In response to a comment about my lack of blogging on this site...
I haven't posted here in several months because I've been concentrating on other projects--one of which is turning these posts into a book. But quite honestly, very few people visit this blog site and rarely does anyone post comments. So I didn't think that anyone would notice if I put this site on the back burner for awhile.
My intent is to pick this up again in a few months.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Judgment Day (2 Nephi 2:5-10)
March 31, 2006
2 Nephi 2:5-10--These verses talk about the Atonement and judgment. I’ll let you go read them for yourself.
Sometimes this is how I think it works:
You have truth and light, which are synonomous. God is all truth and all light.
So here on earth we have opposites—good and evil; truth and lies; light and dark. We spend our lives choosing between the two.
For the sake of analogy, let’s say that choosing the light is like living above ground in the full sun and daylight. Let’s say that choosing the dark is like living in a cave or below ground. As we spend time either above or below ground, we adjust to our surroundings. We become accustomed to the light or to the dark.
Like that really old Charlton Heston movie. There was a bomb or something and some of the people lived above ground and others below. The people who had lived below ground for generations could not tolerate the light of day. Even the light of a full moon caused them literal, physical pain.
So let’s say that all our lives we’ve chosen evil, or dark. To suddenly be thrust into the presence of God, or truth and light, would be unbearable.
If instead we’ve chosen truth and light, then over a lifetime we have gradually become accustomed to more and more light.
Sometimes I don’t think Judgment Day will be a review of our sins. I think God will just stand there in all His truth and light. If we’ve chosen the dark, God’s glory will be too much for us. We will be unable to open our eyes to face Him and look upon Him. The light will be so overwhelming to our unconditioned senses that we will be forced to turn away, perhaps to rush from His presence to get away from the pain and discomfort His light causes.
But if we’ve lived in a way that we’re accustomed to light, then we might blink or squint or need to shade our eyes with our hands, but His light will be bearable. Our eyes will adjust and we will not only see him in all His glory, but we will be able to abide in His presence.
Sometimes I think that’s the way Judgment Day will work.
2 Nephi 2:5-10--These verses talk about the Atonement and judgment. I’ll let you go read them for yourself.
Sometimes this is how I think it works:
You have truth and light, which are synonomous. God is all truth and all light.
So here on earth we have opposites—good and evil; truth and lies; light and dark. We spend our lives choosing between the two.
For the sake of analogy, let’s say that choosing the light is like living above ground in the full sun and daylight. Let’s say that choosing the dark is like living in a cave or below ground. As we spend time either above or below ground, we adjust to our surroundings. We become accustomed to the light or to the dark.
Like that really old Charlton Heston movie. There was a bomb or something and some of the people lived above ground and others below. The people who had lived below ground for generations could not tolerate the light of day. Even the light of a full moon caused them literal, physical pain.
So let’s say that all our lives we’ve chosen evil, or dark. To suddenly be thrust into the presence of God, or truth and light, would be unbearable.
If instead we’ve chosen truth and light, then over a lifetime we have gradually become accustomed to more and more light.
Sometimes I don’t think Judgment Day will be a review of our sins. I think God will just stand there in all His truth and light. If we’ve chosen the dark, God’s glory will be too much for us. We will be unable to open our eyes to face Him and look upon Him. The light will be so overwhelming to our unconditioned senses that we will be forced to turn away, perhaps to rush from His presence to get away from the pain and discomfort His light causes.
But if we’ve lived in a way that we’re accustomed to light, then we might blink or squint or need to shade our eyes with our hands, but His light will be bearable. Our eyes will adjust and we will not only see him in all His glory, but we will be able to abide in His presence.
Sometimes I think that’s the way Judgment Day will work.
Long Time Gone...
I can't believe I've neglected this site for so long! I've still been writing these little nuggets--I "capture" and "liken" a verse or two every morning as part of my scripture study. But I just haven't had time to post anything in awhile. I will try to do better.
But just because I'm not posting, doesn't mean you can't. You're welcome to post your own capturing insights in the comments. In fact, I'd love for you to. I read every single comment and I love to read the thoughts and ideas of others. So post away.
KB
But just because I'm not posting, doesn't mean you can't. You're welcome to post your own capturing insights in the comments. In fact, I'd love for you to. I read every single comment and I love to read the thoughts and ideas of others. So post away.
KB
Friday, May 05, 2006
Remember the Ugly Tree?
(If you have not read the Allegory of the Ugly Tree, read it first.)
Remember the Ugly Tree?
Went to the temple this morning. It has the most lovely little leaves. They aren't flat. They pucker up and make the most delightful, sea green, flower-ettes. They're beautiful!
And all those other straight, perfect trees? A few of them are starting to bud, but most are still bare.
Remember the Ugly Tree?
Went to the temple this morning. It has the most lovely little leaves. They aren't flat. They pucker up and make the most delightful, sea green, flower-ettes. They're beautiful!
And all those other straight, perfect trees? A few of them are starting to bud, but most are still bare.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Speaking of Hell... (2 Nephi 9:38)
“…wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.” 2 Nephi 9:38
This verse is immediately preceded by a list of sins and their terrible consequences—specifically hell and damnation. I think one of the reasons we are so strongly advised to repent in this life is not so much because it’s impossible to repent in the next one, but so that we can avoid the miseries of hell.
I remember once when I was about 19, I was home from college for the summer. My mother and I had planned to go to Homemaking night together and make t-shirts. I can’t remember what happened, but for some reason, she ended up unable to go so I was borrowing her sewing machine and preparing to go alone.
The sewing machine I have now has the handle on the top of the machine itself. The handle goes through a slit in the carry case, so you’re actually holding onto the machine as you carry it. Her machine wasn’t like that. The handle was on the carry case, which fastened to the base of the sewing machine with two clasps.
As I was about to leave, Mom reminded me to double check the clasps on the case to make sure they were fastened tight and correctly. I had just fastened them and felt there was no need to check them. She kept ‘nagging’ at me to check them, telling me if both clasps were not completely and tightly fastened, the machine would fall out of the carry case when I picked it up.
I looked at the clasps. They were fine.
I picked up the machine by the handle of the carry case and walked to the door. Mom followed me out and once again asked, “Are you sure you fastened that case tight?” I got a little snippy, as 19-year-olds often do. “I think I know how to fasten a couple of clasps! It’s fine!”
I walked out the door—and the sewing machine fell out of the case, onto the concrete sidewalk. (You just knew that was coming, didn't you?)
I felt so bad. I felt bad that I was going to miss homemaking. I felt bad that I wouldn’t be able to make the t-shirt. I felt bad that I had dropped the sewing machine, that I may have broken it, and that I was going to have to come up with the money to repair it.
But that was nothing—absolutely nothing!—compared to how bad I felt when I had to turn around and face my mother, who was standing in the doorway watching me, and admit that despite her repeated cautions and warnings and pleadings with me to do differently, I had ignored her advice. And the consequences were indeed as she had told me they would be.
I was mortified! Ashamed! Guilt-ridden! Embarrassed! Every awful and humiliating emotion you can think of filled me in an instant, as I looked upon my mother’s face.
Now, multiply that a billion times as you imagine standing before God, full of the consequences of sin.
That, my friends, is hell.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
The Most Important Thing (2 Nephi 1:15)
March 28, 2006
This is a good reminder for me today. I start thinking of all the things that are on my “to do” list and I teeter on the brink of dropping back into hell—depression, discouragement, despair, panic.
So I take a moment and read this verse and it calms me. I remember that the Lord is with me, that I have felt His peace. I remember that being encircled in the arms of His love is the MOST important thing in this life—and I’m already there. Everything else is secondary.
“But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory,
and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” (2 Nephi 1:15)
This is a good reminder for me today. I start thinking of all the things that are on my “to do” list and I teeter on the brink of dropping back into hell—depression, discouragement, despair, panic.
So I take a moment and read this verse and it calms me. I remember that the Lord is with me, that I have felt His peace. I remember that being encircled in the arms of His love is the MOST important thing in this life—and I’m already there. Everything else is secondary.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
My Lord Will Not Forget Me (1 Nephi 21:14-16)
March 22, 2006
This is so beautiful.
I do not know how a mother can forget a child that is so dependent upon her, so small and weak. You hold that baby in your arms, so close to your heart, and you are literally overwhelmed with love and compassion for that child. Your love for your child, the best interests of that baby, become the number one driving force in your life. From the day that baby is born, your entire world view is changed and everything is now judged based upon how it will affect that child.
As a human, mortal mother, I sometimes reach the limit of my abilities. Being human, I become exhausted or distracted, and my children, despite my huge love for them, sometimes suffer hurt or neglect because of my frailties.
But God has no frailties, nor weaknesses that limit His parenting abilities. He is absolutely the parent I wish I could be. I cry and He is there to comfort me. I hunger and thirst, He gives me food and drink. I struggle, He supports me. It is a glorious thing.
**
How many times in each day do I look at my hands? I would imagine the Lord looks at His hands just as often as we do ours. And each time He looks at His hands, He sees a reminder of us, of me, of how much He loves me.
But, behold, [sometimes I say/feel]: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord
hath forgotten me—but he will show that he hath not.
For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget
thee…
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands…
(1 Nephi 21:14-16)
This is so beautiful.
I do not know how a mother can forget a child that is so dependent upon her, so small and weak. You hold that baby in your arms, so close to your heart, and you are literally overwhelmed with love and compassion for that child. Your love for your child, the best interests of that baby, become the number one driving force in your life. From the day that baby is born, your entire world view is changed and everything is now judged based upon how it will affect that child.
As a human, mortal mother, I sometimes reach the limit of my abilities. Being human, I become exhausted or distracted, and my children, despite my huge love for them, sometimes suffer hurt or neglect because of my frailties.
But God has no frailties, nor weaknesses that limit His parenting abilities. He is absolutely the parent I wish I could be. I cry and He is there to comfort me. I hunger and thirst, He gives me food and drink. I struggle, He supports me. It is a glorious thing.
**
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands…
How many times in each day do I look at my hands? I would imagine the Lord looks at His hands just as often as we do ours. And each time He looks at His hands, He sees a reminder of us, of me, of how much He loves me.
Poetry (1 Nephi 21:10)
March 21, 2006
They shall not hunger nor thirst,
neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them;
for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them,
even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
(1 Nephi 21:10)
Beautiful.
They shall not hunger nor thirst,
neither shall the heat nor the sun smite them;
for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them,
even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
(1 Nephi 21:10)
Beautiful.
Glory and Strength (1 Nephi 21:5)
March 21, 2006
“Glorious in the eyes of the Lord.” To me, this means that if you obey His commandments you will become glorious, or rather, you will have His glory bestowed upon you—as in “this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)
“And my God shall be my strength.” God is my only strength. In all areas—spiritual, emotional, physical; at work, at home, as a mother, a wife. He gives me the strength to move forward.
“Yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my
strength.” (1 Nephi 21:5)
“Glorious in the eyes of the Lord.” To me, this means that if you obey His commandments you will become glorious, or rather, you will have His glory bestowed upon you—as in “this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39)
“And my God shall be my strength.” God is my only strength. In all areas—spiritual, emotional, physical; at work, at home, as a mother, a wife. He gives me the strength to move forward.
A Bubble of Protection (1 Nephi 20:18)
March 20, 2006
I’ve learned some things about stress. Stress from the outside—job, kids, finances, etc.—doesn’t harm me nearly so much as stress from the inside—guilt, shame, etc.
When I am right with the Lord—keeping His commandments the best I can, praying and reading the scriptures daily, capturing, seeking His will for me, then doing my best to carry it out—then it doesn’t much matter what’s going on around me. I feel safe, like there is a buffer zone, a bubble of protection around me, a demilitarized zone where the enemy cannot get in to attack.
But if I’m not right with the Lord, I lose my protection and the slightest breeze of conflict or trial sets me in a tailspin.
And here’s something else I’ve learned. I don’t have to be perfect to be protected. I only have to do the best I can and let God take care of the rest. He will let me know, with a little twinge in my heart and mind, that I’ve stepped off the path, that I’ve poked a little hole in my protective bubble.
And when I repent, He seals that leak right up.
“O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments—then had thy peace been as a
river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” (1 Nephi 20:18)
I’ve learned some things about stress. Stress from the outside—job, kids, finances, etc.—doesn’t harm me nearly so much as stress from the inside—guilt, shame, etc.
When I am right with the Lord—keeping His commandments the best I can, praying and reading the scriptures daily, capturing, seeking His will for me, then doing my best to carry it out—then it doesn’t much matter what’s going on around me. I feel safe, like there is a buffer zone, a bubble of protection around me, a demilitarized zone where the enemy cannot get in to attack.
But if I’m not right with the Lord, I lose my protection and the slightest breeze of conflict or trial sets me in a tailspin.
And here’s something else I’ve learned. I don’t have to be perfect to be protected. I only have to do the best I can and let God take care of the rest. He will let me know, with a little twinge in my heart and mind, that I’ve stepped off the path, that I’ve poked a little hole in my protective bubble.
And when I repent, He seals that leak right up.
Letting Trials Refine Us (1 Nephi 20:10)
March 20, 2006
Trials and afflictions, in and of themselves, are not necessarily refining or ennobling. They’re just hard. What transforms them into a thing of value is our willingness to look for the lesson. When we rely on the Lord, put our trust in Him and allow Him to lead us through the trial, that is when our afflictions change us, refine us, strengthen our spirit, make of us a better person.
That is when afflictions make us humble, rather than bitter. Teach us compassion, rather than reinforce selfishness. Lead us to extend mercy, rather than insist on justice.
Without God’s help in our trials, without our trust and reliance upon Him, trials are just so much pain and misery.
“For behold, I have refined thee, I have chosen thee in the furnace of
affliction.” (1 Nephi 20:10)
Trials and afflictions, in and of themselves, are not necessarily refining or ennobling. They’re just hard. What transforms them into a thing of value is our willingness to look for the lesson. When we rely on the Lord, put our trust in Him and allow Him to lead us through the trial, that is when our afflictions change us, refine us, strengthen our spirit, make of us a better person.
That is when afflictions make us humble, rather than bitter. Teach us compassion, rather than reinforce selfishness. Lead us to extend mercy, rather than insist on justice.
Without God’s help in our trials, without our trust and reliance upon Him, trials are just so much pain and misery.
Nothing Without God (1 Nephi 20:1-8)
March 18, 2006
1 Nephi 20:1-8, quoting from Isaiah 48. You’re going to have to look this one up. It’s too long to type in.
The Lord tells Israel that although they have made covenants with Him, they do not rely on Him as they should. Although He’s led them from the beginning, given them signs, they do not rely on Him because they are proud and stubborn. They attribute His power, the works of His hands, to other sources, to idols.
Oh, how like that we are today. How like that I am. When good things happen, I’m too eager to take the credit myself, or I chock things up to luck, coincidence, fate.
In reality, every single good thing in my life comes because the Lord created it, orchestrated it, gifted me with it. Everything.
He gives me the power to breathe, to move, to think, to feel joy, to learn from my mistakes, to grow, to become more like Him.
I think I finally understand the concept of being nothing without God, less than the dust of the earth.
1 Nephi 20:1-8, quoting from Isaiah 48. You’re going to have to look this one up. It’s too long to type in.
The Lord tells Israel that although they have made covenants with Him, they do not rely on Him as they should. Although He’s led them from the beginning, given them signs, they do not rely on Him because they are proud and stubborn. They attribute His power, the works of His hands, to other sources, to idols.
Oh, how like that we are today. How like that I am. When good things happen, I’m too eager to take the credit myself, or I chock things up to luck, coincidence, fate.
In reality, every single good thing in my life comes because the Lord created it, orchestrated it, gifted me with it. Everything.
He gives me the power to breathe, to move, to think, to feel joy, to learn from my mistakes, to grow, to become more like Him.
I think I finally understand the concept of being nothing without God, less than the dust of the earth.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Giving Away All My Sins, Pt. 2 (Alma 22:18)
March 16, 2006
Here’s a big one—Do I want to know God more than I want to be right about how others have hurt me?
Take X. X hurt me.
If I want to know God, if I want to live with Him, be like Him, that means I have to give up on X being wrong, on X being mean.
I have to give up wanting X to be punished. I have to give up wanting others to know X was bad and mean, and did this to me, and therefore everyone should like me and not like X.
Sounds kind of silly when I write it out.
“And I will give away all my sins to know thee.” (Alma 22:18)
Here’s a big one—Do I want to know God more than I want to be right about how others have hurt me?
Take X. X hurt me.
If I want to know God, if I want to live with Him, be like Him, that means I have to give up on X being wrong, on X being mean.
