We Are Pioneers

Today, a guest post from Laura, one of my heroes.

As I was telling my Kindergartner earlier this month, we’re all pioneers in some way. Whenever we stand up for what we believe in or do something because we know inside it’s a good thing to do, we are pioneers. Whenever we try something new or try to make the world a better place, we are being pioneers.

We actually have a lot of religious pioneers in our family. Some of them were even Mormons! But long before Joseph Smith and his parents were dipping their toes in religious re-awakenings, my ancestors — the ancestors of several of my Mormon pioneers — were trying to make their churches better — and being reprimanded (or jailed or hanged or cast out of society or even burned at the stake) for being outspoken. At least here in the United States modern religious pioneers don’t have to worry about being burned at the stake — speaking out is relatively safe.   Sure, as Peter, Paul & Mary sing out, you might be jailed for justice, but “get courage from your convictions — let ’em haul you off to jail!”
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Pioneers are the ones who step out of the pack and challenge the status quo. And as the LDS church became entangled in the politics of Proposition 8, I knew it was my time to be a pioneer.

Working with the Mormons for Marriage website and the community there reinforced to me how important it is to speak up when something is important. But you can’t just shout down or belittle those who don’t agree with you. You have to find ways to engage others. You have to find a connection.

Very early on in the Proposition 8 debate, a friend of mine suggested that the importance (to God) of the fight over gay rights really has nothing to do with who we allow to marry or not marry. The question is not which side of marriage are you on. The question is which side of love are you on? How do you treat people who look, think and act differently than you do? How do you show hospitality to your neighbors and to your perceived enemies? Which of you are Samaritans and which are Jews?

There is no doubt in my mind that God loves girls and boys, gay or straight, equally and fully with no qualifiers. What would it mean to me to “do all I could” during the Prop 8 debates? Some weeks, it was all I could do just to show up in church on Sunday and remind those around me that church is not a place for bigotry and prejudice. Some days, all I could do was say, “I see you. God sees you. You are important.” And all along, I knew more people had to speak up and reach out and create a supportive community for others who would feel shunned, ambushed or hurt by the situation, and if I didn’t speak up from my safe space, who would? And how could I face my friends if I stood by and let them suffer because I was uncomfortable?

It turns out, the community we created was critical for thousands. Members consistently say how grateful they are that they are not alone in supporting gay rights. Non-members mention how great it is that not all Mormons are bigots and that they often say how they are re-thinking their opinions of Mormons because of the level of dialogue on the site.

These people are pioneers too, and they have things in common; things they need, and things they do.

What do pioneers need?

We need faith, not just in God, but in one another.   We need faith that we are similar enough to one another that we can create connections.

To strengthen those connections, we need to accept the wisdom of others. We need to listen to those who’ve gone before us and who have experience; to those who walk along beside us; to those that are younger than us and are seeing the world with fresh eyes. Acknowledging that others have wisdom is acknowledging that they are human just like we are and that we are the same.

When we are the same, when we connect with one another and find common ground, we open ourselves to the possibility of being one another’s miracles.

And perhaps that’s what it means to be sealed together or to be a Zion people: That we’re not all done until we’re all — each and every one of us — done. We come all together or not at all.

Pioneers are the ones who let go of the familiar to embrace the unknown. They are the ones who listen to a call and then follow that call, no matter where it leads. I love this (non-Mormon) hymn which inspires me to be a pioneer in many ways:
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So what do we as pioneers do?

We are God’s hands. We are the light-bearers. We are those who speak the love of God. We are those who serve the food and tend to the downtrodden. If we don’t do it, there are no others. Let us answer the call. Let us build community.

Let’s walk together as long as we can, and when we must part, let’s do so in love and peace. Let’s go into the world seeking ways to make it better, and let’s fill each other’s canteens along the way. When we find an oasis, let’s point it out and share it instead of hiding it and hoarding it. When the trail is easy, let’s not rush along, but pause to enjoy its beauty, however small. When the trail is hard, let’s reach out and lift one another because many hands make light work. Come and join me on the trail. I will lift you, you will lift me. Together we will change the world and it will be a better place because we were here.