I decided to share with you a summary of an article I read by Dennis F. Rasmussen called "What Faith Is." I think it's very much worth sharing.
So here goes:
What is faith? "...the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" according to Paul. Joseph Smith changed the word "substance" to "assurance." So faith is the assurance of things not yet seen.
Quoting Brother Rasmussen: "Hope is confidence in the future, the time when the things not yet seen will appear. Hope, then, requires an awareness of time and a power to conceive what has not yet occurred." Which we as humans can do--we can think about tomorrow, next week, next year.
"By giving assurance concerning the future, faith helps us to plan our present actions with an eye to the future." An example of this would be planting tomatoes knowing how good they'll taste later in the summer.
"But though we look to the future, we live in the present, which is the time for action, the day, as scripture says, in which our labors are to be performed (see Alma 34-32-33)." Living in the present is the opposite of getting involved in an alternate reality.
"What, then, is action? Action is faith at work.... Man is a being who acts. He acts by faith."
And what are we trying to accomplish with our action? What is our end goal?
Joseph Smith said, "Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God (Teachings, 255-56)." Rasmussen concludes "happiness is man's highest end and...it depends on acting in the proper way."
"The next question to be raised is, How do we show that we are truly acting in accordance with virtue? What will indicate that our actions are right, so that we may look back and say with Nephi that we 'lived after the manner of happiness' (2 Ne. 5:27)."
"In our actions we not only show others our faith, but we show it to ourselves as well.... The real test of our faith is how we act... A faithful member of the Church is an active member, because faith is the principle of action."
Now back to happiness. "Happiness is not something which another can give or take away." That seems to me to be profound. We often say someone is making me unhappy or if only that would go away I would be happy. So not true.
"Neither is it [happiness] something that can be achieved when sought directly and solely for itself. It only comes when its proper condition is met. That condition is virtue. Happiness requires, happiness is a virtuous or moral way of acting. Everyone finally decides for himself, by how he acts throughout his life, whether or not he will be happy." Can you think of examples of that, when someone has chosen to be happy in spite of difficult circumstances?
"Peter declared, 'add to your faith virtue' (2 Pet. 1:5). We now need to clarify just how faith helps us develop virtue or the moral worthiness that is the condition of all true happiness. Faith as a principles of activity, looks to the future... faith is always confronted with choices.... how can faith choose wisely? ... We do not always clearly know in advance what will make us happy.... The immediate guide for faith is not happiness, but virtue or worthiness to be happy." Another profound statement. Can we be happy doing the right thing, no matter what? Like it says in the hymn, "Do What is Right; Let the Consequence Follow."
Rasmussen says: "It is not for us to foretell the precise arrangement of things yet future. It is for us each day to follow steadfastly the guidance of virtue, full of hope and faith that as we do, as we make ourselves worthy of happiness, that end will follow." I observe some of you doing just that.
"At its highest level faith as the principle of action thus becomes the principles of duty to keep the commandments of God... The commandments give us what we need: a constant and ever-present standard by which to guide our lives." I think commandments are a blessing in disguise. Are there any that are too difficult to follow?
"Some observers have claimed that a life of duty and virtue limits men and hampers their spontaneous powers. They bid men to leave their fetters behind and to follow their natural inclinations." What poppycock. Our natural inclinations lead us to follow Satan!
"Important as outward works may be, they remain outward expressions of another, inward way of working. The inward works of faith are the true source and soul of all the outward works. For as a man 'thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7).
Then Brother Rasmussen wants us to think: "In what sense does faith involve a kind of inward action and how is this action related to outward deeds?" And he answers, "...virtuous inward activity is the 'real intent' spoken of by Moroni."
"As a single example of the kind of commitment made by this inward activity of the soul, think of the act of promising.... What is a promise?... A promise is a self-chosen act of will that remains fixed and unchanging over a span of time reaching into the future." Even into eternity!
"How much faith and hope does it take to make and then to keep such covenants? When people make unbreakable covenants, they perform the ultimate act of faith."
To conclude. "In a world filled with uncertain outcomes and merely provisional commitments, only being true to covenants, only keeping faith, can lift the soul beyond the reach of doubt and worry and lead it to the source of perfect confidence which is God. Before us all lies a journey that began at our birth and will go on till our death. We live in the time between and act each day as best we can. Some days bring gladness; others force upon us heavy burdens. At times we may question how our path can lead to happiness or if our faith has reached its limit. We know that strength is gained in struggles; we wonder if we can survive on our own. But so long as we seek to do good, so long as we choose the right, deep within us our faith is working, and our hope still lives. Let us believe this. Let us then continue to act as duty bids. As we do, our faith will be sufficient, and our happiness will be assured." This is inspiring to me. Keep on keeping on!
1 comment:
Wow. Keep that on file. You can use it as a sacrament meeting talk!
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