The Best Year of My Life

 2020 has been the best year of my life. I’m sad to see the end approaching and to see so many people complaining about it and focusing on the struggles and the loss. I don’t want to mislead anyone. I wasn’t immune to the bad things that have transpired this year. I shared the heartache of some major loss with my closest loved ones, but the togetherness that was forced upon us made it a little easier to face those experiences that would have come to pass no matter what we were going through in the world.

I was blessed to have my daughter and her husband move into the tiny house in our backyard in November 2019 so they could save money to buy their own house. When the lockdown was declared, we were all quarantined together, except for that first month when my husband was stuck in Peru with no way to leave and no idea when the situation would change. Tirzah and Bryan were disappointed when the house hunting experience proved more difficult than expected and extended their short stay to what is now a whole year, but being forced to take more time led them to decide to have a house built, something they had never considered before and now are very excited to see come to fruition. But their extended stay, I believe, has been a blessing to us all as we have had time to really get to know our new family member, and for him to get to know us, and for him to truly feel embedded in our family. Before they decided to move in, I had told Bryan I wanted him to feel as comfortable in our home as Tirzah does, and I think he does now.

So that whole Peru thing was a bit stressful, mostly for Fermin. I felt comfortable and at peace the entire time, probably because I knew before he left that it was going to happen. When he left, he said, “I’ll see you in two weeks,” and I replied, “Or a month.” The Spirit told me that things were going to get serious and travel was going to be restricted. That was on March 11^th. After I left him at the airport, I heard that flights from certain countries were being banned in the U.S. I picked up my phone to call and tell him not to go, but I saw the time and knew his flight had left about 20 minutes earlier. A few days later, he called to tell me Peru had stopped all travel and declared a lockdown. Just a couple of days after that, we were all told to stay home. He came home exactly a month after he left. But just because he was home didn’t mean we were no longer concerned with the situation in Peru. Most of his family lives there. That country was one of the worst hit for a long time, and his family suffered great loss with everyone else. I think a dozen of his family members have died now from COVID-19. His mother died after a three-week stay in the hospital when no one was able to see or talk to her. So even being stuck in Peru for a month was a great blessing for Fermin. He had one last month with his mother. People die all the time. The true tragedy of this time is that we are putting people away to die alone.

I read an article this morning about 2020 actually being four years. The writer divided the year into four periods: the death of an athlete and impeachment, the lockdown, the protests and violence, and the election. Well, okay, if you want to focus on the negative, I guess that’s a fair and disappointing assessment. I don’t want to comment on his choices or commentary. I want to share my own four years of 2020.

The first year for me was fun, family and fulfilled anticipation. In 2019, I was more excited for what was coming in 2020 than I was for Christmas, first time that ever happened in my 59 years on earth. In January, Fermin and I went on what could turn out to be our last cruise. In March, my sister and her family came to visit. They were visiting when the lockdown was announced. The timing on both of those events was very fortuitious. My greatest anticipation was for what the President of our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had said would be an unforgettable and unique general conference in April. I was not disappointed. I loved the messages of that conference, just as I do those of every conference we have, which are held every year in April and October. (The October conference was even more enjoyable for me, because by that time, it was nice to have things go back to the old normal, which meant watching church on TV for two days, and the messages really spoke to me about what we’re going through and what is to come in the future.)

The second 2020 for me was vacation, relaxation and contemplation. I spent months just relaxing on my deck, in the hot tub, and in my personal backyard park.  For entertainment, I watched movies with the family in our garage that was converted into a home theater a few years back. Fermin has turned our home into a private resort for me. He knows what makes me happy and has provided exactly what I need to ward off anxiety and depression, which come so easily for me. I haven’t had to deal with those very much this year, maybe less than ever.  Not having obligations to go places and see people meant no anxiety. Being able to stay home and not participate in activities of any kind without feeling guilty was like a gift from heaven. I use all this time at home to do what I enjoy, which is read, listen to music, study the gospel and ponder and pray about what I’m learning.

