This morning, in the middle of something important, I suddenly had a flashback to a youth conference that I went to a number of years ago at Martin's Cove in Wyoming. There were a couple hundred people at the conference and we were all gathered in a big circle, watching the competitions and games that were happening.
One of the games that they played was tug of war. They played multiple times, each time with a different group of teenagers and leaders. Finally, they said that the final round of tug of war would be my father against anyone else.
My dad went up to the rope, picked it up, wrapped it around himself to give him better leverage, and waited for people to pick up the other end of the rope. There was much laughter as a couple of young men tried their hardest to pull my dad off of his feet with no luck. In fact, my dad simply yanked on the rope and pulled the young men across the mid-line. A couple more people joined the first two with no success.
The leaders called up a few more teenagers in addition to the ones already there. Even with the added strength, my dad just dug in his heels and held on, pulling the group across the line and to their knees.
Finally they called in the troops!
A number of teenagers volunteered to put their strength and their heart into pulling my father across the little line scratched into the dry ground. A leader came up to me and said, "Go help them!" I felt rather awkward in light of the fact that I was inwardly cheering for my dad! Reluctantly I took the gloves handed to me and walked to the back of the rope. Grabbing ahold of the rope, this now much larger group of teenagers pulled and tugged and finally succeeded in pulling my father to the ground and across the line.
Thinking about that experience this morning made me smile and then laugh. We had to try so hard to pull one man across a thin line in the desert ground!
Then I pondered on some of the things I am asked to do as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:
How can I put the kind of passion into talking to everyone that my friends were putting into pulling my father across a line?
How can I, as a representative of Jesus Christ, serve Him with all of my heart, might, mind, and strength?
I then pondered on Christ's sacrifice for each and every one of us and all that we can do and become because of that selfless act. I know that as we work to come unto Christ and to invite others to come unto Christ, we will succeed to overcoming our challenges and trials. Even though our trials may seem insurmountable, and even when we may try again and again with little to no obvious success, eventually, "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ." (Preach My Gospel) Through Him, we can overcome all things. #BecauseofHim
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Little Lights, Important Warnings
We were on the way to a baptism that was 30 minutes away. We jumped into the car and the moment that the car turned on, a little light began flashing on the dashboard.
"Oh, no..."
"What?"
"I think we have a flat tire."
We reluctantly got back out of the car into the pouring rain. Looking at the tire there was no doubt in our minds that the tire needed to be changed before we could safely go anywhere. My companion looked at the job at hand and said, "Ok. Do you have a jack?"
The woman we were with looked at her. "What? Do you know how to change a tire?"
I answered for my companion: "She's done it many times. No worries."
My companion proceeded to find all of the equipment that was in the recesses of the trunk and take off and replace the tire. Meanwhile, it began raining even harder than before.
Finally the tire was replaced and we were on our way, slowly, to the baptism. The next day, the car was taken to the shop and the tire fully replaced. All was well.
There have been times in my life when a little light has gone off. That little flashing light, be it a sore throat, guilt for something said, or tears, are warnings that something isn't right. President Boyd K. Packer said, "All of us sometime, and some of us much of the time, suffer remorse of conscience from things we did wrong or things left undone. That feeling of guilt is to the spirit what pain is to the physical body.
"Oh, no...""What?"
"I think we have a flat tire."
We reluctantly got back out of the car into the pouring rain. Looking at the tire there was no doubt in our minds that the tire needed to be changed before we could safely go anywhere. My companion looked at the job at hand and said, "Ok. Do you have a jack?"
The woman we were with looked at her. "What? Do you know how to change a tire?"
I answered for my companion: "She's done it many times. No worries."
My companion proceeded to find all of the equipment that was in the recesses of the trunk and take off and replace the tire. Meanwhile, it began raining even harder than before.
Finally the tire was replaced and we were on our way, slowly, to the baptism. The next day, the car was taken to the shop and the tire fully replaced. All was well.
There have been times in my life when a little light has gone off. That little flashing light, be it a sore throat, guilt for something said, or tears, are warnings that something isn't right. President Boyd K. Packer said, "All of us sometime, and some of us much of the time, suffer remorse of conscience from things we did wrong or things left undone. That feeling of guilt is to the spirit what pain is to the physical body.