I have to give up wanting X to be punished. I have to give up wanting others to know X was bad and mean, and did this to me, and therefore everyone should like me and not like X.
Sounds kind of silly when I write it out.
Giving Away All My Sins, Pt. 1 (Alma 22:18)
March 16, 2006
That’s the choice, isn’t it? I have my sins and desires on one side and God on the other. I want to have my cake (God) and eat it too (my sins).
It doesn’t work that way.
Do I want to know God more than I want chocolate?
Do I want to know Him more than I want to watch off-color television shows?
Do I want to know Him more than I want to be angry?
“And I will give away all my sins to know thee.” (Alma 22:18)
That’s the choice, isn’t it? I have my sins and desires on one side and God on the other. I want to have my cake (God) and eat it too (my sins).
It doesn’t work that way.
Do I want to know God more than I want chocolate?
Do I want to know Him more than I want to watch off-color television shows?
Do I want to know Him more than I want to be angry?
That Perhaps I Might Persuade (1 Nephi 19:18)
March 16, 2006
That is why I do this. I write to persuade myself to remember the Lord, my Redeemer.
I post what I write that perchance I will also persuade others.
“And I, [kb], have written these things unto my people [in my journals, on my
blog], that perhaps I might persuade them that they would remember the Lord
their Redeemer.” (1 Nephi 19:18)
That is why I do this. I write to persuade myself to remember the Lord, my Redeemer.
I post what I write that perchance I will also persuade others.
Monday, March 27, 2006
There Was A Great Calm (1 Nephi 18:21)
March 15, 2006
No matter what storm is raging in my heart, after I pray there comes “a great calm.”
Every single time.
Without fail.
Always.
“and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there
was a great calm.” (1 Nephi 18:21)
No matter what storm is raging in my heart, after I pray there comes “a great calm.”
Every single time.
Without fail.
Always.
Binding the Prophets (1 Nephi 18:9-14)
March 14, 2006
1 Nephi 18:9-14—Nephi and family are on the boat, sailing to the promised land. Nephi’s brothers are acting rudely. He tries to show them the error of their ways, correct their behavior. They don’t like that very much. They tie him up. Then the Liahona ceases to work, the storms arise, they lose their way. They are in trouble now.
We think: How could they do that? Haven’t they learned to follow the prophet? Don’t they realize how dependent they are upon him? We would never be so foolish!
But aren’t we? Whenever we ignore our prophet’s counsel, we ‘bind’ him, and his ability to lead and guide us ceases to work.
Every time we watch an R-rate move—or even some of the PG and PG-13s—we bind our prophet. “Artful” tattoos and multiple piercings. Drinking Cokes and other caffeinated drinks. Failure to have adequate food storage and/or a 72-hour kit. Failure to hold Family Home Evening, family prayer and scripture study.
How many of us read the Book of Mormon this past year as the prophet asked us to do? It doesn’t really matter why we didn’t do it. If we didn’t follow his counsel, we bound him. Should we be surprised when the storms arise?
In all these behaviors, we bind our prophet and our Liahona ceases to work. No wonder so many of us feel tossed to and fro in the storms of this life.
We tend to look down on Laman and Lemuel for their behaviors, but they repented after only four days (v. 15). How long have our behaviors been contrary to the counsel of our prophet?
It’s March. I wonder how many Saints perservered and finished the Book of Mormon after December 31st—and how many just quit once the deadline passed?
1 Nephi 18:9-14—Nephi and family are on the boat, sailing to the promised land. Nephi’s brothers are acting rudely. He tries to show them the error of their ways, correct their behavior. They don’t like that very much. They tie him up. Then the Liahona ceases to work, the storms arise, they lose their way. They are in trouble now.
We think: How could they do that? Haven’t they learned to follow the prophet? Don’t they realize how dependent they are upon him? We would never be so foolish!
But aren’t we? Whenever we ignore our prophet’s counsel, we ‘bind’ him, and his ability to lead and guide us ceases to work.
Every time we watch an R-rate move—or even some of the PG and PG-13s—we bind our prophet. “Artful” tattoos and multiple piercings. Drinking Cokes and other caffeinated drinks. Failure to have adequate food storage and/or a 72-hour kit. Failure to hold Family Home Evening, family prayer and scripture study.
How many of us read the Book of Mormon this past year as the prophet asked us to do? It doesn’t really matter why we didn’t do it. If we didn’t follow his counsel, we bound him. Should we be surprised when the storms arise?
In all these behaviors, we bind our prophet and our Liahona ceases to work. No wonder so many of us feel tossed to and fro in the storms of this life.
We tend to look down on Laman and Lemuel for their behaviors, but they repented after only four days (v. 15). How long have our behaviors been contrary to the counsel of our prophet?
It’s March. I wonder how many Saints perservered and finished the Book of Mormon after December 31st—and how many just quit once the deadline passed?
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Squeezing Out the Infection
March 13, 2006
The Lord seems to teach me in circular lessons. If I don’t learn it the first time, I don’t need to worry. He’ll set things up to give me another chance. And another. And another. Until I finally get the lesson.
This isn’t an easy process. When I don’t learn the lesson, it leaves a wound. If the wound doesn’t heal, it festers. When the lesson comes around again, it’s a chance to resolve the issues, to learn the lesson and to heal. And part of me is really grateful for this opportunity.
Another part of me is petrified. It’s one thing to understand that it’s time to rip the scab off, let the infection drain and think, “Oh good, an opportunity to clean the wound and finally let it heal.” It’s another thing entirely to actually do it.
My daughter had an infected belly button a few weeks ago. It needed to be tended. She had to put a hot wet cloth over it for a few minutes, then squeeze out the infection—three times a day. That was the only way to get the wound clean, to get the infection and the pus out and allow it to heal. She said the squeezing hurt so bad she almost passed out. She couldn’t do it herself. She had to have someone do the squeezing for her.
So here I am. Facing another go at the lesson. I have to get that infection out somehow, but I don’t have the strength or the courage or the ability to squeeze it myself. I don’t even know how. So please, Lord, I’ll stand still and let you squeeze.
The Lord seems to teach me in circular lessons. If I don’t learn it the first time, I don’t need to worry. He’ll set things up to give me another chance. And another. And another. Until I finally get the lesson.
This isn’t an easy process. When I don’t learn the lesson, it leaves a wound. If the wound doesn’t heal, it festers. When the lesson comes around again, it’s a chance to resolve the issues, to learn the lesson and to heal. And part of me is really grateful for this opportunity.
Another part of me is petrified. It’s one thing to understand that it’s time to rip the scab off, let the infection drain and think, “Oh good, an opportunity to clean the wound and finally let it heal.” It’s another thing entirely to actually do it.
My daughter had an infected belly button a few weeks ago. It needed to be tended. She had to put a hot wet cloth over it for a few minutes, then squeeze out the infection—three times a day. That was the only way to get the wound clean, to get the infection and the pus out and allow it to heal. She said the squeezing hurt so bad she almost passed out. She couldn’t do it herself. She had to have someone do the squeezing for her.
So here I am. Facing another go at the lesson. I have to get that infection out somehow, but I don’t have the strength or the courage or the ability to squeeze it myself. I don’t even know how. So please, Lord, I’ll stand still and let you squeeze.
Am I Doing It Right? (1 Nephi 18:4)
March 13, 2006
I wonder if there were times while he was building the ship that Nephi wondered if he was doing it right? Did he wonder if he’d ever be able to finish it? If he was up to the task? Did he wonder if it would hold up in the water or if it would all fall apart when they tried to board. I wonder if he ever had to take it apart and start all over again. Did he have as much trouble as I seem to be having in figuring it all out?
And does it even matter? That was him. This is me. And for whatever reason, I seem to feel more lost than sure. It’s not Nephi’s path I need to follow, but my own. And the Lord will help me in the way that I need help, just as he helped Nephi in the way that he needed help. And that is enough for me.
“after I had finished the ship,...it was good, and...the workmanship thereof was
exceedingly fine.” (1 Nephi 18:4)
I wonder if there were times while he was building the ship that Nephi wondered if he was doing it right? Did he wonder if he’d ever be able to finish it? If he was up to the task? Did he wonder if it would hold up in the water or if it would all fall apart when they tried to board. I wonder if he ever had to take it apart and start all over again. Did he have as much trouble as I seem to be having in figuring it all out?
And does it even matter? That was him. This is me. And for whatever reason, I seem to feel more lost than sure. It’s not Nephi’s path I need to follow, but my own. And the Lord will help me in the way that I need help, just as he helped Nephi in the way that he needed help. And that is enough for me.
Going to the Mount Oft (1 Nephi 18:3)
March 13, 2006
I think this indicates a lot of “what do I do now” questioning on Nephi’s part. If the Lord gave him the whole plan all at once, with perfect understanding, Nephi would only have needed to go to the mount once. But he went oft.
If Nephi didn’t get it the first time around, maybe I don’t have to feel bad because I don’t get it either.
“I…did go unto the mount oft, and I did pray oft unto the Lord; wherefore the
Lord showed unto me great things.” (1 Nephi 18:3)
I think this indicates a lot of “what do I do now” questioning on Nephi’s part. If the Lord gave him the whole plan all at once, with perfect understanding, Nephi would only have needed to go to the mount once. But he went oft.
If Nephi didn’t get it the first time around, maybe I don’t have to feel bad because I don’t get it either.
From Time to Time (1 Nephi 18:1)
March 13, 2006
From time to time.
Does this mean there were times when the Lord didn’t show Him what to do? When he had to figure it out on his own?
Or does it mean the Lord showed him a part of it and then, when Nephi finished that, He showed him the next part?
Or does it mean the Lord only showed Nephi what to do when Nephi got stuck?
It would help me to know this, so I could see if I’m doing this process of my own ship building correctly.
“the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the
timbers of the ship.” (1 Nephi 18:1)
From time to time.
Does this mean there were times when the Lord didn’t show Him what to do? When he had to figure it out on his own?
Or does it mean the Lord showed him a part of it and then, when Nephi finished that, He showed him the next part?
Or does it mean the Lord only showed Nephi what to do when Nephi got stuck?
It would help me to know this, so I could see if I’m doing this process of my own ship building correctly.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Insert Whatever Here (1 Nephi 17:51)
March 10, 2006
I love this verse. I refer to it a lot when confronted with a problem I don’t know how to resolve. It’s a fill in the blank.
“How is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should [insert whatever here]?”
And it works. It really does. Whether I’m trying to fix my business, resolve something with my children, learn something new, lose weight—it doesn’t matter. It applies to everything.
I insert my problem and then I wait—and ideas begin to fill my mind. It’s a wonderful thing.
“And now, if the Lord has such great power [referring to the deliverance of the
Israelites] and has wrought so many miracles among the children of men, how is
it that he cannot instruct me, that I should build a ship?” (1 Nephi 17:51)
I love this verse. I refer to it a lot when confronted with a problem I don’t know how to resolve. It’s a fill in the blank.
“How is it that he cannot instruct me, that I should [insert whatever here]?”
And it works. It really does. Whether I’m trying to fix my business, resolve something with my children, learn something new, lose weight—it doesn’t matter. It applies to everything.
I insert my problem and then I wait—and ideas begin to fill my mind. It’s a wonderful thing.
Knowing vs Feeling (1 Nephi 17:23)
March 10, 2006
1 Nephi 17:23—Nephi is describing how God helped the Israelites escape the bondage of the Egyptians. I am reminded again how it seems these Israelites and many of the people of the Old Testament had physical, literal manifestations from God.
Moses saw a burning bush. The Israelites saw a pillar of light they could follow through the wilderness. They saw Moses strike the Red Sea and watched it part. They saw him smite a rock and water appear. They saw, touched and ate manna when it appeared each day.
Sometimes I yearn for this more tangible representation of God’s power and will. I think it would be easier to do His will if I simply followed a pillar of light around all day or checked a Liahona for my to do list.
But I don’t know. The Israelites, with all these visible, tangible manifestations, were still pretty rebellious at times.
Maybe it’s not the knowing, but the feeling that helps us follow the Lord. And maybe it’s the struggle that helps us remember.
1 Nephi 17:23—Nephi is describing how God helped the Israelites escape the bondage of the Egyptians. I am reminded again how it seems these Israelites and many of the people of the Old Testament had physical, literal manifestations from God.
Moses saw a burning bush. The Israelites saw a pillar of light they could follow through the wilderness. They saw Moses strike the Red Sea and watched it part. They saw him smite a rock and water appear. They saw, touched and ate manna when it appeared each day.
Sometimes I yearn for this more tangible representation of God’s power and will. I think it would be easier to do His will if I simply followed a pillar of light around all day or checked a Liahona for my to do list.
But I don’t know. The Israelites, with all these visible, tangible manifestations, were still pretty rebellious at times.
Maybe it’s not the knowing, but the feeling that helps us follow the Lord. And maybe it’s the struggle that helps us remember.
What Was I Thinking? (Pt. 2)
March 9, 2006
So I was thinking about this. I’ve got the big picture—build a boat. It’s the step-by-step instructions I need help with. What ore? What tools? What action?
First, I have to accept that there is no need for me to have the entire instruction manual all at once. Unlike man-made instructions, there is no need for me to read ahead to better understand what the Lord is telling me now.
Second, rather than a linear set of instructions, where each piece clearly adds to the shape and function of the whole, I have to recognize that I am building something of great complexity. It’s more like a puzzle, where I work on a small section at a time, having no clear idea of where it fits into the whole. But I trust that I have all the necessary pieces and that they will indeed, eventually, all fit together to create the picture on the front of the box.
Lastly, I am not building with Tinker Toys or Lincoln Logs. I am building a grand masterpiece with many, many complex, interlocking parts. It requires a “build this, then set it aside and build this” approach. It’s only after I have several different segments completed that I will see how they all fit together to create something wonderful.
So I was thinking about this. I’ve got the big picture—build a boat. It’s the step-by-step instructions I need help with. What ore? What tools? What action?
First, I have to accept that there is no need for me to have the entire instruction manual all at once. Unlike man-made instructions, there is no need for me to read ahead to better understand what the Lord is telling me now.
Second, rather than a linear set of instructions, where each piece clearly adds to the shape and function of the whole, I have to recognize that I am building something of great complexity. It’s more like a puzzle, where I work on a small section at a time, having no clear idea of where it fits into the whole. But I trust that I have all the necessary pieces and that they will indeed, eventually, all fit together to create the picture on the front of the box.
Lastly, I am not building with Tinker Toys or Lincoln Logs. I am building a grand masterpiece with many, many complex, interlocking parts. It requires a “build this, then set it aside and build this” approach. It’s only after I have several different segments completed that I will see how they all fit together to create something wonderful.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
What Was I Thinking? (1 Nephi 17:17-21)
March 9, 2006
Who needs Laman and Lemuel? I can bad-mouth myself without their help!
My ‘ship’ is my business and I’m trying to build it with only a vague idea of what I am doing. But unlike Nephi, who receives ridicule and doubt from his brothers, I supply that for myself.
The task becomes difficult and I say, “What am I thinking? I don’t know what I’m doing!”
And I murmur and complain. And I become:
And then I feel sorrowful and tired and depressed because it is such a huge task and I say,
Is it any wonder I’m not getting much done on this ship?
“And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur
against me saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh he can build a ship…We
know that ye could not construct a ship, for we knew that ye were lacking in
judgment; wherefore, thou cannot accomplish so great a work.” (1 Nephi
17:17-18)
Who needs Laman and Lemuel? I can bad-mouth myself without their help!
My ‘ship’ is my business and I’m trying to build it with only a vague idea of what I am doing. But unlike Nephi, who receives ridicule and doubt from his brothers, I supply that for myself.
The task becomes difficult and I say, “What am I thinking? I don’t know what I’m doing!”
And I murmur and complain. And I become:
“desirous that [I] might not labor, for [I do] not believe that I [can] build a
[business]; neither [do I] believe that I [am capable of being] instructed of
the Lord.” (v. 18)
And then I feel sorrowful and tired and depressed because it is such a huge task and I say,
“[I] knew that [I] could not construct a [business], for [I know] that [I am]
lacking in judgment [and skill and resources]; wherefore, [I] canst not
accomplish so great a work.” (v. 19)
“Behold, [for 5 years I] have
suffered in the wilderness [in confusion and inability], which time [I might
have done something easier, simpler]…and [I] might have been happy.” (v.
21)
“…and it would have been better had [I not even tried to do
this].” (v. 20)
Is it any wonder I’m not getting much done on this ship?
