Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Commandments

"I can't I'm Mormon" has become the trademark phrase of many Latter-Day Saint teenagers. Surrounded daily by things that push and pull at the standards associated with the church they attend. You my be asking yourself "Why can't they do anything? Do they ever get to have fun?" I have no idea how many times I was invited to do things where I responded with that cliche negative answer.

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The world views commandments as restrictions, limiting our freedom and the right we have to make our own decisions. That view is the result of viewing life in the "now" without any regard to consequence, or what brought us here in the first place. The latter meaning our purpose in life, having in mind that God created us and is the author of this plan. I understand that not everyone that reads this post will have a belief in God, so I will try to focus a little more on the consequential aspect of our choices.
Whether you believe in God or not, we all know that we have control over our choices, or at least initially we do. We can choose our actions, the things we will and will not do. But we cannot choose the consequences. A good example would be drinking, whether underage or legally. You choose to take the first drink, and the second, and so on, but you don't choose what happens as a result of that. You can't choose what your drunk friends will draw on your face when you pass out. You can choose to drive home. But you can't choose to go back and start over after you crash. That's a morbid thought, but it's true, think of those you know that might still be alive if it weren't for drunk drivers. Those are the kinds of consequences we can't choose, but can avoid.  (I don't want to just target drinking, it's just a good example)
In reality, commandments are a way for us to continue to use our agency. It's also a way to avoid negative consequences for our actions, and a way for us to receive the blessings of God. In John 14:15 the Lord said "If ye love me, keep my commandments." So if you believe in God, then commandments are also a way to show love and obedience towards the Savior. Think about that for a second. Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world, meaning he suffered the pains of everyone that has ever lived and will ever live. He knows exactly how each of us feel, whether on the highest of mountains or in the deepest of valleys. Because He loves us, He asked that we keep His commandments, so that we don't have to suffer as much as we otherwise would. And in turn, if we keep the commandments and suffer less, then He has to suffer less.
I chose to keep the commandments for a number of reasons. I love the Savior and what He did for me personally and also the rest of the world. I know that I don't want to pay for the consequences of bad choices that could be avoided if I were living the commandments. I have felt the joy that comes from knowing that I am doing what I am supposed to. And if you don't believe that Jesus Christ died for you, or there isn't a God out there, then I invite you to live the commandments anyways to save yourself a lot of trouble and heartache. I would also invite you to seek to know if there is a God and if Jesus really did die for you. There is a lot of peace and direction that can come from a faith in God.