Unity

n. peace, summation

v. mix, join, blend, tie

adj. harmonious

adv. together

conj. and

I titled my blog An Experience in Humanity on that day oh-so-long-ago because I wanted to capture and share the wonderful and sometimes difficult lessons of this short experience of mortality; the brief time in our eternal progression in which we share a common bond known as humanity.  I've learned many lessons over my relatively few years here, and I know that I still have many more to learn in the years to come.

And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, 

from all eternity to eternity.  

Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; 

and thus may all become my sons.

-Moses 6:67

I've often wondered about the driving purpose of this mortal earth experience.  I don't pretend to know the full richness of The Fall, The Atonement, or obtaining physical bodies and eternal families, but I do have a personal and motivating understanding of them. The primary answers fit nicely onto a chalk board schematic, but they often leave me with more questions than they answer.  Yes, the Fall started the process, the Atonement rectifies the Fall, and our bodies and families can become eternal.  But why are we here? Why humanity on earth? If God knows the outcome of all things, why not just skip this part and move forward in our assigned heavenly roles?

There are many answers to these questions, some of which I am beginning to slowly understand (line upon line, and precept upon precept), but the one which seems to encompass them all is the concept of unity.

...that they may become the sons of God, 

even one in me as I am one in the Father,

as the Father is one in me,

that we may be one.

-D&C 35:2

This human experience is a lesson in unity - in 'becoming one' - in many ways and on many different levels; uniting our spirits with our physical bodies (overcoming the natural man), becoming one with an eternal companion (becoming one flesh), becoming united with all fellow children of God (building Zion), and being of one mind with God (thy will be done). All other lessons, attributes, and concepts complement and contribute to the unification process: love, forgiveness, patience, prudence, temperance, sacrifice, understanding, learning, humility, endurance, submissiveness, meekness, gentleness, loyalty, trust, faith, hope, mercy, peace and joy are all things we must experience and cultivate in order to become truly unified.

And to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man...it must needs be that there was an opposition;
2 Nephi 2:15

Of course, those attributes are often only discovered and refined through difficult experiences.  Opposition and hardship are necessary for growth.

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.

If not so,...righteousness could not be brought to pass, 

neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.

Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one;

2 Nephi 2:11

But not all oppositional circumstances need be so adverse or contradictory as 'happiness and sorrow' or 'joy and pain'.  Many lessons in unity come from the merging of contrasting and diverse concepts, situations, attributes, and individuals.  Humility is a balance of pride and self-loathing. Men and women are different for eternal purposes.  All relationships benefit from some difference and opposition.  Some of the most intimate and beneficial friendships I've had are with people who appear to be the complete opposite of myself - we balance one another, learning from our differences, pulling towards one another until we grow enough to meet in the middle, each richer for being forced to stretch beyond ourselves to reach that common ground.  It takes two different, opposite, and complete halves to make a whole - separate souls to 'become' one.

One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not these distinctions.

Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born.

-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

In filling the pages of this 'Experience in Humanity' I'm going to focus on how my mortal journeyings help me to better understand this concept of unity, of becoming one.  I will share with you, through my thoughts, my experiences, my photos, my quotes and my art, (and yes, occasional boring and overly philosophical ramblings) my strivings to find and understand my God, my other, and my purpose in this beautiful stage of eternal life. And I hope that my sharing will somehow enable your growth and striving as well, and help you to find the many blessings and experiences God has in store for you.

The Greatest Gift

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.

Proverbs 3:5

I was going to write this next post on unity, or the concept of 'becoming one' -something I consider as one of the most important and all encompassing concepts we are meant to learn in this life; but events and experiences over the last week have led my thought processes in another direction.

...nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself...

Moses 3:17

Over the last two years I've thought a lot about the purpose of this earth life.  I know the basics - to obtain a body, to overcome the natural man, to find an eternal companion, to create families, to build Zion - all of which in certain ways relate to the concept of becoming unified, but I've often wondered about the circumstances surrounding this lesson in unity.  Why is it so important that we learn here on earth, and not stay in heaven?  Why the veil? Why must we be physically separated from a Father who loves us so much?  I've never questioned the necessity of agency, or the need for Christ's plan and sacrifice, but why, instead of being so openly near and available, would our Father choose to be physically away from us during such a trying time in our spiritual development?

It's about TRUST.

During recent experiences I've had to learn to exercise a lot of trust - not only in God, but also in others; trust in their intentions, their feelings, their desires, their agency...

The room to grow is one of the greatest gifts you can bestow on each other.  

Allowing, encouraging, even sacrificing so that they can become all that is in her or him to become--

 [such] generosity is the signature of adult love.

-Kate Baestrop

I am completely awestruck at the amount of trust that our Heavenly Father places in us.  This life is not a test, but a gift.  Our amazing Father is taking a step back - restraining his own feelings, desires, and wants to give us the room we need to grow.  He hasn't abandoned us, but is waiting patiently, arms extended on the other side of the veil...

..and thus does the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.

Mosiah 29:20

His hand is always extended, but never forced.  He waits for us to come to him, even when he can see that we are struggling - he will always reach our reaching, but we must return his gift of trust and use our own agency to take the step that moves us into his waiting embrace.  Trust, faith, hope, and love can cross any distance, penetrate any veil - unite hearts no matter how physically distant.

I know in whom I have trusted. 

2 Nephi 4:19

I have come to a new level of admiration for our Heavenly Father.  Christ made the great sacrifice of Atonement, and God has made the great sacrifice of true agency.  He maintains a difficult balance between heaven and earth - inviting without encroaching, reassuring without overwhelming, guiding without compelling.   He waits patiently for us to come to him, never denying us but always forgiving, even when we deny him; our anger, forgetfulness, ignorance, and mistrust are quickly forgotten once we make the choice to walk into those eternally open arms.

I will trust and be not afraid.

2 Nephi 22:2

In the Bible's topical guide, Trust is listed as: see also Assurance.  To truly trust in someone brings reassurance; comfort and confidence even in times of uncertainty and sorrow.  It is the fuel that feeds hope, the hope that burns brightly within us and lights our souls.  I am so grateful for that wonderful gift, a gift that I have used and abused and often rejected over the years. A gift that I hope to grow to become truly worthy of.