"And the large and spacious building...is the vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men" (1 Nephi 12:18)

With some of the changes that have taken place in my life I have had to change how I live and even think. I have been trying to focus on the fact that I am a human being, not a human doing. Christ prayed: "And now Father, I pray unto thee for them, and also for all those who shall believe on their words, that they may believe in me, that I may be in them as thou, Father, art in me, that we may be one" (3 Nephi 19:23 italics added). This insight about being rather than always doing has helped me see things with a new view. I hope I can share some insights from 1 Nephi 12:18 that have come from wanting to be, and not always needing to "do".

"And the large and spacious building...is the vain imaginations and the pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever" (1 Nephi 12:18).

I had to ask, what does "vain imaginations" mean? Vain means "excessively...concerned about one's appearance, qualities, achievements" I immediately thought of the obsession with weight in our society, or whether or not one looks good enough or the constant comparison of one's abilities or qualities. Vain also means "(3) ineffectual or unsuccessful; futile. (4) without real significance, value, or importance; baseless or worthless. (5) Archaic. senseless or foolish" (Vain). I thought of the many things that are of no real value -being angry with myself because I didn't do enough or disappointed that I can't do all I used to be able to do". These kinds of thought do not bring me closer to God. They are focused on doing enough. These thoughts are "foolish" because they are not "things as they really are" (Jacob 4:13).

And what about "imaginations"? It is "the faculty of...forming mental images or concepts of what is not actually present to the senses". It is also defined  "Archaically[as]: a plan, scheme, or plot" (Imaginations). How much time is spent focusing on things that are not really "present to the senses", even the truth about ourselves (see Jacob 4:13), that we are "children of God" (Romans 8:16; 17; 21)?

Putting "vain imaginations" together made me think that the "large and spacious building" is made up of senseless and foolish plans or lack thereof. I realize that I am filled with vain imaginations. I put way too much concern or focus on baseless and worthless plans, self defeating thoughts that are not real or present. And sometimes I spend way too much time in the large and spacious building of self loathing, self defeat, or way too much time in the building of fear. Other foolish plans can include the constant need to be doing and missing the many opportunities of "being", even being kind, being patient, being still.

As I give a little more notice to what is in this verse, the "great and terrible gulf" that divides the righteous from the people in the "great and spacious building" is "the word of the justice of [God]". Sometimes, I spend so much time focused on others or my own imperfections, wasting time on things that are not present, I start to "suppose that mercy can rob justice", which is not true. "Nay; not one whit"! (Alma 42:25). It is pride that keeps me from trusting God and His "plan of mercy" (Alma 42:15, 31). The goal is to "be still. and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10 italics added) because one cannot "do" still.

I love knowing that God is merciful and just (see Alma 42:15, 31). I don't need to spend anymore time in the "great and spacious building" worrying about the appearance of my body, whether it is too fat or sick or not perfect enough. I don't need to spend anymore time focusing on "vain imaginations", even senseless or foolish plans of whether or not someone will receive justice. Rather, the joy is that I get to focus and hold onto "the rod of iron, which ...[is] the word of God, which [leads] to...the tree of life; which...[is a] representation of the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:25). And for me, it means I get to be loving, be forgiving, be one with God (see John 17:18-21).

"That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour." 1 Thessalonians 4:4

When I started to weave baskets I soon found myself calling them "vessels". I have always been drawn to the idea of vessels. We have vessels all around us, cups to hold water, books to hold words, homes to hold families, flowers to hold smells, ears to hold wisdom (see Proverbs 2:2), eyes to hold "the light of God (Guide to the scriptures), hands and arms to hold service, hearts to hold understanding (see Mosiah 12:27; Proverbs 2:2). But the most amazing of all vessels is us. We are the most wonderful and beautiful creation of all. We are "temples of God" (1 Cor. 3:16-17). As I have pondered this incredible creation, our bodies, I have come to conclude that our bodies are very sacred and important because "the spirit of God dwelleth in [us]" (1 Cor. 3:16). Our bodies, our "vessel", house our spirits.

As our bodies are our "vessel" then we "should know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honor" (1 Thessalonians 4:4). Sanctification means to make holy, consecrate, purify. Peter tells us "be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (1 Peter 1:15). Conversation "in the [King James Version]...usually means behavior, way of life, or conduct, rather than the modern sense of talking together" (Bible Dictionary). One of the most important things we can be aware of is how we treat our vessel and how we conduct ourselves. This led me to thinking of the very tender subject of a relationship between a husband and a wife. "For this is the will of God, even [our] sanctification, that [we] should abstain from fornication" (1 Thessalonians 4:3) and "not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14). Sanctification is "the process of becoming free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the atonement of Jesus Christ" (The Guide to the Scriptures). In our relationships with our spouses we can draw closer to God as we "cleave" unto each other mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually (see Genesis 2:23-25).

"Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else" (D&C 42:22). To cleave is to be faithful to or to adhere or stick to. As I create a vessel, I must use a weaver that crosses over and under, or twists around the spokes of the vessel I am making. If I skip a spoke or get off by one, it weakens the vessel and the pattern is all messed up. I have had to go back and undo weaving because I have made mistakes. The beauty of God's pattern in a marital relationship is that we can correct our mistakes through repentance and the "cleansing power of the atonement" (Elder Boyd K. Packer). Some mistakes of miscommunication, selfishness, not giving or receiving love, can be parts of ourselves that can cause a wedge to develop in a relationship. God's pattern is to unite a husband and wife not only physically, but spiritually. We are taught in three sets of scripture this warning to protect our marriages: "That whosoever looketh on a woman [or a man] to lust after [them] hath committed adultery with [them] already in [their] heart" (Matthew 5:28; 3 Nephi 12:28; D&C 63:16). Protecting our marriages is one of the things that protect families, and protects us as individuals, the vessel's of the Lord. His patterns are always there to strengthen us, thereby strengthening our marriages.

God's pattern's are always perfect, because He is a perfect God. In a marriage, a husband and a wife can get closer to each other and to God by cleaving unto one other. "Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24; Moses 3:24). Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, an apostle of the Lord said, "Human intimacy...between a man and a woman is...a symbol of total union: union of their hearts, their hopes, their lives, their love, their family, their future, their everything". He continues, "sexual intimacy is not only a symbolic union between a man and a woman—the uniting of their very souls—but it is also symbolic of a union between mortals and deity, … uniting for a rare and special moment with God Himself and all the powers by which He gives life in this wide universe of ours. … Surely God’s trust in us to respect this future-forming gift is awesomely staggering. … We carry this procreative power that makes us very much like God in at least one grand and majestic way.” (Strengthening the Family:The Sacred Powers of Procreation). As parents, protectors of the family, we get the responsibility to teach our children this sacred, beautiful, wonderful pattern of unity between husbands and wives.

This awesome, beautiful, and sacred union between a man and a woman is used to create not only children, but also unity. We are to be one in heart and mind, which to me means that we would treat each other how we would want to be treated, kindly, lovingly, honestly, without selfishness or manipulation. We are the "holy vessels of God" (1 Chronicles 22:19) and through God's holy pattern of chastity and virtue, we can strengthen our marriages, we can be one with our husband or wife the way God intended us to be strengthened. We will "know how to posses our vessel in sanctification and honor" (1 Thessalonians 4:4) This I testify.