Cause and Effect Consequences on Earth

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As we were taught in history class, learning from the past allows us to make better decisions and lead ourselves to a better place; studying the data stored within your organization, whether past or present, allows you to learn from successes and failures and make confident decisions for the future.

There is a saying amongst the tech community that was coined by the statistician William E. Deming: “In God we trust, all others must bring data.” This was all well and good back in the 60’s, when an entire person’s life could be summarized on a few sheets of paper – however, today the average human creates roughly 500MB of data every single day. That’s roughly 1,200 emails, 3 hours of music streaming, 300 Facebook posts with photos, 25 app downloads and 30 minutes of YouTube streaming combined, per person, per day – and that’s just the self-generated data. That’s not including phone GPS data, security camera recordings or interactions with machines (Like your ATM) that collect data as well!

 In Time magazine, December 28, 1992, I read this statement: If you admit we can’t peer behind the curtain, how can you be sure there’s nothing there?

Evidence?

How does pride stop my progress?
How does pride tie in
Why is it easier to see pride in others than ourselves?
How have I felt judged by others and what was my response to that as it relates to pride. 

This week we marked cause and effect promises in the scriptures. I was touched particularly by Alma 34:33 - several verses where it says:


As I said unto you before, as ye have had so many awitnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not bprocrastinate the day of your crepentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the dnight of edarkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful acrisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth bpossess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become asubjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth bseal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

36 And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in aunholy temples, but in the bhearts of the crighteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the dblood of the Lamb. 

My good friend and a hero of a man had a serious stroke this week. He was found laying on the concrete outside of his truck where they believe he was for more than 3 hours in heat of 105 degrees. Oh my heart aches for him. And yet, his wife of many years is reported as being happy and pleasant at his bedside. He has been sent home, paralyzed on one side, on hospice. Gail has often been a solid source of strength to all around him. Several years ago when his son chose to take his own life, he was valiant in his beliefs of the resurrection and the life hereafter. He has nothing to fear. He is white through the blood of the lamb and the service he has rendered to literally thousands of young men during his lifetime! I wish we could line up shoulder to shoulder to pay our respects. The line of people would be longer than I can even imagine! 

There are consequences for our actions! We will someday stand to be judged. I know my good friend Gail will be there, and I am sure he will have his clipboard and pen ready to record the goodness of heaven! Oh I am grateful for the Gospel!


Jakob and I had some time in the car, and I was grateful to visit with him about the consequences, cause and effect in our lives. It is a true principal! I shared a coupe scriptures with him, I enjoyed a morning marking all the cause and effect scriptures on our assignment in my scriptures. I really liked Alma 34:33 – which I wrote about other places (my blog post this week).  I also really liked 1 Nephi 7:12. “He will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities.” I love the song How Firm a Foundation – the second verse says: 2. In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,

In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,

At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—

As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,

As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.

 This has always been just for me as I have nursed so many little ones and worried about having succor for them. Our Savior will nourish us as our days may demand! He knows how to succor us! Powerful! He will take care of our most basic needs and more!

 I love even more the 7th verse of How Firm a foundation:

7. The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!

 I love this! He will not forsake us!

My conversation with Jakob was tender because he shared that very day someone from his school, someone Sara had a connection to was at a party. There was something about a gang and someone was trying to prove that they were tough enough to be in the gang. I have heard that it was the girl, and I heard it was the guy and it doesn’t really matter. A gun was pulled, and the girl took a bullet to the head.

Instead of calling police and emergency personnel, they scattered! Somehow the girl got from the Dixie rock (where we were just a few weeks ago watching the sunset and Sara and Brinley had a date cookout) to her home over in Washington by the Deseret Industries – this is about a 15 minute drive across town. With a bullet in her head?

 When she got home, emergency people were called, and she was transported to the hospital. She died a couple of hours later.

 Why would they scatter? Why this violence! Jakob and I talked about the bubble I choose to live in. Our world is so wicked! Seriously, this week has been particularly difficult! I pray for the return of our Savior!

Back to our cause and effect:

“He will take upon him adeath, that he may bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to csuccor his people according to their infirmities

He knows how to succor us! He knows where we are! He knows what choices we are making! It doesn’t matter if we scatter and run, trying to hide. We can’t hide from Him. He knows! Don’t think that we can hide! Korihor taught that we could do whatever we wanted, that it wouldn’t matter. He demanded a sign. He got his sign. He was struck dumb and could no more teach false doctrine! Instead he was destroyed. He died not wealthy wrapped in riches, but in rags, begging – living on the glut he accused the leaders of the church to be living on. He was the one begging! Oh I know that when we choose the right, we will be blessed! I am grateful for righteous examples in my life!