I’ve been a bit hesitant to jump back into this. Even with several posts in my buffer, I’m nervous. Yet I can’t shake the feeling that now is the time. So, here is the re-inaugural post:

The lost two years of this blog, when I wrote in it, focused on moving my career forward. But a lot has changed.

I mentioned, in the “got my blog back” post just previous to this, that Arthur Henry King had recently been a big influence on me. Let me tell you a bit about him. He was a British poet and professor of English who taught at Cambridge for some time, converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in his later years and came to BYU to teach Shakespeare. Did I say he was awesome? I wish that I’d had an opportunity to study literature under him. His methods were thorough and his take on it was uniquely Gospel centered.

I discovered him through a quote (found on an interesting paper on Mormon Interpreter about Mormon Studies) that changed my life.

For [Mormons], all learning is for God’s sake, not for its own sake. As soon as we speak of learning for its own sake, we set up learning as an idol independent of God. The Mormon tradition is supremely one of work, work for the Lord and others—service. Work is the second great virtue. Caring or love is the first; and work should spring from caring. – The Abundance of the Heart, pg 263

Learning for the sake of learning is idolatry? I knew the moment I read it that this was true, but I had not approached learning like this at all. I had considered the gathering of knowledge profitable because I thought that of its own accord, it was one of the ‘treasures in heaven’. I loved learning, because Earth and the universe it occupies is an incredible and terribly interesting place. And I thought myself righteous, because I was grateful to God for all the beautiful creations and I wanted to learn more about them.

But in an instant, that worldview dissolved and a new one took its place: We should learn for the sake of serving God.

The idea shocked me out of complacency. It was wonderful, and a bit chastening. I saw everything in a better and purer light. I held my breath for a moment, and wished the world would stop for long enough to take it in so I could prepare myself for what had changed. Because it was a lot.

My attitudes changed. My interests changed. And my temporal goals changed. I think maybe my poor husband wondered if I had a brain tumor. How could I explain?

 

When we are traveling down a road, and it peters out to nothing, what should we do? Keep going in that direction? Or turn around and take the other fork? It may be that we’ve changed direction, but the goal is the same and the pathway more sure.

So, onto a better road I go. My blog is going to reflect this road and be about my religion. Truly, I have been blessed by the knowledge I’ve received through the church and hope to share those blessings with you.

I’m just a regular Mormon wife and mother. Though I will strive to be faithful, accurate and doctrinally sound, the views and opinions here are my own, and are not to be taken as official doctrine or statements of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.