Kénōsis

 I just learned in my religion class that in Christian theology, kenosis (κένωσις, ekénōsen) is  the Greek word for emptiness. It means the 'self-emptying' of one's own will in order to become entirely receptive to God's divine will.

Philippians 2:7 (KJV) says that Christ, "made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men."

In the American Standard Version it says: He "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men"

Christian's have long debated over Jesus's process of Kenosis.  What did it mean for Christ to "empty Himself"?  Did it mean he temporarily let go of who He was to take upon the form of man? Did it mean when  He "descended from the throne" He somehow descended in His godhood?  Of course not.  He understood His true identity and place as rightful King on earth and in heaven. His godhood and power never left Him spiritually but He gave up being recognized as such physically.

In fact, during the pinnacle crux of all human history, where His greatest "emptying" took place, is also where we see manifested the greatest and most magnificent power!!  In the Garden of Gethsemane He was emptied as He bled from every pore. (D&C 19:18) And on the cross blood and water "flowed from His side" (John 19:34)

Isaiah 53:12 also speaks of the Savior's emptying saying,"He [Christ] poured out His soul".  The highest majesty ever known was reveled through the most intense humility.

Psalms 36:9 describes Christ as "the fountain of life."  Living water "pouring out" in a constant steady flow.

Luke 8:43-48 tells another story of Christ's emptying:
"A woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
And Jesus said, Who touched me?
When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me."

Virtue had emptied out of Him.
"Virtue" here contextually means "strength."  He may have felt physically weak in that moment but He was certainly not weak in the spiritual sense.  He was "emptied" as in the context of Isaiah's illustration. The woman exercised such tremendous faith in Christ that when she reached to Him through the pressing crowd, He literally felt His body go weak from the "pouring out of His soul" to her and she was healed.

As the Savior emptied Himself, we too must empty ourselves.

Matt 16:25 teaches that when we "lose our self" we'll find ourselves.  This does not mean we lose our identity in the slightest.  In fact, as we choose to draw closer to Christ, we see our TRUE self, our Divine nature more and more defined, more clear than ever before.  What we DO lose however is the false identity, the labels and the lies the world would have us believe.

To "lose ourselves" we, like Him, must "pour out our souls".  Here, we show that He is the very center of our life, that we want Him more than anything else. As He prayed, we also pray, "Not my will but thine be done." (Luke 22:42)

In "emptying" ourselves of our own will, we "pour out" our souls, making room for Him to enter in.  This is the "whole tithe." We lay it all on the altar and say, "take it all, I surrender."  In return, He opens the windows of heaven, whether through temporal or spiritual needs, revelation, or guidance. The promise is heaven will be opened and poured out!

The New International Version of Malachi says it this way
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it." - Malachi 3:10

I love the imagery of "floodgates!"

He will "pour out" to us as we "pour out" Him.

Think of the results that come when we open ourselves up to Him in prayer:  We pour out all our strength - He gives us His strength, pour out all our hearts - He gives us His heart, pour out all our thoughts - He gives us His thoughts.  Fully and completely submissive and receptive, we open our self up to Him, we let Him in our heart and soul, receiving Him, becoming one with Him as He became one with the Father.

"In striving for ultimate submission, our wills constitute all we really have to give God anyway. The usual gifts and their derivatives we give to Him could be stamped justifiably “Return to Sender,” with a capital S. Even when God receives this one gift in return, the fully faithful will receive “all that [He] hath” (D&C 84:38). What an exchange rate!" - Neal A. Maxwell - Consecrate Thy Performance

I testify that Christ is the "fountain of Life", His love and power is ever flowing over.  He wants to "pour it into us."  But we must first go through our own kenosis, our own 'self-emptying' in order to be open to receive Him, all of Him.
-Alicia

