Dearest children, holy angels
Watch your actions night and day,
And they keep a faithful record
Of the good and bad you say.
Watch your actions night and day,
And they keep a faithful record
Of the good and bad you say.
While I like the song, I'm not sure I believe that verse. I don't think there is a big book of life where everything we've done or not done is recorded. I think who we have become by the end of our mortal lives will be how we are judged. And of course who we have become has everything to do with all the good and bad we say. We must cherish virtue. We must keep progressing. And the Lord will see by who we've become if we have done our part. And all the good and bad we do will either get us closer to that person or push us away from them.
I like this quote from Elder McConkie:
"In a real, though figurative sense, the book of life is the record of the acts of men as such record is recorded in their own bodies. It is the record engraven on the very bones, sinews, and flesh of the mortal body. That is, every thought, word and deed has an affect on the human body; all these leave their marks, marks which can be read by Him who is Eternal as easily as the words in a book can be read...." (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p 97)
I also believe our spiritual health can affect our physical health and that negative things we hold onto can slow our spiritual progression. And it will be evident in our physical bodies. Maybe not visible with the eye, but the Savior will be able to read it in our countenance.
I just thought I'd open that topic up for discussion. Because if there is any indication in the scriptures or from modern prophets that all the good and bad we say is written down by angels, I would like to see it and happily change my opinion. I mean, I've often thought we'd be able to see a movie of ourselves after we die, and I'm sure something like that will exist, or our memories will be quickened or something. But I'm sure it's greater technology than anything we have now. And I don't think we'll be sitting there watching it with Heavenly Father as He takes notes. He'll already know us.
PS - the girls are finally sharing a room thanks to a great daybed find on Craigslist. They take forever to go to sleep though. (Especially Mae who says "I no shleeeep." It's cute :) So I have been singing to them at night. Tonight it was for probably 45 minutes. I just pull out a hymn book and start singing. I'm finding that it's a wonderful thing for me. It's teaching me patience, I'm singing them the gospel, and the singing itself is therapeutic. And I feel like it's quality time with them and it keeps me from wasting time on other things that I often find myself doing at night (like um...reading blogs.)
10 comments:
That was Grandpa Bell's favorite hymn. I think that verse is symbolic (but maybe more true than we think?) and that Elder McC's quote is accurate. I think we'll be very surprised when we see how it REALLY all is----(see Jacob 4:13). There are some things I really do want to see and some things I'm glad God remembers no more. I just e-mailed you an article I found while looking for another quote to help with all this. Is this the longest comment ever on a blog??? Just up me shut.
Kel, I love that you sing hymns to your girls. What a great example you are to be busy doing that instead of spending too much time on the computer. Thanks for the reminder. Wade and I haven't watched TV regularly for 2 years now because we were tired of it being a distraction and wanted to just talk and connect once the kiddos are in bed.
But I'm afraid the computer can be just as much of a distraction for us. Most days, I spend less than a half hour, but somedays it's silly how I'm still online after 11pm when I really should be sleeping.
So I've never thought about that verse before but now that you mention it, I completely agree. And how grateful I am that our Heavenly Father is that way. I've made plenty of mistakes in my life and still do and can you imagine finally being in His presence after this life and it just being one big check list? He is as President Packer said, in his conference talk, our Father first and foremost and therefore it will be a moment of complete joy and love ESPECIALLY as we are striving as you said to come closer to him. Progression not individual acts is what matters.
P.S. If we really do see kind of a movie of our life I think I'm going to have to rewind and rewatch all the good C.U.C. moments. I miss ya tons my friend I wish Wyoming wasn't so stinkin' far away from St. George. . . we've got apple pies to make!
I agree- I hope all the bad things we've said and done, but repented of, are not written down somewhere to be relived and remembered someday. And I agree that who we are will be more important than what we've done. But we have to "do" to "become". Deep thoughts KelKel!
I just made the same/similar comment in church today. We were talking about repentance and I said that when you are young, you tend to see the church as a set of arbitrary rules. Just a list of things you can't do. But as you get older and you study and you come out the other side in the beautiful simplicity of things, you realize that the things we are counseled to do are because, by the laws of the universe, we could not progress any other way. They all bring us to a higher level of consciousness. So there isn't someone standing at the gate checking the big book ready to admit or deny you into heaven, it's more like, if you haven't lived in a way that elevated your spirit, you literally can't progress. You wouldn't be able to move through the gate... in fact, you probably wouldn't even be able to SEE the gate. You wouldn't even know the gate is there.
I do love that Hymn! Hopefully for me (who doesn't always think before she speaks) not everything will be written down. I usually have the right intentions, I just really need to work on getting a filter. I'm sure that your girls will grow up to love the hymns, and then they can have awesome callings in the church like I have!
Here I am reading your blog at night, ha ha. The words in that hymn have always made me a little nervous, as well as that scripture that says our sins will be shouted upon the rooftops or something like that. I tend to agree with your opinion, and can't imagine a big sin party in the hereafter where we all sit around and hear about ours and others' mistakes. I like that quote by Elder McConkie, it eases my mind. I am hoping to put Marin and Kate in the same room sometime soon, I will have to practice my singing skills :)
I'm sure there's a faithful record kept, but we know that through repentance the bad parts are erased, or perhaps it's like you said - we just don't fully understand how it will all be available for us to recall.
I panic at the thought of there NOT being a record kept, because I don't want to forget the good things.
There's an essay in the book The Mother in Me, that talks about that in relation to children growing up. She relates it to the law that matter cannot be created or destroyed - and that our memories were meant to become part of us and therefore they will never be destroyed. All the experiences we have become part of us and are not wasted.
I too have found that church songs make some of the best lullabies. We really love Away in a Manger.
(p.s. My great-great-great Grandfather wrote Dearest Children, and Far Far Away on Judea's plain. An original survey map of St. George that he drew still hangs in the St. George city offices.)
I'm not sure about what's recorded and what's not. I like what you say about who we become though, because I think that's more what it's about, and it's those little things we do and say every day that make up who we're becoming, more than we realize.
So fun to catch up with your blog. Fun birthday posts, cute cake and your birthday girl looks just like you you know what--my nephew got all kinds of gifts on his birthday and what did he like best? The paper they came in. I'm with you, good thing we have awhile before they really know what's going on :).
Kelly, I love your thoughts on this issue and have never really considered this before. I love the quote by Elder McConkie too--thanks for sharing.
Post a Comment