Jet Mariano

Tag: scripture reflection

  • MIT-8 “Two Coats: Obedience, Loss, and New Beginnings in the Life of Joseph of Egypt.”

    Taylorsville Temple before sunrise. Joseph lost his coat twice, yet the Lord was already preparing the next chapter.

    Excerpt
    Joseph lost his coat twice, but he never lost his faith.

    Intro
    Joseph’s story is one of repeated loss followed by unexpected elevation. Twice in his life he lost a garment and the position he held, yet each time the loss became the doorway to something greater. His life reminds us that obedience does not always prevent hardship, but it does guide us through it.

    Notes from the Scriptures

    Joseph’s first loss came while he was still young, living in the land of Canaan. His father loved him deeply and gave him a coat of many colors. That gift, however, intensified the jealousy of his brothers. When Joseph came to check on them, they turned against him.

    “They stript Joseph out of his coat, … cast him into a pit,” and later sold him into slavery (Genesis 37:23-28).

    Though everything familiar was taken from him, Joseph remained faithful. In Egypt, his diligence and integrity earned the trust of his master.

    Later, another trial came. Potiphar’s wife repeatedly tried to persuade Joseph to betray his trust and commit adultery. Joseph refused each time, remaining loyal both to Potiphar and to God.

    When she attempted to seize him physically, Joseph fled.

    “He left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.” (Genesis 39:12)

    The garment she held became false evidence against him, and Joseph was thrown into prison.

    Yet even there, the pattern continued:

    “Because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.” (Genesis 39:23)

    Joseph lost his position twice, yet his faith remained steady.

    Perspective
    Joseph’s story is not just about loss but about endurance. The second setback could easily have shaken his faith. Instead, Joseph continued to trust the Lord.

    Nephi experienced something similar. As a young man he left Jerusalem with his family, abandoning comfort and security to follow the Lord’s command (1 Nephi 2:2-4). Years later, after reaching the promised land, conflict within the family forced him to leave again.

    Nephi obeyed once more and established a new community, where the people eventually lived “after the manner of happiness” (2 Nephi 5:27).

    Both stories teach a profound truth: sometimes obedience leads us through repeated trials before it leads us to peace.

    Practice (today, not someday)
    Today I will remember that setbacks do not cancel God’s promises. When circumstances change, when plans collapse, or when losses come unexpectedly, faith can remain steady. Obedience today prepares the way for tomorrow’s new beginning.

    Final Reflection
    Joseph’s garments were taken, his freedom was taken, and his circumstances were taken. Yet his faith was never taken. God was quietly shaping his future through every trial.

    Pocket I’m Keeping
    When obedience leads to loss, trust God anyway.

    What I Hear Now
    Like the Jaredite barges, life can feel submerged by waves.

    “they were many times buried in the depths of the sea … but the wind did never cease to blow them towards the promised land.” (Ether 6:7)

    Link to the talk
    (Add the original talk or scripture reference if you want to link it.)

    IT Reflection (My own story)

    Joseph’s life reminds me of moments in my own IT career. Systems crash, projects fail, companies restructure, and sometimes the work we built disappears overnight. Yet those disruptions often become preparation for something new.

    Just as Joseph rose again through faithfulness and diligence, many of the hardest moments in technology work have eventually opened doors to deeper learning, new responsibilities, and greater trust.

    Sometimes losing the “coat” simply means the Lord is preparing us for a different assignment.

    © 2012–2026 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • MIT8 – Enoch and Empathy

    I was reminded of that truth while camping in Monument Valley, waiting patiently in the quiet hours before dawn. I stayed awake at the cabin, watching the sky, trusting that light would come in its own time. When the waning gibbous moon finally rose, it crowned the stone buttes with a soft, steady glow. And then—unexpectedly—I was rewarded with a distant lightning show on the horizon. Stillness and power shared the same sky. Waiting revealed what haste would have missed.

    Excerpt

    God’s empathy is not a weakness to be restrained. It is the very source of His justice.

    Intro

    In recent years, empathy has come under suspicion. Some Christian thinkers have warned that it can become excessive or misplaced, even harmful. While acknowledging compassion as a Christlike trait, they caution that emotional identification—if left unchecked—might blur moral clarity or weaken obedience to God.

    That concern, however, finds no support in scripture.

    Notes from the Moment

    In Moses 7, Enoch is shown a vision of the future. His city has been taken into heaven. Other righteous souls dwell with God. Those left behind are marked by violence and cruelty. As Enoch observes God watching this scene, he expects detachment—or perhaps righteous anger.

    Instead, he sees something that unsettles him deeply: God weeping.

    “How is it that thou canst weep,” Enoch asks, “seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?” (Moses 7:29). To Enoch, holiness and empathy seemed incompatible.

    God then explains:

    “Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;”

    Moses 7:32–34, 40

    Here, there is no effort to dilute empathy in the name of justice. God does not administer justice despite His compassion—He administers it because of it.

    Perspective

    As Enoch begins to understand the depth of God’s love, his own heart expands beyond anything he had known. He “wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook” (Moses 7:41).

    Divine empathy is contagious.

    Practice

    A similar pattern appears after the Savior’s death, when darkness covered the land in the Americas. The people heard His voice explaining the destructions that had taken place. These were not acts of emotional detachment, but of mercy—meant to prevent further suffering. Repeatedly, He gives the same reason:

    “That the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them”
    (3 Nephi 9:5, 7–9, 11)

    Justice, once again, is rooted in empathy.

    President Dallin H. Oaks—having spent years studying and administering law—has reflected deeply on the relationship between love and commandment. In a worldwide devotional, he shared how his thinking has matured over time:

    “I have previously referred to our ‘continually [trying] to balance the dual commandments of love and law,’ but I now believe that goal to be better expressed as trying to live both of these commandments in a more complete way. …”

    “Stand for Truth,” Worldwide Devotional Address for Young Adults, 21 May 2023

    Final Reflection

    If God loves all His children with perfect love, then loving them cannot compete with loving Him. When compassion seeks their eternal good, it is aligned with holiness—not opposed to it.

    The scriptures do not portray empathy as a liability. They reveal it as divine.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    Compassion and holiness are not rivals. In God, they are one.

    What I Hear Now

    “God’s justice flows from His love.”
    “Empathy does not weaken truth.”
    “Holiness can weep.”

    © 2012–2026 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

error: Content is protected !!