But guilt can be harder to bear than physical pain. Physical pain is nature’s warning system that signals something needs to be changed or cleansed or treated, perhaps even removed by surgery. Guilt, the pain of our conscience, cannot be healed the same way." (The Touch of the Master's Hand, April 2001)
God has given us "flashing lights" so that we can turn to Him to be healed, both physically and spiritually. If we follow the instructions implicitly given with the warning - to turn to Someone who can help us - then we can begin the process of fixing the problem immediately. However, if we do not take the time to fix the problem and to seek help from those who can help us, then we will run into trouble further down the line.
If my companion and I had ignored that flashing light and had tried to drive to the baptism without checking and eventually changing the tire, we would not have made it very far. The same principle applies to sin and to the guilt that comes as we sin. If we ignore that guilt and do not seek to repent, change and return to God, that guilt will continue to grow until it is an undeniable weight. When we stop and check and change a tire before we get onto the highway, it takes time but it is a simple fix. When we wait until we are on the edge of a highway to change a tire, it becomes a little bit more difficult. When we hold onto sin it becomes harder, as time passes, to let it go. However, if we are willing to be humble and seek the Lord's help and the healing and cleansing power of Christ's Atoning sacrifice, the weight of sin and guilt can be lifted and we can receive the comfort and strength that we need and have our burdens removed from our hearts.
May we ever seek immediate repentance and cleansing through the Savior's sacrifice. If we turn to God in prayer and humble ourselves before Him, "...then is [Christ's] grace sufficient for [us]...and...then will [He] make weak things become strong." (Ether 12:27)
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Physical Road Signs, Spiritual Blessings
Why do we have road signs?
They're just big, metal signs on poles.
Why do we have road signs? Especially in parking lots. I always thought they were pretty useless. Until my sister started driving.
She had mocked me plenty when I started driving so I decided to 'pay her back.' She was going to drive our 15-passenger van and so I hopped into the back with my homework, ready to have a grand time.
We got to a parking lot and my sister practiced driving and stopping and following the lane lines and the street signs. I thought I would have a lot of laughs. That, unfortunately, was not the case. In fact, I think I shrieked a couple of times.
The road signs were difficult for my sister to follow because she was trying to focus on so many things at once. She began to feel overwhelmed and didn't know which part of driving was most important for her to put more of her attention into. (I'm sure that my stifled screams didn't help the situation.)
I have noticed that when I have too many things on my plate, I tend to begin to feel overwhelmed and then I lose perception of which things are most important. Just like road signs that are tucked away on the side of the road, I forget that the little things, like reading my scriptures and going to bed on time, are the most important things that I could be doing.
Yet those road signs keep us in the correct lanes, keep us going the correct direction, help to know which road leads where. Without these little signs, many of us would be very, very lost.
Likewise, the "little" commandments - scripture study, continual prayer, fasting, going to church, etc - can be overlooked. However, lots of trouble comes from overlooking these simple steps. It was difficult for my sister to focus on the road signs but when she finally did, driving came much more easily and was much more safe.
In Doctrine and Covenants 29:34, the Lord says, "...all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal..."
All things are for our spiritual, as well as temporal, well-being. The road signs of life are to bless us and bring us in closer harmony with God's will for us as His children. He will never give us a law that serves no purpose.
Let's follow the little road signs of life and God has promised that, "when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21)
They're just big, metal signs on poles.
Why do we have road signs? Especially in parking lots. I always thought they were pretty useless. Until my sister started driving.
She had mocked me plenty when I started driving so I decided to 'pay her back.' She was going to drive our 15-passenger van and so I hopped into the back with my homework, ready to have a grand time.
We got to a parking lot and my sister practiced driving and stopping and following the lane lines and the street signs. I thought I would have a lot of laughs. That, unfortunately, was not the case. In fact, I think I shrieked a couple of times.
The road signs were difficult for my sister to follow because she was trying to focus on so many things at once. She began to feel overwhelmed and didn't know which part of driving was most important for her to put more of her attention into. (I'm sure that my stifled screams didn't help the situation.)
I have noticed that when I have too many things on my plate, I tend to begin to feel overwhelmed and then I lose perception of which things are most important. Just like road signs that are tucked away on the side of the road, I forget that the little things, like reading my scriptures and going to bed on time, are the most important things that I could be doing.
