  Dynamically being willing to be corrected where needed and holding steadfast where needed is the secret to the eagle's flight.  And it's about having the desire to continuously improve our technique while we still have a chance, instead of sitting back at the top of the pecking order in the chicken yard and thinking we've already gained all the knowledge and abilities possible to gain.  Maybe we have come a long way from the egg-hood, but that doesn't mean we've come all the way. 

"However far we may wander from the path, the Savior invites us to return and walk with Him. This invitation to walk with Jesus Christ is an invitation to accompany Him to Gethsemane and from Gethsemane to Calvary and from Calvary to the Garden Tomb. It is an invitation to observe and apply His great atoning sacrifice, whose reach is as individual as it is infinite. It is an invitation to repent, to draw upon His cleansing power, and to grasp His loving, outstretched arms. It is an invitation to be at peace." ~He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Adversity
Often times the reason we're spending our time pecking around the chicken yard and getting into chicken fights is because of the Adversity we have experienced.  Adversity can come from someone else pecking us to smithereens or it can come from random adverse circumstances.  While Adversity comes and indeed has the potential to cause us to respond like angry defensive chickens, there is a space between stimulus and response for eagles. We don't have to peck back.  That does not mean that whoever or whatever is causing the Adversity is justified.  They may or may not be.  It just means that because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have the choice to soar regardless of what is done to us.

"When trust is betrayed, dreams shattered, hearts broken and broken again, when we want justice and need mercy, when our fists clench and our tears flow, when we need to know what to hold onto and what to let go of, we can always remember Him. Life is not as cruel as it can sometimes seem. His infinite compassion can help us find our way, truth, and life." ~Elder Gerrit W. Gong

"God rarely infringes on the agency of any of His children by intervening against some for the relief of others. But He does ease the burdens of our afflictions and strengthen us to bear them, as He did for Alma’s people in the land of Helam (see Mosiah 24:13–15)...Through all mortal opposition, we have God’s assurance that He will “consecrate [our] afflictions for [our] gain” (2 Nephi 2:2)." ~Elder Dallin H. Oaks

We can become the eagle we were meant to be.  We can achieve our Destiny if we remain allegiant to our eagle trainer instead of defecting to Conflicting Chicken-Yard Pecking-Order Causes when the going gets tough.  It is up to us to keep our Effect Sensors sensitive to that trainer.  If we've developed numbed or scattered Effect Sensors, we have the option to repent because of our Savior Jesus Christ.  We have the option.

"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free. He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you." ~Helaman 14:30-31

Eternal Tapestry

In the last few blog posts I've focused on our Destiny and the conflict of not knowing our Destiny.  We may have an overall destination and plan for our lives or we may not.  We most likely have a general idea but are still working out the specific details.  I call these specific details our Inherent Desires.  They are the threads of a tapestry that form the complete picture of our Destiny. I mentioned that we also have Desires that conflict with our Destiny.  They sidetrack us.  But discerning which Desires are distractions and which ones are apart of our Destiny is hard.  It takes time and experience to figure it all out.

If you're presently all tied up in knots about a decision you have to make, this blog post might be helpful to read.  In the post I focus on why we have Conflicting Desires and how we affect our ability to sense our Destiny and weave our Eternal Tapestry when we don't use our agency to make a choice between them.

Pseudo Desires
In the Desire Obtainment Process, the goal is to identify our Inherent Desires and ignore or let go of every Desire that conflicts with them.  Desires that get in the way of obtaining these are Conflicting Desires.  The types of Desires that usually get in the way are the kind that tempt us in the beginning but enslave us in the end.  They are adulterated versions of our Inherent Desire.  They mock it similar to how bait on the end of a fishing hook mocks the real food a fish would eat. When we obtain these mock or Pseudo Desires, we also obtain a hook in our mouth.  In the beginning this Desire may have seemed like a windfall but over time things get worse and worse.  Pseudo Desires result in addictions to substances.  They result in bondage-like relationships with Conflicting Causes. These addictions and conflicting relationships decrease our life-expectancy and interfere with the healthy relationships we need to build to obtain Sustainable Joy.  They rewrite the code of our Destiny so that we are blinded to our real one.  Desires, when they are inherent, end in balanced relationships that are sustainable where all members give and receive continuously to everyone’s satisfaction.

