Progression

In the blog post Action, I offered a few thoughts about a series of words that stand out to me in the early verses of what is now Doctrine and Covenants Section 163. This morning I would like to revisit that list. It seems to me there is much to be understood there; certainly far more than we will be able to explore here.

I find an interesting progression in that series of verbs. It seems to me the list begins with actions designed to aid or increase our understanding; words like discern, embrace, discover, become. Then a shift occurs, and we move to word that reflect more physical action. This part of the list includes verbs like go, come, receive, follow, share, and restore. As the list goes on, the verbs seem to ramp the action up a bit to somewhat more aggressive terms like create, strive, challenge, pursue, and be alert. Finally, we turn to words that seem to have more to do with preparing to go further or equipping others for their tasks. This part of the list includes terms like open, awaken, equip, and prepare.

It seems to me the progression in this sequence is reflective of the process we go through in almost any effort we undertake in life. First we need to learn more about the cause or task at hand. Having achieved at least a rudimentary level of understanding, we are able to begin doing some things. As we grow in confidence, knowledge and experience, we become more skilled with greater expertise and can pursue the goals more aggressively. Finally, we need to both go deeper and to recruit others to join the cause. We share our accumulated wisdom with them so they are better equipped to continue or expand the task.

Where are we are in this progression? Where am I? Where are our congregations? Thinking of the Mission of Jesus Christ as clarified by President Veazey through the Mission Initiatives, are we at the learning stage or are we ready for action? Perhaps you feel you have moved beyond the early stages to a more aggressive level or maybe you are at the point where you are recruiting and training others. Are we thinking about this? Are we preparing for action? I hope so.

As always, we would love for you to share your thoughts or responses to this subject.

Posted by Carman