As A Nation and As Individuals

I'll give you one attempt to guess what is on my mind today.  Of course, it's been on my mind for months, but I felt it wise to refrain before.  With yesterday's election, a lot of feelings have been stirred around our nation.  A lot of opinions have been shared.  My opinion in this election was strong, and my voting decision was difficult to come to.  I won't hesitate to say that I am disappointed in the outcome.  For while I struggled to determine how I would vote, I wasn't debating between the two main parties.  That's all I will say on that for it is not the purpose of my post.

At this point many are concerned for the welfare of our nation.  I am among those individuals.  I've been concerned for as long as I've understood anything about politics and our American heritage.  Our country has been heading in this direction for a very long time, much longer than my lifetime.  Things didn't suddenly change overnight (last night specifically), though I have no doubt last night's outcome will increase the speed at which our nation is heading in this direction.  The need to prepare has been present for a long time, and becomes increasingly more urgent. 

Last night we did watch the polls.  Afterward Jim and I discussed what this means for us and for our nation.  My mind was drawn to certain scriptures that speak of government, and we spent some time reviewing these.  We also discussed what we need to do to further prepare for coming times.  This is my purpose in writing today.  I felt these verses and chapters to be a good reminder and a direction to look.  While these scriptures come directly from the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, I would point out to those reading this not of my faith that these uphold our Constitution.  Whether or not you believe as I do religiously, you may find these of value in considering our nation.  I won't quote much of them, but I will provide the links for easy access to read them in full.

The first verses that came to my mind are found in Mosiah 29.  In this chapter King Mosiah is preparing to die and the people have voiced their desires for a new king.  However, the sons of Mosiah whom they would have chosen, decline.  This prompts counsel from Mosiah in which he speaks of judges to watch over the people rather than an all powerful king.  He says in verses 13 and 17:

"Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments...I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you. 

"Now I say unto you that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you.  For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!"

He then instructs them on points of good government.  The result is that they choose judges, appointed by the voice of the people to maintain their laws.  They also set in place a type of checks and balances where there are higher and lower judges.  This is very similar to our Constitutional government.  He also points out what happens when the voice of the people chooses wickedness in verses 25-27.

"Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord.

"Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law-to do your business by the voice of the people.

"And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you..."

This chapter is great to read through.  I see a lot of parallels to our government as designed by our founding fathers under the original intent of the Constitution.  I also see warnings to us in this chapter.

Another verse that came to my mind is in 2 Nephi 1.  Verse 7 speaks of the land of America:

"Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring.  And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever."

History shows that the Lord blesses those who follow His commands, and He cannot bless those who do not.  Many nations have prospered and fallen.  We have a promise that on this land, we will enjoy liberty as long as iniquity does not abound.  This is why our country is in trouble.  Much goodness and much wickedness abound.  The voice of the people have elected many politicians for many years who do not uphold God's standard and that inspired document which is our Constitution.  Many individuals do not uphold God's standard and our Constitution.

The last scripture I will refer to is Doctrine and Covenants 134.  I highly recommend reading it through.  This outlines our church's belief regarding governments and laws in general.  It is a very good reminder of what we should uphold and focus on in regards to our government.  It supports our Constitution.

One further read is the official church statement put out today; you can read that here.  It's not very long, but worth reading.  I suppose their words may be a surprise to those not of our faith, seeing as Mitt Romney is a member of our church.  This is however an important reminder that we should be praying for the leaders of our country, however much we feel they were or were not the right men for the job.

So what are we to do (aside from praying for our nation and seeking to improve our government)?  For many years we have been instructed to prepare ourselves temporally and spiritually for days when bad things will happen.  Temporal preparedness includes food storage, having a 72 hour kit, gaining skills and the ability to be self sustaining (such as gardening and home repairs), gaining education and stable employment, setting aside useful resources such as money or other valuables, getting out of debt, and securing a permanent shelter for our families where possible. 

Spiritual preparedness entails doing those things which will give us strength and allows us to act in a Christlike manner when we are under extreme pressures.  This means following God's commands to the best of our ability and knowledge, seeking to understand Him and His ways, and striving to act as He would.  This one is much harder.  With temporal preparedness I can pretty much make a checklist of things I need to have on hand, and skills I need to acquire.  With spiritual preparedness, I need to work every day.  I need to lovingly nurture my relationships with my own family especially.  For in times of stress, I will be inclined to act the easiest way.  If I'm accustomed to becoming angry easily, I guarantee I will respond in that extreme.  However, if I've constantly molded myself to respond in kindness and love, it will be much easier to remain kind and loving when hard times happen.  I need to study the words of God and seek to understand and follow. 

As I've read history from many different time periods and places in our world, I've encountered many sad and devastating events.  I've read different accounts of how individuals have met their difficulties.  Many have sunk under extreme pressures, and some have been an amazing inspiration to me of enduring well.  Should we encounter similar devastating periods in our own lives, our personal preparation will determine how well we endure.  I do firmly believe that devastating times are ahead for our nation.  I don't pretend to know exactly when, but I believe it will be in my lifetime.  This is why I urge all to prepare, for we can weather the worst storms well if we only seek to do God's will and prepare to be self sustaining.  I pray that this is a message of hope to all who read it, and that we will all seek to prepare ourselves and our families.

For anyone interested in ideas for self reliance and world welfare, here is one resource: Provident Living