A Pseudo Desire is like the Maka-Fekes described in the following video.



"The adversary offers counterfeit solutions that may appear to provide answers but take us even further from the peace we seek. He offers a mirage that has the appearance of legitimacy and safety but ultimately, like the great and spacious building, will collapse, destroying all who seek peace within its walls." ~A Pattern For Peace by Bishop W. Christopher Waddell

"Here on earth, however, our thoughts and actions become encumbered with that which is corrupt, unholy, and impure. The dust and filth of the world stain our souls, making it difficult to recognize and remember our birthright and purpose." ~He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

“And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint…And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” ~Genesis 25:29-34

“Which of us would sell his birthright for a mess of pottage? Isn’t it advisable that we direct to our own selves the question raised by the Savior: ‘… what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’” ~What Will a Man Give by Mark E. Petersen

Satisfaction Level
We have the responsibility to choose between Desires to determine which are inherent to us and which Maka-Fekes.  It’s not black and white.  There are good, better, and best Desires.  That means that many Desires may fall somewhere between completely satisfying and not satisfying at all.  It's up to us to tell our Heavenly Father through prayer, thought, and action which of all the Desires out there satisfy us.  And I don't mean satisfactory--mediocre, average.  I mean satisfying, complete, fulfilling. 

True conversion to a moral way of life happens when we identify our Inherent Desire and a Cause that enables us to achieve it through the balance of his grace and our works. 

Listen:  Something That I Want by Grace Potter from the motion picture Tangled

I remember a time in my life when I was trying to identify an important part of my Destiny, an Inherent Desire that meant everything to me. I had been back and forth in trying to decide what was possible and right and what was not.  Looking back on the few months prior to that, which were recorded in my journal, I saw that my Cause--the Lord--was trying to convince me that what I really wanted was possible and even part of my Eternal Tapestry but I couldn't believe it.  Finally, a day came that was a major turning point in my life. I realized I had explored all other possibilities as far as I could and saw that none were ever going to work out. It was like the sun had been gradually coming up behind the mountain for a long time. Hints of its existence had been beaming through its morning rays. Then suddenly, I saw the first golden arc of the sun itself rising above the peaks and was convinced.

The only possibility left to me was this one seemingly impossible road. So I took it. I leaped in faith and said I believe this is possible. Again, I had been back and forth and back and forth but something finally changed in me that basically enabled me to cross the threshold between faith and knowledge. The Effects I experienced upon making that choice were deep and powerful. They were similar to how I felt when I had other spiritual experiences that testified of known truths. And that's when I knew this pathway was the right pathway. It was the only way I knew. When I thought of this Inherent Desire and listened to the above song (Something That I Want), I was on fire with light. I was motivated like never before to do good and love others even in the face of the adversity that would be mine as a result of choosing this pathway.

Adversity Level
Desires can also be conflicting to different degrees. They may be just a little bit conflicting or a lot conflicting. To continue the fishing bait and hook analogy, we may end up with a cut lip when we get tangled up with a Desire, which causes us to experience a degree of short-term adversity. Or we may end up in the frying pan, which causes us to experience an extreme degree of long-term adversity. But the catch is that all of our Desires require us to experience some conflict throughout the Desire Obtainment Process in order to obtain them. That's sacrifice. Anything worth anything is going to cost us something. But we need to ask ourselves, "Is this Desire worth this sacrifice?  In the end, will this Desire leave me destitute or will it be Sustainable?" When it comes to our Eternal Tapestry we're looking to develop sustainable relationships. We don't want short-term fixes that will never last. We're trying to work out our salvation here--our retirement, our eternal life. The only way we can do that is if we keep our Effect Sensors sharp to the Effects of our God.

Not all Conflicting Desires are Maka-Fekes. We can have a conflict between two Desires that are both good. In fact, sometimes both are so close to our Inherent Desire according to our Effect Sensor readings that we are in a serious conundrum. Sometimes the Resolution Process is just about making a choice between them after studying both options the best we can and then leaping in faith. It is possible that both could return Sustainable Joy to the satisfaction level of everyone involved. The problem is that if we don’t make a choice between them, neither of them will return it in the end.