My third 2020 was football, BYU and winning! Talk about bringing back the old normal. Watching football in the fall is my favorite thing to do every year. BYU not only won all but one game, but they won big in almost every game. It reminded me of when I first got hooked, back to when I had my season tickets to go watch Steve Young as the quarterback, back to when I heard a commentator say of the spectators who were not looking very excited, “They look like they’re used to winning.” We were used to winning. It was the normal for us Cougar fans. This year felt like old times.

My fourth 2020 of course is Christmas. Focusing on this holiday season puts my focus on what is most important in life. I work to remind myself that no matter how much I love the beautiful decorations, the music, the movies, and the presents, gifting more than receiving, the most important thing is the gift Heavenly Father gave to all of us, Jesus Christ, and the gifts that Christ continues to give us. I try to keep that foremost in my mind all year, but in the last part of each year, I find it’s just about the only thing in my mind, staying just behind any other thoughts I might be having.

I feel empathy for all those who have suffered this year, who have faced loss of any kind, who have struggled financially and may continue to do so. I pray for the return of all that everyone is missing. I pray for peace and hope for those who are lost in despair. And I pray for me to have the strength to endure all those things that stress me out when we return to normal. But I cannot join in the negativity that is about to show up on Facebook as everyone starts to talk about what a horrible year it’s been and how they hope 2021 will be better. I love, love, love what has happened to me this year. I’m a much better person, a much more relaxed person, and hopefully a more loving and understanding person. I pray that many people will be able to see this year as I do.

2020 — what an experience. What a ride. What a unique time to be alive.

Can we talk about racism?

 

I had an epiphany yesterday. I am currently transcribing a doctors’ conference that was held a couple of weeks ago, virtually, to amend their organization’s bylaws and constitution or whatever they call it. Much of what I heard them discussing yesterday was racism. At first I thought they were proof that there is no systemic racism, because the President and President-elect, who were the first to speak on it, are both black. But as I listened to what they all had to say, taking out all the anger and vitriol, I realized that there is a conversation and agreement that is needed in our society.

Laying aside politics, ignoring BLM, not making a statement on whether or not blacks are oppressed or the question of racism being systemic, not condemning any group, and not calling for any anti-police actions, the time has come to put racism on the public stage. I am among those who thought that was done already with the advancements made in the past, but having to listen closely to what was being said, because I was making a verbatim transcription, I finally saw the heart of the matter.

A woman spoke of something that happened to her husband in her presence years ago. My first thought was that it probably wouldn’t happen now, but the epiphany was that she still feels it. There is a residue of fear and apprehension that comes with having experienced persecution at the hands of those in authority, with the law behind them, having no regress. As long as there are people who fear it happening again with no lawful response, there is still need to make a change.

Recognizing that some will always have those personal thoughts and feelings, what is needed is a loud and united voice condemning the actions, recognizing that they did happen and shouldn’t have and that they cannot be allowed to happen again. The reason this is needed is twofold: one, to give those in fear of it the reassurance that society as a whole has their back in preventing racist acts; two, to put those with racist bigotry, or any other bigotry for that matter, in their hearts on notice that they are going to have to keep those feelings to themselves and not act on them because it won’t be tolerated.

A leader of my church spoke yesterday at BYU about the issue, and I’m sad to say that the reaction online from members of the church was very argumentative. He spoke of being united and loving one another and recognizing we are all children of God, members of the same family, letting go of what happened in the past so we can have a better present and future. He acknowledged the peaceful protests and the issue they brought to the forefront of the public discussion and basically said we have to look at this issue of racism separated from BLM, violent protests, political ideas and the presidential race that is currently underway. The responses did not put aside those things but insisted they are the issue. They are not. Those are separate and using the issue as an excuse or backdrop.

