Emotions and the Spirit

The light of the morning sun just begins to peer over the tops of the mountains, revealing the shapes of majestic pine trees. A concealing mist rises gently from the ground. Out of the dimness, figures appear, mounting rustic wooden towers. Lights appear, and the dark figures resolve into boy scouts in uniform blowing trumpets from the tops of the towers in a growing fanfare. Other trumpeters appear and join in from other heights until we are surrounded by beautiful music. Suddenly, two scouts drop from overhead, rappelling down long ropes, bearing giant flags - a scout flag, and the American Stars and Stripes. A scout calls for the audience to stand and salute, and thousands of voices join in reciting, in unison, the Pledge of Allegiance. No sooner has the Pledge been completed, than hundreds of cub scouts run forward to sing the National Anthem, with the accompaniment of a full orchestra I hadn't even realized was playing. Tears are streaming down my face, and I don't understand why.

Was this on a camping trip? No. Was it even outdoors? No. It was a broadcast from the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. Last night I got to watch the celebration of the 100 year partnership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Boy Scouts of America. Wow. If you didn't have a chance to see it yet, I would highly recommend it. If you are or have ever been or ever will be a scout, I would recommend watching it. If you are, have ever been, or might ever become the parent of a boy scout, I would recommend watching it. If you like history or music or drama, I would recommend watching it. It was an hour and a half very well spent.

(If you haven't seen it, here's the link: http://scouts100.lds.org)

Several times during the production, I found myself filled with emotion. I laughed, and, like during the spectacular flag ceremony, I cried. And I wondered, "Why am I crying?"

At Time Out For Women a couple weeks ago, Sandra Turley, who played Cosette in Les Miserables on Broadway, mentioned, almost in passing, that she loved playing Cosette because when she was crying over her dead guardian, the audience would feel the Spirit and cry with her. Since then, I have thought of that frequently and wondered - when we get teary during a sad part of a movie or a play, is that really because we are feeling the Spirit? What about other times when we get teary, when we aren't really sad? Is that the Spirit, or is that just our own raw emotion?

When are we most likely to have tears come to our eyes without actually being sad? Here are some that come to my mind:

• Births
• Deaths
• Weddings
• First day of school, especially kindergarten
• Graduations
• Any time we watch our own children accomplish something that required a lot of effort.
• When we witness someone suffering
• When we witness someone overcoming overwhelming odds in order to succeed
• When we see something of great beauty
• Pregnancy (When I was pregnant, everything made me teary.)

If it is the Spirit we are feeling at these times, why would the Spirit choose those moments to appear? First of all, what is the Spirit I'm referring to? I believe it is the Light of Christ. The Bible Dictionary says, "The light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ." (BD Light of Christ)

Moroni calls it the Spirit of Christ: "For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God." (Moroni 7:16)

This Spirit teaches what is good, and what is truth, and persuades us to believe in Christ. It is my belief that the Spirit affirms those things that are part of our Father's Eternal Plan for our Salvation. So I ask again, why might the Spirit show itself at these times and events?

Birth is the miraculous entrance to this world/school that we live in. This is a momentous occasion with eternal significance, and whether we are the parents, siblings, grandparents, friends of the family, or innocent bystanders, we can feel its power. This precious spirit chose to be born on this earth, to receive a body and join the human family. This is an important milestone in this spirit's eternal progression. The Spirit confirms that this is a very important part of God's Plan.

Death is another important eternal milestone. A soul who has journeyed on this earth for some period of time - whether long or short, has progressed to the next stage of existence. This can be very sad for those left behind, but it is also a part of God's Plan of Happiness. It has eternal significance. Whether we knew the deceased or not, we can feel the power of that momentous step into eternity.

Weddings. Finding a soul mate. Love stories. True Love. God is love. "Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World) "Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." (1 Cor 11:11) Finding an eternal companion and being married is another important part of God's Plan. The Spirit testifies that weddings are a good step in the right direction.

The first day of school can be teary for many mothers as they watch their young child mature and begin their years of formal education. Education is also an important part of our Father's Plan: "Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." (D&C 130:18-19) Beginning our formal education on earth could be seen as a step towards rising in knowledge and intelligence, and progressing along our Father's Plan for us.

Graduations are very similar to the first day of school, in that they can be seen as a measure of our progression in gaining knowledge and intelligence, according to God's Plan.

You watch your child take her first wobbly steps. You observe her excitement as she sounds out letters and realizes that she has read her very first word. You attend a recital where she plays a song that she has practiced repeatedly for months, and she nails it! You are watching your children develop skills that she will bring her joy in this life, and the life to come. Maybe we are feeling a little bit of what God feels when he watches us learn to distinguish between good and evil, and to choose the good. We are watching them progress in the right direction along the Plan that God has for them, and the Spirit might confirm that to us: that our children are doing well.

Other times, we watch others suffer heartache and grief and our heart goes out to them. Maybe it is just a movie, and we realize that they are just actors playing a part, but still the tears come. Perhaps this is the Godlike quality of compassion. Maybe the Spirit is showing us how Jesus felt when Mary and Martha were so sad after Lazerus' death. (John 11:32-35) After my cousin and his wife passed away in a car accident several years ago leaving a very young daughter as an orphan, the tears would come - not so much because of their death, I wasn't very close to my cousin and had never met his wife, but I cried because of the thought of their daughter and the life she would live, never knowing her parents.

Sometimes the Spirit may touch our hearts when we see the power of God made manifest. This could be when we witness true beauty and recognize it as God's creation. It could also be when we see or hear of people who, through God's mercy, have overcome huge obstacles or disabilities to accomplish great things. It could be when we see a patriotic display and we recognize the blessings of God to let us live in a great nation and enjoy great freedom and liberty. God's hand is evident in the world around us and the Spirit touches us once in a while to point that out.

And finally, there is pregnancy. I think that maybe women feel more weepy during pregnancy, not just because of the hormones, etc. but also because they are actively working with God to perform an act of true creation. Perhaps a woman is naturally closer to God and spiritual things when she is creating a living soul within her womb.

Is it this Spirit that makes us cry? What do you think? Do you cry? Why? Do you think that people who are closer to the Spirit are more likely to cry when they aren't sad?