True Story - Write-Up

I all too often refer to the mission, but I doubt that I will ever stop with the endless number of lessons I have learned while in the service of the Lord. I feel it’s generally pretty hard not to learn something everyday and out in the field, there’s a whole lot less distractions to keep anyone faithful from learning a whole lot that is essential to learn for eternity.
As such, I feel it is such an extremely disappointing fact that there are so many missionaries out there that have sat across the desk from a judge of Israel and pronounced ready (of course, not perfect), but worthy to serve the Lord and in representing him; yet on top of this known fact, many of these missionaries go out into the mission and lose sight of why they went out in the first place, provided they even understood or at some point learned of their immense responsibilities while out in the field. I know I did, but I saw quite the contrary not only out in the field, but before and after the mission as well.
Many missionaries serve the mission with a near-sighted perception of their objectives in their service. “I’m only going to be here at least six weeks in this area, I don’t care.” “I’m out for only two years, I can keep this up.” “If they don’t want anything, I don’t care.” “I’m not here to be your mother, I’m not carrying you around my back all day.” Negligence and procrastination always seem to be the solution to ignorance and results in small degrees of chaos that spiral and escalade to worse proportions not even considered.
What I mean to say is that these missionaries I have met and many who underestimate their divine callings fail to see that through any means of short service they think they have have extremely eternal values and will effect many things down the road. They think that just because they will be there or know someone for such a short amount of time that things won’t matter after their time is over or has passed by them and all worries are gone – so they think.
Many of us, not just missionaries, neglect to recognize the eternal perspective of the smallest things such as our very thoughts. Thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, actions lead to habit, and our habits form our character. A scientist named Santiago Ramon y Cajal commented on such things when he said, “How many interesting facts fail to be converted into fertile discoveries because their observers regard them as natural and ordinary things! … It is strange to see how the populace, which nourishes its imagination with tales of witches or saints, mysterious events and extraordinary occurrences, disdains the world around as commonplace, monotonous and prosaic, without suspecting that at the bottom it is all secret, mystery, and marvel.” There is always more than meets the eye. We just need to open the doors that are our eyelids to see them. The end of this life is the end of life as we know it? No. We know this eternal truth. Is all hope lost if our companion betrays us? No. If our Father in Heaven is willing to forgive all things and we’re commanded to do so just as well, there is hope. Nothing is impossible that is asked of us from on high.
I feel only one question comes to mind then, when contemplating this eternal truth. How do we match the costs and rewards to make life more fair? The answer is simple and sadly cliché: life isn’t fair. We shouldn’t expect it to be. Any relationship can seem unfair and some point or another. The only thing that can change that is our perception. If we feel all our efforts were wasted in say, asking someone out only to be shut down, that’s our fault in seeing failure, yet in reality it was something that made us stronger to ask again or someone else another time whereas another may see it as a discouraging experience that they don’t wish to endure again and thus won’t try again nor with anyone else.
A certain story tells of how the Lord told a man to push against a mountain. The man pushed and pushed urging the mountain to move. He began to strain and sweat, leaning against the mountain and losing his footing as his feet slid against the ground as he struggled with the beast of stone. The mountain didn’t move a single millimeter. The man continued his efforts for hours and soon days. Every now and again he’d complain to the Lord saying, “Lord, I cannot move the mountain!” The Lord would only reply, “Push. Just push with all your might.” The man pursued his objective for days, and then weeks, but still nothing. Finally, the man gave up and told the Lord, “Lord, I cannot do it. I cannot move this mountain. It is impossible!” The Lord shook his head and replied, “My son, I never commanded you to move this mountain. I only commanded you to push. Look at your arms! Look at your legs and your muscles at how they’ve all grown from your diligent efforts! They are not wasted. You have been blessed, my son, but you failed to see it.” This happens in our perceptions of our costs in relationships. We need to change our perceptions to see all rewards in every cost; if not, it will really cost us – and by then, who knows what it will cost us and if we even have a reward by that time.