This conversation is being had. The peaceful protests worked. They got society’s attention. We are addressing the attitudes, thoughts and feelings. We have to put aside the hate and the attacks. I know that the group that is using this issue as a way to advance their cause is going to continue to cloud the issue, but those of us who are truly vested in a peaceful, lawful society where everyone feels valued and protected, need to acknowledge the feelings of those who still feel the sting and allow them to express that and just promise that we won’t allow it to happen again with seemingly silent approval. At the same time, we cannot respond to hate with hate, or we just add fuel to the fire. Peace, not anger; acceptance, not denial; understanding, not condemnation; love, not hate.

When I saw these two black leaders talking about systemic racism, I asked myself what is systemic racism. Maybe I don’t understand what that is since the system has allowed people of all races and ethnicities to excel and thrive. My definition of systemic is not that it is in the official organizations or systems of society, but that it is in the system of the human heart. It does exist, and always will. There will always be some who have these bigoted feelings and thoughts. No one can change that except for the individual. It is in their system. But we as a collective can systemically call them out as wrong and stand with those who have felt the sting, fear feeling the sting and desire to live free of that fear.

My First Hinge Point

Helaman  5:12

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

My spiritual journey started early in life.  My mother took me, my two brothers and one sister to church every now and then.  She had no attachment to the church we attended.  It was just the church my grandparents had picked.  I really didn’t know what the beliefs of that particular Protestant church were apparently, because when I witnessed a couple joining the church, I was taken aback by what the preacher said.  I was still quite young, not even a teenager.  This new couple stood in front of the congregation while the preacher read the formal doctrinal statement of the church, which included reference to everyone being born in sin.  When the preacher said we must all do something in life to overcome that original sin or we will go to hell, I remember thinking that he was saying that those who die as babies would go to hell, because they obviously did not have the chance to meet the requirements for forgiveness.  I looked at my mother sitting next to me and said, “I don’t believe that.”  

I don’t know if that had anything to do with the change in our church attendance, but after that Sunday, I no longer wanted to attend any meetings there.  At some point, my family started visiting various non-denominational churches, looking for something, but I was clueless as to what it was my mother was searching for.  I believed nobody knew the truth, and I had no desire to sit and listen to someone teaching me as though they did.  My mother believed that the non-denominational churches were admitting that no one knew the truth.  I was not finding the answers to my questions, so I started reading all kinds of books on religion, and the more I read, the more questions I had.  Being depressed at times, one of the biggest questions was, “Why am I going through this?”  In other words, what is the purpose of life?  I also wondered about where we came from and where we would go after life was over.  I believed no one had the answers, but I thought if I read enough and thought enough about it, I might get an idea as to what the answers might be.  

When I was 15 years old, I was in the tenth grade.  The previous year I had missed 30 days of school because of depression.  I was desperate for relief or at least knowledge.  I experienced the first hinge point of my life when I found it.  It was the beginning of everything I am now.  Even at that stage of my life, I somehow instinctively knew that the only way for me to learn the truth was through personal inspiration.  I was studying and pondering and praying without ever being told that was the way to get answers or even knowing that was what I was doing.  I was driven by the need to find a purpose in the pain of depression.  I was trying to determine why I had to suffer through this life and if it was worth it.  I never expected to find the answer that I eventually received.  I certainly did not expect to get it the way it came to me, and I never imagined it would have such a profound impact on my life.

It is incredible how vividly some events in life are ingrained on our memory.  It is not just a thought but more like a movie clip that plays when the moment is recalled.  They are not always the most important, exciting or breathtaking times in our lives.  They are more likely to be rather mundane and seem quite forgettable at the time that they take place, like taking a book off the top shelf in the religion section of my high school library.  I was looking for something for a class assignment.  I don’t remember the assignment or if I even found what I was looking for.  What I remember is seeing the Book of Mormon and wondering what it was.   I have a very clear vision of myself standing there and reading the introduction to the book.  When I read that it had come from an angel, I thought, “If that’s true, this is very important.”  Since I was a reader, I knew that I had to read it to find out if it was true.  