There are two reasons that Conflicting Desires exist:

• The Fall
• Scattered Effect Sensors

The First Reason:  The Fall
The first reason that Conflicting Desires exist is the Fall.  With it came opposition. Opposition gives us different Desires to choose from. Having different Desires to choose from enables us to state loud and clear who we are. We're able to test different ones out and assess what we think of them. There are good and bad ones. There are better and best ones. And remember, it's not all about what we receive, it's also about what and how we give.  Giving Desires a test drive is about seeing how we feel about the balance of those two Processes--giving and receiving for that Specific Desire. How do we like having both those responsibilities and those privileges?

In our choices, sometimes we make mistakes and experience lots of grief. But because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, those mistakes don't have to be permanent. The Atonement enables us to learn from our mistakes instead of being condemned by them. In fact, we are supposed to test different things out, while not taking advantage of this blessing, so that we can determine the Joy from the Sorrow, the good from the evil, and the Inherent Desire from the Pseudo Desire. We communicate to God what exactly we need in combination with what we’re willing to do to be happy. So thankfully, we do have the Fall AND the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Because of this remarkable situation that we are in and the remarkable gift of our Savior, we have this space and time to make up our minds.

"To be tested, we must have the agency to choose between alternatives. To provide alternatives on which to exercise our agency, we must have opposition." ~Elder Dallin H. Oaks

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility." ~2 Nephi 2:11

"Although it is imperative that we choose wisely, there are times when we will make foolish choices. The gift of repentance, provided by our Savior, enables us to correct our course settings, that we might return to the path which will lead us to that celestial glory we seek."~Choices by President Thomas S. Monson

"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 Second Reason:  Scattered Effect Sensors
We scatter our Effect Sensors by developing relationships with two or more Conflicting Causes and engaging in two or more Conflicting Desire Obtainment Processes for extended periods of time. We try to obtain two or more opposing things at once. We try to please two or more opposing groups of people. The state of our Effect Sensors is not altered if we do this while we're trying to figure out which Desire we should choose in the beginning. That is using the Atonement wisely. The state is altered over time. It is when we continuously divide ourselves between two opposing relationships we are actively developing. That is using the Atonement in vain. It is dishonesty. 

We gain knowledge of laws through the Effects we experience when we engage in these Conflicting Processes. When we ignore these guiding Effects and continue in our Conflicting Desire Obtainment Processes, the dishonesty leads to becoming discrepant, false, and hypocritical.  Some other words in the dictionary that come up as synonyms are pretender, plaster saint, phony, fraud, and fake. The point is, we have to hide one relationship that we're developing in one Desire Obtainment Process from another. We have to carry on some kind of deception to do this. But what we're really doing is deceiving ourselves. Who are we? The one person or the other? When we do this for a long period of time, we lose our identity, our distinctiveness, uniqueness, and singularity. We lose our Destiny and birthright. We develop bad habits and dysfunctional character traits that we can't help. We bring ourselves into spiritual captivity.

"And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice." ~Moses 4:4 

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." ~Matthew 5:13

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." ~Revelations 3:16

We use the Atonement appropriately when we're not purposefully seeking to deceive anyone with the Conflicting Desires we're trying to obtain. We are just confused as to which, of all the Causes that are influencing us, we should listen to. Which of all the roads available to us should we go down? If we listen to and expect validation from Conflicting Causes on a continuous basis, we end up sacrificing in Willy-Nilly ways that distract us from giving all we've got to one or the other. We're dividing our loyalties. Spreading ourselves too thin. And there's no way to determine which is best when we experiment upon them both at the same time. The one becomes a confounding variable to the other. We've got to study it out in our minds, come up with the best hypothesis, make a choice between them, and then try it out, actively believing it is our best option. We stop trying to obtain the other.

When we engage in Desire Obtainment Processes over long periods of time, we obtain Results.  Our Eternal Tapestry becomes deeply woven. Thread upon thread upon thread. Relationships are built. Habits are formed. Strengths, talents, and abilities are developed.  Effect Sensors are changed for better or for worse. In essence, Effect Sensors are who we are. They are what enable us to be alive, feel alive, feel Joy, and acquire Knowledge. Their condition depends upon the use of our agency to identify and ignore Pseudo Effects and things that are irrelevant to our Desire Obtainment Journey and to identify and pay attention to Real Effects and the things that are relevant to it. 

