SHOULD WE BE HOLY AT ALL TIMES?

One Christmas year the number one question on my mind (which I was consumed with) was what could we do to raise our standard of worship in our home that season that reflected his teachings we were learning. Day in and day out this question was prevalent in my thoughts as Christmas itself now had become something we no longer celebrated as the world did with Santa, trees, and magic, and I felt parties too, must go. At this time we were being bombarded with invites to Christmas gatherings that needed RSVPs. I felt it was time to make a change even with the church, work, and family parties we usually attended.

WHAT DO WE DO

In moments of confusion, I looked up to a wooden sign that hangs on my wall. It reads “Holiness unto the Lord.” It then occurred to me that none of the invites that were extended to us should we attend. Every single one had elements of worship we disagreed with now and felt it was time not to compromise. This really took me by surprise as I had not thought to apply standing in holiness at all times even to our Christmas parties.

When Christ asked this he was calling for his disciples to demonstrate their loyalty to him as their teacher by doing what he told them to do. He was asking them to not just walk around with him and listen to his teachings, or throw a celebration in his name, he was calling upon his disciples to respond to his teachings with obedience to his commands, and live a life of holiness.

THE PIONEERS KNEW

Zechariah prophesied that in the day of the Lord’s millennial reign, even the bells of the horses would bear the inscription “Holiness unto the Lord.” The pioneer Saints in these valleys affixed

“Holiness to the Lord,” on seemingly common things as well as things more directly associated with religious practice. It was inscribed on sacrament cups and plates and printed on certificates of the ordination of the Seventies and on a Relief Society banner. “Holiness to the Lord” also appeared over the display windows of Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution, the ZCMI department store. It was found on the head of a hammer and on a drum. “Holiness to the Lord” was cast on the metal doorknobs of President Brigham Young’s home. These references to holiness in unusual or unexpected places may seem a bit silly, but they suggest just how constant our focus on holiness needs to be.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

So we decided instead of choosing loud, goofy pagan holiday parties (even with good intentions to not be) we would stay home and learn His doctrine nightly, keeping things simple and focused on our Savior as he has asked us to. That we would accept his invitation to stand in Holiness. We spent the few weeks leading up to Christmas together every night reading Doctrines of Salvation along with our scriptures under our tree of life (Ficus tree with lights). The conversations were wonderful as we listen to these plain teachings and accepting the invitation to live these teachings and live a life that mirrored Holiness.

I LOVED how these doctrines filled my mind, my home, my family, and my heart that season just by choosing the one simple, no-cost, or frill invitation “to stand in Holiness.” Just like how the pioneers had posted this phrase everywhere to be reminded, and which also hangs on my wall, that everything we do should be for the glory of God.