Love Is Suffering

     Everything I do is potentially to feel good. Therefore, everything I do is selfish. I eat cause i'm hungry, I sleep cause I'm tired. Even if I serve someone else, I do it for the good feeling and self-satisfaction that comes from the act. No one can deny we feel good when we serve others. So what is it that takes us from the selfish realm into one that is unselfish?
     It is our capacity to feel pain for another person. Why? Because like a mother carries the burden of a child, only if we are willing to suffer with another person is it more than selfish.  To be a truly good person, I have to suffer. The Book of Mormon is full of examples of good people who suffer. Lehi suffers anguish of soul for the rebellion of his sons, as does Nephi for his brothers. Alma suffers through "much tribulation of spirit" on behalf of his people.  Mormon himself watches with anguish and cries out for his fallen people. That is because he loved them.
    This makes Jesus Christ the greatest example of love of all time, for he bore all our afflictions. This to serve us. He put us above his own personal feelings of spiritual and physical peace.

sidenote: this also shows that detachment can never be a part of Christianity. Once can dedicate himself to the work away from earthly cares, but to detach from family relationships like a monk is not Godlike. It conquer desire, but removes the greatest suffering, the family. Therefore, Buddhism is limited on its capacity to love. Buddha did not cry when his father or friends died, but Christ cried when his friend died.  Logically, like Buddha saw, "decay is inherent in all componet things", so why stress about the family? However, Buddha also knew that some suffering is necessary for growth. Through Jesus Christ we can achieve the peaceful unattachment of Buddhism while mainting the joyful relationship of the family.
      The modern world seems to avoid having children within the bonds of marriage. Perhaps because it seems to expensive, time consuming, basically too much stress..  But those who live it know, that the greatest suffering comes from kids, and becomes the greatest growth. We are limited in our capacity to carry a burden with someone, or it at least remains untested, until we have a family of our own.

Self-Mastery and My Dog

Sheldon is tied to a propane tank on the front lawn. I want to let him go free, because I know he'd feel better being released from his leash. But I can't let him, he'd run off and get himself hurt. He'd bark at the neighbors and be a nuisance. So I keep him in the front yard or locked in the house until he learns manners.
     Sheldon wants to run, and bark, maybe even play with other dogs. I can tell he's bored sitting there, but he's also learning a valuable lesson if he'll pay attention. Sometimes he's so calm, just thinking. About what, idk. But he is learning to enjoy the calm.
     I am like the dog, and God is my master. Sometimes oh how much I want to be free from bondage. I want a good job, oh how I want to bless my friends and be an example to them. I want health and the means to help others have health. I want wisdom to guide my family. So why does God keep me, as well as so many others, tied to a leash?
     I not only protect my dog when I keep him tied up, but I am being considerate of others. So God ties me up to protect me, to teach me the smell of the flowers, and to teach me how to be around people. I should not bark at them or bite them, but I should show them the same love I show my owner. Then I would be free from my leash, as long as I keep being obedient to my master.

     So what are the lessons I must learn to be released off my leash? I must learn respect of others. I must develop self control, else my master will not trust me. And once I have been properly trained and disciplined, then will the leash come off, and I find myself free to roam within the bounds my master sets, which is much better than a leash. I still have protection, but I get to see new places and love more people. Because I am trained, I get to wander here and there and enjoy myself, and then sprint in response to my master's call.
      That's life, and rages within whatever setting we find ourselves in. Perhaps a disability can feel like a leash, yet the resurrection will cut us loose. And then, if we have learned to obey our masters call, we will come into him and be saved. And this life is a symbol of that, for just as the Nephites or the children of Israel, God prospereth his people according to their righteousness. The younger we learn the commandments, the more blessed are we, for we will run with the wind and enjoy, more fully, time spent with our master.