If we engage in Conflicting Desire Obtainment Processes over long periods of time we obtain Conflicting Results. We develop Conflicting relationships. We form bad habits.

Because we're continuously putting our trust in Conflicting Causes, our Effect Sensors become scattered. We become inherently confused, fearful, or skittish. This causes us to be even more indecisive with our Inherent Desire.

"Wherefore, the word of the Lord was fulfilled which he spake unto me, saying that: Inasmuch as they will not hearken unto thy words they shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And behold, they were cut off from his presence." ~2 Nephi 5:20

Scattered Effect Sensors is a condition within us where we are never satisfied because we can’t obtain either Desire. Our Processes remain in that difficult developmental stage without ever transitioning into the sustainable stage--abilities, talents, skills, good habits. We can't please all the Conflicting Causes that are involved. We can't remain allegiant to any one of them. We’re not satisfied with the validation of one because another rejects us (see the story about Haman). We look on everyone as our Cause and rely on the number of people who validate us to determine our value. If the number is high enough we feel good. When it goes down we feel worthless. 

Actively pursuing Conflicting Desires over an extended period of time is misusing our agency. This misuse scatters our Effect Sensors. With scattered Effect Sensors, we lose our ability to identify our Inherent Desires and the Processes we need to engage in to obtain them. 

Space and time have been given to us so that we can make our choices. This is Mercy. It is given abundantly. But Justice watches over how we use this blessing. Justice incrementally takes over to sustainably bless us or damn us, according to our own choices. God is a Mastermind. His plan is infallible. If we want to actually complete our Eternal Tapestry and experience the eternal Joy from doing so we must choose wisely.

"For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God." ~Alma 42:24-25

"That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." ~Matthew 5:45

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Some Desires come and go.  We try them out but they do not hold our interest for long.  It pitters out over time.

Listen: “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”  ~U2 (Pretty sad song)

This could mean that we haven't found our Inherent Desire yet.  Through the course of our life thus far, we have not yet encountered what it is that we're looking for.

If we have identified it and have experienced at least a portion of the privileges we will eventually receive, it does not pitter out if we remain allegiant to our General Cause--God and continue in our progression towards it at a rate that satisfies us.  When we think about losing it or never obtaining it we feel the greatest sorrow we have ever felt.

Listen:  “Nothing Compares 2U”

But if nothing holds our interest for long over an extended period of time, we have a conflict: No Desire.  We talked about having No Desire in my blog post: IDK Inertia but let’s review it here.  First of all, having No Desire is a black and white statement.  To some degree, we might be interested in obtaining goals.  That degree may be large or small.  But similar to the all-or-nothing threshold that an action potential needs to cross over in the body's nervous system to stimulate muscle contraction if it is not enough to motivate us to make the required sacrifice, it is just as valuable as having No Desire.

"May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong." ~Choices by President Thomas S. Monson 

There are two reasons for having No Desire or very little of it:
• Lack of knowledge and experience
• Numbed Effect Sensors

The 1st Cause:  Lack of Knowledge & Experience
So the first cause of having No Desire is innocence.  It’s childhood.  In childhood, we may not have declared our total allegiance to a Cause yet.  

Listen:  "The Reason" by Hoobastank

We may not yet have the knowledge or skills to obtain what we want.  And we may not yet get the connection between  Process and Effect.  

"For every action [Process}, there is an equal and opposite reaction [Effect]." ~Newton's Third Law

"For that which ye do send out [Process] shall return unto you again, and be restored [Effect];" ~Alma 41:15  

"Most of you are familiar with Alice in Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. You will remember that she comes to a crossroads with two paths before her, each stretching onward but in opposite directions. As she contemplates which way to turn, she is confronted by the Cheshire Cat, of whom Alice asks, 'Which path shall I follow?'
"The cat answers, 'That depends where you want to go. If you do not know where you want to go, it doesn’t matter which path you take.'" ~Choices by President Thomas S. Monson 

A Note About Judging Others In the Wrong Way
If we judge others because they haven’t figured out what they want or the direction they need to go, we may be judging an innocent person that God does not judge like that yet.  And note that we can judge ourselves like this too.  Our duty is to give them and ourselves space and time to figure it all out.

