President Kimball called the suit and tie “the uniform of the priesthood.” There were no suits and ties during the time of Jesus—why insist that men today wear such a getup? The Lord expects us to give our very best, whatever that may be. Even when our best is pathetic, as long as we offer it, it is acceptable to Him. At the time of Jesus, robes, prayer shawls, homespun coats, etc., were the clothes of respectability, and so they were adequate for anyone representing the Lord. A suit and tie sends the same message today, and so it is adequate. The point is not to preen like a peacock; it is to give the Lord the very best that is available to us. Then we have the right to expect the Lord’s best.
It seems that the Lord can only give His best. He is incapable of presenting mediocrity. The world we have was created to be glorious; our bodies are miraculous in their faculties and function; our deeper view of the night sky has only recently opened up with Hubble, but the beauties and wonders of the heavens it revealed have always been there. There are hidden worlds under the water in tropical reefs that require great effort to reach, but they are there anyway, amazing collections of colorful living gems made by God.
A man I met on my mission (though unfavorably disposed toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) told us he was complaining in prayer that the Lord had not “sent” him someone to marry. The whisperings of the Spirit came back to him: “I sent you the Best I had—I sent my Son.”
Just because we may get accustomed to cutting corners or delivering a little bit below our abilities does not mean that the Lord will ratify such an offering to Him. He knows what we are able to give, and expects us to respond in kind to His openhanded, even lavish, generosity.
During the early years of the Church, the doctrine of vicarious baptism for the dead was introduced. It came at a time of extreme poverty among the Latter-day Saints. They were told by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph that, during their time of poverty, it would be acceptable for them to perform baptisms for the dead in the Mississippi. (Note that not just any river anywhere was sanctioned.) Because they were currently too poor to build a sanctuary befitting the ordinance, the Lord allowed them instead to use a convenient river. Temple experiences and ordinances have also been conveyed on mountain tops when no suitable dedicated building was available.
Missionaries have worn robes instead of suits; baptism for the dead was originally performed outdoors instead of inside a Temple. As long as we are offering our very best, it seems the Lord is pleased with us, and it is acceptable to Him. He always gives the best to us; we ought to reciprocate in kind.
At the time the Church was first formed, beards were a social convention indicating respectability, maturity, and authority. Today a beard is often a sign of digression from social norms, a step away from the center to the periphery, possibly a sign of disregard for hygiene. Do beards affect salvation? If there were ever a situation where they might, the Lord would direct us to shave or grow them. Yesterday, a well-groomed beard was a mark of refinement in age. Today, a clean shaven face tends to send a signal that “I care enough about my appearance to groom.” In any case, following the examples of the First Presidency and the Twelve is the best way to go. A well-groomed beard or a continuously clean shaven face both indicate that someone has taken trouble, made an effort. That intangible bit of effort signifying our love may be far more valuable to the Lord than our actual appearance. (My niece, less than a year old, will drape herself in towels and other cloth, and parade about like a professor-princess in what she obviously considers to be magnificent flowing robes. I cannot help but chuckle, and assume that this is how the Lord views our ridiculous posing and parading. Perhaps our best clothes are objectively pathetic to heavenly beings; “Solomon, in all his glory,” is nothing compared to a daisy.)
When the Saints finally finished their first Temple in Kirtland, Joseph Smith said the following in the dedicatory prayer: “And now we ask thee, Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ...to accept of this house...which thou didst command us to build. For thou knowest that we have done this work through great tribulation; and out of our poverty we have given of our substance to build a house to thy name...” (D&C 109:4-5). Though their efforts and materials were meager, their work met two qualifications: 1. They built the House according to revelation; 2. They offered the very best they had.
Jesus Christ appeared about a week later in that very House, and said: “Let the hearts of your brethren rejoice, and let the hearts of all my people rejoice, who have, with their might, built this house to my name. For behold, I have accepted this house...” (D&C 110:6-7). The objective view of the building’s poor construction was tempered by the subjective standard of the widow’s mite; she was praised by the Lord because she gave 100% while others who gave more than her were only donating a fraction of what they had.
It is worth noting that the outpouring of the Spirit was proportional to the sacrifice being offered by the Saints at Kirtland. Great spiritual manifestations occurred in association with the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. Though other, grander Temples have been built since Kirtland, the world has rarely seen such rich blessings and manifestations, especially to a group of thousands.
Comparison seems to be a knee-jerk reaction of humans, beginning in childhood. We whine about who got more and better than we; gifts allow us to outperform each other in various areas. But the Lord seems to focus less on how well we did compared to our neighbor, and more on how well we did compared to what our actual ability might produce if we pushed ourselves to the limit.
Is there a balance between Nephi’s “I will go and do” the impossible mentality, and the Lord’s patient acceptance of our best, no matter how pathetic? That question might need to be answered on a case-by-case basis by the Lord. But I am convinced that the Lord is less worried about outcomes of our attempts at obedience, and more concerned with the conditions of our hearts. In fact, if our hearts are right, and we are willing to give all, we may then confidently expect the Lord to empower us beyond our own current abilities and enable us to complete our assignments from Him.
“Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days” (D&C 64:34). The verse before it acknowledges the pathetic nature of our attempts to accomplish great things, our limitations: “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” The Lord could have applied these words to the widow casting her two cents into the treasury. Her meager contribution could tip the scales in the right direction in a unforeseen circumstance.
The Lord tends to amplify the ripples sent out by the obedient, however small they look to us at the time. Great and momentous achievements are collecting dust in the old history books, but the words of poor and simple men from Judea are still hotly contested and widely read around the world today. The Caesars who ruled then have salad dressings named after them; the simple saints and fishermen have massive statues and monuments built to their names.
“Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thrash the nations by the power of my Spirit; And their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield and their buckler; and I will gird up their loins, and they shall fight manfully for me...” (D&C 35:13-14). “And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned” (Alma 32:23). Angels, the weak and simple, and little children are all capable of delivering staggering blows when directed by the Lord to speak. The newly-called eighteen year old elders and nineteen year old sisters have nothing to worry about, if they get and keep their "armor of God" by having the Spirit.
Why can the Lord comfortably ask so much of us relative to what meager ability we have? He not only knows what is coming in the future, and has our best interests in mind; He has also bridged the immense gulf between us and Him, and expects us to come at least a step or two in His direction. He expects our best in exchange for His.
