Who are You?

Ever since I was a child, I've enjoyed watching Disney's animated movies. There is something special about the music, the characters, and the artwork. In a lot of cases, there is also an enduring and important message in the storyline. One movie that really impressed me was The Lion King. There is one scene in particular that struck a chord with me.

It is when the young lion prince Simba, after having long abandoned the pride, meets up with Rafiki, the eccentric yet wise baboon. When Simba inquires about the identity of the odd visitor, Rafiki responds in turn with a rather deeply questioning, "Who are you?" Indeed, many people at some point in their lives ask themselves, "Who am I?" In the grand scheme of things, who are we?

Here is a clip of that scene and the "revelation" that follows:

I think that Mufasa's message to Simba is rather profound. There are three things that he said that could apply to every one of us.

"You have forgotten me." All of us when we came to the earth through birth, had a veil placed over our memories of our pre-mortal life. We forget that we lived with the Father of our spirits. In fact, we have forgotten our experiences with Him altogether. In the church, we learn of God's existence and our relationship to Him. We are brought to a remembrance of who we are; that we are literally spirit children of Our Heavenly Father. In another sense, though, there are times when after acquiring this knowledge, we stray and forget the promises and covenants we make with him.

"You are more than what you have become." Are we wasting time living a "hakuna matata" lifestyle or are we taking our responsibility to keep the commandments seriously? What are we doing with our lives now? Are we living up to our full potential as children of God?

"Remember who you are." We are not on this earth by chance nor merely as a product of biological processes. When we fully realize that we have a royal and divine heritage, we can live a life that will enable us to inherit eternal life.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you; And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. Wherefore, do the things which I have commanded you, saith your Redeemer, even the Son Ahman, who prepareth all things before he taketh you; For ye are the church of the Firstborn, and he will take you up in a cloud, and appoint every man his portion. And he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. Amen."
(Doctrine and Covenants, Section 78:17 - 22)

I believe that I am a child of God. I hope that you do too.

The Road to the Kingdom

I really like going to Disneyland. It has been one of my most favorite places since I was very young. I have fond childhood memories of being there with my family. And now as a parent, I've had the joy of going with my own children.

Over the years, Disneyland has changed quite a bit. Some attractions have been updated while others have been removed to make way for new ones. I have seen the submarines change color from grey to yellow, the Country Bear Jamboree playhouse turn into Winnie the Pooh's adventure, Capt. Jack Sparrow join the Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion turn into Jack Skellington's Haunted Holiday. In spite of all the revisions and refurbishments it remains one of my all-time favorite vacation destinations.

Our trips to Disneyland from San Diego usually start early in the morning so that we can arrive around opening time and enjoy a full day at the park. I have my choice of several freeways and routes to get there. On the other hand, in order to spend the least amount of time on the road I have to carefully select the quickest and shortest route. If I make the wrong turn or miss an exit and get on the wrong freeway it will mean more time spent driving and less time on the rides at the park.

photo courtesy of http://www.aaroads.com

Sometimes it only takes a small mistake, of being in one lane versus the one next to it. Imagine though, if after making a navigation error, I were to delay my course correction? Our time at the Happiest Place on Earth would get even shorter. What if I never got back on the right road? We'd end up in a totally different place altogether spoiling the whole point of the trip and ruining everyone's expectations.

There is a place greater and more wonderful than any earthly Magic Kingdom. The Kingdom of our Heavenly Father is glorious beyond anything we can imagine. The prophet Joseph Smith described it in this way:

"The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell. I saw the transcendent beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which was like unto circling flames of fire; Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. I saw the beautiful streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold."
(Doctrine and Covenants, Section 137:1 - 4)

We have the commandents and doctrines of the church to guide us to that kingdom. They are our roadmap to eternal life. We sometimes make mistakes and veer off the right road onto detours that lead us away from that destination. We waste time in places where we didn't intend to go. The problem is that the longer we delay getting back onto the proper path the harder it is to return. If we never make the necessary course corrections, we will never reach the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.

"But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation."

(Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 33:9)

I hope that my family understands how important it is to remain faithful and true to the teachings of the Savior. Stay on the right road, and make whatever course corrections are needed to get back on the right path when you stray. I believe that we can make it to the end and enjoy eternal life together as a family.

All the Feeling of a Tender Parent

In the Book of Mormon, Nephi wrote about his father talking to his rather rebellious brothers Laman and Lemuel in this manner:

"And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.

And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them."
(Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8:37 - 38)

There are times when I think I know how Lehi must have felt. I am also a father that does a fair amount of preaching and exhorting my children to do the right thing. Sometimes the preaching comes out like yelling. I wonder if Lehi did his share of yelling at his sons. It was probably not because he was angry, but because he desperately wanted them to be obedient. I love my children very much. It pains me when I see them arguing with each other, or bending the rules, or stretching the truth, or when there is any hint they might stray from the strait and narrow.

Do you remember in The Little Mermaid when King Triton reprimanded his daughter, Ariel, for disobeying him? He later questioned if he was too harsh. Parents do wonder if they overdo it sometimes. We're not perfect. On the other hand, if I didn't love my children I would just leave them to their own devices.


There are plenty of dangerous things in the world and we as parents have quite a heavy responsibility to keep our children safe from those things:

"And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents....

And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord."
(Doctrine and Covenants, Section 68:25 - 28)

I want my children to know that I love them. Even when I raise my voice and give them an angry, mean-looking scowl, this is my way of exhorting them with all the feeling of a tender parent. Please stay away from the "hooks", stay true, and stay close to the Lord, especially when we're not there to watch you. You'll be blessed for it. I really believe that.

A Piano and an Orchestra

I sometimes hear members of our church use an analogy from the music world to compare our church with other religions or faiths. They suggest imagining someone trying to play a piano with missing keys compared to a person playing on a piano with a full set of keys. The idea is that our church has all of the principles and doctrines necessary for salvation and that others are missing some of those important truths. While I believe that our church is the only true church of Christ and does indeed contain the fullness of the Gospel, I'm uncomfortable with the piano analogy. I believe that there are good Christians, exemplary Muslims, faithful Jews, and people of various faiths and denominations who live their lives in a manner that is absolutely praiseworthy. To imagine them as playing on a piano with missing keys would be a mistake. I'd like to propose a different analogy.

One of my favorite classical compositions is Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition". He originally wrote it as a work for solo piano. Maurice Ravel later transcribed it for orchestra. It takes a high level of mastery and talent to play the original piano composition. The video below is of Andreas Boyde playing the final 2 "pictures" of the exhibition.

It is without doubt a skilled and masterful performance. It makes me exhausted just to watch it!

Now, here is a clip of Myung-Whun Chung conducting the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. It is the same two sections of the composition, "Hut on Fowl's Legs" and "Great Gate of Kiev".




So what is my point? I believe that people who are not members of our church are like the piano solo. Their lives can be full of goodness and beauty, and it can seem to them they are missing nothing at all. On the other hand, the gospel and doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints offer to add a greater richness and depth to their lives in the same way that an orchestra arrangement adds a richer, fuller, and grander sound to a piano composition.

President Gordon B. Hinckley offered the following invitation:
"We recognize the good in all people. We recognize the good in all churches, in their efforts to improve mankind and to teach principles that lead to good, stable, productive living. To people everywhere we simply say, ‘You bring with you all the good that you have, and let us add to it. That is the principle on which we work’ ”
(from a meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, 17 Feb. 1998. “Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Aug 1998, 72)

I believe that with all of my heart. Come and see for yourself.

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