Yes! I Am My Brother's Keeper!

The often over-looked blessing of the Fall of Adam is that all of us have, as result, been given the opportunity to come into the Earth as part of a family here and to learn and grow. We're placed in families so that we can learn - everything from walking and eating to basic math and science principles. However, the most important reason we are in families is to learn about ourselves, to discover who we are as children of God. Yes, all of us are children of a very loving and merciful Father in Heaven.

It's interesting to think about the experience Adam and Eve had when they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. They now lived in a world of temptation, sickness, and death; yet, just a brief period before, they had been walking - quite literally - with God. So, to see their children grow up and fall for the tricks and lies of Satan must have been utterly devastating. And worst of all was that their son, Cain, murdered his brother Abel.

Upon doing so, the Lord - who evidently regularly spoke with Adam and Eve, and their family - comes to Cain and asks him: "Where is Abel, thy brother?" To which Cain replies, "I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?" The scriptures only ever refer to two persons as perdition - Lucifer and Cain. To that evil man who murdered his brother in cold blood and then lied to the face of the God of the Universe, my answer from personal belief, faith, and desire is: Yes! You are your brother's keeper! And so am I.

Our world seems to be in a state where we are constantly "hanging on" by threads and faith and hope sometimes seem rather impossible or pointless. And yet, I'm telling you that with the knowledge that Christ has triumphed over the grave and that the battle over Satan is in fact won, we just have to choose whether or not to have hope and to have faith. Being descent humans, serving others, being kind, smiling, giving compliments, being loyal to our spouses and children are all things that will foster an environment of love, concern, care, hope, and yes - faith.

Followers of Christ have even promised to be "[our] brother's keeper" for, in scriptural terms, we promise at baptism "to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" (Mosiah 18:8-9). In modern revelation we are commanded to "succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees" (D&C 81:5).

In short, we are told to help everyone, to love our neighbors and our enemies, to bless those that curse us, and to turn the other cheek when we are the targets of hatred and malice; and yes, whether it come from an internal desire to love all or only from obedience to God, we are to be our brother's keeper.

Both Temporal and Spiritual

In the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord gives us insight to the nature of His commandments and of us as beings created by Him. "Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal." I think mind, body, and spirit are all interconnected and have both spiritual and temporal (or physical) roots. We must treat them as both and work to increase their strengths by physical and temporal means. In working to improve ourselves, we must remember a very important, fundamental truth that will allow us to make the most of our efforts.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us the fundamentals in order to achieve happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. Principles and ordinances of the Gospel are simple and straightforward. The commandments that are taught all follow a pattern of "comply and be rewarded." The basic steps to building a testimony and finding success in the Gospel are: personal prayer, scripture study, church attendance, temple worship, and obedience to the commandments. There really is only one way - and there is no way around the basic principles and ordinances. There is no "detour" or "back door."

Likewise, being healthy and strong is something that must be done by following the basics to nutrition. If we want our bodies to gain muscle mass, doing muscle-building activities (like bodyweight exercises or lifting weights) is the way that those muscle gains will happen. Increasing our aerobic capacity can only be achieved by exercising. And ridding our bodies of chemicals and feeling internally healthier is only possible by eating healthy and making good lifestyle decisions. There are no secrets, there are no tricks. There are no "detours" to a healthy, fit, lean, strong, fast, or toned body. There is only one way, and it's a proven way. Doing the small and simple things - the basics - will get us to where we want to go.

"Because Of Their Faith"

The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, begins with a son's abridgment of his father's writings and teachings. The first chapter provides some background information and context clues for the subsequent abridgment and narration, and concludes with a powerful testimony. That testimony is that God's tender love and merciful ways are abundant in the lives of all who have faith in Him. The actual wording of the verse of scripture is as follows:

"But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith..." (1 Nephi 1:20).

"Because of their faith," all children of God can be "chosen." However, it is up to each individual son or daughter of God to actively build a relationship with Him and develop faith in Him. In the New Testament, Christ taught his disciples that it's the quality - not the quantity - of faith that matters, because faith like unto a mustard seed would be sufficient to move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Therefore, we can conclude that any amount of faith is sufficient to be included among "those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith." We are His children and He loves us. He wants to bless us; and in fact, He does bless us. The windows of heaven are open and the Lord's tender mercies truly do fill our lives. Whether or not we recognize it, and whether or not we're grateful, depends upon our faith in Him.