Tuesday, February 24, 2015

I Do Things because I Want to Do Things, for Whatever Reasons Make Sense to Me

I follow the rules / keep the commandments according to the dictates of my own conscience and for my own, personal reasons.

For example:

I do not pay tithing as fire insurance or as a measure / token of righteousness; I pay it to help fund the Church.

I do not attend church to be blessed in the next life; I attend church to be blessed (sometimes) and to bless others (always).

I do not attend the temple to hold any particular calling or to get to the Celestial Kingdom; I attend the temple to commune with God in a quiet, reverent place and to remember to seal my heart to all of God's children.

I do not wear the garment for physical protection (or, really, even for spiritual protection); I wear it to remind myself of my relationship to God and because I love the symbols they include - and, frankly, because I've worn it so long it's a habit.

I could go on and on, but the point is that I do things because I want to do things - for whatever reasons make sense to me. I really don't care if others agree with my reasons; I care that others find reasons that make sense for them - for whatever they do, even if their actions are different than mine.

If I ask others to respect my right to make my own decisions, and to be accountable for my own choices, I simply must "allow them the same privilege", regardless of whether or not I agree with the choices they make. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your posts really help me find my footing and remind me that I am not alone. It really can feel that way sometimes.
I've really found that our relationships with our children have improved as we help them understand that we accept their right to live their lives by their own lights. There was a time when family relationships were in meltdown due to our non-acceptance, largely fuelled by our desire to be obedient to the gospel as it was being presented to us. It was actually never in our natures as parents to do other than teach correct principles and to allow our children to govern themselves.
We are left with a legacy of that time which we will be working towards overcoming , possible for the rest of our lives.