Building up the kingdom and establishing Zion

 Kingdom:  

1. A contiguous territory or country under the dominion of a king.  

2. The inhabitants or population who are subject to a certain king or queen. “The whole kingdom rejoiced.”

Zion: 

1. A specific geographical location variousely transliterated Sion, Tzion, Tzion, Tsion, Tsyyon, is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem, as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole. You can find it in 2nd Samuel

2.A group of people who are pure in heart.  "Therefore, verily, thus saith the Lord, let Zion rejoice; for this is Zion--the pure in heart; therefore, let Zion rejoice, while all the wicked shall mourn. “  

Spencer Kimball’s thoughts on Zion and how we create it:

"Zion is 'every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.' (D&C 82:19.)

"First, we must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul, shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind.

"Second, we must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other.

"Third, we must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We begin by offering a “broken heart and a contrite spirit.” We follow this by giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents, and means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of the Spirit. 

"My brothers and sisters, if we can do this, then we will find ourselves clothed in the mantle of charity “which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” (Moro. 7:46–47.)

"Let us unite and pray with all the energy of heart, that we may be sealed by this bond of charity; that we may build up this latter-day Zion, that the kingdom of God may go forth, so that the kingdom of heaven may come. 

From "Becoming the Pure in Heart" , Spencer W. Kimball, April 1978

It seems that “building up the kingdom of God and establishing Zion” is simply the work of building up (strengthening) the people who recognize God as their king and are pure in heart and, with them, establishing groups of people who seek to love and respond the way Jesus does.

Grateful

 “Have you considered using lipstick?, my well meaning and loving relative asked me., “I think it would add a bit of cheerful color to your face” she said. “Your lips are pale and thin and it would probably look good on you.”

My relative isn’t proud or judgmental.  She loves me. And I happen to know that she was raised with the adage that “it behooves us all to make the environment of others pleasant, and one way to do that is to look well put together”.  I get where she’s coming from and how she’s trying to be helpful.

Perhaps lipstick would make me “look better”.  I did wear it, and blush, and mascara when I was in my twenties. But I am not interested in using them now.

When I look at my face in the mirror and I see my thin, pale lips, I am grateful that I have lips! And that they work!  I am also grateful for my eyes that need glasses, my long straight nose, my unremarkable, undecorated ears, and my skin with its rows of wrinkles around my face and down my neck.  What a blessing lips, eyes, noses, ears and skin are!  The are complex, amazing, physiological structures.  They bless my life every single day.  The blow me away when I think about them and how much they do for me.  

Some might say, that wearing lipstick is a way of making a good thing “better”.  But color and style are not in my definition of “better”.  They are in my definitions of colorful and stylish. I like color, and I think style is an interesting topic to briefly peruse when it shows up in my reading, but they are qualities that are way down my list of valued characteristics.  

And so I find that it feels kind of odd to consider adding a quality that is way down my list of valued qualities to an object that is, in and of itself, already absolutely amazing and for which I am extremely grateful.

I don’t mind at all when others wear lipstick, or make up.  I find it interesting to see what they have created on their faces.  Some of them are real artists with it and I appreciate the art.

But, I am okay with my face just the way it is. And I am over-the-moon grateful for it just the way it is.