"For behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law;" ~Moroni 8:22

The objective reality of remaining in that innocent state for too long when we might otherwise be progressing is described well by President Hartman Rector, Jr., a General Authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the late '60s to the '90s:

"Ignorance is expensive; in fact, it is the most expensive commodity we know anything about. Certainly we make many mistakes through ignorance. If it is a violation of a commandment of God which we have never received and thus do not know, then the Lord does not hold us guilty of the sin. '… to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.' (James 4:17.) And in Paul’s words, '… where no law is, there is no transgression.' (Rom. 4:15.) But even though we may not be guilty of the sin because of our ignorance, neither can we receive the blessing, which is predicated on obedience, without rendering obedience to that law." ~"Ignorance Is Expensive" by President Hartman Rector, Jr.

Note: the blessings we desire are a critical part of our Inherent Desire.  The law we need to identify, learn, and be obedient to is the Inherent Process we must engage in to obtain those blessings.

If we want to shake our finger at other people because we think they should know better, we should probably back off.  It is not our responsibility to judge with the goal of guilting them into doing what's right, even if we might know what that is.  Yet it is our responsibility to personally work with God to work out our own salvation--to identify our Inherent Desire and progress towards its obtainment at an efficient and satisfying rate.  

Here's an example:  I went to BYU during the late '80s and '90s.  I declared a major.  It was up to me to make sure the classes I was taking progressed me towards the completion of that major and graduation.  Back then there were no counselors assigned to us to keep us on track and make sure we weren't becoming life-long students, taking all kinds of classes, ever learning something or another but never progressing towards a meaningful end.  I then attended BYU Idaho in the 2014-15 Fall and Winter semesters to obtain a second Bachelor's Degree.  I declared a major.  They immediately assigned me to a counselor and required me to set up a tentative but well-thought-out schedule of the classes I needed to take for the next few years until I fulfilled the requirements for that major.  I thought that was an excellent idea to keep us all on track and focused on our overall goal.  So in life, our overall goal is to graduate from it by obtaining salvation.  The specific way we do that is through our Inherent Desire, Cause, Process, Effects, and Results.  We may not be able to see the full picture yet.  I think that's okay.  But I believe we need to be actively striving to see as far ahead as we can and making plans for how we're going to accomplish each sub-goal (like a class at BYU Idaho) on our journey.  

If we judge others according to our own personal Inherent Desire, we’d be wrong again.  While we do have many Desires in common, there are many that we do not.  The specific person I want to marry or the things I want to do to make the world a better place bring me Joy but may not necessarily bring you Joy.

We may even do the opposite and evaluate our Inherent Desire by the Inherent Desires of others.  We may feel guilty or even crazy if our Desire Obtainment Process is not like theirs. We may wonder what is wrong with us. Why are we so different?

But it’s not a competition.  And that's not an accurate form of assessment. While there are some useful comparisons to make, this is not one of them if it’s going to make us feel guilty because our Inherent Desire is different from someone else’s.  Each of us needs to identify our Inherent Desire and then find the Inherent Process to obtain it.  Each of us should be mostly concerned with obtaining the level of Sustainable Joy with which we are satisfied.  Joy is not sustainable when we are deriving it from evaluating that we have more or less than someone else.

"The cost of the Atonement was borne by the Lord without compulsion, for agency is a sovereign principle. According to the plan, agency must be honored.  It was so from the beginning, from Eden." ~"Who Is Jesus Christ" by Elder Boyd K. Packer, March 2008 Ensign

The 2nd Cause:  Numbed Effect Sensors
I’ve talked about Effect Sensors before.  To review, our Effect Sensors are our eyes, ears, and any other sensory receptor that receives Effects.  It’s easy to physically see or hear our parents, teachers, coaches, trainers, mentors, or supervisors tell us point-blank that we’re doing good or that we need to change up our Process. But how many of us trust any Cause but God in helping us identify our Inherent Desire--our Destiny?  In order to sense God’s feedback, we need to keep our Effect Sensors sensitive.  We need to be able to spiritually sense his feedback to identify our Inherent Desire.

