Every month we have the blessing of binding ourselves to another person when we visit teach. This is an opportunity to find out things you have in common, strengthen one another in the trials we all are facing, and simply realize that we are not alone.

 

I hope that when you go visiting teaching this month that you will make sharing the gospel the main part of the visit. I’m not saying to stuff the message down her throat, or push her till she’s uncomfortable and never wants you to come back. Our gospel is one of love. This is the message that should be emphasized in each visit. Whatever your sister needs, that is what you should be focusing on. Sometimes we get wrapped up in the visiting part and forget to actually listen to our sister, or leave her with something meaningful, loving, and sensitive to her particular needs. That takes a little more effort, but it is exactly what makes visiting teaching such a blessing.

 

This month’s message focuses on the word “guile,” or rather “without guile.” This is a scriptural term that has always confused me. The word guile, or beguile, is a negative word. You don’t want to be this type of person. Or rather, this is a natural man description and everyone has some in him/her and must root it out.

 

Guile means cunning, deceitful, sly, and devious.

Beguile means to entice, lure, charm, and attract.

So in essence you can beguile someone with your guile—which is a bad thing to do.

 

A more modern term may be motive. What is our motive for doing pretty much anything? In the world we live in, anyone who has motive is up to no good. A twenty-first century term may be to be transparent. We’re hearing more and more how important it is to be transparent in the business world.

 

Growing up I never really understood the definition of integrity. We would often liken it to honesty, but we knew it meant a little more than that. So, let’s say there’s a building. From the outside, this building can be beautiful, tall, and pleasing to the eye. But what is the integrity of the building? Will it hold up in an earthquake, for instance? What is it made of? How will it stand up to anything that may be destructive? Integrity is what we want to be made of, something that is of pure alloy that is strong for the right reasons. Integrity is a word that swings positive.

 

Interestingly, guile can be used in the same, but opposite way. We might be standing at the edge of a pond. From the surface it may be smooth, clear, and very inviting. But what lurks underneath? Are there roots and rocks that might snag us? What creatures may be swimming beneath the surface? A pond full of guile may look completely harmless, but underneath it is treacherous and hopes to ensnare us. Guile would do us harm every time.

 

 

Where one must be hard and able to stand up against danger of any kind, the other must be quiet, peaceful, and safe to be of any good to us. Both qualities must be represented in a child of God. The world (liars, cheaters, and hypocrites) is becoming more and more guileful, not less. Our desire should be to live—and be—Zion, where the pure in heart live.

 

Spencer W. Kimball showed us how to be the pure in heart.

 

1. We must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind.
2. We must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other.
3. We must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.”

 

(“Becoming the Pure in Heart,” Apr 1978)

 

Ultimately, our goal is to give up our will and follow the will of the Father. The natural man is egotistical, so our will is naturally arrogant, stubborn, and selfish. So, to combat the natural man, instead of being arrogant, we need to become obedient. Instead of stubborn, we need to become humble and teachable. Instead of selfish, we need to become selfless. These are qualities of a child who depends completely on its parent to teach, nurture, and guide her toward safety and life eternal.

 

Another interesting aspect of this discussion is in judgment. The world encourages us to negatively judge one another, or rather assume that the other person wants to do you harm, or wants to trap you in some way, or is already somehow judging you negatively. We tend to put a negative spin on everything, when we ought to be following Christ’s example of seeing the good in others. Instead of being suspicious of one another, Christ would ask us to be guileless toward one another.

 

The world has mastered this characteristic so well that if we are open and innocent toward one another we are stupid, naïve, or fair game. Visiting teaching is actually a perfect place to be open, honest, and guileless with one another. Perhaps, if enough sisters took this stand with unfailing integrity we might be able to counter all the painful judging that is going around and accept one another for the kind, caring people we are striving to be as we follow the example set before us by Jesus Christ.