Dwelling in Unity — By Baukje M. Wierda-Schaafsma — International Regional Leader for the Netherlands/Europe — Fountain of Living Waters Society

Feeling united with a group of people is such a wonderful feeling! Maybe you have experienced this in your life. We can feel united through all kinds of ways: by accomplishing a task as a family or group, by celebrating victory in sports, through music by making, listening, or dancing to it. Usually, this united feeling does not last very long. That is why we are looking for a unity that will last for a long time. We can turn to the scriptures to learn more about sustainable unity. Here are some examples to read: Psalm 133:1; Colossians 3:13-14; Mosiah 18:21 (9:54 RLDS).

Throughout the scriptures we learn just how important unity is, and they give us guidelines on how to accomplish that. In The Sealed Book of Moses 3:73, we read:
“Your collective feelings united in a common goal will allow you, Moses, in the use of the attributions conferred upon the presidency of the high priesthood, to transpose all things to continue using your power with Me, provided there is unconditional love in you by this people, and if this people have faith in me, the Lord, through you and your words, then no condition can be imposed on you by the elements of this world and then nothing will be impossible for you because of faith in the hearts, mind and strength of this people, which is one in me the Lord.”

We learn a lot about unity in this verse. For instance, it is important to have collective feelings and a common goal in order to feel united. And there should be agreement about the structure of the group we want to unify with. In this verse, the people trusted the Lord because of their faith, and the actions and words of Moses, which included his unconditional love for the people (see verse 67). Because the people were unified in this way, Moses had the power to lead the people and perform miracles.

If we want to have unity in a group, it is important that we feel united within ourselves. This can be accomplished by having good feelings. We have to be aware of what kind of feelings we carry, because we become what we carry within ourselves (see Acts of the Three Nephites 11:8).

Throughout the scriptures there is also mention about feelings coming from the evil one. In Matthew 12:35 (12:30 IV/JST), Jesus says: “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.”

It will be helpful to identify negative feelings so that we can recognize them. Some of them are mentioned in The Sealed Book: resentment, sorrow and rancor, anguish and fear, anger, covetousness and lasciviousness, in Acts of the Three Nephites 8:1; wrath, in Acts of the Three Nephites 13:20; envy, pride, greed, in The Sealed Book of Moses 5:38. Let us not forget that throughout the scriptures it is pointed out that most of these feelings start with a hardened heart (see Proverbs 28:14; John 12:40; Jarom 1:3/1:6 RLDS; D&C 20:15/17:3c RLDS; Sealed Book of Moses 1:1).

It takes self-knowledge to reflect on what kind of negative feelings we carry within ourselves. Sometimes we are not even aware of them, especially when we were raised by parents with negative feelings (Sealed Book of Moses 5:36; Twelve Apostles of Moses verse 16). It can be hard to let go of these feelings because they are familiar, and it is not always easy to let go of something familiar, even if these feelings hurt us, knowingly or unknowingly.

Negative feelings also act as messengers: they want to tell us something. So, it is important to recognize and observe them to discover the source behind them, not simply pushing them away. By pushing the negative feelings away, we do not solve the problem.

Being open to receive feedback about them, preferably in a loving way, is a very important tool to help recognize these negative feelings within ourselves. When negative feelings arise, it is important to have a “toolbox” ready to overcome these feelings. Deep breathing is a good way to handle them: pause before you respond; take time to take some deep breaths when you experience overwhelming feelings. Say a Prayer. Write down your feelings. Take a walk. Express your boundaries. These are all good ways to deal with negative situations.

We should get to know which “tools” work for us, so that we can more easily deal with the negative feelings when they arise. Practice these skills when you are in a calm state, so you remember them better when the negative feelings arise.

When we are in a calmer state, we are also able to replace the negative feelings with good feelings. Fortunately, the scriptures tell us a lot about these good feelings! In Galatians 5:22-23 and Acts of the Three Nephites 10:7 we find the fruits that derive from the Holy Spirit: “… love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance….” The Sealed Book teaches us that good feelings derive from God’s name. They are described in The Sealed Book of Moses 4:17: “Charity; Enthusiasm, Peace of the Spirit; Resignation to withstand adversities; Benignity; Compassion; Faith; Tenderness and Self-control.”

There are nine feelings mentioned in both verses. Let us compare these two lists. I noticed that good feelings derived from God’s name are in fact behaviours that align with the Fruits of the Holy Spirit. The names are expressions of the fruits. We learn for instance that Charity is the purest expression of the Love of God (Sealed Book of Moses 3:62). It is interesting to think about the other fruits and names of God in this way:

If we have feelings of Love, we are capable of expressing more Charity.
By having Joy we will create Enthusiasm.
By experiencing more Peace, we will learn how to maintain Peace of the Spirit.
Practicing Long-suffering helps to develop Resignation to withstand adversities.
When we are Gentle in our daily lives, it will bring Goodness.
Learning to have Faith will add to our Faith.
By being Meek, we will act Tender.
Practicing Temperance will create more Self-control.

As you noticed, the feeling of Faith is mentioned twice, which emphasizes the importance of this feeling. Faith is a huge force in our battle to overcome negativity. In The Sealed Book of Moses 4:24 we read: “Faith, in turn, grounds right feelings, nullifying the influence of opposing feelings, and this generates the strength of the priesthood within man, who in turn interacts in the physical world.”

Last, but not least, I would like to mention another important act to develop good feelings, and that is gratitude. There are many studies about the importance of practicing gratitude which show that it will lead to a more positive attitude, better health, and stronger relationships—which will add to unity.

Remember that the “feelings of faith and gratitude” were the first feelings that left the hearts of the people of Israel when Pharaoh was approaching and they were facing the sea. And it was this loss of good feelings that then caused them to be overcome with uncertainty, fear, and doubt (The Sealed Book of Moses 3:54).

Let’s start practicing in small things to be expressions of the names of God, so that we will unite together as living stones in the building of the spiritual temple (1 Peter 2:5; Acts of the Three Nephites 7:8). May God bless our efforts!