Tent Pitching: A General Conference Special
Because I work in Primary, and little kids take longer to absorb some things than normal people, we have started to talk to the Primary kids about General Conference. Especially since the theme this month for Primary is "God gave us prophets," it has worked well. Even though it did yield last week's "Cutest Moment Award." When one of the counselors asked the kids, "In a few weeks, we get to have General Conference, and we get to listen to someone very special. Do you know who we get to listen to?" One of the Sunbeams (3 or 4 year olds, for those not aware) promptly chimed in, "Me!"
However, with this General Conference in mind, I have a scripture analogy for all y'alls.
People always mention the gathering of the people of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon as the first General Conference, and when the people gathered, they didn't all fit. So, they all pitched their tents around the city. And in Mosiah 2:6, it tells us, "And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple." In contrast, there was another man who pitched a tent, in Genesis. His name was Lot. In Genesis 13:12, we learned "Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent towards Sodom."
So we all know that Lot had some good and some bad, but mostly good. However, he got besmirched by the world. That's putting it lightly. But maybe we found the problem right here.
Both the people of King Benjamin and Lot pitched their tents somewhere not evil. By the time the two messengers visit Lot, he is sitting in the gate of Sodom, but Lot never actually lived in Sodom. He never went into that den of evil. But the major difference is that the people of King Benjamin pitched their tents in the good, facing better. Lot pitched his tent in the good, facing evil.
I once heard someone say, "God doesn't care where we are on our paths, so long as we're moving in the right direction." And from the start, Lot set himself up to move in the wrong direction--and he was. He started in the plains, and ended up in the very gate of Sodom. So, which direction do we pitch our tents? Towards the temple, or towards Sodom?
However, with this General Conference in mind, I have a scripture analogy for all y'alls.
People always mention the gathering of the people of King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon as the first General Conference, and when the people gathered, they didn't all fit. So, they all pitched their tents around the city. And in Mosiah 2:6, it tells us, "And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple." In contrast, there was another man who pitched a tent, in Genesis. His name was Lot. In Genesis 13:12, we learned "Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent towards Sodom."
So we all know that Lot had some good and some bad, but mostly good. However, he got besmirched by the world. That's putting it lightly. But maybe we found the problem right here.
Both the people of King Benjamin and Lot pitched their tents somewhere not evil. By the time the two messengers visit Lot, he is sitting in the gate of Sodom, but Lot never actually lived in Sodom. He never went into that den of evil. But the major difference is that the people of King Benjamin pitched their tents in the good, facing better. Lot pitched his tent in the good, facing evil.
I once heard someone say, "God doesn't care where we are on our paths, so long as we're moving in the right direction." And from the start, Lot set himself up to move in the wrong direction--and he was. He started in the plains, and ended up in the very gate of Sodom. So, which direction do we pitch our tents? Towards the temple, or towards Sodom?
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