Yet those road signs keep us in the correct lanes, keep us going the correct direction, help to know which road leads where. Without these little signs, many of us would be very, very lost.
Likewise, the "little" commandments - scripture study, continual prayer, fasting, going to church, etc - can be overlooked. However, lots of trouble comes from overlooking these simple steps. It was difficult for my sister to focus on the road signs but when she finally did, driving came much more easily and was much more safe.
In Doctrine and Covenants 29:34, the Lord says, "...all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal..."
All things are for our spiritual, as well as temporal, well-being. The road signs of life are to bless us and bring us in closer harmony with God's will for us as His children. He will never give us a law that serves no purpose.
Let's follow the little road signs of life and God has promised that, "when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21)
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Born to Win
It is possible that there will be times throughout our lives when we will feel inadequate, useless, unworthy, and/or like a failure. These thoughts are common. Yet they are not from God. We are taught, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." (Articles of Faith 1:13) In this case, "we THINK after these things."
God did not place us here on this earth to feel that we are inadequate, unworthy or unloved. His purpose in placing us here on the earth was to "prove [us] now herewith, to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command [us]." (Abraham 3:25) In fact, His work and His glory is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses1:39)
God wants us to succeed. He wants us to accomplish our purpose here, which is to prepare to meet God. (Alma 34:32)
God has promised that He would prepare a way for us to do all things that are required of us. He has also said that the way that we will be able to accomplish all these things is through the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (1 Nephi 3:7)
God has created us to do, to accomplish, to fight, to win. We are here on the earth for a purpose that is specific to each of us and God will help us to fulfill that purpose as we trust in Him.
In other words, we were born to win.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
For 3 or for 48
For those of you not living in Northern Virginia right now, we got a whopping 48 hours worth of rain, snow, sleet, hail, and various other types of precipitation. It finally stopped and the sun came out! It has been glorious to be outside ever since the rain stopped. There's a light breeze, the sun is shining, there are no clouds to cover the bright blue sky.
When the rain started my companion and I commented, "We really hope this only lasts a little while....'cause...it needs to be warm."
We were helping someone move and as we were putting boxes and bags and furniture into their van the precipitation didn't calm down. It didn't leave. In fact, it started to rain even harder. Bah.
The next morning we woke up and it was STILL raining! Land sakes! I was starting to get a little irked. I just wanted spring to finally come and all we were getting was cold and rain and wind!
For the rest of the day we were rained on and then it turned to snowy-slush and then back to rain. I love rainy days. I think they're beautiful, but when there is no reprieve, I eventually begin to feel like I'm being drowned and I miss having color in the world.
When the rain finally let up my companion said, "You never know if it's going to rain for 3 hours or for 48!"
For most people that would seem like a normal comment about the weather. It really struck me, though.
Everyone goes through trials. Everyone has their share of hard times and struggles. Over the past little while there have been trials faced that made me ask, "How much longer is this going to last?" My companion gave me the answer: "You never know if it's going to rain for 3 hours or for 48."
I don't know how long my trials may last. In fact, I don't know what kinds of trials I will face throughout my life. I do know, however, that the Lord has promised blessings to those who keep going, who endure to the end. One of my favorite scriptures says, "My [child], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7,8)
May we ever remember the Lord's promise that "...all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good....hold on thy way...for God shall be with you forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7,9)
When the rain started my companion and I commented, "We really hope this only lasts a little while....'cause...it needs to be warm."
We were helping someone move and as we were putting boxes and bags and furniture into their van the precipitation didn't calm down. It didn't leave. In fact, it started to rain even harder. Bah.
The next morning we woke up and it was STILL raining! Land sakes! I was starting to get a little irked. I just wanted spring to finally come and all we were getting was cold and rain and wind!
For the rest of the day we were rained on and then it turned to snowy-slush and then back to rain. I love rainy days. I think they're beautiful, but when there is no reprieve, I eventually begin to feel like I'm being drowned and I miss having color in the world.
When the rain finally let up my companion said, "You never know if it's going to rain for 3 hours or for 48!"
For most people that would seem like a normal comment about the weather. It really struck me, though.
Everyone goes through trials. Everyone has their share of hard times and struggles. Over the past little while there have been trials faced that made me ask, "How much longer is this going to last?" My companion gave me the answer: "You never know if it's going to rain for 3 hours or for 48."
