KEVIN STAY writes:

In much of the recent discussion on contraception and children, contributors mention the idea of happiness. Many today are misled down dead end paths in its pursuit.

I do not know how to better state this without sounding unduly Eastern and metaphysical, so forgive that in advance. But the beginning steps on the path to true and enduring happiness require certain realizations. First, we are in fact the children of a Creator every bit as real as you and I. Second, one of the primary goals of the Creator is that each of us receive a full measure of joy/happiness. Third, all of existence is described and governed by laws and rules. (We have at best a very limited understanding of those laws and rules.) So, given those three things how do we best go about finding real happiness?

How does one describe Our Savior? Many have done a far better job than I ever could, but for my purpose here I submit: One who fully understands and naturally lives in complete harmony with the rules of existence. To ever receive that full measure of true joy what manner of beings must we become? “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” In my limited way of putting Matthew 5:48, we are here now to become beings living in harmony with the ‘laws of the universe’ to the degree possible in our flawed, mortal state.

How does one become perfect as commanded? Not to sound too flip, but the phrase ‘one day at a time’ about sums it up. What I can state with a degree of certainty is that we are ‘molded and shaped’ by our experiences either toward or away from that perfection. The couple raising children and teaching them honor and virtue with all the accompanying hardships and challenges becomes a very different man and woman than the couple choosing to forgo children for some shiny distractions of little or no merit in the eternities.

To put it as bluntly as I know how for most of us getting married and properly raising children is a large part of the admittedly challenging, but only viable path to perfection. False enticements to other paths are nothing more than fool’s gold; almost as if there were an evil genius at work actively trying to lure us down such false trails. Hmmm…

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— Comments —

Jeff W. writes:

Kevin Stay makes some good points about two persons of the Trinity, the Father and the Son, but leaves out the third person, the Holy Spirit.  Christians believe that the Spirit is also real.

The New Testament and especially the Acts of the Apostles refers frequently to Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit.  What does that mean?  To me, it has two meanings.

First it means that a person is motivated by the Spirit.  The words for “spirit” and “wind” are the same in Greek, and the phrase “filled with wind” gives the mental picture of a sail on ship.  The Spirit provides our motive power.

Secondly there is the picture of being filled up as an earthenware vessel that might be filled with grain or wine.  It means to be filled completely with the Spirit to the exclusion of all other influences.

When people are completely motivated by the Spirit and filled with the Spirit, they become perfect.

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