Corruptible Things
Doctrine and Covenants 101:21-25, “Behold, it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places; And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together. And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beasts of the field, or of the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed; And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth.”
These verses made an impression on me in regard to how things will change when the Savior comes again. In particular, the phrase, “every corruptible thing” made me wonder about what I should be focusing on in my day-to-day life. Am I pursuing worldly or eternal things? If all that is “element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new…” is there a way for me to aid in the process of transformation now?
The question then becomes, what are corruptible things? Are they everything that is not eternal? But all matter is eternal, so, things (objects) are not the focus. It might be how we interact with things or how we view them.
I have been thinking about how isolating ourselves from one another by avoiding personal interactions in favor of using technology. Communication via text or some other messaging service is certainly convenient and quick, but is it as effective an in-person interaction? There are no visual or body language cues in a text. The missing human elements, that provide context, are essential to ascertaining intent. Without this context, we forget the emotive power that makes us human. Unless we are extremely competent in writing, we lose our personality or individuality as well. The point is, if we see each other in a less human way, people become objects.
In the context of my thoughts today, I perceive impersonal communication as a corrupted form of relationships. The erosion of personal relationships is demonstrated in the actions of a growing number of individuals who think it is okay to demean and denigrate others. In extreme cases, violent acts play themselves out, as we have seen this week.
If our goal is to develop relationships that stand the test of time and into the eternities, we must rid ourselves of impersonal communication. We need to see a smile on someone’s face when we express heartfelt feelings of love or hope. We need to see disappointment in someone’s eyes when we say hurtful things. In both cases, we learn to measure our words carefully. Pure, uncorrupted communication is what we should strive for.
We should consider any corrupt part of us as something to purify voluntarily so that when the Savior comes again, less of us will be consumed. This is something we can do. We don’t have to wait for the final judgement to be justified. We can apply the sanctifying blood of Jesus Christ, through repentance, and be made clean and whole.
In transforming ourselves, where do we start? Do we start with our worst character traits or build on our God-given gifts? Maybe the answer is that it depends on our state of mind. When we are strong, we take on the most difficult things. When we are weak, we strengthen our positive traits.
Can we transform something from a corruptible state to an incorruptible one? If so, are there things worthy of my effort to transform? Perhaps the prime object of our transformation effort is ourselves, or maybe, we could change our physical environment to promote feelings of peace and order. Is there a place in our homes where we can experience purity?
We are taught that through priesthood power, things can be sealed on earth and in heaven. This may be a tangent, but perhaps not. Can priesthood power make any earthly thing a heavenly thing? We know marriage and family relationships can be eternal. We know that records on earth are recorded in heaven. But what else can this principle be applied to? I will leave you to think about that.