I checked the book out and started to read it as I would any book, cover to cover, whenever I could, as fast as I could.  I read it when I finished my class assignments.  I read it while waiting for the bus after school.  I read it at home.  I found it easy to read and very exciting.  In fact, I had to share it with someone, so I told a friend about everything I read.  She never showed any interest, but that had no apparent effect on my enthusiasm.  I remember telling my mother about Helaman and the warriors who could not be killed.  I thought that was amazing.  Every story I read seemed to touch my heart.  Nothing I had read before had ever affected me like this, but I thought it was just a great book, the best I had ever read, until I read the promise in the last chapter of the book. 

Moroni 10:4-5

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.  

As a missionary, I was asked if someone can know the Book of Mormon is true without praying about it.  Yes, they can.  I did.  As soon as I read that passage of scripture, I knew that what I had been feeling as I read the book was the Holy Ghost telling me it was true.   When I read those verses, I felt the same excitement I had felt as I read the book.  I felt the intense warm feeling expanding and pulsating in my chest and knew it was the Holy Ghost.  I had never heard of the Holy Ghost witnessing of the truth in that manner before, but I knew it when I felt it.  I was astonished to realize that my expectation of reading and knowing if it were true was realized in such an undeniable and fantastic way.  It was the first truly spiritual experience of my life.  It was unforgettable.  Since then my testimony has been unshakeable.  No one could ever convince me that I was mistaken.  When the Holy Ghost lifts and fills your soul the way it did mine through the Book of Mormon, it is an experience that cannot be denied or forgotten.

I immediately told my mother that I wanted a copy of the book.  She started looking for it but couldn’t find it in any of our regular bookstores.  She went to a Christian bookstore and asked about it there.  That was a dead-end.  Then she saw a small announcement in the newspaper about the ward in our town dedicating a new chapel.  The address and phone number were included.  She called the church and asked how she could get a copy of the Book of Mormon.  The man who answered the phone told her he would send someone out.  The missionaries came to our house on Friday evening, October 22, 1976.   As a member of the marching band, I was at the high school football game that night.  

Sunday morning, October 24, I turned 16.  My mother came to my room and sat on my bed.  She said, “Happy birthday,” and gave me my present.  I opened the most inexpensive and most priceless present my mother has ever given me.  It was a Book of Mormon along with a Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price.  I was so excited.  I asked, “Where did you find it?”  She told me about the missionaries and said they wanted to meet me.  Years later as a missionary, I realized how much they wanted to meet me.  At the time, however, I had no idea.  I was just thrilled to have the book that I knew had come to the earth by way of an angel.  

I was completely out of the habit of going to church by then and had not even thought of taking that step.  I had done the next best thing.  Earlier that month I had watched one Sunday session of General Conference on TV and was amazed at how positive, uplifting and relevant the messages were.  I met the missionaries the day after I turned 16, and when they told me I should go to church, I agreed to go.  I was ready to do whatever they said.  My mother, younger sister and I were all baptized on December 4, 1976.  

I still suffered depression after that.  In fact, there were times when it was much worse.  It seems knowing the answers to all those questions about the purpose of life does not end the depression.  Having the gift of the Holy Ghost does not end depression.  Righteous living and an eternal perspective do not even put an end to depression.  It could seem hopeless, but it is not.  There is a purpose to everything we go through in life, and thanks to finding the gospel of Jesus Christ, I was on my way to learning the purpose of my emotional weakness and how to handle it.  

Keeping Christ in Christmas by Believing in Santa Claus

I’ve watched a lot of Christmas movies this year, and so many times someone says, “That’s what Christmas is all about,” but they’re wrong.  They say it’s all about family, friends, being together, giving, forgiving, sharing, etcetera.  That is not what Christmas is all about.  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)  That’s what Christmas is all about.

