Because we can only be in one place, and think about one thing at a time, our actions and choices show what we care most about. Nephi says, “For the things which some men esteem to be of great worth, both to the body and the soul, other set at naught and trample under their feet. Yea, even the very God of Israel do men trample under their feet; I say, trample under their feet but I would speak in other words—they set him at naught, and hearken not to the voice of his counsels” (1Ne. 19:7). To dismiss things the Lord values is to dismiss Him as well.
How can the Lord be certain we will value what He gives us? By requiring an investment of us.
An auto mechanic recently explained that people who are poor bring their broken down cars to the shop with great care, and that most repairs are incident to normal wear and tear. They value their cars because they have made tremendous personal investments in them. But young men and women who have expensive cars given to them by wealthy parents often bring them to the shop damaged due to neglect or carelessness. When we get something for free, we tend to treat it with less care than when we pay a price for it.
Deriving revelation from scripture study seems to work on a similar principle. It is possible to read the scriptures from beginning to end without getting inspiration about them. It is the Spirit that teaches us what we need most when studying. The guidance of the Spirit in scripture study makes it relevant to our lives. Why not simply have all the knowledge we need dumped directly into our brains without study? The investment of searching the scriptures shows that we are serious about getting those nuggets of revelation, and ensures that we will not treat them lightly after we receive them.
“And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received...And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written...” (D&C 84:54-57). (It is interesting that one page after delineating the oath and covenant of the priesthood, the Lord again uses the word “covenant,” this time to describe the Book of Mormon itself.) Gifts offered and rejected become millstones around our neck instead of blessings.
It seems that the Lord will give us gifts of knowledge when our degree of regard for them is high enough that we change our behavior according to such knowledge. “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matt. 7:6). Those who cannot yet appreciate the value of the gospel will not benefit from hearing it. In this sense, comfort is the enemy of progress.
“In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me” (D&C 101:8). When we are in pain, suddenly we pay close attention to what the Lord has to say. No wonder so many people are in so much pain. We are being given weakness that we may be humble, to drive us to the Lord in faith and humility so He can affect the change in us we actually need. We begin to value, and seek, the counsel of the Lord:
“Behold, what shall these my brethren do, for they are despised of all men because of their poverty...for they have cast us out...what shall we do? And now when Alma heard this...he beheld with great joy; for...their afflictions had truly humbled them, and they were in a preparation to hear the word” (Alma 32:5-6). Rock-bottom is a great place to start learning about the gospel.
The Lord is not stingy with His gifts; we are often not ready to receive them yet, “...because [we are] not willing to enjoy that which [we] might have received. For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift” (D&C 88:32-33).
After Jesus healed ten lepers, one returned to thank Him: “And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17). Our gratitude, our whole attitude, is important to the Lord. “And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things (trials too) with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more” (D&C 78:18-19). A whining child is hard to tolerate, but a child who never complains is an irresistible target for gifts.
How can we value what the Lord values? Values reflect knowledge and beliefs. When our beliefs are educated, correctly informed, our values more nearly align with the Lord’s. This is particularly pertinent to the Temple. As our understanding increases, we value it more. The investment of time increases our concern for what we learn there, too.
We sing “Count Your Many Blessings;” I wonder if we ought to catalogue them, not only to feel good or salve disappointments, but to determine which ones we are not currently using. The Lord has given us so much—patriarchal blessings, prayer, scriptures, the Gift of the Holy Ghost, relationships with others, access to the words of living Apostles and prophets, an array of talents. Are we using these gifts? I have always had a bookshelf next to my bed; how many of those books have merely gathered dust? Neglecting gifts is not far from trampling them.
John 3:16 is dilapidated from over-quoting. Usually I read it with the focus on “what’s in it for me.” But try reading it with an emphasis, not on the eventual reward of paradise, but on the Who, the “giver” of the gift: “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.” “...eternal life...is the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7). Before we can receive the gift of eternal life, we must receive the gift of a Savior who provides a way to repent and be cleansed of sin. Great provision has been made for us. We only need to repent to access it.
God does not ask of us what He is unwilling to do Himself. For every requirement placed upon us, there is some reciprocal action on His part. We are to value Him above all else, and demonstrate this love through our personal sacrifices. We are to make Him our highest priority, and offer the very best we have. In offering His Son, Jesus Christ, He has shown that we are His highest priority by sending us the Best He had, too.
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me” (Isa. 49:16). I wonder if this means that in constantly viewing us, the Lord’s unlimited ability to comprehend the vastness of space is being used to examine the tiny boxes (houses) in which we live. We are constantly on His mind; we covenant to “always remember him” as well.
Often the Lord simply gives us things for free, or because we ask. There are other things He could give as easily for free, but that He requires us to sweat and exert for. That which we pay for is less likely to lose its value in our eyes. Insights into the Temple and the scriptures are among those things.
Another thing that increases the value of something is allowing us to own it, to feel we discovered it on our own. Most of the music I learned while taking piano lessons is lost to me, but everything I figured out or pursued on my own for fun is still available. I can plunk out any of those tunes. I learned them because I wanted to, not because I had to. Over-programming scripture study for youth in the Church had a similar effect on me; whatever I was compelled to read became a chore, while the things I discovered in the course of my own exploration became treasures. Agency allows learning to penetrate deeply and sink in; compulsory learning is shed like scales, as though the brain itself refuses to remember anything it was forced to ingest against its will.
When we value something, we tend to invest in it, but the reverse is also true; when we invest in something, we come to value it more.