A Gift Beyond Compare (1 Nephi 17:13)
March 8, 2006
Promised Land = a resolution to whatever problem you’re dealing with at any given time. For me, right now, it is a solution to my business difficulties—increased profits to cover my overhead; investors; a purchaser or partner; something that will allow my husband to work only one job and give me time to pursue my own writing projects.
Where I am now feels like a wilderness—overgrown with thorns and weeds which block my way; no clear path to follow; no sense of direction; dark, dreary, confusing, frightening.
But the Lord has promised to be my light. And He has been. He shows me each next step. Rarely do I stand for long, wondering where to put my foot.
I believe the Lord has, does, and will prepare a way for me. For example, yesterday He prepared a way for me to pay my bills. In the morning, I did not have the funds to cover them. In the afternoon mail came enough money to pay the bills, plus some.
The solution, the prepared way, was not a case of here’s a need—poof!—here’s a solution. The checks that arrived to save the situation were written and mailed days ago in order to arrive in my time of need. This comforts me. It tells me the Lord isn’t scrambling to help me. He doesn’t wait for my need then look around for a solution. He know far in advance what I will need and when I will need it and sets things in motion so the solution is ready and waiting when I realize I need it.
And the part that I cherish most about this verse is the last line—“and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.”
This is a blessing beyond belief. All of this struggle becomes easier to bear when I know it is the Lord who is leading me through it. The burden becomes heavy and difficult when I wonder if I’ve made a mistake or misinterpreted the Lord’s message to me.
To know that I am led by the Lord is a gift beyond compare.
“And I will be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before
you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments;…ye shall be led towards the
promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.” (1 Nephi
17:13)
Promised Land = a resolution to whatever problem you’re dealing with at any given time. For me, right now, it is a solution to my business difficulties—increased profits to cover my overhead; investors; a purchaser or partner; something that will allow my husband to work only one job and give me time to pursue my own writing projects.
Where I am now feels like a wilderness—overgrown with thorns and weeds which block my way; no clear path to follow; no sense of direction; dark, dreary, confusing, frightening.
But the Lord has promised to be my light. And He has been. He shows me each next step. Rarely do I stand for long, wondering where to put my foot.
I believe the Lord has, does, and will prepare a way for me. For example, yesterday He prepared a way for me to pay my bills. In the morning, I did not have the funds to cover them. In the afternoon mail came enough money to pay the bills, plus some.
The solution, the prepared way, was not a case of here’s a need—poof!—here’s a solution. The checks that arrived to save the situation were written and mailed days ago in order to arrive in my time of need. This comforts me. It tells me the Lord isn’t scrambling to help me. He doesn’t wait for my need then look around for a solution. He know far in advance what I will need and when I will need it and sets things in motion so the solution is ready and waiting when I realize I need it.
And the part that I cherish most about this verse is the last line—“and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.”
This is a blessing beyond belief. All of this struggle becomes easier to bear when I know it is the Lord who is leading me through it. The burden becomes heavy and difficult when I wonder if I’ve made a mistake or misinterpreted the Lord’s message to me.
To know that I am led by the Lord is a gift beyond compare.
Oatmeal That Tastes as Sweet as Raw Meat? (1 Nephi 17:12)
March 8, 2006
Years ago I was trying to get off sugar. I had pretty much eliminated all the straight and concentrated sugars, except for one thing. I’m an oatmeal eater—and I just could not eat my morning oatmeal without a smidge of sugar in it.
This bothered me. I had been praying for help but just could not do it. One day I read this verse. It hit hard. If the Lord could make RAW MEAT taste sweet to Nephi and his family, He could certainly make plain oatmeal taste sweet to me.
I prayed again, referencing this verse and stating my absolute faith that this was possible.
I have never since put even so much as one grain of sugar in my oatmeal. Even several years later, when I fell off the sugar wagon, I continued to eat my oatmeal plain.
“For the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make fire, as we
journeyed in the wilderness, for he said: I will make thy food become sweet,
that ye cook it not.” (1 Nephi 17:12)
Years ago I was trying to get off sugar. I had pretty much eliminated all the straight and concentrated sugars, except for one thing. I’m an oatmeal eater—and I just could not eat my morning oatmeal without a smidge of sugar in it.
This bothered me. I had been praying for help but just could not do it. One day I read this verse. It hit hard. If the Lord could make RAW MEAT taste sweet to Nephi and his family, He could certainly make plain oatmeal taste sweet to me.
I prayed again, referencing this verse and stating my absolute faith that this was possible.
I have never since put even so much as one grain of sugar in my oatmeal. Even several years later, when I fell off the sugar wagon, I continued to eat my oatmeal plain.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Just Walk Away (1 Nephi 16:37)
March 6, 2006
Ishmael has died. His children are unhappy. They want to go back to Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel are ticked again.
And their solution is to kill Lehi and Nephi??
I just don’t get this kind of thinking. If they are that unhappy, why don’t they just leave? It’s obvious they don’t feel their survival is dependent upon Lehi and Nephi. If that were the case, they’d take them captive and force them to lead them back to Jerusalem.
And it’s not like Laman, Lemuel and the others are being held hostage. They could just pack up and leave.
Maybe they’re afraid they’d be shunned if they went back to Jerusalem. But it was a pretty big town. And there had to be other towns not too far away. I just don’t get it.
It’s the Mark Hacking mindset. His lies are discovered so he kills his wife. Why didn’t he just leave?
Reminds me of some people in the Church who are unhappy. They feel repressed or oppressed or something. If they are so unhappy, then the Church (for them) must not be true. Why don’t they just leave, go start their own church with rules and expectations they like. But no, they hang around, insisting they should be able to behave as they wish and still call themselves Mormons. They want the Church to change while they stay as they are.
If you’re unhappy with something, don’t kill it. Don’t destroy it. Just walk away.
“And Laman said…Behold, let us slay our father, and also our brother Nephi…” (1
Nephi 16:37)
Ishmael has died. His children are unhappy. They want to go back to Jerusalem. Laman and Lemuel are ticked again.
And their solution is to kill Lehi and Nephi??
I just don’t get this kind of thinking. If they are that unhappy, why don’t they just leave? It’s obvious they don’t feel their survival is dependent upon Lehi and Nephi. If that were the case, they’d take them captive and force them to lead them back to Jerusalem.
And it’s not like Laman, Lemuel and the others are being held hostage. They could just pack up and leave.
Maybe they’re afraid they’d be shunned if they went back to Jerusalem. But it was a pretty big town. And there had to be other towns not too far away. I just don’t get it.
It’s the Mark Hacking mindset. His lies are discovered so he kills his wife. Why didn’t he just leave?
Reminds me of some people in the Church who are unhappy. They feel repressed or oppressed or something. If they are so unhappy, then the Church (for them) must not be true. Why don’t they just leave, go start their own church with rules and expectations they like. But no, they hang around, insisting they should be able to behave as they wish and still call themselves Mormons. They want the Church to change while they stay as they are.
If you’re unhappy with something, don’t kill it. Don’t destroy it. Just walk away.
The Liahona List (Pt. 2)
Sometimes when I want to make changes in my life, I develop a list of things I want or need to do. (See the Liahona List.) Then I try to make myself do them. I set up a list of corresponding consequences. I tell myself it’s to encourage me to change, but really it’s just a way to force me to be good or to punish myself if I fail. Example: I can’t do X (something I really enjoy) until I do Y (something I’d rather not do, but think I should).
Force or manipulation is never a good thing. If it is wrong to force and manipulate others, it is just as wrong to force and manipulate myself.
The only reason for doing these things, for achieving righteous goals, is desire. When my desire to do what is right is strong enough, it will displace every other stumbling block. When I want to obey the Lord, to keep His commandments, because I truly and deeply love Him, all the reasons and excuses and justifications for not obeying Him will melt away as dew.
“No power or influence can [force] or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned…” (D&C 121: 41)
Force or manipulation is never a good thing. If it is wrong to force and manipulate others, it is just as wrong to force and manipulate myself.
The only reason for doing these things, for achieving righteous goals, is desire. When my desire to do what is right is strong enough, it will displace every other stumbling block. When I want to obey the Lord, to keep His commandments, because I truly and deeply love Him, all the reasons and excuses and justifications for not obeying Him will melt away as dew.
The Liahona List (1 Nephi 16:9-10)
March 2, 2006
1 Nephi 16:9-10—They find the Liahona.
I’ve always wished for a Liahona—something I could hold in my hands that would point the exact way that I should go. Something outside myself that would write clear, specific instructions for me.
I know the “words of Christ” point the way for us. Latter-day prophets point the way. But so much of it seems to be in very broad strokes, generalities, rather than specifics.
But then again, some of it is not.
Family prayer morning and night
Daily family scripture study
Weekly Family
Home Evening
Regular temple attendance
Visiting and Home Teaching
Tithes and offerings
Sunday attendance & Sabbath day
observance
Family History
Food storage and 72-hour kits
Word of
Wisdom
Missionary work
No tattoos or piercings
No R-rated movies
All of that is pretty specific. How many of them do I do? Why should the Lord give me a Liahona when I sometimes ignore the specific instructions He has already given me?
How to Tell the Wicked from the Righteous (1 Nephi 16:1, 3)
March 2, 2006
How do you tell the wicked from the righteous? It’s not so much in the sin, because we all sin. The difference is the wicked get angry when they are corrected. The righteous accept correction and seek to change their behavior.
“Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.” (v.
1)
“If ye were righteous and were willing to hearken to the truth,
and give heed unto it, that ye might walk uprightly before God, then ye would
not murmur because of the truth.” (v. 3)
How do you tell the wicked from the righteous? It’s not so much in the sin, because we all sin. The difference is the wicked get angry when they are corrected. The righteous accept correction and seek to change their behavior.
“Our mistakes can be our biggest benefactors, as soon as we allow them to be our
greatest teachers.” (Colleen C. Harrison, He Did Deliver Me from Bondage,
p 69)
The Mud-Room (1 Nephi 15:34)
March 1, 2006
When I read this, I thought of a mud-room—a little backdoor room where you can drop your stuff, take off your boots, and clean yourself up before entering the rest of the house.
So here we are on earth, like little children playing out in the yard after a nice long rain. Whether we are a persnickety child who tiptoes across the lawn or one who in their enthusiasm ‘accidentally’ runs through or falls in the mud, or one who delights in stomping through the mud and intentionally seeks it out for the sole purpose of wallowing in it—we all get mud on our shoes, and our pants, and our hands, and in our hair, and…
If you play outside after the rain, there’s no way to avoid the mud.
At some point in our play, it is time to come home for dinner. And there stands Mom at the door. “You’re not coming in here with those muddy feet!”
So you’re sent to the mud-room, where it’s a little cold and the light is dim—stone floor, drippy sink, no heat. You want to get inside to dinner and Mom is there to help you because she knows there’s no way yo can get all that mud off yourself.
So she says all you have to do is peel off those wet, muddy clothes and drop them on the floor. Just leave the mud and run to her, where she’s got a warm blanket and an even warmer bubble bath waiting for you, where she’ll wash you until every last speck of mud is gone and you are shiny and clean again.
But what do you do? You stand there shivering in the mud-room, wet things getting colder and colder, mud hardening, clothes stiffening. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. You know that, but you wait anyway.
Why? Because you also know that in those few moments it takes you to strip down and run across the room to Mom, you’re going to freeze! It’s going to hurt. It’s going to be uncomfortable.
And you also know that some of the mud behind your ears and in your hair has dried and hardened. And even though most of the bubble bath will be pure heaven, some of those spots will require a brisk scrubbing. And that will be uncomfortable too.
Some of us have been here before. We’ve figured it out. We want that warm bath and the dinner that follows so much, so deeply, that we remember to avoid as much mud as possible while we’re playing—always keeping the knowledge of bath and dinner near the front of our minds. Time in the mud-room is minimal.
Others of us, covered in mud, quickly realize the moments of cold and the required scrubbing are inevitable; it’s just part of the whole experience. We strip down fast, run to Mom, and get it over with. We willingly accept the cold and the scrubbing because the prize at the end is worth whatever it takes to get there.
Still others of us put off the run across the cold mud-room floor. We just don’t want to be cold. And we really don’t want to be scrubbed. We think if we stand there cold and muddy long enough, maybe the mud will just disappear. Or maybe Mom will forget it’s there and let us in anyway. We fear those moments of cold, resent them, avoid them—we’d rather stand and shiver while everyone else splashes merrily in the bath and eats the warm and scrumptious dinner that Mom has so lovingly prepared.
Unfortunately, this is me way too often. In my pride and my fear, I decide to stand and shiver, to whine and complain, whine and sob. Anything to avoid the temporary discomfort of letting go of the mud and turning to the warmth and the light.
Meanwhile, Mom is still standing there, holding the blanket to catch me, coaxing me at times, sometimes standing still and silent, watching me with eyes filled with compassion. Understanding my fear, my reluctance, my pain. And yet, mud is mud. She can’t let me into the house while I’m still covered in it.
Fortunately, when I finally decide the prize is worth whatever it takes to get there, when I finally let go of pride and kick off my muddy shoes, no matter how long it takes me to get there, when I finally go running across that cold mud-room floor, Mom will still be there with the blanket. The bath will still be warm and bubbly. And dinner will be ready and plentiful whenever I get there.
So it is with sin and the Savior. We all are stained by sin to one degree or another. And the Savior stands at the door, warm blanket in hand, bubble bath and dinner ready. All we have to do is strip off the pride and run to Him.
But you know what? We don’t even have to do that by ourselves. The Lord knows how hard it is to get those cold, wet, stiff, muddy clothes off. If we ask Him to, He’ll bring the blanket to us, help us out of our muddy things, then tenderly wrap us up in a giant warm, fluffy, sweet smelling comforter and carry us to the bubble bath.
Then He’ll let us soak for as long as we need to—so the scrubbing doesn’t hurt so much. And when we’re ready, He lifts us from the tub, towels us off, and gives us brand new clothes to put on. Then He leads us into the bright, warm kitchen to sit down and have dinner with all the rest of the family.
Yes, that’s a prize worth having; worth whatever we have to go through to get there.
“There cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there
mys needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.” (1 Nephi
15:34)
When I read this, I thought of a mud-room—a little backdoor room where you can drop your stuff, take off your boots, and clean yourself up before entering the rest of the house.
So here we are on earth, like little children playing out in the yard after a nice long rain. Whether we are a persnickety child who tiptoes across the lawn or one who in their enthusiasm ‘accidentally’ runs through or falls in the mud, or one who delights in stomping through the mud and intentionally seeks it out for the sole purpose of wallowing in it—we all get mud on our shoes, and our pants, and our hands, and in our hair, and…
If you play outside after the rain, there’s no way to avoid the mud.
At some point in our play, it is time to come home for dinner. And there stands Mom at the door. “You’re not coming in here with those muddy feet!”
So you’re sent to the mud-room, where it’s a little cold and the light is dim—stone floor, drippy sink, no heat. You want to get inside to dinner and Mom is there to help you because she knows there’s no way yo can get all that mud off yourself.
So she says all you have to do is peel off those wet, muddy clothes and drop them on the floor. Just leave the mud and run to her, where she’s got a warm blanket and an even warmer bubble bath waiting for you, where she’ll wash you until every last speck of mud is gone and you are shiny and clean again.
But what do you do? You stand there shivering in the mud-room, wet things getting colder and colder, mud hardening, clothes stiffening. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. You know that, but you wait anyway.
Why? Because you also know that in those few moments it takes you to strip down and run across the room to Mom, you’re going to freeze! It’s going to hurt. It’s going to be uncomfortable.
And you also know that some of the mud behind your ears and in your hair has dried and hardened. And even though most of the bubble bath will be pure heaven, some of those spots will require a brisk scrubbing. And that will be uncomfortable too.
Some of us have been here before. We’ve figured it out. We want that warm bath and the dinner that follows so much, so deeply, that we remember to avoid as much mud as possible while we’re playing—always keeping the knowledge of bath and dinner near the front of our minds. Time in the mud-room is minimal.
Others of us, covered in mud, quickly realize the moments of cold and the required scrubbing are inevitable; it’s just part of the whole experience. We strip down fast, run to Mom, and get it over with. We willingly accept the cold and the scrubbing because the prize at the end is worth whatever it takes to get there.
Still others of us put off the run across the cold mud-room floor. We just don’t want to be cold. And we really don’t want to be scrubbed. We think if we stand there cold and muddy long enough, maybe the mud will just disappear. Or maybe Mom will forget it’s there and let us in anyway. We fear those moments of cold, resent them, avoid them—we’d rather stand and shiver while everyone else splashes merrily in the bath and eats the warm and scrumptious dinner that Mom has so lovingly prepared.