For me, the most significant Christmas song I’ve listened to this year is “I Believe” by REO Speedwagon.  A little boy asks his dad if Santa is real, and the reply is, “I believe that anything is possible.  I believe in miracles, in the angels keeping watch, in innocence that is never lost.  I believe in Santa Claus.”  I talked in church earlier this year about believers in Christ and miracles.  We should not only believe in miracles, that anything is possible, .but we should expect miracles.  So maybe Santa is not just something for the children.  Maybe he’s not something that we should let go of as we get older.  Maybe we should come to understand that the excitement and joy he brings to children is what the mature believer should associate with Jesus Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.  

Could Santa Claus possibly be real?  Can one person know everyone by name and know if they are naughty or nice?  Can one person be everywhere in the world on one night and give everyone who believes what they most desire?  Can one person be powerful enough that having enough people believe in him creates a spirit of love and peace and goodwill to all men —enough to power a sleigh and reindeer to fly around the world?

Jesus Christ knows and loves each of us and is present all around the world constantly blessing all who have faith in him.  If enough people believe in him and live according to that faith, it can change the entire world and bring about innumerable miracles.  

At Christmastime we should use our stories and interactions with Santa to remind us of Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, a man who walked on water, fed thousands with a lunch made for a few, turned water into wine, made the blind see, the mute speak, the deaf hear and the lame walk.  Remember the man who suffered for our sins and then died so he could overcome death.  Remember that his spirit re-entered his body and to this day he still lives, immortal and glorified. 

Do you believe in Santa Claus?  Some say it’s too fantastic a story to believe in.  It’s impossible that his story is true.  Do you believe in Jesus Christ?  Some say his story is too impossible to be true.  I believe, because I have had so many proofs in my life in the form of miracles and spiritual experiences.  “I’ll tell you what I know.  I believe that anything is possible.  I believe in miracles, in angels keeping watch, in innocence that is never lost.  I believe in —“ Jesus Christ.  

And that is how you keep Christ in Christmas.

Why my Christmas Tree is a Holiday Tree

Sometimes I put my Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving, quite common in my old age actually, and I have left it up till Easter a couple of times.  I know there are people out there who find that offensive.  Why?  I would say because they do not understand the holidays involved, or perhaps they don’t understand the tree.

Anticipating Christmas before celebrating Thanksgiving does not diminish the November holiday, which became a national holiday when President Lincoln declared it a national day of “Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”  It instead gives focus to the day that is meant to be spent in prayer and worship.  I honestly don’t know anyone who really celebrates Thanksgiving the way it was meant to be.  It has become all about gathering, eating, watching and/or playing football. Many say what they are thankful for, but I don’t hear much talk about who they are thankful to.  I don’t see the outpouring of worship for that God who has given us everything. But I’m okay with that.  Just as I don’t fault people their celebrations of Christmas that have nothing to do with Christ, I don’t want to spoil the fun of those celebrating Thanksgiving without giving praise to our Heavenly Father.  I am no better than anyone else in that regard.  My Thanksgiving is quite secular.  However, celebrating Thanksgiving in anticipation of Christmas has turned my thoughts clearly and distinctly to that for which I am most thankful, my Savior.  There is nothing I am more thankful for than the plan of salvation which he has brought to pass through his atonement that overcame death and sin and offers me complete forgiveness and redemption.  And the centerpiece of that is his mortal life which began with what we celebrate at Christmas and ended with what we commemorate at Easter.

We use evergreens as Christmas trees to symbolize eternal life, the gift we are offered through the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, whose death and resurrection we remember at Easter, the gift for which we should give more thanks than for anything else.  Why then should we not have a beautiful, gloriously decorated evergreen tree as the centerpiece for each of those holidays?

