DaveH wrote: > ... tonight I've endeavored to change the wording > of my posts to make you folks happier. Is it working??? > Unfortunately, it is depressing me. I feel not only very > extrememly uncomfortable speaking like this, but I also > feel...well...rather slimey...and, dirty... > and...ahhhhhh...welllllll...like a Protestant. > I would be embarrassed if another Mormon were to read my > posts today and think I'm really like this.
Dave, in case it is any consolation to you, I want you to know that I understood what you were doing and did not think you were losing your temper. To tell you the truth, I found your candor rather refreshing. You kind of switched over so completely all of a sudden that you looked like a completely different person. In your effort to do this, I think you might have crossed the line some in feeding perhaps some carnal feelings, and that might account some for the dirty feelings you have. But there is something even more at play here, and this is the concept of REPUTATION. I don't think you are going to hear this too easily, but your real problem with the open honest approach is your reputation. Being open makes us vulnerable, and it exposes our inner heart in a way that is kind of like taking the lid off a garbage can. Our first instinct is to get that lid back on that garbage can as quickly as possible. What you should be doing is looking to the Lord to so purify your heart, that when you are open and candid about what you think, purity comes out rather than defiled thought. What you said to Izzy showed that your heart truly did not think too well of her. If that is a problem (and I think it is), the solution is not to cover it up with nice words, but to look to the Lord to help make your heart right and balanced. Do you understand what I am saying? As long as you polish the outside, the inside is still defiled. If what comes out of the heart is not pure and holy, then seek for the solution to that root problem through Jesus Christ rather than adding the polish to the outside man in the hope that the inside will never be seen for what it is. I am encouraged that you have taken this step. I applaud you for it. It is great to see someone willing to change, willing to take a step, even if they are unsure about where it will lead them. I encourage you to continue, not pull back, but let God work at your very heart, causing your speech to become pure from the root and not simply as a polished exterior. You are on your way, but don't be too surprised if being honest in this way leads to an illumination of your soul that you never expected. What you previously thought were paths to truth may begin to fade as you walk this new path. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
