Some people think the Mormon concept of self-reliance is a sign of having no faith. They quote scriptures that say to trust God and suggest that if we do anything to prepare for hard times, we’re not trusting God or are even violating commandments. Is there Biblical evidence that God expects us to take care of ourselves as far as we’re able?
Mormons do teach people to trust God. However, God is a parent and a perfect one at that. Those of us who are parents know that if we wait on our children hand and foot, doing everything for them, we ruin their lives. They will never be able to live on their own, cook their meals, clean their homes, or do their own laundry. God loves us too much to do this to us. He wants us to become everything we are capable of being.
Of course, there are some things that are beyond us. No matter how carefully we prepare, we may find ourselves unemployed for too long, or ill and unable to work. At those times, we trust God, and God does His work through others, which is why we’re commanded to serve. However, before God steps in, He needs to know we were willing to make a few sacrifices to prepare ourselves as best we could. Before we make others sacrifice for us, we should be certain we did as much as we could.
To believe otherwise, to think we can plop ourselves onto a patch of ground and expect God to build us a home, put food on our table, or money into our bank account is to turn God into our personal servant, taking direction from us. This is not what the Bible teaches. It says we are to serve God, not the other way around. It is God who gives us everything, but He expects us to earn what we have as far as we’re able to do so, and then He makes up the difference. We can never repay God for what He’s given us, but we have to put in an honest day’s work for it.
”Well God, thanks for this great job you’ve given me. After paying the bills, there’s a lot left over, so I’ll buy a big screen television, a fancy car, and an overly large house, and when I lose my job, you’ll have to take care of it. I have no intention of sacrificing my pleasure when it’s your job to take care of me.” Would you talk to God this way? Of course not, and yet, this is what we do when we spend our money on extras without taking a moment’s thought to being responsible human beings.
Those who feel we must trust God and not prepare usually have jobs. They don’t expect God to pay the mortgage this month. If it’s okay to get a job so you can care for yourself, then it is equally okay to set aside food and money for a rainy day. It has nothing to do with trust, and everything to do with being a responsible child of God.
Let’s look at the Bible for some examples of this. When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they had everything provided for them without effort on their own part. This was the very last time God ever did this. It gave them time to adapt to mortal life and to build their relationship, taking the place of the childhood the rest of us enjoyed.
Once they left the Garden, they were told, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.” (Genesis 3:19 ) Adam was told he was to work for his food, not sit around waiting for manna to fall from the sky. This is self-reliance, learning to grow his own food and take care of his own family. God made up the difference.
When it was about to rain for forty days and forty nights, God didn’t hand Noah an ark ready-made and filled with animals and food. He instructed him in how to build it. Now, it wasn’t raining at all. Noah trusted God-that’s where the trust scriptures come in to play. He did trust. He didn’t know how to build an ark, but God did. Noah did his part-he followed instructions. However, he had to have help in the form of instructions. Noah did his part and God made up the difference. Noah practiced self-reliance. He built the boat, gathered the animals, and stored away food. Manna didn’t rain down from Heaven with the water. Noah had to store food away, enough to last the entire time he was on board.
The story of Joseph emphasizes the need for self-reliance and preparation. Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dream to mean there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. The Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of using those seven years of plenty to prepare for the lean years. They stored away food, and when everyone else was starving, they had food. Because of this, Joseph was able to save the lives of his own family, as well as the lives of some people who didn’t prepare. But someone had to be self-reliant for any of this to happen. If no one had stored food, everyone would have starved.
1 Corinthians 16:2 says: Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”
Jesus taught the parable of the Ten Virgins. While this is, on one level, about spiritual preparation, it is also about temporal preparation. The women needed to have enough oil on hand to meet their needs even when something unexpected happened, in this case, the delay of the bridegroom. When the need arose, it was too late.
Mormons believe it is irresponsible to buy luxuries with our excess and then to expect others to use their hard-earned money to take care of us in times of unemployment or illness. If we’ve done what we can, then it’s appropriate for others to come and help us. While the giver must never decide who is or is not worthy of help, the receiver must be certain he isn’t living on someone else’s work when he could have taken care of himself with a little preparation and sacrifice of comfort.
Being prepared to care for ourselves as far as we’re able is one way we show our gratitude to God for all He has given us. He’s given us the ability to have a job and to plan. He gave most of us what we need to care for ourselves, and we use those gifts wisely, not asking of Him what we could do for ourselves or wasting the gifts. Then, in times of need, we go to Him for help and trust Him to make up the difference between what needs doing and what we were able to do ourselves. As a wise parent, this is what God wants of us.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