My Thoughts on the Election

When a group of people who had been incredibly wicked were converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, they buried their weapons of war and covenanted with the Lord that they would never take up weapons again to fight against anyone.  Then their own people who were not converted started to kill them.  After some of them were slaughtered, the survivors went to live with their former enemies, who were also Christians, and they were protected by these Christians who fought for them, dying for them in a great war that was worse than any ever known by those people in that land.  Still the new converts to Christianity kept their covenant to not take up arms.  It must have been quite a trial for them to allow others to fight and die for them.  There may have been some among those who fought for them who thought they needed to set aside their “high-minded ideals” because the events of the day demanded that they not sit by and allow these evil savages to win and gain control over them, but they trusted in God to support and protect them, and he did.  

Some are telling me that I need to set aside my “high-minded ideals” of honesty, integrity, morality, and loyalty to the Constitution and join them in choosing the lesser of two evils to be President of the United States.  Some go so far as to say that if I don’t do so, it will be my fault that the most dishonest and despicable person will win the race.  That kind of thinking shows a fear of man more than a fear of God, as well as a lack of faith in the promises of our God. 

If we elect someone who is known to be a power-hungry, money-hungry, selfish, dishonest bully who is always in it for what he/she can get and verbally, and any other way they can, attack anyone against them, then we will have a leader who “teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness”, like those who wrote and upheld the divinely-inspired Constitution, “ and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; he enacteth laws and sendeth them forth among the people, yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed …. [and] doth pervert the ways of all righteousness.” (Mosiah 29:22-23)

That is why we must choose those who uphold and protect “the laws which have been given [us] by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord,” the Constitution. (Mosiah 29:25)  We must fear God more than man.  We must not rely on the arm of flesh to take care of us but rely on God’s mercy and protection.  He has promised to uphold his people, to fight their battles, to deliver them from evil and to bless them immensely.  Is this the time spoken of as the time when the voice of the people chooses iniquity?  Do we join our voices to those choosing iniquity, or do we stand with our God and put our trust in him and rely on his promises? 

I cannot vote for either of the two main candidates, because everything I know of them says they are wicked.  They will continue the current trend of disregarding and throwing out the rights guaranteed us in the Constitution.  They will use their power to further corrupt the system.  They will offend our allies and enrage our enemies, and because they have shown such prideful disregard for the blueprint God gave us for how to govern, He may not be there for us.

I realize that one of these two candidates will most likely be our next President.  I see no way of preventing that, but that does not mean that I have to participate in the selection.  Since I see either choice as being an affront to who and what we should be, I have to hold to my conviction that God means it when he says if we humble ourselves and put our faith in the Lord, he will deliver us from our enemies by “extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.” 

I guess some will say I’m being defeatist or I’m refusing to participate in the process, and yes, some will say I’m allowing the one they don’t want to be elected.  No, I’m just voting my conscience and trusting in the promises of the Lord.  I don’t believe a person can destroy our country or our way of life no matter how powerful they are unless God allows it to be so, and He will allow it to be so only if that is the choice of the people.  If enough of us stand against this evil that is before us in this election, He will protect and sustain us in ways I can’t imagine.  If we throw in behind the “lesser” of two evils, we may find we have been left to our own devices. 

I am hoping there are still enough of us who fear God more than man that we can still claim Him as the God of our land.  We do that by fearing Him more than man, by holding to our ideals, by voting our conscience even if that means we vote for someone who has no chance of winning. 

Maybe you believe your choice is righteous, does have the best interest of us all at heart and is going to do what is best for the country.  If you do, then vote your conscience.  I don’t really want to stand in judgment of what others believe to be the “right thing” to do.  I just question the response of Donald Trump supporters when Ted Cruz encouraged them to vote their conscience and vote for someone who would uphold the Constitution.  They booed him.  They must not believe a vote for Donald Trump fits that description.  And those who want Hillary Clinton, have you honestly considered all that she has done and her reaction when confronted with those things?  The FBI told us that she was guilty of something that others would be indicted for.  Those aren’t my words.  She won’t be indicted, but if someone else were to do this, they would be.  That was the decision that came after an extensive investigation into her time as Secretary of State.  There is so much more that could be said about both candidates.  Look at their records, their words, their actions.  Evaluate without prejudice.  Don’t decide based on Republican or Democrat.  Don’t say, “But I have to vote for one of them.” 

