I’ve been reading some of my Mormon Pioneer ancestry history recently. It has been fascinating to learn of their lives, usually originating in Europe, as they sacrifice to make their way to America and then to Zion in the intermountain west. I was amazed to learn at their whole-hearted efforts and single-minded focus to work and labor for the cause of Zion throughout their entire lives. They knew that they were part of something much greater than themselves, greater than their own survival, or their own careers, or their own legacy. They were living and building for Zion, for the cause of God. When they built a home, they did it for the cause of Zion. When they farmed, ranched, or engaged in any other profession, they did it for the cause of Zion. When they visited with friends and family, it was for Zion. All that they did was to build Zion.
That was the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.
Now more than 100 years after Zion has been secured, the question is, “What do the builders of Zion do after Zion is built?” Do those who love and worship God feel and believe that all that they do is in the cause of God? When someone goes to school, is it to spread the cause of God’s goodness? Or is it simply to build a career? When one buys a home, goes to work, or engages in any common activity of the modern day, is it for the cause of Zion and God or is it for the cares of the world?
Certainly, there is much that must yet be done to spread God’s goodness across the world. Many pressing problems and challenges great and small, either among individuals or nations, still exist. But what motivates action today? What are the builders of Zion to do if they no longer see that their entire lives, all their actions and choices should be witness of their love for God and their fellow brothers and sisters?
