It has been a main focus in our church to build Zion in the latter days.  Together we need to put all of our labors, hopes, and aspirations into building Zion.  Zion is a place or state of being which is characterized by love, harmony, and peace—Zion in which the Lord’s children are as one.

One of the best examples of a Zion people is found in the Book of Mormon in the fourth book of Nephi:

Just a few years after the Lord, Jesus Christ, had visited the people of the Book of Mormon, they were characterized as such: “...the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land…there were no contentions and disputations among them…every (person) did deal justly one with another… they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift… there continued to be peace in the land… great and marvelous works… in the name of Jesus…the Lord did prosper them exceedingly in the land… they were blessed according to the multitude of the promises which the Lord had made unto them… they did walk after the commandments which they had received from their Lord and their God, continuing in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord… there was no contention among all the people, in all the land…” (4 Nephi 1:1-13). It sounds like a most wonderful place and time to live. 

We have been asked to build Zion in our day, to stay where we live and build up the stakes of Zion, around the world.  But the goal of becoming a Zion people or community can be overwhelming. When tackling larger goals, it is important to start with steps. So, I’m presenting some smaller steps that can help us accomplish the bigger goal of becoming a Zion people. 

Steps to becoming a Zion people:

1)  A Zion Heart

Creating Zion “commences in the heart of each person.” (Journal of Discourses, 9:283.) We cannot hope to create a Zion community without first having, individually, a Zion heart. To create a Zion heart I feel we must first learn to love God, love ourselves, and love others.

When asked, “Master, which is the great commandment?” the Savior replied to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,” followed by, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Savior’s response reinforces our heavenly duty. We can pray to be able to love God (Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother), if we don’t already.  We can follow Their teachings and commandments which, in time will help us to begin, and help us continue to love Them.  Loving ourselves is a very important foundational principle.  Even though we may not love ourselves as our Heavenly Parents love us, we can start by believing we are Their children, that They love us and that we have great potential. We can pray to feel Their love.  When we understand the basic doctrine of being a child of Heavenly Parents and feel Their love and appreciation for us, we are more able to go through our life with energy, learn from our trials, accept Their will for us and then, in turn, help those around us.  Once we feel love for our Heavenly Parents and for ourselves it is easier for us to feel love for “our neighbors.”  We are more compassionate, more empathetic, we are kinder, nicer people.  

2) Work well with others

“Our Neighbors,” refers to everyone other than ourselves: our family, our friends, people at work, fellow ward members, everyone.  Prophet's have taught “that there should be no contention one with another, but that [we] should look forward … having [our] hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.” We are further taught that “power or influence … ought to be maintained … by gentleness and meekness, … by kindness, … without guile.” I testify that as we learn to love the Lord and love ourselves as a child of God with great potential, that we will begin to love others in that same way. We will see their strengths and potential, we will have compassion on them when they are weak, we will want to help and support them as we need that same help and support. We will show respect and kindness, even when it's not returned. With these attributes it will be harder for us to be contentious with “our neighbors.” 

We can live together as “one body in Christ,” as it talks about in Corinthians.  Each part of the body is so important to a well functioning life.  So too is every member in our community, church, and family.  We need everyone!  

3) Be an influence for good.  

We only have control over ourselves, our environment, our homes.  We decide how others treat us and we have control over how we treat them. We also have control over our influence. We can be examples of a Zion people by showing love and kindness to all others no matter what they look like or where they come from.  Unfortunately, through false traditions, fear, preoccupations with oneself and self importance over others, many of us have been taught many means of division.  But that is not the Lord's way. He taught, "As I have loved you, love one another."  We can be examples by stopping divisions, contention, fear and hatred of others, in our own hearts first.  We can teach those in our influence also. But when they see our example, they will more likely follow it, than our words.  We can be examples like Him and influence our communities and homes to love and respect each other. 

4) Rid ourselves of the effects of Babylon or Satan’s distractions.

“For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted” (Mormon 8:35, 37). Mormon was talking to us, in our day, “for I have seen your day…”. He reminds us that one of our greatest struggles is to live in this world (Babylon), but not to be soaked in it.  We all have things that tie us to Babylon.  They are distractions that keep our focus away from the Lord and how He has asked us to live.  If we want to attain the goal of being a Zion people, we need to be able to walk away from the distractions of the world.  We need to be able to focus on what is important (see steps #1, 2,and 3 above). That process will be a little different for everyone.  

The basis of the process is repentance and forgiveness, trying to do our best every day and trusting in the Lord’s promises.  “Zion is “every (one) seeking the interest of (their) neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.” (D&C 82:19.) As I understand these matters, Zion can be established only by those who are pure in heart, and who labor for Zion, for “the laborer in Zion shall labor for Zion; for if they labor for money they shall perish.” (Becoming the Pure in Heart, Spencer W. Kimball, April 1978)

5) Strengthening others.

As the Lord admonished Peter before his death and resurrection, “When thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” We too, after we understand and are living more Zion-like, can strengthen our fellow saints and community towards a Zion-like ward/stake and community.  In the FinanceSelf Reliance class manual, it reads, “When we become spiritually self-reliant, it is our duty to help others also become spiritually self-reliant.  In the Doctrine and Covenants, we read, “and if any (person) among you be strong in the Spirit, let (them) take with (them) (they) that (are) weak, that (they) may be edified in all meekness, that (they) may become strong also” (D&C 84:106). Similarly in the New Testament, Peter writes, “As every (one) hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). Also, “when we work together cooperatively,... we can accomplish anything. When we do so, we eliminate the weakness of one person standing alone and substitute the strength of many serving together” (Thomas S Monson, “Church Leaders Speak Out on Gospel Values,” Ensign, May 1999, 118).

Zion, being of one heart and one mind, can be accomplished as we start with our own heart becoming Zion. I look forward to the day when we live together “in love and unity.”

I was able to attend Young Womens Camp last week. The last morning we were there I had the privilege to be at the morning testimony meeting with everyone.  I sat and listened to the young women talk about the strength that they had gained at camp; they had overcome fears; they had gotten closer to Christ; they had become better friends with each other.  They talked about how most of them didn’t want to come.  They felt like they would be ostracized or not have any friends.  They had a lot of fears, but they decided to come anyway.  And every one of them talked about the complete turn around of those fears and worries because they all accepted each other, worked together and they were united in hoping that the Lord would strengthen them and change them that week.  I sat there and looked at every girl.  I had the impression that this is Zion, “of one heart and one mind, knit together in Christ.”  That’s what the young women were feeling.  The feeling was great.  It was powerful.  I was able to testify that the feelings they were feeling was what Zion will be like.  It was a great testament to me of the awesome opportunity it will be to live amongst a Zion people.  

I testify to you that focusing on these Zion qualities will change your life for the better.  I testify that we can do this, that the Lord and our Heavenly Parents want this for us and trust us to make it happen.  I love our stake and the people that make us “one body in Christ.”

We can do this! 

With Love,
April Roemer