Pseudo Desires deliver Pseudo Effects that overstimulate our Effect Sensors.  When we continuously saturate them they become numbed--numbed to pain and Sorrow but also numbed to pleasure and Joy.  For example, if we listen to extremely loud music over time our ears become less sensitive to sound. We become deaf.  So if we’re consuming Pseudo Effects all the time, we’re going to develop some pretty bad habits that numb us to our Inherent Desire.  We won’t be able to sense it.  

Listen:  "Big Yellow Taxi" by Amy Grant

"The Church and the world and women are crying for men, men who are developing their capacity and talents, who are willing to work and make sacrifices, who will help others achieve happiness and salvation. They are crying, 'Rise up, O men of God!' God help us to do it. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." ~"Brethren We Have Work to Do" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

We can numb ourselves to God's communication by constantly filling our lives with distractions like social events, TV, video and other games, social media, and even work, etc. A distraction can be anything that ties up our minds and leaves us with little desire, time, and ability to communicate with God. It's not necessarily evil or bad. In fact, it may be a pretty good thing to do. But the bottom line is in order to stay in tune with our Father in Heaven we need to make regular quiet spaces in our lives inside which we're alone with him.

Listen:  "Me and God" by Josh Turner

We can also numb our Effect Sensors by purposefully plugging our ears. We can shut our eyes. We can ignore things. We can refuse to search for anything further than what we have already obtained. 

“Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews? Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?” ~2 Nephi 29:6-7

We can read what’s on the pages of our scriptures or the history books and see it as only applying in that specific situation in history but close our minds to seeing it as a general principle that can apply to us in our specific Desire Obtainment Process.  Likewise, we can understand a principle from one perspective but close our eyes to looking at it from other perspectives.

It isn’t all bad to close our minds. When we have done enough reviewing, applying, and testing out and then have identified truth, it’s probably a pretty good idea to hold steadfast against Conflicting Desires, Causes, Processes, and Effects. That means we can use our agency to purposefully and selectively create boundaries in our Effect Sensors against things we know are distractions and not valuable to us in our Desire Obtainment Journey.

"Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen." ~Mosiah 5:15

Conclusion
If we have No Inherent Desire it may be because we need to give ourselves more time and space to evaluate, study, experiment, listen, pray, and evaluate some more.  Or it may be because we've used our agency to block it out.

"And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men. For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ."~Mosiah 3:10-12

Each of us needs to determine which of these situations is true for us.  If we're older and no longer little children, we might want to take Jesus' counsel when he said,

"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye." ~Luke 6:41-42

Tim Tebow echoed this concept when he said, "Don't worry about what you can't control. Our focus and energy need to be on the things we CAN control. Attitude, effort, focus - these are the things we can control..." 

When there is some kind of conflict needing to be resolved the most important thing we can do is to focus on what we have control over. Our part in the puzzle. Our position on the field. Our turn in the game.  When we work to cast the beam out of our own eyes, we take responsibility for what is within our control. When we take responsibility for what is within our control we work on eliminating all of the distractions in our lives, all of the Pseudo Desires and their numbing Effects. We examine ourselves frankly to see if we have them and then acknowledge them when we do. We work diligently to eliminate them, even though it hurts. When we do that we can more accurately assess the situation in which we find ourselves and use our agency more wisely. 

"If our righteous desires are sufficiently intense, they will motivate us to cut and carve ourselves free from addictions and other sinful pressures and priorities that prevent our eternal progress." ~"Desire" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Destiny

In the last blog post we talked about having No Desire or having Conflicting Desires.  But somewhere in between those two is our real Desire.  I call that our Inherent Desire.  The best way to describe an Inherent Desire is that it’s apart of our overall Destiny.  It’s a Desire that, when obtained, will end us coming one step closer to self-actualization, Sustainable Joy, eternal life, salvation, exaltation, and all of those words we use to describe the happily ever after we all want to get to.

"Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy. We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities....To achieve our eternal destiny, we will desire and work for the qualities required to become an eternal being." ~"Desire" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

We know when we have identified an Inherent Desire when our motivation to obtain it is continuous and very deep.  Under the umbrella of Destiny is usually a number of these smaller Inherent Desires.  They are the puzzle pieces that make up the entire picture of what our heaven looks like.

Listen:  “Heaven” by Salvador

When we have identified an Inherent Desire, the motivation we experience is enough to sustain us even through the tough sacrifices we must make as part of the Desire Obtainment Process.  That means that the privileges we receive as we incrementally obtain this Desire and the ones we envision having when the Desire is fully obtained are enough to motivate us to make our own continuous sacrifice.  It’s enough to buffer us against the adversity we have to work through.  Our continuous sacrifice in turn provides privileges for others that motivate their sacrifice and buffer them against the adversity they have to work through.  That’s what makes the entire relationship sustainable or in other words, eternal.

Part of the sacrifice that is always required of us is our willingness to listen to our Cause.  Our Cause is a guide, a mentor.  He (or she) is someone who has already obtained a Desire similar to our own.  He knows the pathway.  We are unsure of it.  The only way we can obtain our Desire is if we yield to his instructions, even when they go against what we presently understand. 

This reminds me of the Karate Kid movie.  Daniel wants to learn Karate for protection.  He asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him because he witnesses Mr. Miyagi “single-handedly fend[ing] off [Daniel’s] five attackers with ease” (Wikipedia).  Mr. Miyagi starts with having Daniel painting fences and waxing his cars.  Daniel has no idea why he has to do this kind of sacrifice.  He even suspects that Mr. Miyagi is taking advantage of him—getting a bunch of free labor out of him.  But he decides to trust him without knowing all the answers up front.  He learns that Mr. Miyagi is training his muscles to develop the memory to perform specific actions that will eventually become like reflexes.  And if you’ve seen the movie, you know the end of the story.  Daniel becomes a master Karate Kid through Mr. Miyagi’s training.  He is able to protect himself and those he loves against Survival of the Fittest bullies.  Desire Obtained.

So choosing a Cause we can trust to whom we will remain allegiant even when it opposes our natural inclinations and previous suppositions is a crucial sacrifice in the Inherent Desire Obtainment Process.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." ~Proverbs 3:5-6 

"...choose you this day whom ye will serve; ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." ~Joshua 24:15

Our chosen Cause is the one who instructs us concerning the Process we need to engage in to obtain our Desire.  This Process is a sacrifice.  It’s not easy.  It takes work.  It’s about changing some things and holding steadfast in others.  The Process is inherent to the Desire we have chosen.  That means if we want the Desire bad enough then we are fine with subjecting ourselves to the laws and rules pertaining to that Desire.

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." ~James 1:5

"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." ~D&C 130:20-21

Effects help us identify the Inherent Process.  Effects are the feedback, validation, or response process from our Cause in regards to our Desire Obtainment Process that enable us to know if we’re on or off the right track.  They also enable us to discern our Inherent Desire.

"But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong;" ~D&C 9:7-9

Results are Sustainable Desires, Processes, and Effects.  When our Desire is sustainable, we know it is inherent.  Sustainable Processes are knowledge, skills, abilities, and talents.  Sustainable Effects are Sustainable Joy, which is balanced Peace and Energy that just keeps on going.  These are the elements that compose Sustainable Relationships.  When we have developed Sustainable Processes and Effects, the sacrifice of each person in the relationship becomes a Joy.  Desire obtained.  Success.

"But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. 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. Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you." ~Alma 32:41-43

“Therefore, what we insistently desire, over time, is what we will eventually become and what we will receive in eternity.” ~Elder Neal A. Maxwell quoted in "Desire" by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

This is why it’s so important to use our agency to answer the following questions for ourselves:

What is your Desire?
Who is your Cause?
What is the Process to obtain this Desire?
What are the Effects you experience when you engage in this Process?
What are your Results?

"Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself..." ~2 Nephi 2:16

"I have been thinking recently about choices and their consequences. It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny." ~"Choices" by President Thomas S. Monson

Listen: "This is Your Life" by Switchfoot