Unfortunately, this is me way too often. In my pride and my fear, I decide to stand and shiver, to whine and complain, whine and sob. Anything to avoid the temporary discomfort of letting go of the mud and turning to the warmth and the light.
Meanwhile, Mom is still standing there, holding the blanket to catch me, coaxing me at times, sometimes standing still and silent, watching me with eyes filled with compassion. Understanding my fear, my reluctance, my pain. And yet, mud is mud. She can’t let me into the house while I’m still covered in it.
Fortunately, when I finally decide the prize is worth whatever it takes to get there, when I finally let go of pride and kick off my muddy shoes, no matter how long it takes me to get there, when I finally go running across that cold mud-room floor, Mom will still be there with the blanket. The bath will still be warm and bubbly. And dinner will be ready and plentiful whenever I get there.
So it is with sin and the Savior. We all are stained by sin to one degree or another. And the Savior stands at the door, warm blanket in hand, bubble bath and dinner ready. All we have to do is strip off the pride and run to Him.
But you know what? We don’t even have to do that by ourselves. The Lord knows how hard it is to get those cold, wet, stiff, muddy clothes off. If we ask Him to, He’ll bring the blanket to us, help us out of our muddy things, then tenderly wrap us up in a giant warm, fluffy, sweet smelling comforter and carry us to the bubble bath.
Then He’ll let us soak for as long as we need to—so the scrubbing doesn’t hurt so much. And when we’re ready, He lifts us from the tub, towels us off, and gives us brand new clothes to put on. Then He leads us into the bright, warm kitchen to sit down and have dinner with all the rest of the family.
Yes, that’s a prize worth having; worth whatever we have to go through to get there.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Iron Rod vs Temptation (aka Sand and Mud) (1 Nephi 15:24)
Speaking of the iron rod:
Here again is the idea of grabbing hold of the iron rod with a sure and certain grip, and holding on tight.
The more you hearken to the Lord, or hold to the rod, the less poer the adversary can exert over you. I wonder if the converse it true. If I find myself sorely tempted and perhaps even falling to temptation, does that mean I’ve let go of the rod?
Hmmm…
What are the signs that I’ve let go of the rod? Sometimes on Sunday after an especially inspiring meeting, when I’ve studied and pondered a lot, it actually physically hurts when the world brushes up against me. If someone flips on the TV or the radio, it’s like fingers on a chalkboard. That pain is a sign that I’ve loosened my grip on the rod, that I’ve let go and made a place for temptation to get in.
Here’s an analogy. Let’s say I’m at the beach and there is beautiful sand all around. There is also mud. This mud has a mind of its own—it rolls around, bubbles around, looking for people’s hands to blob itself into.
Let’s say my hands are filled with clean, white, sparkling sand. My hands are so full they won’t hold another grain. If my hands are filled and overflowing with sand, and the mud comes along and tries to plop itself into them, the mud lands in the sand, not on my skin. Even if the mud tries to wallow around, the sand surrounds it, covers it, sticks to it, nullifies it. The mud ceases to retain its sticky muddy qualities and drops off before it reaches my skin.
But if I tip my hands and let some of the sand fall out, space appears, my skin is exposed. And the mud can plop itself into my hands and stain my skin.
When that happens, guess what? I can use the sand to scour off the stain.
Okay, I know this analogy requires some imagination, but still, it works for me. I want to have my hands always protected by the sand.
“whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they
would never perish [be lost unto God]; neither could the temptations and the
fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away
into destruction.” (1 Nephi 15:24)
Here again is the idea of grabbing hold of the iron rod with a sure and certain grip, and holding on tight.
The more you hearken to the Lord, or hold to the rod, the less poer the adversary can exert over you. I wonder if the converse it true. If I find myself sorely tempted and perhaps even falling to temptation, does that mean I’ve let go of the rod?
Hmmm…
What are the signs that I’ve let go of the rod? Sometimes on Sunday after an especially inspiring meeting, when I’ve studied and pondered a lot, it actually physically hurts when the world brushes up against me. If someone flips on the TV or the radio, it’s like fingers on a chalkboard. That pain is a sign that I’ve loosened my grip on the rod, that I’ve let go and made a place for temptation to get in.
Here’s an analogy. Let’s say I’m at the beach and there is beautiful sand all around. There is also mud. This mud has a mind of its own—it rolls around, bubbles around, looking for people’s hands to blob itself into.
Let’s say my hands are filled with clean, white, sparkling sand. My hands are so full they won’t hold another grain. If my hands are filled and overflowing with sand, and the mud comes along and tries to plop itself into them, the mud lands in the sand, not on my skin. Even if the mud tries to wallow around, the sand surrounds it, covers it, sticks to it, nullifies it. The mud ceases to retain its sticky muddy qualities and drops off before it reaches my skin.
But if I tip my hands and let some of the sand fall out, space appears, my skin is exposed. And the mud can plop itself into my hands and stain my skin.
When that happens, guess what? I can use the sand to scour off the stain.
Okay, I know this analogy requires some imagination, but still, it works for me. I want to have my hands always protected by the sand.
The Allegory of the Ugly Tree
As I was walking up to the temple this morning, I noticed all the pretty trees starting to bud. Since spring is not fully here, they are all still quite bare. You can clearly see the structure and the shape of each tree. There were beautiful rows of lovely, tall, straight trees all the way up the walk, their arms lifted to the sky as if praising their Creator.
Then all of a sudden, without any warning at all, right at the head of the gate, framing the beautiful temple behind them, were these two crooked, gnarly, deformed, ugly trees! Their branches grew off to one side, twisted and lopsided, doubling back over themselves with hugely swollen knots and gnarls at every joint. What a shock to the eyes!
Why did they put these ugly trees right here? They are an eyesore. They don’t belong. They mar the beauty of the rest of the temple grounds.
I’m so glad there’s a place at the temple for ugly, deformed trees—a place in the gospel for the often spiritually ugly and deformed people, like me. The ones who sometimes worship in a lopsided way, still learning how to lift their branches straight.
I bet when they leaf out, these are the most beautiful trees on the premises.
Then all of a sudden, without any warning at all, right at the head of the gate, framing the beautiful temple behind them, were these two crooked, gnarly, deformed, ugly trees! Their branches grew off to one side, twisted and lopsided, doubling back over themselves with hugely swollen knots and gnarls at every joint. What a shock to the eyes!
Why did they put these ugly trees right here? They are an eyesore. They don’t belong. They mar the beauty of the rest of the temple grounds.
I’m so glad there’s a place at the temple for ugly, deformed trees—a place in the gospel for the often spiritually ugly and deformed people, like me. The ones who sometimes worship in a lopsided way, still learning how to lift their branches straight.
I bet when they leaf out, these are the most beautiful trees on the premises.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Have You Prayed About It? (1 Nephi 15:3)
“For he [Lehi] truly spake many great things unto them [his family], which were
hard to be understood, save a man [or a woman] should inquire of the Lord…” (1
Nephi 15:3)
I find myself in this place frequently. I don’t understand some concept of the gospel or some aspect of my life (usually, the ‘why me’ sort of stuff). I try to reason it out on my own and I just can’t get it—until I ask the Lord. And then He gives me an analogy based upon my own life experience, something I can understand.
But lots of times, I forget to ask the Lord for help. I’ll bang my head against the wall for hours, days, weeks, until finally, someone will say to me, as Nephi did to his brothers, “Have you prayed about it?”
Duh.
The Message of Revelation
I always thought Revelation (from the New Testament) was written to scare everyone into being good. But in the B of M for LDS Fams, the footnote to 1 Nephi 14:25 says that the message of Revelation is that “there will be an eventual triumph on this earth of God over the devil; a permanent victory of good over evil.”
Interesting.
God is more powerful than anything else. God always wins.
That is a life-changing truth for someone who fears nearly everything.
Interesting.
God is more powerful than anything else. God always wins.
That is a life-changing truth for someone who fears nearly everything.
Look for the Celestial Moments
In a Relief Society lesson, the teacher was talking about how to deal with the difficulties and stresses of life. She shared how she’d gone on a trip overseas with her husband and picked up a bug. It took over a year to get it out of her system. Because she was so tired and her body was reacting so violently to the bug, it was hard for her to rest, to have fun, to enjoy her family. She got pretty snappy and ornery. She became discouraged, angry and depressed.
She finally decided that if she was going to be sick for a long time, maybe the rest of her life, she needed to start looking at life a little differently. She began to notice the times in her day when she felt even the slightest bit of happiness or peace. Sometimes it only lasted a few seconds—like when one of her children smiled. But she cherished those moments and held onto them during the harder times. Eventually, she began not only to notice these moments, but to look for them—for her Celestial Moments.
Since that lesson, I’ve been looking for those moments in my life. I’ve discovered there are quite a lot of Celestial Moments in one day. If I pick up each one, I can string them together in my memory and create something beautiful.
She finally decided that if she was going to be sick for a long time, maybe the rest of her life, she needed to start looking at life a little differently. She began to notice the times in her day when she felt even the slightest bit of happiness or peace. Sometimes it only lasted a few seconds—like when one of her children smiled. But she cherished those moments and held onto them during the harder times. Eventually, she began not only to notice these moments, but to look for them—for her Celestial Moments.
Since that lesson, I’ve been looking for those moments in my life. I’ve discovered there are quite a lot of Celestial Moments in one day. If I pick up each one, I can string them together in my memory and create something beautiful.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
The Lord Chooses Good Men (1 Nephi 13:12, 18-19)
Lately it has become fashionable to expose the weaknesses of the founders of our country, claiming them to be adulterers, homosexual, power-hungry, and generally not worthy of our esteem. But the Book of Mormon silences those voices.
I know this: the Lord chooses righteous men to accomplish His great purposes. I do not believe that evil men can be inspired of the Lord to discover a nation or to lead it to freedom.
Not that I think these men are perfect. I’m sure they had their own weaknesses of character, just like we all do. But I just do not believe the Lord would choose someone who was so hugely flawed or who gloried in their evil acts. He chooses those who are repentant, humble, obedient. Even the men who started Alcoholics Anonymous, who struggled with multiple addictions, had honest hearts and a desire for the spiritual in their lives.
Therefore, I have to believe that Columbus (1 Nephi 13:12) and George Washington (1 Nephi 13:18-19) were humble men who sought the Lord, listened to His voice and obeyed, thereby securing an honored place in our history.
I know this: the Lord chooses righteous men to accomplish His great purposes. I do not believe that evil men can be inspired of the Lord to discover a nation or to lead it to freedom.
Not that I think these men are perfect. I’m sure they had their own weaknesses of character, just like we all do. But I just do not believe the Lord would choose someone who was so hugely flawed or who gloried in their evil acts. He chooses those who are repentant, humble, obedient. Even the men who started Alcoholics Anonymous, who struggled with multiple addictions, had honest hearts and a desire for the spiritual in their lives.
Therefore, I have to believe that Columbus (1 Nephi 13:12) and George Washington (1 Nephi 13:18-19) were humble men who sought the Lord, listened to His voice and obeyed, thereby securing an honored place in our history.
Dancing to God’s Rap (1 Nephi 12:17-18)
These verses describe a great gulf which divides the Tree of Life from the great and spacious building.
I think it’s interesting that this gulf represents the word of God and that is what separates the people who want to go to the Tree of Life from those who choose to go to the great and spacious building. This is not a division that is imposed or forced on people. God speaks His word. Those who hear and love it go one way. Those who refuse to hear, or who hate it, go another.
Like rap music. Those who like it congregate to it, collect around it, dance to it. Those that hate it find it grates on their nerves. They can’t get far enough away from it. They are only within listening range until they can figure out how to silence it or get away.
I want to always dance to God’s rap.
I think it’s interesting that this gulf represents the word of God and that is what separates the people who want to go to the Tree of Life from those who choose to go to the great and spacious building. This is not a division that is imposed or forced on people. God speaks His word. Those who hear and love it go one way. Those who refuse to hear, or who hate it, go another.
Like rap music. Those who like it congregate to it, collect around it, dance to it. Those that hate it find it grates on their nerves. They can’t get far enough away from it. They are only within listening range until they can figure out how to silence it or get away.
I want to always dance to God’s rap.
The Power to Live Righteously (1 Nephi 12:10-11)
Speaking of the apostles in the Americas and the three generations after Christ appeared here: “…they are righteous forever; for ecause of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood.” (1 Nephi 12:10-11)
In the footnote of the Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families it says: “Because of their faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ…their sins are forgiven and they are given power to live righteously.”
It doesn’t say they were perfect. They weren’t. It doesn’t say they did everything right. They didn’t. But because of the strength of their faith in the Lord and the Atonement, their past sins were forgiven and they received His power to prevent future sins.
I want to be righteous, but for all my striving, it is not enough. I’m not good enough. I’m not strong enough. But my efforts become enough when I receive the power of the Lord. I receive the power to live righteously through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement.
In the footnote of the Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families it says: “Because of their faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ…their sins are forgiven and they are given power to live righteously.”
It doesn’t say they were perfect. They weren’t. It doesn’t say they did everything right. They didn’t. But because of the strength of their faith in the Lord and the Atonement, their past sins were forgiven and they received His power to prevent future sins.
I want to be righteous, but for all my striving, it is not enough. I’m not good enough. I’m not strong enough. But my efforts become enough when I receive the power of the Lord. I receive the power to live righteously through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement.
Fighting Against the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb (1 Nephi 11:36)
“…the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; and it fell…Thus
shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that
shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (1 Nephi
11:36)
What does it mean to “fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb”?
Obviously, it refers to those in Christ’s day who persecuted and killed the apostles; those who crucified Jesus Christ.
Today it includes those who persecute Christians, who scoff at and ridicule the Church. It includes countries who have laws contrary to God’s word, such as China’s abortion requirement. It includes those who preach there is no God, scientists who ‘disprove’ creationism, and all who disdain or reject the Lord and His teachings.
But couldn’t it also apply to those who are members of the Church who simply disregard the teachings of the prophet and apostles? Those who pick and choose which commandments to follow and which to ignore? People who ‘believe’ the Church, but see nothing wrong with viewing an R-rated movie or having an occasional glass of iced tea.
Doesn’t it apply to me—when I find an excuse not to go to church or participate in other activities on the Sabbath day? When I can’t find time to attend the temple or do visiting teaching? When I ‘forget’ to have Family Home Evening or family prayer and scripture study? When I am judgmental or unkind to others?
When I do these things, I am fighting against the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Another Definition of Addiction (1 Nephi 11:21-23)
Speaking of the tree in Lehi’s dream, it is described as “the love of God…most desirable above all things…yea, and the most joyous to the soul.” (1 Nephi 11:21-23)
The times when I’m happiest, when I feel the most joy in my heart and soul, are when I know God loves me, when I know I am doing what He wants me to do. That joy fills my entire being. It is something I wish I could feel all the time.
I think everyone, on some level, recognizes this feeling and wants it. But we don’t always know how to get it. Our deep desire for this feeling, combined with our ignorance of how to get and keep it, is what leads to many addictions. Actually, I think it is the basis of all addictions.
Every addiction is based on the desire to feel the love of God. In the scarcity of that feeling, we seek to re-create it, to feel something like it, or to distract ourselves from the emptiness its absence creates.
The trouble with addiction is that the feeling of ‘joy’ it produces is counterfeit and fleeting. It also prevents us from finding the very thing we desperately seek.
Here’s a thought: what if those people who are most susceptible to addiction are those who feel most keenly their separation from God? What if addicts are not so much evil, but ignorant—wanting, but not knowing how to find, the love of God?
Addicts—seekers of God’s love.
That sort of makes us all addicts, doesn’t it? Or at least potential addicts.
When I am seeking, but not finding, the love of God, I head straight for food, my ‘drug’ of choice. Set adrift, I grasp for counterfeits. What I eat and how much I eat is in direct relation to my inability to make a connection with God. When I neglect my prayers or scripture study, or when I act contrary to what I know to be true, I lose that connection. That’s when I choose to feed my body instead of my spirit. That’s when I become an addict.
But it’s not enough. Having truly felt the love of God—the genuine article—counterfeits are no longer enough, never enough. And they never will be because they don’t even come close to the real thing.
The times when I’m happiest, when I feel the most joy in my heart and soul, are when I know God loves me, when I know I am doing what He wants me to do. That joy fills my entire being. It is something I wish I could feel all the time.
I think everyone, on some level, recognizes this feeling and wants it. But we don’t always know how to get it. Our deep desire for this feeling, combined with our ignorance of how to get and keep it, is what leads to many addictions. Actually, I think it is the basis of all addictions.
Every addiction is based on the desire to feel the love of God. In the scarcity of that feeling, we seek to re-create it, to feel something like it, or to distract ourselves from the emptiness its absence creates.