Imagine the power of the people if the next President were elected by a small number of votes because most of us refused to support either.  That would embolden members of the House and Senate and even the Supreme Court in standing against the President when he/she does something unconstitutional.  It would be a message to the world, to our allies and enemies, that our President doesn’t represent us when he/she acts in a way that is reprehensible.  Most importantly, it would say to God that we still recognize Him as the greatest power in this land. 

Please pray before you vote.  Please don’t be afraid to allow the “wrong” person to become President.  If that’s what the voice of the people chooses, so be it, but let’s show with our vote for a third party candidate or a write-in vote for someone of character not on the ballot that we do not sustain the iniquitous choice that has been placed before us. 

And if you disagree with me, that’s okay.  Vote for the candidate of your choice.  I may be completely wrong on this, but at least now you know why I will vote for neither of the two major party candidates for the first time in my adult life. 

Harry Potter: A Parable of Good and Evil

When I read the end of the final book in the Harry Potter series, I saw right away that Harry was a type of Christ.  I thought I might be seeing something that was never intended by the author, making it even more fantastic, or something that she had intended all along.  If it was something she meant to portray, I reasoned, there must be other things in the series that would fit into the comparison.  After much pondering, I find that I see even more in this grand parable than I did initially.   (It’s more apparent in the books than the movies.)

The community of witches and wizards represents those in the world who are aware of the true God and His powers and His influence in this world, that He created it and continues to watch over it and that He guides us in all we do.  You might say they are the House of Israel, or the kingdom of God on earth, and the Muggles are the Gentiles.  Now among those who know of God and His power there have always been those who have turned away from Him and sought to live according to their own desires, relying on their own strengths and knowledge, not seeking to know or to do the will of the Lord.  They begin to believe they don’t need Him and they move away from the light until they are living in darkness.  Gentiles can find their way to the Lord and accept Him into their lives and rely on His power to get them through life.  They are those in the community who were born to Muggles but find they have special powers.  They are not relying on the arm of flesh but the arm of God to protect, guide and eventually save them, and so they are adopted into the world of special powers.

There you have the premise of the entire series.  The battle for good and evil is not among all who live on the Earth but among those who know that there is something more than what we can see and hear on this plane we exist on, those who have either been born into or who have joined themselves to the kingdom of God, and those who seek to destroy the kingdom of God, knowing that it exists because they were at one time a part of it.  The others on Earth just get pulled into the battle unknowingly, thinking they are fighting for some other reason.

I know there are Christians who believe these books are evil, and I know where they get that from:  the condemnation of witches, wizards and sorcery that you find in the Old Testament.  I submit that the problem here lies with the author choosing to call them witches and wizards, but because of our language and our stories and so on, those were the words that worked to explain their powers.  Really, these powers represent the power of the priesthood, the powers that are used with authority to do God’s will on Earth.  If they had been called priests and priestesses and had attended Hogwarts School of the Priesthood, the confusion might be dimmed but probably not done away with completely.  Children who have the inclination to turn to the Spirit for their guide are sent to this school to learn to make the connection, to learn how the Spirit works and how to use it throughout their lives as a protection and a guide as they face the rest of their lives.  They learn of the power, how it works and how it is to be used.  They also learn that it has been perverted by some who seek not to do God’s will but their own.  They learn of the false prophets, so to speak, who misuse the power, therefore losing their right and authority to use it, and then receive a dark, evil counterfeit of the power that causes misery and destruction, not just in the kingdom but also in the rest of the world among those who are not a part of this inner community.  But the majority of the evil, the worst of the problems do occur in the community of those who know of and recognize power outside themselves. 