To Know God

"More Of You"

by, Colton Dixon

I made my castle tall

I built up every wall

This is my kingdom and it needs to fall

I want you and no one else

Empty me of myself

Until the only thing that's left is

More of You

Less of me

Make me who I'm meant to be

You're all I want all I need

You're everything

Take it all I surrender

Be my king

God I choose

More of You and Less of me

I need more of you

More of you

This life I hold so close

Oh, God I let it go

I refuse to gain the world and lose my soul

So take it all I abandon everything I am

You can have it

The only thing I need is

More of You

Less of me

Make me who I'm meant to be

You're all I want all I need

You're everything

Take it all I surrender

Be my king

God I choose

More of You and Less of me

I need more of you

More of you

All to You

I surrender

All to You my blessed Savior

I surrender all

Spiritual Awareness

I just finished reading the story of Alma and his bretheren. As I reflect back on these chapters I think of  Alma 17:2-3. I love the description of what united these friends in the Lord so deeply, "they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.  But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God."

1. They came to know truth and also understood it.  This implies they received it with both mind and heart.

2. They searched the scriptures diligently.  This includes the scripture that we call the "words of the living prophets".  D&C 68:4

3. They gave themselves to much fasting and much prayer.  Sincere prayer and fasting causes one to wax stronger and stronger in their humility and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ  - Heleman 3:35

I believe these three steps were so interwoven into the hearts of these young men that they didn't have to remind themselves to do any of them.  Doing such was not a duty but a privilege, it was their sincere desire and they delighted in it!  Such habits and attitudes among them created a strong "spiritual awareness."  Regularly applying these things enabled them to have the spirit of revelation, to perceive and foresee that which is unseen by the natural man. And when they taught, it was more than words because "they taught with power and authority of God."

In the various roles I play in life, mother, sister, wife, friend, teacher, student, etc. many things clamor for my time and attention.  It can be difficult to find balance or to know exactly where best to spend my energy.  I tell my children that my love is never divided among them, only multiplied.  But because we live in a sphere governed by minutes and hours, my time is divided among them.... So I pray for wisdom in how I use it.

I don't always know from day to day how I'm going to accomplish everything that requires my time and attention.  I just know that if I stick to these three basic things that Alma and his friends did, the Spirit will give me an awareness of that which matters most.  And usually those things which matters most are NOT the things that obtrusively ring in my ear.  Rather it is the quiet whisper that says, "Stop what you are doing for five minutes Alicia and just attentively listen to your child."  It's that nudge that says, "Walk to your next appointment instead of drive this time."  Or maybe the Spirit says "put down all your dinner preparations and greet your husband when he arrives home from work, just hug him for three or four uninterrupted minutes."

I really think in today's complicated world we underestimate "the small and simple things."  I don't know if it's balance we need so much of, as if God expects us to juggle everything thrown at us like circus performers.  I believe it's wisdom we need more of, more spiritual awareness to guide us to those things that matter most.  Ezra Taft Benson taught this wonderful truth, “When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." - Thomas S. Monson

- Alicia

2015 - 20th Anniversary

This is the year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Proclamation to the World about the family.  Interestingly, it is also the year that the UN celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Beijing Platform.

The first document to the world describes our Divine identity as women, and the beautiful role we play in our families. The second document sees motherhood in a negative light and seeks to dismantle our role in the family.

"In the preliminary document for the Beijing +5 Conference in 2000, one of the stated obstacles to human rights (translation: abortion on demand and same-sex marriage) was the "...persistence of traditional and stereotypical attitudes."
   In the section on Woman and the Media, there was language stating opposition to the 'negative images of women; and stereotyped portrayals;' (translation: mothers).  The women at this conference were urged to target journalists and media specialists, media associations, educational and training institutions to promote balanced and non-stereotyped portrayals of women." - Susan Roylance (Mothers & Fathers Defending Marriage and Family in the Halls of the U.N.)

Simply stated in "UN Beijing platform language" - "motherhood" and "traditional family" are bad words and damaging stereotypes and must be done away.