The trouble with addiction is that the feeling of ‘joy’ it produces is counterfeit and fleeting. It also prevents us from finding the very thing we desperately seek.
Here’s a thought: what if those people who are most susceptible to addiction are those who feel most keenly their separation from God? What if addicts are not so much evil, but ignorant—wanting, but not knowing how to find, the love of God?
Addicts—seekers of God’s love.
That sort of makes us all addicts, doesn’t it? Or at least potential addicts.
When I am seeking, but not finding, the love of God, I head straight for food, my ‘drug’ of choice. Set adrift, I grasp for counterfeits. What I eat and how much I eat is in direct relation to my inability to make a connection with God. When I neglect my prayers or scripture study, or when I act contrary to what I know to be true, I lose that connection. That’s when I choose to feed my body instead of my spirit. That’s when I become an addict.
But it’s not enough. Having truly felt the love of God—the genuine article—counterfeits are no longer enough, never enough. And they never will be because they don’t even come close to the real thing.
What Are the Mysteries of God? (1 Nephi 10:19)
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be
unfolded unto them…” (1 Nephi 10:19)
What are the mysteries of God?
Some people like to argue the physics of walking on water or feeding thousands with a few fishes and loaves of bread. Some people like to ponder how exactly the Atonement works, where exactly is the balance between justice and mercy.
How did God make the world? we ask. Did He mold it out of matter? Or did He sing the mountains, calling the corresponding vibrational energy and matter gather together to form the earth? Do we wear clothes in heaven? Did we choose our own trials? How much repenting and progression is allowed after death?
And such.
And I suppose those are interesting ideas to toss around when you have nothing else to do. But for me, the true mysteries of God, the truth which I need revealed, is how am I going to make it through the next five minutes without exploding from the stress? How do I gain enough faith to cope with the extremes of life? How do I find the courage to do God’s will, the strength to obey His commandments?
Ego-centric, I know. But those are the only mysteries that really matter to me, the only ones I care about, the ones I am desperate to have revealed.
Desire and Diligence (1 Nephi 10:17)
“…I, Nephi, was desirous also that I might see, and hear, and know of thse
things, by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the gift of God unto all those
who diligently seek him…” (1 Nephi 10:17)
Why did Nephi receive all the wonderful visions and manifestations that he did? Two words: desire and diligence.
So much of the spiritual life which we experience is based upon those two key words. Our desire must be strong enough to feed our diligence. If both our desire and our diligence are strong enough, the Lord will, in His own due time, reveal everything to us—just as He did to Lehi and Nephi and the brother of Jared and to all His holy prophets.
Sometimes we put forth our efforts—our desire is strong, our diligence strong—and we expect a vision. And then we don’t get one. In our pride, we decide something is wrong with us and we give up. Or we decide something is wrong with God and we become bitter and rebellious.
We need to add one more key: the patience born of humility. Visions and answers come on God’s timetable, not ours.
My experience is this: when my desire is as strong as I know how to make it; when I am as diligent as I know how to be; if I am willing to be humble and patient, the Lord always sends me something. On occasion in my lifetime, I’ve had a dream or a waking vision that brought answers for my situation—but those times have been few and far between. Sometimes I have a blinding flash of understanding or insight. But most frequently I receive a soft, warm feeling of love and comfort, and a renewed feeling of strength and courage.
And that is enough for me.
Friday, February 17, 2006
God’s Giant First Aid Kit (1 Nephi 9:6)
“But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works…for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen.” (1 Nephi 9:6)
I love it when the Book of Mormon reminds us that the Lord knows all and can do all, provide all. In this case, He’s providing a replacement for the parts of the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith will lose thousands of years later. If He can do that, He can certainly orchestrate all the little ups and downs of my life.
Some people believe that God only intervenes in these big things—things that will affect large groups of people or that will alter the course of history. And the little things that ‘seem’ to show the Lord’s hand working in our daily lives, the little miracles we ascribe to Him, are merely coincidence.
I just can’t believe that. That smacks of deism—the philosophy that God created the world, set it in motion and then just sat back to watch it all play out. That has no place in LDS theology. If that were true, why would God have us pray over all the things in our lives?
“Cry unto him…over all your flocks…your household…your enemies…crops…fields… (Alma 34:18-27)
“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good.” (Alma 37:37)
(Notice the word “all”?)
Only a cruel and heartless being would tell us to pray, knowing full well it would have no effect. Only a bully says to beg for mercy while never intending to bestow it. I cannot believe that God is a cruel and heartless bully.
God is active in our lives. He tells us to pray so that He can bless us.
We may not know why God asks us to do certain things that seem meaningless to us, but we do them because we trust that He sees a bigger picture than we do. We trust that He holds the entire plan in His mind, while we can only grasp our little portion of it.
This trust is also the answer to the harder question: If God is all powerful and merciful, how can He allow bad things to happen? How can He allow evil acts that harm the innocent, handicaps, illness, death?
I don’t know. I don’t even presume to guess. But this is what I do know. God is kind and benevolent. He is omniscient and all powerful. Therefore, I have to trust that the terrible things of this world happen for reasons that are just beyond the scope of my mortal vision and comprehension.
I also know that when terrible things happen in our lives, God does not just sit back and watch us struggle through our ‘learning experience.’ He doesn’t say, “I know it hurts right now, but you’ll thank me for it later.”
God is right there in the trenches of pain and heartache with us, holding a huge First Aid Kit filled with bandages, salve and spiritual pain killers. But the kit it locked and we are the ones holding the key. We have to turn to the Lord, pray the ‘magic words’ of repentance and faith and humility, and then the kit pops open and the healing spills out and upon us. Until we provide the key of faith, all God can do is stand there, holding the kit, trying to get our attention.
I love it when the Book of Mormon reminds us that the Lord knows all and can do all, provide all. In this case, He’s providing a replacement for the parts of the Book of Mormon that Joseph Smith will lose thousands of years later. If He can do that, He can certainly orchestrate all the little ups and downs of my life.
Some people believe that God only intervenes in these big things—things that will affect large groups of people or that will alter the course of history. And the little things that ‘seem’ to show the Lord’s hand working in our daily lives, the little miracles we ascribe to Him, are merely coincidence.
I just can’t believe that. That smacks of deism—the philosophy that God created the world, set it in motion and then just sat back to watch it all play out. That has no place in LDS theology. If that were true, why would God have us pray over all the things in our lives?
“Cry unto him…over all your flocks…your household…your enemies…crops…fields… (Alma 34:18-27)
“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good.” (Alma 37:37)
(Notice the word “all”?)
Only a cruel and heartless being would tell us to pray, knowing full well it would have no effect. Only a bully says to beg for mercy while never intending to bestow it. I cannot believe that God is a cruel and heartless bully.
God is active in our lives. He tells us to pray so that He can bless us.
We may not know why God asks us to do certain things that seem meaningless to us, but we do them because we trust that He sees a bigger picture than we do. We trust that He holds the entire plan in His mind, while we can only grasp our little portion of it.
This trust is also the answer to the harder question: If God is all powerful and merciful, how can He allow bad things to happen? How can He allow evil acts that harm the innocent, handicaps, illness, death?
I don’t know. I don’t even presume to guess. But this is what I do know. God is kind and benevolent. He is omniscient and all powerful. Therefore, I have to trust that the terrible things of this world happen for reasons that are just beyond the scope of my mortal vision and comprehension.
I also know that when terrible things happen in our lives, God does not just sit back and watch us struggle through our ‘learning experience.’ He doesn’t say, “I know it hurts right now, but you’ll thank me for it later.”
God is right there in the trenches of pain and heartache with us, holding a huge First Aid Kit filled with bandages, salve and spiritual pain killers. But the kit it locked and we are the ones holding the key. We have to turn to the Lord, pray the ‘magic words’ of repentance and faith and humility, and then the kit pops open and the healing spills out and upon us. Until we provide the key of faith, all God can do is stand there, holding the kit, trying to get our attention.
My 'Ministry' (1 Nephi 9:4-5)
“these plates are for the more part of the ministry;…Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to make these plates for a wise purpose in him, which purpose I know not.” (1 Nephi 9:4-5)
This blog is like my small plates. I take the more spiritual parts of my journals and post them here. This is my ‘ministry.’ I haven’t been called to proselyte. I haven’t been asked to preach from the pulpit. But I do feel like the Lord has asked me to share these thoughts here, in this forum. I feels…right.
I don’t know for sure why I am doing this, although I have guesses. But the Lord may have another or several other specific purposes for this that I don’t know anything about. And that is just fine. I am happy to do this, to bear my testimony in this manner.
This blog is like my small plates. I take the more spiritual parts of my journals and post them here. This is my ‘ministry.’ I haven’t been called to proselyte. I haven’t been asked to preach from the pulpit. But I do feel like the Lord has asked me to share these thoughts here, in this forum. I feels…right.
I don’t know for sure why I am doing this, although I have guesses. But the Lord may have another or several other specific purposes for this that I don’t know anything about. And that is just fine. I am happy to do this, to bear my testimony in this manner.
The Tree or the Building (1 Nephi 8:26-33)
You’d think that after partaking of the fruit of the tree, everyone would love it and never leave.
That is not so. While some understood the preciousness of the tree and the fruit and stood nearby, beckoning to others to join them, others did not. Some people are distracted and fall away. Some people are ashamed because of the mocking of others. Some won’t even come near the tree, preferring instead to go straight over to that great and spacious building filled with those who mock and point their fingers.
Years ago, after reading this section, I stopped long enough to wonder which group of people I might be in. I’m not going to tell you what I discovered about myself. I will just say that I am in a different group now.
I am not where I want to be, but I am closer to behaving like Lehi and Nephi—unashamed and inviting others to partake. I pray for the courage to be more like them, to be able to say to the world, “Here I am. Here is what I believe. And I don’t care who knows it or what they think about it.”
That is not so. While some understood the preciousness of the tree and the fruit and stood nearby, beckoning to others to join them, others did not. Some people are distracted and fall away. Some people are ashamed because of the mocking of others. Some won’t even come near the tree, preferring instead to go straight over to that great and spacious building filled with those who mock and point their fingers.
Years ago, after reading this section, I stopped long enough to wonder which group of people I might be in. I’m not going to tell you what I discovered about myself. I will just say that I am in a different group now.
I am not where I want to be, but I am closer to behaving like Lehi and Nephi—unashamed and inviting others to partake. I pray for the courage to be more like them, to be able to say to the world, “Here I am. Here is what I believe. And I don’t care who knows it or what they think about it.”
The Iron Rod (1 Nephi 8:8-30)
There is an iron rod along the straight and narrow path leading to the tree of life. There are people walking on this path, holding to the rod. Before they get to the tree, they must go through mists of darkness. Many lose their way.
It’s reasonable to think that some might lose their way in the mists of darkness. Even if you’re holding on to the iron rod (I imagine it like a stair railing), what if you trip or stumble and lose your grip? Lost in the darkness, how are you to ever find your way back? That has always seemed unfair to me.
A few years ago, I found a new understanding of this part of the analogy. If one holds to the iron rod lightly, at arm’s length like you might do with a stair rail, it’s easy to lose your grip if you falter or fall. But imagine instead that as you walk along that path, you keep your body glued smack up against that rod. And rather than just brushing the rod with your fingertips, holding it lightly, you’ve got that rod in a death grip, moving along, hand over hand, never releasing one handhold until the other is firmly in place. If that were the case, it wouldn’t matter how thick the mists of darkness became or how frequently you tripped or stumbled. You’d have a death grip—or in this case, a life grip—on that thing! If that were the case, you’d make it to the tree no matter what.
The iron rod is the word of God—the scriptures, the prophets, personal revelation. If your study of the scriptures is occasional or casual, your hold to them may not be strong enough to see you through the temptations and trials of this life. But if you search them daily, deeply pondering their meaning, if you seek the Holy Spirit to liken them unto yourself, if you hear and obey the prophet’s voice, there will be nothing in this life that is strong enough to make you lose your way.
That is what it means to “press forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.” (1 Nephi 8:30)
It’s reasonable to think that some might lose their way in the mists of darkness. Even if you’re holding on to the iron rod (I imagine it like a stair railing), what if you trip or stumble and lose your grip? Lost in the darkness, how are you to ever find your way back? That has always seemed unfair to me.
A few years ago, I found a new understanding of this part of the analogy. If one holds to the iron rod lightly, at arm’s length like you might do with a stair rail, it’s easy to lose your grip if you falter or fall. But imagine instead that as you walk along that path, you keep your body glued smack up against that rod. And rather than just brushing the rod with your fingertips, holding it lightly, you’ve got that rod in a death grip, moving along, hand over hand, never releasing one handhold until the other is firmly in place. If that were the case, it wouldn’t matter how thick the mists of darkness became or how frequently you tripped or stumbled. You’d have a death grip—or in this case, a life grip—on that thing! If that were the case, you’d make it to the tree no matter what.
The iron rod is the word of God—the scriptures, the prophets, personal revelation. If your study of the scriptures is occasional or casual, your hold to them may not be strong enough to see you through the temptations and trials of this life. But if you search them daily, deeply pondering their meaning, if you seek the Holy Spirit to liken them unto yourself, if you hear and obey the prophet’s voice, there will be nothing in this life that is strong enough to make you lose your way.
That is what it means to “press forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree.” (1 Nephi 8:30)
God Does Not Act at Random
“The Lord never created this world at random; he has never done any of his work
at random.” (Teachings of Wilford Woodruff, p27)
I am part of the Lord’s work. That means that nothing about me, nothing about my life, is random. I am part of His plan.
“Let us increase continually in faith, in hope, in righteousness, and in every
virtuous principle which is necessary for us to have to sustain us in every
trial through which we may be called to pass in order to prove us as friends of
God.” (Teachings, p33; emphasis added)
Now that’s an interesting thought. We pass through trials in order to prove ourselves friends of God. I’ve always known that trials are to prove our commitment, our testimony, our obedience to God. But to prove us as His friends??
That puts a whole new spin on things, doesn’t it?
The Test (1 Nephi 8:8-9)
Years ago, just after I was converted, life seemed full of promise. There were opening doors everywhere I looked. Then, as I began to live a life of commitment to the gospel, following Christ in earnest, one by one each of those doors slammed shut on me. I felt blocked at every turn. I lamented this to a friend who said, “Maybe you’re being tested.” I decided maybe I was, and I determined to pass the test.
That was 27 years ago. Then I thought the test was to endure and to get through ‘it’ however I could without losing my newfound faith. I passed that part of the test, but it was years before I thought to turn the page over to see if there was another part to the test.
And there was—a much more important part. This part of the test is much more than enduring to the end. This part was to find Christ and reach out to Him from the darkness and dreariness of the waste. To walk by the light while still in the dark. Lehi tells us how.
And the result of his prayer?
After Lehi prayed to the Lord for mercy, the rest of the vision started; the darkness lifted and he saw.
I wonder if he would have only traveled in the darkness for minutes, rather than hours, had he prayed sooner.
Twenty seven years ago, I didn’t think to pray for mercy. I only prayed for the strength to endure. And I did endure, but the burden was often heavy. I spent a lot of time stumbling around in the dark and dreary waste of my life. I still do sometimes, but it’s not nearly so difficult now because over the years I’ve learned to pass the other part of the test. I’ve learned to pray to the Lord for mercy.
So here’s what I believe. Life is basically a dark and dreary waste. We followed Christ in our premortal existence and we ended up here—in the darkness, in a world filled with wickedness, separated from God, and mightily confused.
We can travel around in that darkness, fumbling along, enduring under our own power, for as long as we choose to. This is hard. We trip over stuff and fall. We fall into pits we can’t get out of. We bark our shins against who knows what. And we become increasingly miserable in our situation.
But the moment we call out to the Lord for mercy, He turns on a light and shows us a path through the waste. He lifts us out of the pit, heals our cuts and bruises, and helps us avoid the obstacles and potholes. If we pay attention and stay in His light, we can avoid the worst of the journey—not because we won’t encounter obstacles and potholes, but because the Lord will help us over and through and around them.
Like a newbie climbing a mountain with an experienced guide, we still have to climb the mountain. Our muscles will strain and ache, but the guide teaches us what to watch out for, shows us the safest path, and provides bandages and salve for our scrapes and bruises and blisters. Having a guide makes the trek so much easier than stumbling around on our own, with no map, no path, no light. And eventually, by following the guide, we reach the top of the mountain where the view is spectacular and worth every step.
That was 27 years ago. Then I thought the test was to endure and to get through ‘it’ however I could without losing my newfound faith. I passed that part of the test, but it was years before I thought to turn the page over to see if there was another part to the test.
