Are We There Yet?

Posted by Frances | June 26, 2010 | 2 Comments

In the thirty-second chapter of Alma we read that our faith is like a seed. If we are diligent and patient in nourishing our faith-seed, “behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious… and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst.” This fruit, this long sought-after thing, this blessing we believed in long before it was clear that it would ever come, is the reward of our faithfulness, our diligence, patience and long-suffering. It is our reward for waiting on the Lord.

In the second chapter of 2 Nephi we learn that it is the plan of God that both good and evil exist in the world, but that we are free to choose between them. Without the temptation of one, what would be the trick in choosing the other? We cannot truly exercise our agency without choices placed before us, and the Lord has prepared us to make those choices. It is given to us to act for ourselves. And we act out of faith; faith that we are choosing the right thing and faith that the Lord will, someday, bless us for it.

Put these two principles together and you come upon what I think is the absolute most difficult and essential thing to understand about living in faith: when is it time to be patient and when is it time to act?

I will relieve you of suspense and tell you that I have no idea what the answer is. If I did, I think I would be a lot less worried and neurotic all the time. This tension between patience and acting seems to be everywhere: we know that faith without works is dead, yet we are commanded to be still and know that God is God. We are saved by grace, but only after all we can do, but we know that we really can’t do anything on our own, that we are nothing without the help and wisdom and advocacy of the Lord.

Sadly, throwing your arms up and abandoning whatever tree you have planted does not appear to be an option. Nor does it appear that the tree will spontaneously take care of itself, produce its own fruit and feed it to you, though that would certainly make things a lot more simple.

As with most difficult things the Lord requires of us, it certainly comes down to balance, inspiration and aligning our will with that of the Father. But, in all frankness, I find that sort of clear-headedness a little difficult to maintain when I want the fruit of a particular tree so badly I think I might explode. Do I master myself a little longer, nourish and prune and trust that the Spirit will teach me when the fruit I long for is ready to be picked? Or do I muster courage and the faith of action and take what I want, trusting that it is what the Lord wants for me and He has prepared it well?

One thing I do know is this. The Lord is happy to leave us to our own devices, to act in the way we think is best with some regular checking in and accounting to make sure we are headed in the generally right direction. I do not believe that God is a micro-manager. But I do believe that if we need and want His help in every step, He will give it to us. He will be as intimately involved in the details of our daily choosing as we would like Him to be. And, for now, keeping the Lord involved in every step is the only way I know to keep my balance.

Another thing I know is this. It takes a whole heck of a lot to get ourselves in a mess too big and complicated for the Lord to help us out of, especially when we were just doing the best we could. Pardon the abrupt switch in analogies, but I was recently learning to sew and feeling some anxiety about executing a particularly difficult part of a pattern. My mom pointed out that there is nothing I could sew that could not be un-sewn. And so I think it is with our actions. There is very little we can sow with hearts as pure and minds as clear as we can make them that the Lord cannot help us nourish into the fruit we have been waiting for.

As for when to reap, I am still not sure. For now, I will nourish my small seed of faith that, when the time for action comes, I will know.

Category: Daily Special

Comments

2 Responses to “Are We There Yet?”

traci
June 26th, 2010 @ 2:52 pm

This is one of those posts where the only intelligent thing i can truly say is:

Yes, you’re right!
marta
June 26th, 2010 @ 8:33 pm

while it is true that nothing you sew cannot be un-sewn, nothing you cut can be uncut…