WHITE ROCK PLACES

Apr 2011 Issue

By C.S. Bezas
Recently a young friend asked me what it meant to stand in holy places. And my heart sank. I thought of the young people I know, the ones who are lost and who apparently do not understanding the meaning of either standing for something or the importance of holy places.

I thought of the youth who have left the church, perhaps upon high school graduation. Now that they are on their own, do they think gospel “rules” are brainless and that they don’t need protective boundaries? I thought of a young girl I heard about who—with her mother’s permission—had an abortion. And my heart deeply saddened.

Do the youth of today get it? Do they understand what holy places are and why we stand therein? If they’re not getting it, why? Is it because we as their adult mentors (whether parents, associates, or teachers) fail to shine with clear light ourselves? Do we “fudge” some of the standards because particular ones pinch us too tightly?
These are all uncomfortable questions, but they ran through my head upon hearing the query, “What does it mean to stand in holy places?”

Our youth need us. They need to feel that we stand as the gospel’s valid proofs (similar to mathematical proofs). If I can’t be a mentor for those in my circles of influence, who will be? Am I waiting for someone else to snug up the slack if I decide, for example, that on Tuesdays it’s just too hard to live the gospel? As silly as it sounds to pick one day a week not to live the gospel, perhaps it’s just as foolish to pick and choose which commandments to live.

Oh, but the truth can pinch. And so as I pondered that sincere question asked recently of me, my husband reminded me of a city in New Mexico. The sky city.
Actually, the “sky city” is a nickname for the city of Acoma. Acoma is a simple 367-foot mesa and it has been in existence since approximately 1100 A.D. While the architecture may not be grand (compared to the Taj Mahal), what is impressive is why the city still exists. According to Wikipedia.org (link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_City,_New_Mexico), Acoma “is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States.” It remains because of its elevation; one can see the approach of enemies from miles away. When we stand in holy places, we too are elevated; our perspective becomes far clearer and enemies more exposed.

Why has Acoma lasted for nearly 10 centuries? Again, because of its defenses. The name alone indicates its strength. According to Wikipedia, Acoma signifies “to prepare” in addition to “white rock.” In other words, Acoma denotes pure preparedness—how like the temples of our God!

Acoma was constructed for that pure preparedness. Everything about its position lent itself to safety. If you would have arrived before the additions of modern-day accesses, you would have had to scale a sheer, hand-cut staircase. Not an easy task!
And your hands most likely would have been bleeding, from the sandstone’s gritty face, by the time you were through!

As I ponder the question of “holy places” and why stand therein, I think of Acoma. Are we defending our youth by creating within our own homes “white rocks” of protection, built upon protective steps of understanding and support? Do we each day create home-refuges of purity from the ever-darkening world around us? Or do we let our guard down in what we personally watch on TV, what we speak about our neighbors, or what we criticize in our church leaders? What kind of “white rock” places of defense are we constructing—or tearing down—in the privacy of our own homes?

What about society’s “dark rocks”? There are so many. I wonder if this is why the Lord urgently counsels us to stand in holy places. Have you ever thought about why there is an absence of temptation in the presence of a temple baptismal font?
Perhaps it is because “white rock” surroundings distill strength of spirit. That which we surround ourselves with, we become. Our surroundings either strengthen us or slowly debilitate us.

God has given us the choice to seek “white rock” places or “dark rock” places…with the attending results.

Therefore, how important for youth to trust that clubs, raves, bars, etc.—places where things happen that shouldn’t—are nearly always dark. They also tend to be lonely places, even though the people are in crowds. (The focus is usually selfish and not to serve one another in protective, team-like fashion.)

Perhaps this is why the Lord encourages us to meet together oft in holy places. Satan cannot catch us when we function as a team. He thinks he is cunning and at times he succeeds with his claims, “Religion is for the weak.” and “If you’re powerful, you stand alone.” His whole attempt to pull us from holy places is to get us by ourselves.
But it is never a one-on-one scenario with Lucifer! Instead we find ourselves with us as the “one” on our side…and Satan and his third of those expelled from heaven waiting on his side. He never plays fair!

Thus, as I ponder my private choices, exactly what “white rock” standards do my children see me celebrate in my own life? Have I embraced any “black rock” standards offered so readily from the world? You know the kind: false promises of “easy now, never pay later”?

While these are perhaps uncomfortable questions, I am reminded of Julie B. Beck’s talk in the April 2010 General Conference (link: http://lds.org/ensign/2010/05/and-upon-the-handmaids-in-those-days-will-i-pour-out-my-spirit?lang=eng). She said, “Good women always have a desire to know if they are succeeding.” How can I know if I am succeeding if I bury my head in the sand and refuse to ask myself hard questions? (I’m reminded of the personal interview questions found in Alma 5.)

More than anything, more than my comfort, more than my personal pride, more than that which I don’t want to give up, I want to be able to face my Savior. And so I come back to the original question asked of me recently, “What does it mean to stand in holy places?” I’m still trying to determine that for myself. But of this I am sure: if I justify any sin I currently nurture, I may never find the answer. And neither will my children.