And there was—a much more important part. This part of the test is much more than enduring to the end. This part was to find Christ and reach out to Him from the darkness and dreariness of the waste. To walk by the light while still in the dark. Lehi tells us how.
After I traveled for the space of many hours in darkness [enduring it as best
he could under his own power], I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have
mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies. (1 Nephi 8:8)
And the result of his prayer?
and it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord, I beheld…” (v9)
After Lehi prayed to the Lord for mercy, the rest of the vision started; the darkness lifted and he saw.
I wonder if he would have only traveled in the darkness for minutes, rather than hours, had he prayed sooner.
Twenty seven years ago, I didn’t think to pray for mercy. I only prayed for the strength to endure. And I did endure, but the burden was often heavy. I spent a lot of time stumbling around in the dark and dreary waste of my life. I still do sometimes, but it’s not nearly so difficult now because over the years I’ve learned to pass the other part of the test. I’ve learned to pray to the Lord for mercy.
So here’s what I believe. Life is basically a dark and dreary waste. We followed Christ in our premortal existence and we ended up here—in the darkness, in a world filled with wickedness, separated from God, and mightily confused.
We can travel around in that darkness, fumbling along, enduring under our own power, for as long as we choose to. This is hard. We trip over stuff and fall. We fall into pits we can’t get out of. We bark our shins against who knows what. And we become increasingly miserable in our situation.
But the moment we call out to the Lord for mercy, He turns on a light and shows us a path through the waste. He lifts us out of the pit, heals our cuts and bruises, and helps us avoid the obstacles and potholes. If we pay attention and stay in His light, we can avoid the worst of the journey—not because we won’t encounter obstacles and potholes, but because the Lord will help us over and through and around them.
Like a newbie climbing a mountain with an experienced guide, we still have to climb the mountain. Our muscles will strain and ache, but the guide teaches us what to watch out for, shows us the safest path, and provides bandages and salve for our scrapes and bruises and blisters. Having a guide makes the trek so much easier than stumbling around on our own, with no map, no path, no light. And eventually, by following the guide, we reach the top of the mountain where the view is spectacular and worth every step.
Following Christ Into the Waste (1 Nephi 8:5-7)
Several years ago, a friend pointed out something interesting in these verses. This is Lehi’s dream. In the beginning of this dream, Lehi sees a man in a white robe—representing Christ—who told Lehi to follow Him. So Lehi does.
And where does he end up? In a dark and dreary waste!
We don’t expect that do we? I know I never did. When I follow Christ, life is ‘supposed’ to be happiness and light. The struggle is over and life is easier, better. Ha! Following Christ is like taking a ride on the wildest roller coaster imaginable—and then some.
And where does he end up? In a dark and dreary waste!
We don’t expect that do we? I know I never did. When I follow Christ, life is ‘supposed’ to be happiness and light. The struggle is over and life is easier, better. Ha! Following Christ is like taking a ride on the wildest roller coaster imaginable—and then some.
What Laman and Lemuel Can Teach Us About Being Righteous (1 Nephi 7:19-21)
We always think of Laman and Lemuel as evil—two rebellious, good-for-nothings. Always were, always will be. Beyond hope, beyond the reach of the Spirit.
But they weren’t. At least not at this point in their story. They were still in the struggle between good and evil, and sometimes they chose good.
For example, despite their grumbling and murmuring, they were not in complete and utter rebellion when we first meet them. They chose to obey when they went with Lehi into the wilderness. Twice more they chose good, when they returned to Jerusalem, once for the plates and once for Ishmael and family. Both times they could have stayed. They could have taken all their wealth and instead of trying to purchase the brass plates, they could have left Jerusalem for parts unknown, taking off as fast as they could go in the opposite direction. When they went back for Ishmael, they could have said no more. Who was there to make them go back to their family?
And here, after becoming so angry with Nephi that they tie him up and threaten to kill him, they regain their senses and their hearts are softened (v19). They feel sorrow for their actions and they repent, begging Nephi to forgive them (v20). And then they prayed to the Lord for forgiveness (v21).
These men were not yet past feeling. The Spirit of the Lord still strove with them. Yes, they were full of pride, struggling with their character defects. But they were not yet lost. They still had their choice, and here, they chose good—and they continued on their way back to the wilderness, back to Lehi, back toward the promised land.
It’s important to see this aspect of Laman and Lemuel’s character. When all we see is the bad side, it’s too easy to write them off and to discount their story because there’s no way we’re as bad as they are. But seeing their good side, seeing their struggle for what it is, can teach us a few things about living righteously:
I am not so different from them. I have my struggle between good and bad, just as they did. I have times when I choose good and times when I choose otherwise, just as they did. I need to be vigilant in seeking and choosing righteousness so that I am not wooed to ‘the dark side,’ just as they were.
Don’t ever assume others are too hardened and evil to be beyond the reach of the spirit. The spirit may still strive with them and they may choose to do right. Appeal to their good side as frequently as you can.
Our actions are choices. We’re not intrinsically good or evil. We become so through our choices. At the end of 1 Nephi 7, Laman and Lemuel have repented and made a righteous choice. Had they continued in these choices, we would have an entirely different Book of Mormon. But just as they chose to be softened here, at some point later, they chose to resist that softening—and continued to choose to resist until that pattern was set.
Laman and Lemuel waffled between rebellion and repentance while Lehi was alive. Lehi’s influence kept them from complete rebellion. I’ve seen this happen to others. Men who skirted the edge of iniquity but managed to resist while they were in the bishopric but then went downhill quickly after they were released and removed from the regular righteous influence of others.
Eventually we have to be strong enough to stand on our own spiritually because sooner or later, whomever we’re leaning on will die, or move, or have their own struggles. If we can’t stand on our own testimony, we will fall.
But they weren’t. At least not at this point in their story. They were still in the struggle between good and evil, and sometimes they chose good.
For example, despite their grumbling and murmuring, they were not in complete and utter rebellion when we first meet them. They chose to obey when they went with Lehi into the wilderness. Twice more they chose good, when they returned to Jerusalem, once for the plates and once for Ishmael and family. Both times they could have stayed. They could have taken all their wealth and instead of trying to purchase the brass plates, they could have left Jerusalem for parts unknown, taking off as fast as they could go in the opposite direction. When they went back for Ishmael, they could have said no more. Who was there to make them go back to their family?
And here, after becoming so angry with Nephi that they tie him up and threaten to kill him, they regain their senses and their hearts are softened (v19). They feel sorrow for their actions and they repent, begging Nephi to forgive them (v20). And then they prayed to the Lord for forgiveness (v21).
These men were not yet past feeling. The Spirit of the Lord still strove with them. Yes, they were full of pride, struggling with their character defects. But they were not yet lost. They still had their choice, and here, they chose good—and they continued on their way back to the wilderness, back to Lehi, back toward the promised land.
It’s important to see this aspect of Laman and Lemuel’s character. When all we see is the bad side, it’s too easy to write them off and to discount their story because there’s no way we’re as bad as they are. But seeing their good side, seeing their struggle for what it is, can teach us a few things about living righteously:
I am not so different from them. I have my struggle between good and bad, just as they did. I have times when I choose good and times when I choose otherwise, just as they did. I need to be vigilant in seeking and choosing righteousness so that I am not wooed to ‘the dark side,’ just as they were.
Don’t ever assume others are too hardened and evil to be beyond the reach of the spirit. The spirit may still strive with them and they may choose to do right. Appeal to their good side as frequently as you can.
Our actions are choices. We’re not intrinsically good or evil. We become so through our choices. At the end of 1 Nephi 7, Laman and Lemuel have repented and made a righteous choice. Had they continued in these choices, we would have an entirely different Book of Mormon. But just as they chose to be softened here, at some point later, they chose to resist that softening—and continued to choose to resist until that pattern was set.
Laman and Lemuel waffled between rebellion and repentance while Lehi was alive. Lehi’s influence kept them from complete rebellion. I’ve seen this happen to others. Men who skirted the edge of iniquity but managed to resist while they were in the bishopric but then went downhill quickly after they were released and removed from the regular righteous influence of others.
Eventually we have to be strong enough to stand on our own spiritually because sooner or later, whomever we’re leaning on will die, or move, or have their own struggles. If we can’t stand on our own testimony, we will fall.
Choosing Option D (Part 2)
Okay, that reminds me of a joke:
God had created the world and was looking at the various spirits and assigning them a place in this world.
God asked one spirit, “What do you want to do?”
The spirit answered, “I want to live in the outdoors and run and run and run, through the fields and over the valleys and hills. I want to feel the air in my hair, the wind in my face.”
And God said, “Then you can be a horse.”
God asked another spirit, “What do you want to do?”
The spirit answered, “I want to float through the air, soar among the clouds, to be free to go wherever I want, whenever I want.”
And God said, “Then you can be a bird.”
God asked a third spirit, “What do you want to do?”
The spirit looked at God and said, “I dunno. What do you think I should do?”
“Ah,” said God. “You can be man.”
God had created the world and was looking at the various spirits and assigning them a place in this world.
God asked one spirit, “What do you want to do?”
The spirit answered, “I want to live in the outdoors and run and run and run, through the fields and over the valleys and hills. I want to feel the air in my hair, the wind in my face.”
And God said, “Then you can be a horse.”
God asked another spirit, “What do you want to do?”
The spirit answered, “I want to float through the air, soar among the clouds, to be free to go wherever I want, whenever I want.”
And God said, “Then you can be a bird.”
God asked a third spirit, “What do you want to do?”
The spirit looked at God and said, “I dunno. What do you think I should do?”
“Ah,” said God. “You can be man.”
Choosing Option D (1 Nephi 7:17-18)
Laman and Lemuel have bound Nephi and are threatening his life. Nephi prays for the strength to “burst these bands” and the bands are loosed.
Pres. Hinckley said, “Believe in prayer and the power of prayer. Pray to the Lord with the expectation of answers.”
Do I do this? Do I pray with the expectation of an answer? Well, yes. And no.
When I pray for something, I always give the Lord an out. I pray for a particular result, but then I add an “or.” Keep my children safe from harm or help me to deal with their injuries. Save my business or help me find other work if it fails. Heal me or give me the patience to endure. Were I in Nephi’s place, my prayer would be: break these bands, or soften their hearts, or send someone to rescue me, or if I am to die, take me quickly and comfort my loved ones.
I tell myself I’m being humble, that this is a sign that I am willing to accept God’s will, whatever it may be. And while that is true, it is also true that in my heart of hearts, there is a tiny part of me that does not believe the Lord will answer my prayers in the way I wish them to be answered.
Is this bad? Is this a lack of faith?
When I pray, I always receive an answer—understanding, insight, enlightenment, miracles, comfort. But I have never prayed like Nephi did—asking for a specific result and no other, and expecting it to happen. Am I showing faith and acceptance by ‘giving’ the Lord all these options? Or am I giving options because I doubt He will give me the one I want?
Tough questions. And while the answer is a little of both, there is another answer too. And that is that following the Lord’s will is more important to me than any of other the possible outcomes. I may pray for A, B or C but more than those, I want D—to always do as the Lord wants me to do.
Pres. Hinckley said, “Believe in prayer and the power of prayer. Pray to the Lord with the expectation of answers.”
Do I do this? Do I pray with the expectation of an answer? Well, yes. And no.
When I pray for something, I always give the Lord an out. I pray for a particular result, but then I add an “or.” Keep my children safe from harm or help me to deal with their injuries. Save my business or help me find other work if it fails. Heal me or give me the patience to endure. Were I in Nephi’s place, my prayer would be: break these bands, or soften their hearts, or send someone to rescue me, or if I am to die, take me quickly and comfort my loved ones.
I tell myself I’m being humble, that this is a sign that I am willing to accept God’s will, whatever it may be. And while that is true, it is also true that in my heart of hearts, there is a tiny part of me that does not believe the Lord will answer my prayers in the way I wish them to be answered.
Is this bad? Is this a lack of faith?
When I pray, I always receive an answer—understanding, insight, enlightenment, miracles, comfort. But I have never prayed like Nephi did—asking for a specific result and no other, and expecting it to happen. Am I showing faith and acceptance by ‘giving’ the Lord all these options? Or am I giving options because I doubt He will give me the one I want?
Tough questions. And while the answer is a little of both, there is another answer too. And that is that following the Lord’s will is more important to me than any of other the possible outcomes. I may pray for A, B or C but more than those, I want D—to always do as the Lord wants me to do.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Great Things the Lord Hath Done (1 Nephi 7:12)
“how is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for
us,…how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things
according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise
faith in Him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.” (1 Nephi 7:12)
I need a poster of this. 2 feet x 4 feet. Technicolor. 3-D would be nice. When I start to worry and fret, I need someone to say, “K, have you forgotten all the wonderful things the Lord has done for you?” And then I need them to make me recite them, right then, in the moment of my discouragement.
Do you need reminding of what great things the Lord has done for you? Make a list, right now. Get paper and pen and write them down. Here are a few of mine (in no particular order). Feel free to add them to your list if they apply.
He gave me a blessed family of origin—goodly and good-hearted parents, siblings who have always been there for me, kind and loving grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.
He didn’t leave me when I was rebellious and contrary. He protected me and gave me multiple experiences to soften my heart.
He gave me four beautiful, wonderful children to bless my life.
He supported me through a divorce.
He provided a computer many years ago and prepared and taught me, one increment at a time, moving from job to job, until I found myself here, in a career that I love.
He gave me a wonderful husband who loves and supports me, someone I can trust with my heart, someone who loves my children as if they were his own.
He allowed me to be part of a great work of recovery—first to use it to heal my own life and then to spread the good word of His Atonement to others.
He daily shows His hand and works in my life.
Why should I fear and doubt when He has already proved Himself? And how do I prove myself to Him? By keeping faith in my heart and faithfulness in my behaviors.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Take The Gift and Say Thank You (1 Nephi 5:2-9)
Lehi has sent the boys back to Jerusalem to get the plates. Sariah is not happy about this. The wilderness is a rough place. They could trip over the desert equivalent of a gopher hole, fall down and break their neck. They could be attacked by rabid camels. They could be mugged in the city. They would be hot and hungry and tired. Tempers would flare. Why, they could kill each other!
Sariah’s sons were gone a long time. Best estimates put travel time at around 2 weeks each way. Add in a day, maybe two, spent in town and they would have been gone for more than a month. Plenty of time for Mom to work herself into a stew. If Sariah was like me, she probably had their journey timed to the minute—and when they didn’t return…well, her imagination provided no limit to the number of reasons they might not make it back to her.
So Sariah complained to the only person available—Lehi. Nearly out of her mind with worry, she blamed it on the person closest at hand. That seems to be a universal human reaction to stress. Taking it out on someone else is so much easier than patiently accepting life on life’s terms.
Waiting for the miracle while in the midst of the wilderness is a hard thing to do. It’s hard to stay positive in the face of hardship, especially when the hardships are a result of doing what the Lord wants you to do. You start to think you “deserve” to be blessed.
It doesn’t work that way. That kind of thinking just makes it worse. All we can do is patiently submit and let the Lord ease the strain, lift the burden. And when the miracle happens, we take the gift and say thank you. Like Sariah did.
Sariah’s sons were gone a long time. Best estimates put travel time at around 2 weeks each way. Add in a day, maybe two, spent in town and they would have been gone for more than a month. Plenty of time for Mom to work herself into a stew. If Sariah was like me, she probably had their journey timed to the minute—and when they didn’t return…well, her imagination provided no limit to the number of reasons they might not make it back to her.
So Sariah complained to the only person available—Lehi. Nearly out of her mind with worry, she blamed it on the person closest at hand. That seems to be a universal human reaction to stress. Taking it out on someone else is so much easier than patiently accepting life on life’s terms.
Waiting for the miracle while in the midst of the wilderness is a hard thing to do. It’s hard to stay positive in the face of hardship, especially when the hardships are a result of doing what the Lord wants you to do. You start to think you “deserve” to be blessed.
It doesn’t work that way. That kind of thinking just makes it worse. All we can do is patiently submit and let the Lord ease the strain, lift the burden. And when the miracle happens, we take the gift and say thank you. Like Sariah did.
And when we had returned to the tent of my father, behold their joy was full,
and my mother was comforted. And she spake, saying: Now I know of a surety that
the Lord hath commanded my husband to flee into the wilderness; yea, and I also
know of a surety that the Lord hath protected my sons, and delivered them out of
the hands of Laban, and given them power whereby they could accomplish the thing
which the Lord hath commanded them. And after this manner of language did she
speak. And it came to pass that they did rejoice exceedingly, and did offer
sacrifice and burnt offerings unto the Lord; and they gave thanks unto the God
of Israel. (1 Nephi 5:7-9)
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Following Simply Because He Leads (1 Nephi 4:6)
“And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.” (1 Nephi 4:6)
I want to know the outcome before I take the first step. I may not want to go down that path if it’s going to hurt or cause discomfort. I don’t have to see the whole path, just to the next bend. I need to see ahead, just a little bit. Please.
