Today is an important day in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young (who was the acting president of the church at that time) proclaimed that the Salt Lake Valley was the place that the Mormon pioneers would settle after being driven from Missouri and Illinois.
I have a confession to make though. I always hated Pioneer Day. (I'll pause while all my Mormon friends and family from out west collectively gasp). And I felt guilty for hating it. After all, wasn't this a great occasion to be commemorating? And shouldn't I, as a nearly-life-long member of the church, join in the celebrations with joy (and a little sorrow-remembering the sacrifices of the early pioneers)? But let me give you a little background to help explain why I felt this way (and you'll notice that I'm using the past tense)-and why I don't hate it now (at least not as much).
I was born in Pennsylvania. My parents joined the church in Iowa when I was four years old, and I grew up in central Illinois. My experience with church history had always been from the early days of the church. I lived just a few hours away from Nauvoo and Carthage and visited many times. I had seen the sacred grove, the Kirtland temple, the Susquehanna river. I had testimony creating and testimony strengthening experiences visiting these sacred sites, and I felt a connection to those early saints. But every July 24th-ish we'd sing hymns in church such as these:
- Come, Come, Ye Saints
- Our Mountain Home So Dear
- O Ye Mountains High
- For the Strength of the Hills
- They, the Builders of the Nation
Then I graduated from high school and went to BYU (where you'd think I'd gain a greater appreciation for our western pioneer heritage), but my animosity just grew. It seemed to me that all my Utah/Idaho/Arizona friends had the impression that the church was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, and that everything that had happened in the previous 27 years wasn't all that important.
So what changed? I think my attitude started to change while we were living in southeastern Ohio. We lived in Ohio but went to church in West Virginia. And we noticed that there was somewhat of a lack of unity in our ward (congregation) due mainly to the boundaries. It seemed like the Ohio people didn't like the West Virginians, and the West Virginians were split depending on which part of the town they lived in (there were two main high schools, and that rivalry carried over into the members of the ward). It wasn't anything that was malicious, but it just wasn't they way it could or should have been. I started to realize how damaging that kind of us vs. them attitude could be.
And I realized that I needed to fix my attitude. I was able to keep my appreciation for the "Eastern" pioneers of the church and add to it an appreciation for the "Western" pioneers, and to apply the lessons from both. And one of those lessons was beautifully taught by President Monson in the July 2013 Ensign magazine (Link Here):
The passage of time dims our memories and diminishes our appreciation for those who walked the path of pain, leaving behind a tear-marked trail of nameless graves. But what of today’s challenges? Are there no rocky roads to travel, no rugged mountains to climb, no chasms to cross, no trails to blaze, no rivers to ford? Or is there a very present need for that pioneer spirit to guide us away from the dangers that threaten to engulf us and to lead us to a Zion of safety?
In the decades since the end of World War II, standards of morality have lowered again and again. Crime spirals upward; decency careens downward. Many are on a giant roller coaster of disaster, seeking the thrills of the moment while sacrificing the joys of eternity. Thus we forfeit peace.
We forget how the Greeks and Romans prevailed magnificently in a barbaric world and how that triumph ended—how a slackness and softness finally overcame them to their ruin. In the end, more than they wanted freedom, they wanted security and a comfortable life; and they lost all—comfort and security and freedom.
Do not yield to Satan’s enticements; rather, stand firm for truth. The unsatisfied yearnings of the soul will not be met by a never-ending quest for joy amidst the thrills of sensation and vice. Vice never leads to virtue. Hate never promotes love. Cowardice never gives courage. Doubt never inspires faith.
Some find it difficult to withstand the mocking and unsavory remarks of foolish ones who ridicule chastity, honesty, and obedience to God’s commands. But the world has ever belittled adherence to principle. When Noah was instructed to build an ark, the foolish populace looked at the cloudless sky and then scoffed and jeered—until the rain came.
Must we learn such costly lessons over and over again? Times change, but truth persists. When we fail to profit from the experiences of the past, we are doomed to repeat them with all their heartache, suffering, and anguish. Haven’t we the wisdom to obey Him who knows the beginning from the end—our Lord, who designed the plan of salvation—rather than that serpent, who despised its beauty?
A dictionary defines a pioneer as “one who goes before to prepare or open up the way for others to follow.”Can we somehow muster the courage and steadfastness of purpose that characterized the pioneers of a former generation? Can you and I, in actual fact, be pioneers?
So, with a repentant attitude, Happy Pioneer Day!I know we can be. Oh, how the world needs pioneers today!
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