I was feeling pretty anxious as I went to my colleague’s office to suggest a solution for a thorny issue in a project we were co-leading. I told him what I thought we should do and why. He looked at me calmly across the desk and simply said, “Think about how this plays out.” He then described the likely reaction of team members and stakeholders, which helped me recognize the folly of my proposal. He was calmer than I was, which enabled him to think more strategically than I was doing at the time.
When God called Enoch to be a prophet, He articulated a clear problem statement:
I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off.
Moses 6:27
This was not merely a failure of perception. It had consequences for their decisions and their treatment of one another. They were cruel and unfeeling, even to the point of committing murder. God wanted Enoch to expand their perspective and to think about the long-term consequences of their actions. In preparation for this mission, God expanded Enoch’s perspective. “Anoint thine eyes with clay, and wash them,” He said, “and thou shalt see” (Moses 6:35). Enoch did so and saw “things which were not visible to the natural eye” (Moses 6:36). With that expanded perspective, he was ready to teach.
Peter made a similar observation in his second epistle. After urging church members to develop divine attributes like knowledge, patience, and charity. He warned, “he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off” (2 Peter 1:9).
Elder David A. Bednar promised parents that as they study the gospel with their children, their own perspective will expand:
Parents who consistently read and talk about the Book of Mormon with their children, who share testimony spontaneously with their children, and who invite children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon will be blessed with eyes that can see afar off.
“Watching with All Perseverance,” April 2010 general conference
He directed this promise to the parents, an important reminder that, like Enoch, we need to see more clearly in order to help our children develop clearer vision of their own. Scripture study sharpens the vision of both parents and children, giving us a sweeping perspective that improves our awareness of the long-term consequences of our decisions. No wonder Moroni invited readers of the Book of Mormon to:
…remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
Moroni 10:3
Today, I will expand my perspective through gospel study, repentance, and developing Christlike attributes. I will remember that I make better decisions when I think more expansively about the impact of those decisions.
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