Wisdom

So I'm still in the research part of mysteries of God, and as always, I find the gold nuggets in and around the verses I'm actually looking up.

I'm reading D&C 28 today, and while the target verse is verse 7, it was verse 5 that hit me. "But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom".

At the time this was written, there were multiple members of the church that wanted to be what I'll refer to as "me-too Joseph Smiths". One guy went out and found a rock, and started trying to be a prophet with it. Even Oliver Cowdery, Joseph's right hand man for a long time, decided that being number two meant he could pretend he was number one occasionally. The Lord had to put all of that down.

It's probably safe to say that at least some of these wannabees were good people, perhaps even smart, and likely had good things to say. That by itself did not make them prophets, or even spokesmen for the Lord. While a calling to them to be missionaries or church leaders might make them spokesmen to some degree, they didn't just get to decide that they were the Lord's mouthpiece and run with it. That of course would result in chaos and the downfall of the Lord's church.

But the same thing happens now. I like how the scripture uses the word "write". I tend to do that occasionally, and this scripture reminds me that what I write needs to take a certain tone. I'm not pretending to be the mouthpiece of the Lord - that calling isn't mine. What I can do is gather what wisdom I can from all sources available to me, and then suggest that wisdom to others. There is a line that I - and we - must not cross. To say we represent the Lord will only prove our falseness unless we actually have that calling. I can imagine that a bishop of the ward may have that calling, but even in that circumstance, I expect that he'd be a lot safer and more successful if he defaulted to suggesting the wisdom that comes to him.

We can do the same. The old "because I said so" line doesn't get a person anywhere. Whether in the family or in the workplace, shoving power down someone's throat often results in rebellion and sabotage. The assumption of power from a position (because I'm the boss/mom/big brother, that's why) can become very empty when used the wrong way.

So - what do I take from this? First, I must write these things in an invitational sort of way. As soon as I start telling people what to do, I'm probably out of line. But when I can provide wisdom and provide an invitation? That's the most powerful I can probably do. Second, I need to do the same thing in the rest of my life. Wisdom and invitations in dealing with my wife, children, grandkids, even my siblings and my dad. Wisdom and invitation in the business environment will also be more productive in the work place. They already know I'm the boss - to forcefully remind them of that is going to be counter productive.

May I live in the emotional and spiritual place of inviting all the wisdom in that I can receive, then inviting those around me to share in it. It's a much happier way to live, I'm sure.