Seminary and Self-Mastery

[JudoMinja]

In the wee hours of the morning, most of us are usually sleeping. The typical work or school day starts around eight or nine, after the sun has already risen. In the days of the colonist, farmer, and pioneer, it was more common to rise before the sun, the day beginning with the hard work and heavy labor of physical toil. Now, this is rare. The world has grown soft and lazy. Sleep, hunger, sex, and other desires of the body drive people forward, a people who believe that the flesh is all that is real, the physical all that matters, the instinctive drive of our animal natures the only reason for survival.

Many wander the world with a base mindset, with no reason or motivation to learn and grow and better themselves. They rely on the strength of man, finding fulfillment in living for worldly pleasures. They judge success on how much they can get out of life, always seeking, always striving to satisfy the unsatisfiable desires of the flesh. Eat more, sleep more, drink more, buy more, always more, more, more. And it’s never enough- the body always hungers for more. It is no wonder that we are a weak and depressed world.

For a people living the “eat, drink, and be merry” mantra, of what use is self-control? Refusing to satisfy your desires is considered ridiculous, outrageous, and odd. Fast? Why waste time starving yourself. Exercise? Why strain yourself. Be thrifty? Why hold back your money. Refrain from alcohol? Why let opportunity pass. Better to live it up, seize every moment, and listen to the pulls of the flesh.

Living in this way, however, soaking up all the pleasures and materials in the world, leaves a person still unsatisfied. You’ll always be hungry, always be thirsty, always be tired. Each desire you submit yourself to gains a stronger hold over your body and mind, leaving you trapped in addiction. The deeper you dig yourself, the harder it is to climb out.

Worldly people follow the easy road, go with the flow, choosing the path that requires as little work and effort as possible. They look for short-cuts and quick outs, anything to let them get away with more laziness and more pleasure.

To those lost in the way of the world, anything that demands time or effort pulling away from satisfying these pleasures seems an outrageous sacrifice. Anything that takes away from the base desires of the flesh is considered worthless. Seminary is one of those things, tossed aside by those lost in the way of the world. Who in their right mind would give up their blessed sleep, getting up three hours earlier than is really necessary just to get together with others to read scriptures? Such a task could easily be accomplished at a later time if it was truly desired and really isn’t all that important that it must be a part of the day at all. Much more important is making the most of your time, enjoying every moment you can fulfilling the lusts of your flesh. What a sad way to look at the world.

When you give up yourself to fulfilling the desires of your flesh, you will never find happiness for you will never be satisfied. Lusts, wants, and desires will always grow, fulfillment always just beyond your grasp. When it comes to the ways of the world, there is always more. You are never complete. You will always be hungry. You will always be thirsty. You will always be aroused. You will always be tired. You will always have more to purchase. These desires can never truly be sated, and those who spend all their time attempting to do so will find, in the end, that theirs was a time wasted.

Sacrificing a few hours of sleep to go to seminary in the morning is no real sacrifice. You wake early, allowing your mind to become fresh and invigorated. You strengthen yourself spiritually and give yourself a positive start to the day. You surround yourself with people who share the same values as you, who will encourage and uplift you, reminding you as you delve into the tasks of your day that you are not alone in your beliefs and your resolve. You are more organized and more confident, because you are not rushed to meet your commitments for you rose early and prepared. The challenges of the day seem nothing, for you have already conquered the greatest challenge of all- self-control.

Those who commit themselves to seminary attendance and participation when going through their high-school years will find themselves filled with a hunger, thirst, and desire stronger and more fulfilling than that of the flesh. Feast on the scriptures, learn from the teachings of the prophets, gobble up every good thing. Which is the better way to start off your day? More sleep, giving in to the weakness of the flesh, and ultimately finding yourself rushing to keep your commitments? Or rising early, filling yourself with the spirit, studying and learning those things which will be most beneficial to your entire lives?

Seminary is one step on the path of spiritual fulfillment. We were sent to this earth to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh, not give in to them. Those who sacrifice their sleep to develop their spiritual understanding will find it was no real sacrifice at all. It may be difficult at first, as you work to overcome the pull of the flesh, but it will come easier with time.

Fasting, prayer, exercise and healthy eating, keeping the Sabbath holy, working hard, becoming educated, paying tithing and being wise with your money, reigning in your emotions, keeping the law of chastity, fulfilling your calling, and serving others are all more ways in which we practice self-mastery, giving up the desires of the flesh for the desires of our souls. Those of seminary age- attend seminary. Those younger- prepare yourselves. Parents- encourage your children to go to seminary and make sure they get there! Your ability to make this small sacrifice will make you stronger and will aid you as you seek to do these other things the Lord has asked us to do.

Do not let yourself be controlled by your appetites! Giving in to the weaknesses of the flesh will ultimately lead you into addictions even harder to overcome than if they had simply been avoided. Do not be fooled by the lies of the world. They will strive to convince you to eat, drink, and be merry. To give in a little, lighten up a little, have a little fun, enjoy life while you can, experience the wild side, but to do this is ultimate folly. People living in this way are weak. They are controlled by the carnal state and have not the strength to overcome its pull. They put those things requiring self-mastery aside as unimportant, unnecessary, and undesirable really because it is too difficult for them to obtain.

We are always striving to be independent individuals, free to make our own choices and do as we please. Why, then, would we give up control of our lives to the desires of the flesh? We do not want other people to be in control of our lives and make our decisions for us, but often in our attempts to find freedom and independence, we instead give up control to our lusts, getting caught in addictions. Addictions are far more binding and controlling than any person ever could be, because they exercise control over us from within, eating away at our strength and resolve and weakening our spirits.

Be in control of your own life. Self-control brings freedom. Freedom to make your own decisions without being held down by fleshly weaknesses. Freedom brings lasting happiness and joy in the security of self-control. Joy for you who have reigned in the appetites of the flesh, giving up the “fulfillment” of the desires of your body to fulfill the desires of your soul. You have come to realize what it truly feels like to be satisfied. Yes, you are tired, but you are strong, because you were able to exercise self-mastery, a skill that will aid you in finding true and lasting happiness throughout the rest of your life.