The Keeper of the Gate

Two years ago I was in a town called Bartlett just Northeast of Memphis Tennessee.  I was serving as a missionary for the church, and was assigned to serve within the boundaries of the Bartlett Second Ward.  The ward had a fantastic Elders Quorum, filled with inspiring and spiritual men.  They achieved the impossible: 100% home-teaching.  Two months in a row!

But what was more, the lessons I learned in those Quorum meetings have stayed with me, and I would like to share one with you.

We were given a small quarter-sheet of paper with information on both sides.  One side has a large square with four squares inside of it.

This was reportedly similar to a plaque found on Spencer W Kimball's desk while he was serving as the president of the church.

The lesson our teacher was teaching was in reference to 2 Nephi 9:41.

O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

We were taught that we need to magnify our callings to be prepared to report to the Keeper of the Gate.  The blocks relate to the lesson by giving us a map of how to proceed in a calling.  If we do not know how to do our calling well, or how to do it at all, we start in square one.  Do.  Do your calling.  Start trying things, start talking to people, start studying and performing to the best of your knowledge and capability.  Eventually you'll figure out what it is you're supposed to do, at which point, you'll need to "do it".  Moving forward into "doing it right" and finally, not procrastinating the work the Lord has asked of you, and "do it right now".

But that is not at all my favorite part of this lesson (though it was a great supplement to my missionary preparation lessons)!  On the flip side of this quarter sheet of paper, there is a lesson given by David O McKay, also a president of the church.  It is part of an address to employees of the Physical Facilities Dept of the Church.  It was given at Hotel Utah, in June 1965.  It reads as follows:

Let me assure you, Brethren, that someday you will have a personal Priesthood interview with the Savior, Himself.  If you are interested, I will tell you the order in which He will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities:
1st - He will request an accountability report about your relationship with your wife.  Have you actively engaged in making her happy and ensuring that  her needs have been met as an individual?
2nd - He will want an accountability about each of your children individually.  He will not attempt to have this for simply a family stewardship, but will request information about your relationship to each and every child.3rd - He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents you were given in the pre-existence.
4th - He will want a summary of your activity in your church assignments.  He will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you had, for in his eyes the home teacher and a mission president are probably equals, but He will request a summary of how you have been of service to your fellowmen in your church assignments.
5th - He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings.6th - He will ask for an accountability on what you have done to contribute in a positive manner in your community, state, country, and the world.

I have read and reread this to myself many times (it comes up often since I love 2 Nephi 9 and  I have this glued in on pg 76), and compare it with my patriarchal blessing.  How would I be able to report to the Keeper of the Gate if I were to meet Him today?

Sometimes, when I am praying, I run through as many of these as I can remember.  Am I magnifying my calling?  Do I perform to the best of my ability in my relationship with my wife Ashley?  How about with my talents?  Do I do my home teaching?  Am I honest at work?  Am I an upstanding citizen?

One last quote on this small piece of paper, nestled in my Book of Mormon:

"Do what's right.  Do it right.  Do it right now." - Malcolm Stevenson Forbes