Look out! Here Comes a Spiderman!

Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can...Look out, here comes a Spiderman!
Spiderman is my all time favorite super-hero. Why? Basically because he has the coolest powers. Admitedly, were he to move to say, Ohio or Montana, his web-slinging capabilities would be significantly less impressive and useful. But as it stands he lives in New York City, and there his ability shines... What I also respect and admire about Spiderman is that even though he loves Mary Jane a whole lot, he never lets her in on his secret identity (ok or at least for a really long time). Why? Because he doesn't want to put her in danger. Even if it makes him look like a jerk and even if it means he can never be with her he cares more about her than himself.
So what does any of this have to do with the gospel? Well
two things.


1-The Lord knows us individually. My companion pointed out to me the other day an account in the Book of Mormon where a father is giving advice to his two sons. Both are very wicked and as such they usually get lumped together in people's mind. Their names were Laman and Lamuel. Lehi their father though, does not lump them together. As they are traveling through the wilderness they stop in a valley. Lehi names two things there after each son; Laman becomes the name of the river, Lamuel the name of the valley itself. (1 Nephi 2:8-10) Why? As we read on we learn about Laman and Lamuel. In chapter 3 of 1 Nephi we read that Lamuel "hearkened unto the words of Laman" (1 Nephi 3:28). Lehi knew his sons perfectly well, he knew that what Laman needed was different from what Lamuel needed. Laman, the oldest and leader, needed to point his path towards righteousness. Lamuel, the youngest, needed to find faith in himself and the Lord strong enough to not just be swayed by whatever his elder brother did. Just as Lehi knew what his sons needed the Lord knows exactly what each of us need. Perfectly. We all have individual strenghts and weaknesses, and because of this, the Lord places us in specefic situations, trials, families, and events that He knows will best build us. Sometimes we may be confused by where God wants us but I know that if we seek our own paths instead of God's we will end up like Aquaman out of water or Spiderman in Ohio; we will never reach our divine potential.

2-Often in life we regard not knowing things as a bad thing. I for one find it frustrating when I know what the Lord wants me to do but I don't know why or worse yet, I know that I want to do what the Lord wants me to do but I'm not currently sure what it is He wants me to be doing. Equally as frustrating is trying to learn things within the gospel that I just can't wrap my head around and I'm not getting more information. There have also been times in my life when I know I have to wait for more information or more knowledge. I think the biggest one was growing up and just wanting to go to the Temple. I knew what happened there was sacred, but I didn't understand why the sacred seemed sometimes to mean "secret". I think many people in and out of the Church have felt this way about the Temple and other things. But what I am realizing now is sacred does not mean secret in the way the world views it. Secret in the world can mean witholding information from others because we it is hurtful to them, we don't like them, or we don't trust them. The Lord's "secrets" are not the same at all. Just as Spiderman wears a mask to keep his identity from people to protect them, the Lord often keeps things masked for a time from us to protect us. Were Spiderman to go around without a mask everyone would know who he was and not only would that give evil people power over him it would put good people in danger and give them great responsibility they may not be ready to have yet. Really Spiderman wears a mask to keep his identity "sacred", and it was all out of love for those close to him and all others that might not be ready to know who he was yet.  To me, this is how the Lord works in our lives. He keeps things "masked" for a time until we are truly ready to see them, act on them, and be responsible with that knowledge. He also keeps things sacred from the world to protect these sacred things from being mocked, mistreated, and demeaned.  (3 Nephi 14:6). So really, whether it is personal revelation, gospel study, or other sacred dealings or covenants, the Lord only keeps things masked for a time from us out of love for us and love of the world and love of the sacred. Because I know God knows me far better than I know myself, then I know God will always know when the right time for things to become unmasked to me. I also know He knows best what things need to be kept sacred, and what things are to be public and what things are to be known with time.

So, how is the gospel like Spiderman? Because God knows us perfectly and loves us perfectly, therefore we can perfectly trust and love where God puts us and what God keeps masked to us-He will never let us down!