Casting Out the Bitter Fruit

I was reading Jacob chapter 5 during my Book of Mormon study the other day, and the Holy Ghost taught me something new that I had never noticed before when reading that chapter. For those of you who are familiar with the Book of Mormon, Jacob 5 is the very long chapter that gives the allegory of the tame and wild olive trees.

The part of the allegory that I found the most interesting reading through this time starts in verse 64. This is the part where the Lord of the vineyard is going forth to prune his vineyard for the last time, and he says to his servant, “And if it be so that these last grafts shall grow, and bring forth the natural fruit, then shall ye prepare the way for them, that they may grow.” The Lord of the vineyard then goes on in verse 65 to explain to his servant how he should prepare the way for these last grafts to grow and bring forth natural fruit:

“And as they begin to grow ye shall clear away the branches which bring forth bitter fruit, according to the strength of the good and the size thereof; and ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish, and I lose the trees of my vineyard...wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad, and the bad be hewn down and cast into the fire, that they cumber not the ground of my vineyard; and thus will I sweep away the bad out of my vineyard” (emphasis added).

I had never noticed these specific instructions from the Lord before, and they helped me understand better the method the Lord is using to establish His kingdom on the earth in our day. He gives us truth line upon line, as we are ready to receive it, strengthening the good before getting rid of more of the bitter fruit that is a product of our society and culture and not in line with His teachings, so as not to kill the tree with more truth and change than it can handle all at once.

Sometimes it is difficult to understand how anything that does not exactly align with God’s view of things could exist in His church. For example, why did it take so long for revelation to come about black people being able to hold the priesthood? According to the words of the allegory, the Lord and His servants in the vineyard had to strengthen the good enough before they could pluck off and cast away the branches containing that bitter fruit, or they risked losing the whole tree. Other examples could be given as well.

I think in many ways the Lord is much more patient with the process of carefully pruning, digging about, and nurturing His vineyard than we are. He is also much more patient with each of us individually than we tend to be, either with ourselves or with each other. Thank goodness this is true. It is this infinite love and patience we must learn if we are to participate with the Lord in His work of salvation, that we may be inspired to say, like the servant in the allegory, “Spare it a little longer.” Give this person another chance. Give the Lord’s church and the people in it more time to learn and grow and align their thoughts and actions with the Lord. Don't give up too soon and throw the good away with the bad. Strengthen the good, until all the bad can little by little be plucked out and cast away, leaving only the natural fruit that the Lord is seeking to preserve.

I can't wait until we reach the part of the allegory in verse 74 that says, “the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal.” What a glorious day that will be when all the bitter fruit and false ideas have been plucked out of the Lord’s vineyard and we are all equal and like unto one body before the Lord, full of love and unity and perfect understanding of the Lord and His truths. May we each labor diligently in His vineyard to bring about that glorious day. I share these thoughts in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Work of Salvation

I had an epiphany recently while reading through one of the LDS Church Relief Society lessons, and I thought I would share it. The lesson was titled “Daughters of God” (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley, Chapter 5), and as I read it, I had a thought that made me think about my role as a daughter of God, and particularly my role as a mother, in a new way.

If you think about it, the most important task on this earth is teaching people to become like God. That critical task begins in the home. The whole point of designating one spouse to be the primary breadwinner in the home is to free up the other spouse to devote their time and attention to this most important task of caring for and teaching the next generation of God’s children during their young, vulnerable years. There are many opportunities to teach adults as well, but adults begin as babies and children, and the more they learn when they are young and the stronger the foundation they have, the further they can progress when they reach adulthood.

In society we act like it’s the men (or women) with careers doing the most important work in the world, but the main point of their work is to provide the necessities of life to themselves and their families so that the essential work of salvation can take place in the home without the distraction of unmet physical needs. Worldly success such as wealth and fame and status is important to the world, but not to God. His main concern is the salvation of His children, and He has given His daughters one of the most, if not the most, critical roles to play in that plan. Why do men have the responsibility to hold priesthood offices and leadership positions in the church? Probably to free up women to put their whole focus on the nurture of their family, rather than splitting their focus between their personal family and the ward/congregation. One partner does the majority of dividing their time between their family and other necessary responsibilities, while the other keeps their main focus on their family so that raising children--a monumental and essential task--gets the care and focus it deserves. It's not that women wouldn't be good at the responsibilities men have; it’s that they're doing something else incredibly important, a responsibility that God has reserved just for them, to be their focus, because it IS so important. We often belittle the responsibilities women have been given, like they are narrow and not that important, but they are actually participating in the work of salvation full-time, on a daily basis. If that's not a sign that God thinks they are fit for the most important work He has for His children to do, I don't know what is.

God isn't saying to His daughters, this is the only thing I think you're capable of; He’s saying, this is a job that is so important and so demanding that I want you to devote 100% of your time and attention to it. I don't want anything else distracting you from this most important job. I will give all the other responsibilities to someone else, so I can reserve your strength and energy and talents for this most important work. He’s not saying, I don't think you're capable of multitasking; He’s saying, I don't want you to have to multitask. I want to ease all other burdens for you because I know this is such a great one that I have placed upon you, and it is of upmost importance to me that you have the time and energy you need to do it well and give your whole heart to it.

I love getting new perspectives on life :)