Fence Laws

My friend and mentor, John Hilton III, a BYU religion professor and LDS author, is writing a new book about spiritual "fence laws" for young adults. On facebook, John asked his friends for examples: "Can you recall a specific time or story in your life where a fence law kept you spiritually safe?" Here's the story I shared:

My high school athletic training teacher had a playful, fun-loving personality and was quite the jokester. I loved it when he brought his dog, a high-energy boxer, to school with him. The two were like soulmates—ever ready to run up the nearest mountain. It was energizing just being around them. Additionally, my teacher held himself to high moral standards, despite not being particularly religious. 

After school one day in the sports medicine lab, we experienced a pause from the constant stream of athletes requesting attention. I took the opportunity to share with my teacher (and friend) a short clip from one of my favorite comedy films. I prepped it by saying, "this is a PG-13 film, and one of my family's favorites. This actor, who I'm about to show you, is particularly hilarious!" Then I cued up one of the film's iconic moments and pressed play. He was all smiles until about 2/3rd of the way into the clip. To my horror, my favorite character dropped the f-bomb. My teacher's smile faded into a grimace and he said, "okay! You're going to have to turn it off. I have a zero-swearing policy." 

After apologizing to him profusely, I asked him more about the origin of his no-swearing policy (fence law). He explained that long ago he learned that, over time, dirty language had the power to rob him of the brightness and joy that seemed to exude from him now. To prevent that loss of light, he established a rule that he would not abide swearing—either he would ask for it to stop, or, if he had no control over the situation, he would leave the vicinity. 

I am inspired by my teacher's resolve to uphold his fence law. Without the guidance of prophets to help him, he identified what brought him joy and any threats to that joy. He was then able to establish fences to guard himself. 

I feel so blessed to know that God has called prophet, seers, and revelators to warn me of the dangers of mortality. Through them, I don't have to learn exclusively from my own sad experiences how to find happiness in this life, and have a hope for eternal life. I'm grateful for the Holy Spirit which personally tutors me how to apply the Lord's teachings in my life. And I love that I have been given the gift of agency to create my own fence laws as I seek the kingdom of God.

If you have a story you'd like to share with John, feel free to leave it in the comments below and I'll pass it along.