Having a healthy, fully functioning community is not a luxury or something just for a rare few. It needs to be a reality for enough of us to significantly impact the majority. The omnipotence of God resides simply in the fact that whenever he wills anything, his will is immediately and invariably followed by the existence of its object. Heaven may seem distant at times, but God’s pure love encourages us to become more pure and holy. It inspires us to walk in righteousness—not out of fear or obligation, but to out of an earnest desire to become even more like the Lord because we love him. By doing so, we can become born again and be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this World and eternal life in the World to come, even immortal glory. If we do not feel worthy to be a disciple of the Lord at all times, we should not get discouraged. The first step to walking in righteousness is to simply try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of his prophets; choose to listen to the Heavenly Father, and do the things he asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of us. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give us a spirit of unity,” reports Romans 15.4-5. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8

Some of us are overly self-conscious, and that skill and be both a blessing and a burden. It may help us forecast what others want or need for us, but it also opens us up to every critical comment aimed in our direction. This can cause an individual to become wrapped in their thoughts, mentally on guard for any chance to win approval and be accepted. However, after we figure out that we are worthwhile and stop worrying about how others react to us, we will still be aware of others’ opinions of us, but we will not care so very much. At first it might feel odd not to be vigilant in every social situation. Since we will no longer analyze every interaction for its inherent danger or opportunity, we may find ourselves building up a huge bank account of mental energy. Once we realize the gift life has given to us, we become very excited. It is like winning a lot of money tax free and being able to do whatever we want. So, why not channel all of our keen mental abilities in some new, more productive, less stressful direction? How about getting to know who we are as people? We can learn more psychology, religion, art, more names of flowers and trees and birds. Maybe it would even be possible to grow a business and get rid of poverty. When people mature we experience a dramatic change in the way we view the opinions of the outside World: these opinions suddenly lose impact. We shift our attention from words to things. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8

None of this is to say, of course, that the opinions of others are unimportant. The fact that we care about what other people think is a basic foundation of society, and it helps us do the right thing at times when it would be easier, or more fun, to follow our own selfish interest. The self-conscious, is us watching ourselves from the eyes of others, and this helped us, as children, learn to adhere to the norms of our families and communities. Self-conscious observation spurs us to climb the ladders of success in educational and professional pursuits. “None of us lives in oneself alone and none of us dies to oneself alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your family? Or why do you look down on your family? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God,’” reports Romans 14.7-11. We should listen for the voice of the Heavenly Father in the bounties and beauties of nature, in the gentle whisperings of the Spirit. As we draw near to Heavenly Father, we become more holy. And as we become more holy, we will overcome disbelief and our souls will be filled with his blessed light. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8

The new approach we need to keep growing is by aligning our lives with this supernal light so it can lead us out of darkness and toward the greater light. This greater light leads to the unspeakable ministering of the Holy Spirit, and the veil between Heaven and Earth can become thin. Heavenly Father’s love for his children is the core message of the plan of happiness, which plan is made active through the Atonement—the greatest expression of live the World has ever known. When we are ready to give up self-conscious, adults who experience this magical time of self-awareness, or one watching through the eyes of one’s own inner authority come to understand that God’s commandments hang upon the principle of love. If we do not neglect the great laws—if we truly learn to love our Heavenly Father and our fellow people with all our heart, soul, and mind—all else will fall into place. “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in human love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality,” reports Romans 12.9-13.  As we begin to listen to ourselves, we will find that our mental life takes on two important aspects. First, we begin to approach the external World more deliberately, with out own interest at heart. Second, we discover aspects of ourselves—our preferences, talents, and habits. #RandolphHarris 4 of 8

As we negotiate a new balance between our internal World and the external one, both changes help us face the World with confidence. Getting this balance is the right key to wisdom. “Learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and withersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever,” reports Alma 37.36. Becoming wise is one of the major objectives of maturity. How wise we become depends in large part on our ability to watch our public self with the curiosity of a detective and the compassion of a saint. What we observe ourselves doing in the course of our maturity may at times startle us, discourage us, confuse us, and overwhelm us. However, we must remember to be gentle with ourselves. We have to understand that we will renegotiate this balance over and over in the years to come. Many people are at war—at war with life, with each other, with themselves—consumed by the fight to win at work and elsewhere. It all includes huge drama, high stakes, tremendous challenges and risks, primal encounters, great danger, unusual camaraderie, and the extremes of play at the edge. However, the ensouled body is in communion with the body of the World and find its health in that intimacy. “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good,” reports Alma 37.37. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8

All power ultimately comes from God; he alone has absolute sovereignty. Although many nations have a wonderful constitution, many people see the American Constitution more nearly perfect than others because it recognizes the existence of the Creator and God-given rights of individuals, which the government is bound to respect and protect. Because of the social contract theory, a philosophy of government that holds that governments exist based on the consent of the governed, and individuals who give their consent to be governed have the right to resist or remove rulers who deviate from those purposes. In the ringing language, the Declaration of Independence proclaims: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal (in the eyes of the law), that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. When God reveals himself, he does so as a person. Revelation is the act of a person, not the setting out of a doctrine. In revelation, God encounters humans beings as person to person; humans cannot argue their way to God by philosophy or discover God apart from the Biblical revelation, yet when God calls, humans can at least answer. We must return continually to revelation for renewal. This is in part because of the character of human sin, but it is also in part because we must reassert the personal character of social life in a new context. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8

Many people never make the transition from self-consciousness to self-awareness. They get stuck in what is called self-sabotage: they stop caring altogether. The man who just lets himself go, or the woman who just says she is no good at math are both engaging in self-limiting behaviour. A self-aware person makes conscious choices about what to do about simple facts: “I want to live a long, energetic life (fulfilling a person imperative), I will start exercising.” A self-sabotaging person will see the fact, may even see what needs to be done, but will go no further. We can, however, use this gift of life to pursue wisdom. All we have to be to become wiser is to listen to our own internal rhythms and use them in our daily lives. Sounds simple, right? However, anyone who has tried it knows that it is constant work. Wisdom is not a goal, but a life-long process, lit by a sense of ever-evolving relationship with all that we are. If we practice on improving everyday for a week, we should make surprising discoveries that can improve our lives on several levels. The divine love of God turns ordinary acts into extraordinary service. Divine love is the motive that transports simple words into sacred scripture. Divine love is the factor that transforms reluctant compliance with God’s commandments into blessed dedication and consecration. Love is the guiding light that illuminates the disciple’s path and fills our daily walk with life, meaning, and wonder. “And never could be a people more blessed than were they, and more prospered by the hand of the Lord,” reports Ether 10.28. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8

God is in Heaven. He lives. He knows and loves you. He is mindful of you. He hears your prayers and knows the desires of your heart. He is filled with infinite love for you. Let us be known as a people who love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and who love our neighbour as ourselves. When we understand and practice these two great commandments in our families, in our wards and branches, in our nations, and in our daily lives, we will begin to understand what it means to be a true lover of God. If only because through doing so we learn to fully and compassionately relate to all that we are, every one of us needs to wholeheartedly engage in the learnings and work that make closeness possible because it will eventually heal ourselves so deeply that we render ourselves all but incapable of dehumanizing others. Full-out intimate relationship is one of the most healing paths there is, and has the capacity to revolutionize our companionship on a significant scale, but only if it foes to a sufficiently deep level. More than cosmetic shifts are needed, more than superficial gains, more than dips in self-help literature and seminars, more than attendance to sporting events. Without a saner, deeper bonding between intimate partners, dysfunctional associations will continue to dominate the community landscape. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8