Old Scratch

May 13, 2012

I was going about my teaching responsibilities and other assignments at Salt Lake Community College About ten years ago, enjoying my students, messing with the head shed, and generally having an excellent time. I began to notice that some people were very carefully working their way into little tangles that would inevitably become their waterloo. One fellow would go to lunch with me, immediately go visit with female students, and in my never-to-be-humble opinion, get way too chummy, way too often. Another would make comments like, “sexual overtones/harassment is only that if one of the parties objects.” Another would lure her female students into compromising situations with promises of good grades and experiences. Each of these faculty individuals were either pushed out by administration, or mysteriously moved on of their own accord. 

Another group remains to this day because they don’t actually break the rules. They simply ply their trade by highly disturbing propaganda in their rhetoric between sentences. Many of these individuals were very good individuals and, I believe, had the best of intentions and many of their ideas mirrored mine. While working with one of these individuals, I was surprised one day when he asked me why I believed as he did on the subject of the medical insurance committee and its clandestine nature when, in fact I was not even a part of their “movement”. Days later as this fine gentleman, another colleague and I were visiting on a faculty senate issue, they began to rattle off repulsive, sexual expletives, repeating initials for Fornication Under Crown of King no less than ten times in 90 seconds. I all the years I had known them, I had never heard either use any foul language. To this day I wonder at that debauchery, at the reason and the logic behind such degenerative nonsense. The only conclusion I can logically come to is that they, in fact, were trying me in the court of lowest esteem – that of Satan himself.  Immediately forgave them in my mind and we went on to do many positive things for good at SLCC together.

Again, over many decades I have seen people – good and honorable people – get caught us in exploits which create allusions, fabrications, and actions in their being which lead them, as one scripture notes, carefully down to hell. I worked with one lady in real estate that determined her life to be too boring. She divorced her husband, left her children, and went to Hawaii. I have no idea of what happened to her after that, but one can only imagine that this was the first of her many uninspiring exploits. Another told me that she believed some things shared by her faith, but had lost trust in the minister because of something she believed to be an intentional fabrication. Another dear sweet soul with a fragile mind found life too difficult to bear and ended her life prematurely because she had lost her faith in God and couldn’t bear to suffer any longer.

I often visit with my log regarding the need to stay focused on life’s virtues. To ponder Lehi’s dream of an iron rod, leading to Heaven, with all kinds of luscious temptations on every side; with people taunting and tempting and showing how wonderful sexual sin, pornography, lies, deceit, drugs, wasteful living, and all other manner of nonsense can be. From an old man that has fallen off the trail and lost hold of the iron rod more times than I care to remember, my honest, sincere, belief is that there is a God in heaven. That he loves us and wants us to endure to the end so we can return to his presence.

Of all the lies that Old Scratch persists in pushing straight to the hearts of the weak in testimony is that God is a myth. He must be or he wouldn’t allow war, pestilence, hatred, bigotry, prejudice, AIDS, cancer, and any other terrible injustice to exist. That Satanic myth is wrong, dead wrong. Satan declared that to be his plan. Namely, he would rid man of his agency. Satan would not allow anyone to fail. There would be no earthly trial because everyone would be forced to pass the test and all would be “saved.”

God lives. He loves us and wants to complete our earthly trials and return to him. I have no idea why some things happen to some that are so terrible as to be beyond human grasp; while others wander through life, unscathed by life’s perils. I am going to try to be one of the first in the curiosity question line when we return to Father so I can ask some of these questions. No, wait! When we have gone through the veil and returned to his presence, our understanding will be restored and all things necessary will be known to us.

God bless you in your daily lives.

Duane Jacobs, Grandpa, popsa, uncle, cousin, and friend