As for Harry, he believes he is nothing special at first, just a regular boy growing up in a family that he does not really belong to, one where he does not fit in, is not understood and is not appreciated.  When he is about to reach the age of one who can receive the priesthood, he begins to learn who he is and what he can do.  He learns little by little, you might say line upon line, precept upon precept, that he is different, that he does have special powers, that he has an important role to play in this battle between good and evil and that there are things that he must do, that no one else is capable of doing.  Even at a very young age, he is the one who is doing God’s work, fighting evil, while those in the kingdom who are older and should be wiser seem to be going about oblivious to the great danger of the Evil One trying to get the power over death – which by the way is the power that is reserved only for the Lord, the one that Harry will eventually have in this parable.  Those older and wiser ones actually have put some protections in place but know they will not always be enough.  Harry must provide that extra protection by stepping in and being the final line of defense, just as we need the Lord to be our defense against Satan.  We cannot do it alone, no matter how hard we might try to rely on willpower to resist temptation.  He can get through our defenses but not that of our God.

I skip ahead now to the climax of the whole story, which was the most amazing part of this parable to me.  Harry must face Voldemort alone.  He must willingly die so that those who are fighting on his side will not all be destroyed.  He, however, has the power over death because he is in control of all three of the Deathly Hallows.  He allows himself to be killed, and then he comes back to life.  He is resurrected per se.  He is then invincible.  He has died for those who are on his side.  He has paid the price so that they might all live.  He has given them the power now to overcome evil.  The book tells us that from that point on, Voldemort’s followers could no longer do harm to those they fought.  The dark ones begin to fall quickly.  Harry is able to defeat Voldemort because he has taken all his power from him.  This is what Jesus will do when He comes again.  He will take away all the power that Satan has been allowed to have in this world.  All those who do evil will be destroyed.  Only the good will remain. 

Jesus has already defeated Satan.  He has already overcome death and sin and stands ready to extend blessings to each of us as we choose His side.  As I said earlier, the real fight between good and evil is going on among those who recognize there is something other than just what we can see and hear on this plane.  We are sometimes distracted by what unbelievers are doing and think that is where the battle lies.  The real battle is among those who are spiritually led by the light and those who are spiritually led by the dark.  There is crossover all the time.  Light can be dimmed and diminished.  Dark can be dispelled.  Never think you have it made because of where you are right now.  We must make sure that we endure to the end. 

Anyone feeling evil when reading any book or watching any movie or doing any activity, should stop and remove themselves from the situation.  There is evil in these books, the dark wizards.  Here is what Isaiah says about them. 

Isaiah 8:19-22

19¶And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have ^afamiliar spirits, and unto ^bwizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? ^cfor the living to the dead?

20 To the ^alaw and to the testimony: if ^bthey speak not according to this word, it is because there is no ^clight in them.

21And ^athey shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and ^bcurse their king and their God, and look upward.

22And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and ^adarkness, ^bdimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

The dark wizards have no light in them because they think they are better than everyone else because they are “pure blood” wizards.  They place themselves higher than God, thinking their powers make them special.  They are the ones looking to themselves and those like them to give them all they need, cursing their king and their God, looking to the earth instead of to heaven and all they see is darkness and dimness of anguish.

There is also great good in these books.  There are those who have powers, who are called witches and wizards, who do not rely on themselves as they should rely on God.

Isaiah 47:12-14

12 Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

13 Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the ^aastrologers, the stargazers, the ^bmonthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.

14 Behold, they shall be as ^astubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

Those fighting against Voldemort are doing what they can, but they realize enchantments and sorceries cannot prevail.  They know they cannot deliver themselves.  They are relying on Harry to save them.  They have been told he is their best hope.  They are fighting to give him time to do what he has to do.  Harry, as Christ in this parable, is the one who can and will deliver.

 This is all I will cover because of length.  I will also say that all this is my opinion, what I have seen in reading and re-reading these books and watching the movies.  I love the books.  I abhor evil.  I try to live always in the light.