Christmas Day… it’s that time of year. I haven’t written in my blog for a spell, I believe that it’s going on two weeks. That is not really the time table I would like to keep especially considering the pace in which my life seems to keep. In the past two weeks a lot has happened; my business has taken a turn for the better in a big way, I was able to go see the greatest band EVER perform as they passed through town, (U2, for any that might have questioned) I have felt closer to the Savior this time of year and generally have an outlook for the future that seems to be more healthy than times passed. All those things are blessing to my life and I wish to document them.
As today is the time when we celebrate the birth of the Savior I wanted to share a very strange epiphany that I had recently. Hopefully it won’t come off sacrilegious, because it isn’t meant that way. A few things have happened that have lead up to these thoughts. Here goes…
I have been on a U2 kick ever since the concert. If you have never been to a live show, GO. They are literally the best band in the world and their show is second to none. Songs that have spanned their entire career were played and they were as crisp and interesting as the first time I heard them. They really are a sum greater than the whole of its parts. Anyway, I have been listening to their entire anthology recently and have rediscovered some of the great songs that I hadn’t heard in a while. I have been gaining an even deeper appreciation for the lyrics they write; the perspective, the stories, the imagery…all of it. Songs that I originally thought were strictly love songs have taken on new meanings, songs to parents, songs to children, songs to people I love. There isn’t really anything negative that I can say about that experience. PART ONE…
Back in August the President of the Church encouraged the members to read the Book of Mormon in its entirety by the end of the year. I took that challenge seriously and had been reading on a pretty regular basis keeping up with a pace that would allow me to have it finished by next week. In October the talks at General Conference continued with this encouragement and bore testimony to the rewards promised by keeping this commandment. In my prayers I promised my Heavenly Father that I would do what He has asked and read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I am not done yet; two days ago I finished the book of Ether, meaning that all that’s left is the book of Moroni for me to read. (10 pages or so…) I sat on my couch feeling a love of that book and a confidence grow in myself that I was capable of keeping the Lord’s commandments. I felt such a relief come over me in that confidence. It is true that the Lord provides ways for His children to do what they should. It just takes faith. My faith is growing. PART TWO…
Lyrics to the song “Until the End of the World:”
Haven't seen you in quite a while
I was down the hold, just passing time.
Last time we met it was a low-lit room
We were as close together as a bride and groom.
We ate the food, we drank the wine
Everybody having a good time except you.
You were talking about the end of the world.
I took the money, I spiked your drink
You miss too much these days if you stop to think.
You led me on with those innocent eyes
And you know I love the element of surprise.
In the garden I was playing the tart
I kissed your lips and broke your heart.
You, you were acting like it was the end of the world.
In my dream, I was drowning my sorrows
But my sorrows they'd learned to swim
Surrounding me, going down on me
Spilling over the brim
Waves of regret and waves of joy.
I reached out for the one I tried to destroy.
You, you said you'd wait till the end of the world.
Years ago when I first heard that song I understood the lyrics as somewhat of a sorrowful love song where in a selfish lover scorned another. I understood the lyric “in the garden I was playing the tart” to be “playing guitar” and other small misquotes that added up to have me look at the whole of the song as meaning something entirely different. (read the words again, you’ll see what I mean…) A few days ago I was watching a documentary on one of the U2 DVD’s that I have and it spoke of how when that song was written Bono intended the lyrics to be from the point of view of Judas Iscariot, the apostle that betrayed the Savior. I found that extremely interesting but it was only until I had actually heard the song again after that description was it that it took shape. If you listen to that song, or even read the lyrics you see that it can have that perspective if you let it. By removing the sometimes sexual connotation of “tart” and see the word meaning “one of ethical looseness” you can almost see Judas kissing the Savior as the sign that He was the one. The final verse of that song is the one that sums all of this together, Judas being overcome by his sorrows reaches out to whom he knew all along was the one who could redeem him; and the notion that “[He’d] wait till the end of the world” is a reminded of the depths of the willingness that Jesus has to forgive even the most vile of betrayers. PART THREE…
To wrap it up, the thread that weaves all these experiences together is that it is possible to see the evidence of a loving God in every place you look. This is not “philosophies of men, mingled with scripture.” It is not meant to be even an example of how we are allowed to stoop to the level that Judas did and expect forgiveness. My epiphany is that you are able to draw off of any number of good things in our lives to bring you closer to God. I have drawn real life experiences, some secular, and some spiritual to be reminded of these simple truths: Jesus Christ is real. He was born, He lived and He died for us. He is the Son of God. He atoned for our sins. He is the one to which we must seek redemption in our lives, and He is the one who will grant it. I didn’t learn these things in the classroom of the world, but see the hints of truth there as I look. The example of Jesus is one that we should look toward, especially this day.
I end this blog entry with an invitation. I encourage any who may read my words to seek out the Judas of their lives, and forgive. I know that freedom will come as will peace of mind. Merry Christmas…
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