The problem with seeing ahead a little bit is I believe I can guess the final destination from what I can see from the starting position. Because I can see some of the consequences, I think I know all of the results.
This is not wisdom. This opens the door to fear.
For a controlling, type-A, need to know, I want my ducks (and everyone else’s) neatly rowed type of person, letting go and trusting God is not a natural way to live. To live by faith alone requires me to unlearn everything I’ve learned from life thus far, and re-learn a whole new set of behaviors, actions and thought patterns. Then I have to remember to use those behaviors, actions and thought patterns in every new situation.
Daunting.
So here’s a question: Is fear in itself a lack of faith? Or is it merely instinctual?
What if the true lack of faith is not in feeling the fear, but in allowing that fear to stop us from taking the next step on the path. It is allowing the fear to stop us from trusting the Lord.
If I trust the Lord, then when He says, “Step here,” I step—looking only at Him and not the path ahead.
True faith, true trust in the Lord, is to follow simply because He leads.
I want to know the outcome before I take the first step. I may not want to go down that path if it’s going to hurt or cause discomfort. I don’t have to see the whole path, just to the next bend. I need to see ahead, just a little bit. Please.
The problem with seeing ahead a little bit is I believe I can guess the final destination from what I can see from the starting position. Because I can see some of the consequences, I think I know all of the results.
This is not wisdom. This opens the door to fear.
For a controlling, type-A, need to know, I want my ducks (and everyone else’s) neatly rowed type of person, letting go and trusting God is not a natural way to live. To live by faith alone requires me to unlearn everything I’ve learned from life thus far, and re-learn a whole new set of behaviors, actions and thought patterns. Then I have to remember to use those behaviors, actions and thought patterns in every new situation.
Daunting.
So here’s a question: Is fear in itself a lack of faith? Or is it merely instinctual?
What if the true lack of faith is not in feeling the fear, but in allowing that fear to stop us from taking the next step on the path. It is allowing the fear to stop us from trusting the Lord.
If I trust the Lord, then when He says, “Step here,” I step—looking only at Him and not the path ahead.
True faith, true trust in the Lord, is to follow simply because He leads.
Fearing Laban’s Fifty (1 Nephi 4:1)
“Let us be faithful in keeping the commandments of the Lord; for behold he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier than Laban and his fifty, or even than his tens of thousands?” (1 Nephi 4:1)
What are my “Laban’s fifty”? What are those things I fear, that hold me back, that cause me to not do what the Lord wants me to do?
Health. People might be angry with me. Spectre of bankruptcy and failure. The sheer mathematics of staying in business. Like Laban’s fifty was to Laman and Lemuel, these are my excuses not to try.
But if the Lord is mightier than all the earth, wouldn’t that make Him mightier than germs? Mightier than the anger and disrespect of others? Mightier than bankruptcy—either to prevent it altogether or to support me during and after?
And if the Lord knows enough mathematics required to create the world and everything in it, wouldn’t He be able to help me with the comparatively simple mathematics of running a business?
When I doubt, when I fear, when I let my own version of Laban’s fifty stop me, I am saying that I believe there are things in this world that are mightier than God. But I don’t believe that. If God created it all, He must be mightier than it all.
So if my beliefs and my behaviors are out of sync, it is my behavior that must change. God has set me a task, therefore I must go to that task. I must “go up,” believing that “the Lord is able to deliver [me] even as our fathers.” (v3)
Laban’s fifty vs. God’s one. That’s really not a fair fight. God always wins.
What are my “Laban’s fifty”? What are those things I fear, that hold me back, that cause me to not do what the Lord wants me to do?
Health. People might be angry with me. Spectre of bankruptcy and failure. The sheer mathematics of staying in business. Like Laban’s fifty was to Laman and Lemuel, these are my excuses not to try.
But if the Lord is mightier than all the earth, wouldn’t that make Him mightier than germs? Mightier than the anger and disrespect of others? Mightier than bankruptcy—either to prevent it altogether or to support me during and after?
And if the Lord knows enough mathematics required to create the world and everything in it, wouldn’t He be able to help me with the comparatively simple mathematics of running a business?
When I doubt, when I fear, when I let my own version of Laban’s fifty stop me, I am saying that I believe there are things in this world that are mightier than God. But I don’t believe that. If God created it all, He must be mightier than it all.
So if my beliefs and my behaviors are out of sync, it is my behavior that must change. God has set me a task, therefore I must go to that task. I must “go up,” believing that “the Lord is able to deliver [me] even as our fathers.” (v3)
Laban’s fifty vs. God’s one. That’s really not a fair fight. God always wins.
Killing Laban (1 Nephi 3-4)
Have you ever had to ‘kill Laban’?
Don’t answer too quickly. Stop and think for a minute.
Have you ever had to do something that was so foreign to your basic nature that it took the absolute certainty that comes from knowing it is something God wants you to do to give you the courage to do it?
I bet you have.
Have you ever felt the Spirit tell you to do something, and said in your heart, “I can’t do this! This is too hard. This is not me. This is outside my world view. This goes against some of my most basic core beliefs and feelings.”? Have you looked at a task, knowing God wanted you to do it, and yet also knowing that your own desires, your own dreams, your own motivations were not enough to make you do it? That nothing on this earth was strong enough to make you do it, to carry through with it?
I bet you’ve felt that too.
I’ve felt it. I’ve been there in that moment, asked to kill Laban and not having the strength. I’ve been there more than once, and I bet you have too.
These moments, these events, are too personal to share with others, but you know what they are. And you know, like I do, what it feels like to stand there, sword in hand, facing the struggle to obey God or to obey the inclinations of self. It is never an easy decision.
And it usually comes upon the heels of a long trek back to Jerusalem, leaving you exhausted, trembling and uncertain.
Killing Laban is always hard.
And yet, I know I must choose. I either know the voice of the Lord in my heart and mind, or I don’t. I either obey God, or I don’t. I either believe, or I don’t.
There is no middle ground when you’re faced with killing Laban. You either do it, or you don’t.
And so, I made my choice. I killed Laban today. I picked up the sword of faith and lopped off the head of fear.
Don’t answer too quickly. Stop and think for a minute.
Have you ever had to do something that was so foreign to your basic nature that it took the absolute certainty that comes from knowing it is something God wants you to do to give you the courage to do it?
I bet you have.
Have you ever felt the Spirit tell you to do something, and said in your heart, “I can’t do this! This is too hard. This is not me. This is outside my world view. This goes against some of my most basic core beliefs and feelings.”? Have you looked at a task, knowing God wanted you to do it, and yet also knowing that your own desires, your own dreams, your own motivations were not enough to make you do it? That nothing on this earth was strong enough to make you do it, to carry through with it?
I bet you’ve felt that too.
I’ve felt it. I’ve been there in that moment, asked to kill Laban and not having the strength. I’ve been there more than once, and I bet you have too.
These moments, these events, are too personal to share with others, but you know what they are. And you know, like I do, what it feels like to stand there, sword in hand, facing the struggle to obey God or to obey the inclinations of self. It is never an easy decision.
And it usually comes upon the heels of a long trek back to Jerusalem, leaving you exhausted, trembling and uncertain.
Killing Laban is always hard.
And yet, I know I must choose. I either know the voice of the Lord in my heart and mind, or I don’t. I either obey God, or I don’t. I either believe, or I don’t.
There is no middle ground when you’re faced with killing Laban. You either do it, or you don’t.
And so, I made my choice. I killed Laban today. I picked up the sword of faith and lopped off the head of fear.
Ignorance (1 Nephi 2:4)
“And they [Laman and Lemuel] did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them.” (1 Nephi 2:12)
Although they were visited by angels, instructed by a prophet, and had the opportunity for direct communication with God, Laman and Lemuel really never got that long range view necessary to bolster and support them through the long haul. They never understood the what nor the why of this trek to the promised land. And so they murmured.
The more I recognize the Lord’s hand in my life, the less I murmur and complain about everything. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like I murmur less, because I’m just a gifted murmurer, been that way all my life. But really, compared to the murmuring I did a few years ago, today’s murmuring is nothing!
Two reasons I murmur less:
1) Gratitude—it’s really hard to work up a good murmur when I feel gratitude for what the Lord has given me
2) New Understandings—after the crisis (the event I’ve murmured about) has passed, I can look back and see how it strengthened me, how it prepared me, and how I was blessed for it. The act of looking back at the past makes it harder to murmur in the present.
So, the only two reasons for murmuring are 1) ingratitude and 2) ignorance. And the only way not to feel gratitude is to be blind to my blessings—ignorance again.
Harsh, but true. And oh, how I hate to be ignorant.
So what is the remedy for ignorance? Nephi must have known I would ask.
“having great desires to know…I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe…” (1 Nephi 2:16)
Prayer, scriptures, following the prophet—these are the remedies for ignorance. These are the answers to EVERYTHING.
Although they were visited by angels, instructed by a prophet, and had the opportunity for direct communication with God, Laman and Lemuel really never got that long range view necessary to bolster and support them through the long haul. They never understood the what nor the why of this trek to the promised land. And so they murmured.
The more I recognize the Lord’s hand in my life, the less I murmur and complain about everything. Sometimes it doesn’t seem like I murmur less, because I’m just a gifted murmurer, been that way all my life. But really, compared to the murmuring I did a few years ago, today’s murmuring is nothing!
Two reasons I murmur less:
1) Gratitude—it’s really hard to work up a good murmur when I feel gratitude for what the Lord has given me
2) New Understandings—after the crisis (the event I’ve murmured about) has passed, I can look back and see how it strengthened me, how it prepared me, and how I was blessed for it. The act of looking back at the past makes it harder to murmur in the present.
So, the only two reasons for murmuring are 1) ingratitude and 2) ignorance. And the only way not to feel gratitude is to be blind to my blessings—ignorance again.
Harsh, but true. And oh, how I hate to be ignorant.
So what is the remedy for ignorance? Nephi must have known I would ask.
“having great desires to know…I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe…” (1 Nephi 2:16)
Prayer, scriptures, following the prophet—these are the remedies for ignorance. These are the answers to EVERYTHING.
A Really, Really Long-Range View (1 Nephi 2:4)
“[Lehi] departed into the wilderness. And he left his house,…inheritance,…gold,…silver,…precious things, [taking] nothing [but]…family,…provisions, and tents…” (1 Nephi 2:4)
Do I even want to go here? To make a comparison and contrast between myself and Lehi?
[deep sigh]
Okay, (reluctantly) I ask myself, “How hard would that have been?” I imagine myself, my husband, my daughter and her husband, my unmarried son and two other unmarried daughters taking off into the wilderness with just our packs and tents. Set aside the reality that we’d probably die from starvation or be eaten by bears within the first week. How hard would that be?
In previous readings of this story, I’ve always looked at what I would be leaving behind. That is a huge sacrifice. But this reading something dawned on me. It’s not just a question of the life we’re leaving behind (complete with cell phones, microwave ovens, flush toilets, and the like). It’s also a question of the life we’re going to. Just us. What kind of work will we do? How will we survive? How will we entertain ourselves? What if someone gets sick? Where will we find spouses for our unmarried children? Where will their children find spouses? To me, that’s the harder part of it. Not what I’m leaving behind, hard as that would be, but the empty and uncertain wilderness I’d be going to.
How sick of each other would we all be after just a few weeks?! And Lehi and family did it for 8 years, then crossed the ocean to do it for the rest of their lives. No wonder Laman and Lemuel wanted to kill Nephi. Even if they were basically good at heart, I can imagine coming to blows just from the unending sameness of it all.
Yes, Lehi went back for wives and a few other people, adding in some variety to the basic family unit. But still. Even the pioneers trekking to Utah had a larger social group for support and interaction.
What would it take to make this decision?
Nothing short of divine intervention, an absolute and unshakeable certainty that you were doing God’s will—and a really, really long range view of the eternal plan for this world.
Do I even want to go here? To make a comparison and contrast between myself and Lehi?
[deep sigh]
Okay, (reluctantly) I ask myself, “How hard would that have been?” I imagine myself, my husband, my daughter and her husband, my unmarried son and two other unmarried daughters taking off into the wilderness with just our packs and tents. Set aside the reality that we’d probably die from starvation or be eaten by bears within the first week. How hard would that be?
In previous readings of this story, I’ve always looked at what I would be leaving behind. That is a huge sacrifice. But this reading something dawned on me. It’s not just a question of the life we’re leaving behind (complete with cell phones, microwave ovens, flush toilets, and the like). It’s also a question of the life we’re going to. Just us. What kind of work will we do? How will we survive? How will we entertain ourselves? What if someone gets sick? Where will we find spouses for our unmarried children? Where will their children find spouses? To me, that’s the harder part of it. Not what I’m leaving behind, hard as that would be, but the empty and uncertain wilderness I’d be going to.
How sick of each other would we all be after just a few weeks?! And Lehi and family did it for 8 years, then crossed the ocean to do it for the rest of their lives. No wonder Laman and Lemuel wanted to kill Nephi. Even if they were basically good at heart, I can imagine coming to blows just from the unending sameness of it all.
Yes, Lehi went back for wives and a few other people, adding in some variety to the basic family unit. But still. Even the pioneers trekking to Utah had a larger social group for support and interaction.
What would it take to make this decision?
Nothing short of divine intervention, an absolute and unshakeable certainty that you were doing God’s will—and a really, really long range view of the eternal plan for this world.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Tender Mercies (1 Nephi 1:20)
“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” (1 Nephi 1:20)
This one verse tells me so much about the character of God. When I was young, I remember hearing all these fire and brimstone speeches, all the terrible things that would happen to me, all the ways God would curse me if I stepped out of line. I’m sure I heard stories of a kind, loving, forgiving God too, but they didn’t leave as much of an impression upon my overly imaginative mind as the hell and damnation stories did.
I used to be afraid of God. I could not be perfect, therefore it was only a matter of time before I “got mine.” During my teen years, I used that as an excuse to participate in various forms of rebellion. If I was going to be punished and sent to hell, I might as well make it worth the trip!
Fortunately, and I’m sure due to the many prayers and efforts of my wonderful “goodly” parents, I soon saw the error of my ways. Sin and rebellion only led to heartache, creating “hell” on earth.
I then set out to be as perfect as possible, on the chance—slim though it may be—of avoiding this terrible fate. Well, that didn’t work. No matter how hard I tried, I was weak and human. I slipped up. I came to feel like God set me these impossible tasks, let me get almost within arm’s reach, then at the very last minute, He would jerk the rug out from under me and yank away the prize, the promised blessings.
I vividly remember the day these beliefs changed. I told a close friend how I felt—someone who clearly knew the God Nephi spoke of and often testified of His “tender mercies” in her life. She said I should pray and tell God, honestly, how I felt.
I couldn’t do that! Tell God I felt angry and resentful toward Him? That I didn’t trust Him? That sometimes I didn’t even particularly like Him? I might as well set up a lightning rod and paint a target on my head!
And then my friend said one of the most profound things I’ve every heard in my life: “What? You think He doesn’t already know?”
Those words echoed through my mind over and over for days. Not long afterward, I found myself at home alone for several hours. I gathered all the courage I had—plus I’m sure some on loan from unseen angels—and I knelt and began to pray, expressing for the first time the honest feelings of my heart. It was not pretty.
After awhile, I ran out of steam. You can only rant and rave and cry for so long before the body just stops. I moved from a kneeling to a sitting position, my back against the side of my bed. Exhausted, I just sat there awhile.
Then I looked around. There on the floor, peeking out from under a messy pile of blankets, was the corner of a Book of Mormon. I crawled over to it, opened it and began to read.
Sometime later, I found myself back on my knees, this time asking the Lord to show me the truth of my situation. Was He really an angry, vengeful, manipulative God? Or was He the kind, loving, merciful being my friend and the Book of Mormon testified of?
What followed was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. During the next hour, I became convinced of God’s love for me as an individual, of His desire for me to succeed, and of His unending supply of tender mercy for me.
I wish I could say life was wonderful from then on, but I cannot. I was yet to face some of my greatest challenges. And having not yet developed the habit of turning to the Lord, counseling with Him in all things, there were many times when I behaved at odds with what I now knew to be true. I would often hit a brick wall, bang my head against it for days or weeks before finally remembering to ask the Lord for help, to apply His tender mercies to my current situation. But as soon as I did remember, as soon as I asked for His help, a previously unseen door would open in that wall and God would deliver me.