I don't know how long my trials may last. In fact, I don't know what kinds of trials I will face throughout my life. I do know, however, that the Lord has promised blessings to those who keep going, who endure to the end. One of my favorite scriptures says, "My [child], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:7,8)
May we ever remember the Lord's promise that "...all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good....hold on thy way...for God shall be with you forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7,9)
Friday, March 28, 2014
I Chose to Let Go
I remember a family party that I went to a few years ago. I was probably 15 years old. My entire family was there. The swimming pool was beautifully cool and the deck was covered with people eating and laughing. I was off in the corner eating and reading a book as per the usual.
After a little while my dad came over and asked why I wasn't swimming, since I'm generally the first one in the pool. I told him that I was reading and maybe I would get in later. He laughed and proceeded to grab my arm and pull me towards the edge of the pool. I, of course, tossed my book and whatever else I was holding, made sure nothing was in my pockets, and tried to get away.
(For those of you who don't know my father, you need to understand that my dad is 6'7" and 350 pounds.)
My escape attempt was unsuccessful and I began to squirm, trying to find some way to make him let go of my arm. Again, I was unsuccessful.
All this while I was being dragged to the edge of the water.
Finally, after what seemed like a year of hollering at my dad, he held me over the edge of the water and...just held me there! I was still squirming and fighting with all my strength but to no avail. I couldn't get out of his grip without falling into the water and I couldn't get to shore because my dad's arms were too long and my toes were barely gripping the edge as it was.
I gave up. I let go of him and into the water I went.
I was mad. He had let me fall! He had, in effect, pushed me off the cliff! He had dropped me into thin air!
This morning I was reading a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, "The Inconvenient Messiah." The talk was very powerful and one line in particular caught my attention: "...if your prayers don't always seem answered, take heart. One greater than you...cried, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani...My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" If sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."
There are times in our lives when we pray and we plead and we pray some more that our trials may be taken from us. Even Christ, while performing the Atonement, asked, "If thou be willing, remove this cup from me..." But, in this supreme expression of love and submission He added, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)
We were placed here on the earth in order to gain bodies and to learn and grow through the trials and tribulations that we would suffer. There are times when we will feel like we are hanging over the cliff. There will be times when we feel that we are not able to pull ourselves to safety.
In these times, remember the promise that "the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)
In that moment, hanging over the edge of the swimming pool, I let go of my father's arm. I gave up on him and on myself. He never shook me off of his arm. I chose to let go.
No matter how far over the edge we may be or we may feel, God will never let go of us for, "the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee..." (3 Nephi 22:10) His arm is continually stretched out to us. All we have to do is accept His help. We must take His hand and trust that, though He may not deliver us from all of our trials immediately, we will be blessed that we will not fall.
After a little while my dad came over and asked why I wasn't swimming, since I'm generally the first one in the pool. I told him that I was reading and maybe I would get in later. He laughed and proceeded to grab my arm and pull me towards the edge of the pool. I, of course, tossed my book and whatever else I was holding, made sure nothing was in my pockets, and tried to get away.
(For those of you who don't know my father, you need to understand that my dad is 6'7" and 350 pounds.)
My escape attempt was unsuccessful and I began to squirm, trying to find some way to make him let go of my arm. Again, I was unsuccessful.
All this while I was being dragged to the edge of the water.
Finally, after what seemed like a year of hollering at my dad, he held me over the edge of the water and...just held me there! I was still squirming and fighting with all my strength but to no avail. I couldn't get out of his grip without falling into the water and I couldn't get to shore because my dad's arms were too long and my toes were barely gripping the edge as it was.
I gave up. I let go of him and into the water I went.
I was mad. He had let me fall! He had, in effect, pushed me off the cliff! He had dropped me into thin air!
This morning I was reading a talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland entitled, "The Inconvenient Messiah." The talk was very powerful and one line in particular caught my attention: "...if your prayers don't always seem answered, take heart. One greater than you...cried, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani...My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" If sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived."