"In the gathering storm over defending marriage, the weather-vane pointing to our future is oscillating wildly.  Our destiny as a society will depend on whether we can protect our most fundamental social institution: marriage and the family.  As citizens of a democratic republic, we need not be at the mercy of judicial winds.  We can control our destiny!" - Richard G. Wilkins (Author of 'A Sacred Duty')

So how do we defend our most fundamental institution? The answer is simple.  We start in our own homes.  We seek to do all we can to strengthen our marriage and our relationships with our children, to build our home on a foundation of faith and trust in God. We embrace the complimentary unique and different roles of husband and wife. We always work with and for each other and never against. We strive to practice patience, kind words that build and uplift, habits that nurture and invite the Spirit.  We must be vigilant in safeguarding and monitoring closely the amount and content of media diet being fed to our minds and our family.  Wise mothers and fathers do not allow the rivers of filthy water to flow through the airwaves of their home.  They constantly ask themselves, "what is being taught" and "how is it being received".  Wise mothers and fathers seek the Spirit of the Lord in all they do through constant daily prayer and scripture study.

The Prophet Joseph Smith appeared to Brigham Young in a vision and said, "Tell the people to be humble and faithful and sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach [you what] to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren [and sisters] to keep their hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren [and sisters] if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right."

Malachi teaches about turning our hearts to our fathers and the most important Father we should turn to is our Heavenly One.  We are His children and His heart has been turned to us from the very beginning.  He loves us with an immeasurable and powerful love!  "We love Him because He first loved us." As we rightfully make Him first in our lives, everything else will fall into its proper place.  I know this. I trust this with my whole soul!

The Family Proclamation declares this irrefutable truth, "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."

The solutions of the world are not found in the works of the flesh, in the intellects, the philosophers, and talking heads. Show me a person who has innumerable followers, popularity, high accolades, degrees and doctorates, scholarly knowledge, who has read all the books and passed all the tests but who has never learned to care for their family, never learned to recognize and act upon the Spirit, never learned to reach beyond their obsession of self to sincerely love their neighbor, who has never learned to truly love and truly serve - and you've shown me a fool, indeed.

The Kingdom of God will crush the Kingdoms of the earth in a way that those who only see by the flesh won't be able to understand because they will not open their eyes.  The stone cut out of the mountain without hands means "without the flesh"... it will be by the power of the Spirit!  Those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts that understand will not faint but with hope will listen to "the distant triumph song."

-Alicia

"Unto" and "Recieive"

This post has been sitting on my draft board for three days now.  I couldn't figure out how to end it.  But maybe that last line is all I really needed to say.  

........................................

Know this, that ev'ry soul is free

To choose his life and what he'll be;

For this eternal truth is giv'n:

That God will force no man to heav'n.

- Hymn 240

Perhaps one of the hardest discoveries we learn in the family setting is that no one can make anyone believe or do anything. 

[We can] call, persuade, direct aright,

And bless with wisdom, love, and light,

In nameless ways be good and kind,

But never force the human mind.

This is a good thing though because agency is what we fought for, right?  It is just difficult when we see loved ones fighting against the very things that will make them free!  And nothing can be more heart-wrenching when we have done everything we could  to convince them, persuade them, with wisdom, love, and light or  when we have exhausted all our energies and still "they would not."  

Notice the word that occurs in these two scripture references when King Benjamin addresses his people: It says he "speaks unto" -  Mosiah 2:1, Mosiah 3:1, -  

The word is "unto".... not "into". It is placed before us, it connotes "personal choice". 

As I pondered on this and other scriptures that use the word "unto",  I noticed  another significant word "receive".

"If he come unto you receive him" -  Colossians 4:10

"him whom I have appointed unto you to receive" - D&C 43:2 

Also, when we were confirmed a member of the Church we hear the words in the blessing  "and say unto you receive the Holy Ghost" - John 20:22 

How many thousands of times do we hear in the Gospel the word "receive"?  
What does it mean especially in terms of receiving the Holy Ghost? receiving Christ, receiving a blessing...     Or receiving His image in our countenance ?