Today I see the tender mercies of the Lord all around me. Not generic mercies, but custom-tailored-just-for-me mercies. I see the Lord’s hand working for my good, in my life, in the lives of others.
Do I still find myself sometimes banging my head against a brick wall? Well, of course I do! But I bang my head much less often and for far less time than before. Sometimes I even catch myself on the first thwack, stop, and look for the door that I know God is waiting to open for me. He is just waiting to make me “mighty even unto the power of deliverance” from whatever current, uncomfortable, unresolvable situation I find myself in.
So, the moral of this very long narration: I know from hard-won personal experience that God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a God of tenderness and mercy. I know that He “chooses” to bless me because I choose to believe He will. His tender mercies color and soften all my life experiences and I can find them if I just take a moment to look.
And I know that you will be able to see them in your own life too. Just ask Him to show you. He will.
This one verse tells me so much about the character of God. When I was young, I remember hearing all these fire and brimstone speeches, all the terrible things that would happen to me, all the ways God would curse me if I stepped out of line. I’m sure I heard stories of a kind, loving, forgiving God too, but they didn’t leave as much of an impression upon my overly imaginative mind as the hell and damnation stories did.
I used to be afraid of God. I could not be perfect, therefore it was only a matter of time before I “got mine.” During my teen years, I used that as an excuse to participate in various forms of rebellion. If I was going to be punished and sent to hell, I might as well make it worth the trip!
Fortunately, and I’m sure due to the many prayers and efforts of my wonderful “goodly” parents, I soon saw the error of my ways. Sin and rebellion only led to heartache, creating “hell” on earth.
I then set out to be as perfect as possible, on the chance—slim though it may be—of avoiding this terrible fate. Well, that didn’t work. No matter how hard I tried, I was weak and human. I slipped up. I came to feel like God set me these impossible tasks, let me get almost within arm’s reach, then at the very last minute, He would jerk the rug out from under me and yank away the prize, the promised blessings.
I vividly remember the day these beliefs changed. I told a close friend how I felt—someone who clearly knew the God Nephi spoke of and often testified of His “tender mercies” in her life. She said I should pray and tell God, honestly, how I felt.
I couldn’t do that! Tell God I felt angry and resentful toward Him? That I didn’t trust Him? That sometimes I didn’t even particularly like Him? I might as well set up a lightning rod and paint a target on my head!
And then my friend said one of the most profound things I’ve every heard in my life: “What? You think He doesn’t already know?”
Those words echoed through my mind over and over for days. Not long afterward, I found myself at home alone for several hours. I gathered all the courage I had—plus I’m sure some on loan from unseen angels—and I knelt and began to pray, expressing for the first time the honest feelings of my heart. It was not pretty.
After awhile, I ran out of steam. You can only rant and rave and cry for so long before the body just stops. I moved from a kneeling to a sitting position, my back against the side of my bed. Exhausted, I just sat there awhile.
Then I looked around. There on the floor, peeking out from under a messy pile of blankets, was the corner of a Book of Mormon. I crawled over to it, opened it and began to read.
Sometime later, I found myself back on my knees, this time asking the Lord to show me the truth of my situation. Was He really an angry, vengeful, manipulative God? Or was He the kind, loving, merciful being my friend and the Book of Mormon testified of?
What followed was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. During the next hour, I became convinced of God’s love for me as an individual, of His desire for me to succeed, and of His unending supply of tender mercy for me.
I wish I could say life was wonderful from then on, but I cannot. I was yet to face some of my greatest challenges. And having not yet developed the habit of turning to the Lord, counseling with Him in all things, there were many times when I behaved at odds with what I now knew to be true. I would often hit a brick wall, bang my head against it for days or weeks before finally remembering to ask the Lord for help, to apply His tender mercies to my current situation. But as soon as I did remember, as soon as I asked for His help, a previously unseen door would open in that wall and God would deliver me.
Today I see the tender mercies of the Lord all around me. Not generic mercies, but custom-tailored-just-for-me mercies. I see the Lord’s hand working for my good, in my life, in the lives of others.
Do I still find myself sometimes banging my head against a brick wall? Well, of course I do! But I bang my head much less often and for far less time than before. Sometimes I even catch myself on the first thwack, stop, and look for the door that I know God is waiting to open for me. He is just waiting to make me “mighty even unto the power of deliverance” from whatever current, uncomfortable, unresolvable situation I find myself in.
So, the moral of this very long narration: I know from hard-won personal experience that God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a God of tenderness and mercy. I know that He “chooses” to bless me because I choose to believe He will. His tender mercies color and soften all my life experiences and I can find them if I just take a moment to look.
And I know that you will be able to see them in your own life too. Just ask Him to show you. He will.
When Good Men and Women Do Nothing
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”
—Edmund Burke
I’ve heard and read some comments lately that indicate the Internet is a dangerous place and blogs are even worse. We should stay away from it at all costs. There is also the idea that a blogspot page is not an appropriate forum for expressing testimony or talking about the Book of Mormon—the pearls before swine attitude. Being the codependent person that I am, I took some time for deep reflection. Here’s what I came up with.
Technology is a great blessing and a boon to the faithful, to those who use it for good and pure and positive purposes. The Church has multiple websites (which nixes the argument that this is not an appropriate forum). Genealogy has made huge strides with the advent of computer, software, and the ability to post information on websites. Like all other technological advances, the Internet is simply a tool. In and of itself, it is not good or bad. The value judgment rests in how it is used.
Like so many other blessings given to mankind, the Internet may also be twisted and perverted by evil hearts and minds. The same can be said about almost everything we see and use in our daily lives. Few would think a baseball bat something to be avoided and kept out of our homes at all costs, and yet it has been used at times to purposefully harm others. What about cars? What about books? What about belts? Even something as innocuous as a toothbrush, in the wrong hands, can become a weapon of evil and destruction. So the argument that the Internet can be a dangerous place, while true, is not relevant. Everything is dangerous.
A corollary to this is the idea of proportionate of use. Something becomes evil when more people use it to harm than to uplift. This same argument would use the Crusades to condemn Christianity.
How many times have we read in the scriptures that God preserved a city or a people for the sake of a few righteous souls? If every good and pure heart refrains from using this tool we call Internet for positive purposes, then indeed it shall become a tool of the devil. But what would be the result if instead of avoiding the Internet, every faithful, good-hearted person with access to it began to post positive, uplifting thoughts and stories? What would happen if every Christian with a computer began to bear testimony of Jesus Christ on the Internet? What if random surfing brought not a preponderance of porn, but an inundation of insight, a plethora of positiveness, and a torrent of testimony.
I believe that the Lord will bless and magnify every good and positive voice that speaks in this arena. I believe that as long as good men and women stand up and speak out, the Lord will not allow the filth to consume us.
—Edmund Burke
I’ve heard and read some comments lately that indicate the Internet is a dangerous place and blogs are even worse. We should stay away from it at all costs. There is also the idea that a blogspot page is not an appropriate forum for expressing testimony or talking about the Book of Mormon—the pearls before swine attitude. Being the codependent person that I am, I took some time for deep reflection. Here’s what I came up with.
Technology is a great blessing and a boon to the faithful, to those who use it for good and pure and positive purposes. The Church has multiple websites (which nixes the argument that this is not an appropriate forum). Genealogy has made huge strides with the advent of computer, software, and the ability to post information on websites. Like all other technological advances, the Internet is simply a tool. In and of itself, it is not good or bad. The value judgment rests in how it is used.
Like so many other blessings given to mankind, the Internet may also be twisted and perverted by evil hearts and minds. The same can be said about almost everything we see and use in our daily lives. Few would think a baseball bat something to be avoided and kept out of our homes at all costs, and yet it has been used at times to purposefully harm others. What about cars? What about books? What about belts? Even something as innocuous as a toothbrush, in the wrong hands, can become a weapon of evil and destruction. So the argument that the Internet can be a dangerous place, while true, is not relevant. Everything is dangerous.
A corollary to this is the idea of proportionate of use. Something becomes evil when more people use it to harm than to uplift. This same argument would use the Crusades to condemn Christianity.
How many times have we read in the scriptures that God preserved a city or a people for the sake of a few righteous souls? If every good and pure heart refrains from using this tool we call Internet for positive purposes, then indeed it shall become a tool of the devil. But what would be the result if instead of avoiding the Internet, every faithful, good-hearted person with access to it began to post positive, uplifting thoughts and stories? What would happen if every Christian with a computer began to bear testimony of Jesus Christ on the Internet? What if random surfing brought not a preponderance of porn, but an inundation of insight, a plethora of positiveness, and a torrent of testimony.
I believe that the Lord will bless and magnify every good and positive voice that speaks in this arena. I believe that as long as good men and women stand up and speak out, the Lord will not allow the filth to consume us.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Praising God Amid the Trials (1 Nephi 1:6-16)
Lehi reads from the book of prophecy. He reads of the abominations of his people, their forthcoming hardships, and the eventual destruction of Jerusalem. (v. 13) Since I already know how deeply he cares for his people, I can imagine the heartbreak and sadness this vision would bring. I would expect him to feel sorrowful, discouraged and overwhelmed.
And yet, in the next verse, he praises God, saying, "thy...goodness, and mercy are over all" (v. 14). How can he say that? How can he feel joy and praise God when his world is falling apart all around him?
How? Because he is resting in the arms of the Lord's comfort, fully partaking of His love and mercy on a personal level.
I know that feeling. I know what it is like to feel peace and love for and trust in the Lord when my own world is falling apart. I have felt it. I am feeling it now.
Enfolded in the arms of my Savior's love and mercy, I realize I am truly safe. With the Lord beside me, nothing can hurt me beyond my ability to heal. Should I become ill, He will sustain me. Should I die, He will receive me. Should my business crumble, my children lose their way, relationships dissolve, He will teach me.
Am I saying I will never feel pain or heartache or discouragement? Of course not! But when I do feel the pangs of mortality, whatever they may be, I know where to go to find balm to soothe my soul. If and when I turn to the Lord in fervant prayer, He will bind up and heal my wounds (Jer. 30:17; Jacob 2:8).
I know this because He has healed so many of my wounds already. He is healing me even as I sit here and write this message. It is only when I forget that I know this that the pain and discomfort of mortality become too much to bear. But the moment I turn back to Him, I feel peace enter my heart.
I know what that feels like. I've put it to the test. I have learned, and am still learning, to follow Lehi's example and to praise God amid the trials.
And yet, in the next verse, he praises God, saying, "thy...goodness, and mercy are over all" (v. 14). How can he say that? How can he feel joy and praise God when his world is falling apart all around him?
How? Because he is resting in the arms of the Lord's comfort, fully partaking of His love and mercy on a personal level.
I know that feeling. I know what it is like to feel peace and love for and trust in the Lord when my own world is falling apart. I have felt it. I am feeling it now.
Enfolded in the arms of my Savior's love and mercy, I realize I am truly safe. With the Lord beside me, nothing can hurt me beyond my ability to heal. Should I become ill, He will sustain me. Should I die, He will receive me. Should my business crumble, my children lose their way, relationships dissolve, He will teach me.
Am I saying I will never feel pain or heartache or discouragement? Of course not! But when I do feel the pangs of mortality, whatever they may be, I know where to go to find balm to soothe my soul. If and when I turn to the Lord in fervant prayer, He will bind up and heal my wounds (Jer. 30:17; Jacob 2:8).
I know this because He has healed so many of my wounds already. He is healing me even as I sit here and write this message. It is only when I forget that I know this that the pain and discomfort of mortality become too much to bear. But the moment I turn back to Him, I feel peace enter my heart.
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep [protect] your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)
I know what that feels like. I've put it to the test. I have learned, and am still learning, to follow Lehi's example and to praise God amid the trials.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Called to Be a Prophet (1 Nephi 1:5)
Why was Lehi called to be a prophet?
Because he heard and believed the words of other prophets who said Jerusalem would be destroyed if they did not repent. And then he "prayed unto the Lord...with all his heart, in behalf of his people." (1 Nephi 1:5)
One of the characteristics of all prophets is their great love for their people. Their capacity to love seems to have grown beyond what most of us feel, which is a deep love for family and close friends, then an increasingly diminished, 'generic' love for those we know less well or not at all. Prophets are able to feel that great love for all men, whether they know them or not.
Which brings me to wonder--were they born with this greater capacity to love? Did it come with them as an attribute they developed during pre-mortality? Or did they develop that ability to love here on earth?
If it came with them, is this great love only inherent in and available to those who are born with it? Or can it be learned if one's desire is great enough?
If it is something that can be learned, who taught them? What experiences did they have that encouraged and developed it? How did they learn it? How can I learn it?
Not that I want to be a prophet. But I want to be more like Christ, the greatest 'prophet' of all.
Oh! [light bulb moment] I guess if I became like Christ, it would automatically make me a prophet--in temperament and attribute, if not in calling. I wonder if that's what Moses meant when he said, "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets"? (Numbers 11:29)
Perhaps this great ability to deeply love all mankind, collectively and individually, is neither an inborn quality nor a learned attribute. Perhaps it is something else entirely--a gift from God that we receive as we become more like Him.
Because he heard and believed the words of other prophets who said Jerusalem would be destroyed if they did not repent. And then he "prayed unto the Lord...with all his heart, in behalf of his people." (1 Nephi 1:5)
One of the characteristics of all prophets is their great love for their people. Their capacity to love seems to have grown beyond what most of us feel, which is a deep love for family and close friends, then an increasingly diminished, 'generic' love for those we know less well or not at all. Prophets are able to feel that great love for all men, whether they know them or not.
Which brings me to wonder--were they born with this greater capacity to love? Did it come with them as an attribute they developed during pre-mortality? Or did they develop that ability to love here on earth?
If it came with them, is this great love only inherent in and available to those who are born with it? Or can it be learned if one's desire is great enough?
If it is something that can be learned, who taught them? What experiences did they have that encouraged and developed it? How did they learn it? How can I learn it?
Not that I want to be a prophet. But I want to be more like Christ, the greatest 'prophet' of all.
Oh! [light bulb moment] I guess if I became like Christ, it would automatically make me a prophet--in temperament and attribute, if not in calling. I wonder if that's what Moses meant when he said, "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets"? (Numbers 11:29)
Perhaps this great ability to deeply love all mankind, collectively and individually, is neither an inborn quality nor a learned attribute. Perhaps it is something else entirely--a gift from God that we receive as we become more like Him.
Purposes of the Book of Mormon
In the title page we are told of three purposes of the Book of Mormon:
1. To show us the great things the Lord has done for His people
2. To teach us the covenants we should make with the Lord
3. To convince us that Jesus is the Christ
I'd say the Book of Mormon accomplishes all three very well.
I know there have to be people who have read the Book of Mormon and are not convinced of its truthfulness. But it is hard for me to understand how anyone who reads it with an open and unbiased heart and who prays about it is not also touched by the power and the spirit of God which is so prevalent in the pages of this book. I suppose it is always difficult to imagine experiences, reactions and conclusions that are different from our own.
Books which testify of Christ seem to have a power and spirit that is not found in other books. You can almost feel it from the moment you pick the book up, even before you open its pages. I have never yet read a book which focuses on Christ--whether LDS or other Christian creed--that does not carry that feeling of the spirit of God to some degree.
I agree with someone whose comments I read recently, but whose identity I now, unfortunately, cannot remember, who said that anyone who studies Christ, His life and His teachings, cannot help but become a better person.
I believe that. I've experienced that.
It's a natural law--like, anyone who stands in the rain cannot help but get wet.
1. To show us the great things the Lord has done for His people
2. To teach us the covenants we should make with the Lord
3. To convince us that Jesus is the Christ
I'd say the Book of Mormon accomplishes all three very well.
I know there have to be people who have read the Book of Mormon and are not convinced of its truthfulness. But it is hard for me to understand how anyone who reads it with an open and unbiased heart and who prays about it is not also touched by the power and the spirit of God which is so prevalent in the pages of this book. I suppose it is always difficult to imagine experiences, reactions and conclusions that are different from our own.
Books which testify of Christ seem to have a power and spirit that is not found in other books. You can almost feel it from the moment you pick the book up, even before you open its pages. I have never yet read a book which focuses on Christ--whether LDS or other Christian creed--that does not carry that feeling of the spirit of God to some degree.
I agree with someone whose comments I read recently, but whose identity I now, unfortunately, cannot remember, who said that anyone who studies Christ, His life and His teachings, cannot help but become a better person.
I believe that. I've experienced that.
It's a natural law--like, anyone who stands in the rain cannot help but get wet.
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