There are times in our lives when we pray and we plead and we pray some more that our trials may be taken from us. Even Christ, while performing the Atonement, asked, "If thou be willing, remove this cup from me..." But, in this supreme expression of love and submission He added, "Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." (Luke 22:42)
We were placed here on the earth in order to gain bodies and to learn and grow through the trials and tribulations that we would suffer. There are times when we will feel like we are hanging over the cliff. There will be times when we feel that we are not able to pull ourselves to safety.
In these times, remember the promise that "the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)
In that moment, hanging over the edge of the swimming pool, I let go of my father's arm. I gave up on him and on myself. He never shook me off of his arm. I chose to let go.
No matter how far over the edge we may be or we may feel, God will never let go of us for, "the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee..." (3 Nephi 22:10) His arm is continually stretched out to us. All we have to do is accept His help. We must take His hand and trust that, though He may not deliver us from all of our trials immediately, we will be blessed that we will not fall.
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Where is my Heart?
I will be the last one to tell you that a mission is easy.
I will be the first to tell you that it is worth it.
You see so many miracles, testifying that God is in the details of your life and in the lives of those you serve.
You see the Gospel change hearts and minds, especially your own.
You hear wonderful words of counsel, both from the Holy Spirit and from your inspired leaders who have been called of God.
You have the chance to help others "taste as [you] have tasted, and...see eye to eye as [you] have seen." (Alma 36:26)
Most importantly, you are being an instrument in the Lord's hand to further His work here upon the earth.
Just last weekend I had the opportunity to hear words of counsel from my mission president. He said something that really struck me. He quoted Elder David A. Bednar who said that 'heart' in the scriptures is, "The sum total of our desires, affections, intention, motives and attitudes. Thus, our hearts determine who we are and what we will become."
The heart is so important. It is the center of physical well-being. Without our heart, we would not be able to live. Besides being for our physical well-being, our heart is what the Lord sees. For, the Lord sees "not as man seeth...for the Lord looketh on the heart."* He sees our desires, our affections, our intentions, our motives and our attitudes.
There is a list of questions that ask, in a nutshell, 'where is my heart?' in any given situation.
What are my desires?
Where are my affections?
What are my intentions?
What are my motives?
What is my attitude?
As I asked these questions, I realized just how deep of a self-evaluation these questions were. They made me think about everything I did, how I did it, and why I did it.
And that is the point of this life: to find out where our hearts are and to put our hearts in the right place so that we will be prepared to return to the presence of God. (Alma 34:32)
Our hearts need to be in line with the Lord's will for us. We can seek to understand His will as we pray. In the Bible Dictionary it tells us that, "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God..." Through sincere prayer we can come to know for ourselves the things that God will require of each of us personally and individually.
*1 Samuel 16:7
I will be the first to tell you that it is worth it.
You see so many miracles, testifying that God is in the details of your life and in the lives of those you serve.
You see the Gospel change hearts and minds, especially your own.
You hear wonderful words of counsel, both from the Holy Spirit and from your inspired leaders who have been called of God.
You have the chance to help others "taste as [you] have tasted, and...see eye to eye as [you] have seen." (Alma 36:26)
Most importantly, you are being an instrument in the Lord's hand to further His work here upon the earth.
Just last weekend I had the opportunity to hear words of counsel from my mission president. He said something that really struck me. He quoted Elder David A. Bednar who said that 'heart' in the scriptures is, "The sum total of our desires, affections, intention, motives and attitudes. Thus, our hearts determine who we are and what we will become."
The heart is so important. It is the center of physical well-being. Without our heart, we would not be able to live. Besides being for our physical well-being, our heart is what the Lord sees. For, the Lord sees "not as man seeth...for the Lord looketh on the heart."* He sees our desires, our affections, our intentions, our motives and our attitudes.
There is a list of questions that ask, in a nutshell, 'where is my heart?' in any given situation.
What are my desires?
Where are my affections?
What are my intentions?
What are my motives?
What is my attitude?
As I asked these questions, I realized just how deep of a self-evaluation these questions were. They made me think about everything I did, how I did it, and why I did it.
And that is the point of this life: to find out where our hearts are and to put our hearts in the right place so that we will be prepared to return to the presence of God. (Alma 34:32)
Our hearts need to be in line with the Lord's will for us. We can seek to understand His will as we pray. In the Bible Dictionary it tells us that, "Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God..." Through sincere prayer we can come to know for ourselves the things that God will require of each of us personally and individually.
*1 Samuel 16:7
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