The Cross of Complacency

This afternoon I heard the end of an archived devotional address called "Carry Your Cross" that Marvin J. Ashton gave at BYU back in the '80s. The segment below made me wonder whether I might be doing better were we to live outside of Utah. From having lived in the Midwest for several years during and immediately after graduate school, I know that my fervor for the Gospel didn't increase and my testimony --if we can call it that-- didn't flourish any more or less than it did when I've been in Utah. But I was definitely less cynical, and always felt that I was an ambassador of sorts -- not necessarily of Christ (there were plenty of Christians around), but at least of the Church as an institution, which likely influenced my speech and behavior in some way, presumably for the better, although my experience Among The Gentiles was certainly not without its mishaps.

"Number four is the cross of living among many Mormons. Did you ever think of it as a cross? Having many Mormons for many Church assignments may not be as rewarding and developing as situations in which there are few Mormons to do many Church responsibilities. You may come from a location where your strength, commitment, and attendance made the difference. Sometimes it's easy to let the cross of many Mormons make us weak because we feel in our hearts that someone else will do what needs to be done. Complacency, lack of enthusiasm and involvement, can be the fruit of having too many of us together. Often there is great strength and development where Mormons are in the minority. It's like being the deacon (one of two in a small branch) who said, "I must be awfully important because I'm 50 percent."