Dark and Dreary Waste

I just had an interesting little insight from 1 Nephi 8. Nephi is reciting the words of his father, Lehi:

 5 And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
 6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
 7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

Lehi essentially beheld Christ in this dream (or someone representing Him), who bade Lehi to "follow him". This same invitation is extended to all of us. Christ says to all of us, "Come follow me."

It's interesting to note that when he began to follow Christ he found himself in a dark and dreary waste. When we choose to follow Jesus Christ we aren't choosing an easy life or a life free from sorry and trial. Quite the contrary-- if we are truly following Him then we must pass through trials and tribulations, for that is the way His life was. You can't follow somebody by taking a different road they took.

So why do we follow Christ at all? Why not take the easy road? It's because we know where He is taking us.

 8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.
 9 And it came to pass after I had prayed unto the Lord I beheld a large and spacious field.
 10 And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy.

 Christ has told us of the great happiness and peace and joy that awaits us if we remain faithful. The tree of life symbolizes the love of God, with fruit that represents eternal life. This path that Christ leads us on, through the dark and dreary waste, is the only way to get there.

It's a difficult journey, but we aren't traveling it alone. Christ has walked our paths and borne our sorrows and sufferings. He knows how to guide us through our personal "dark and dreary waste". He knows how to get to the tree of life. He is offering to be our escorts! There may be times when the darkness is so thick that we can't see Him in front of us, there may be times when we are forsaken for a season, but all of these things are for the best. Christ knows what we need. He knows what trials we need to pass through. His promise is that He will help us bear these burdens and cross these roads.

God's entire work is to bring us to that tree of life and to share that fruit with us. That means a lot to me, personally. It helps me have hope when life gets difficult.

God Doesn't Give You Solo Jobs

In 1 Nephi chapter 2, Lehi wished that Lemuel would be steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and that Laman would be continually running to the fountain of all righteousness. This infers, to me, that they did keep the commandments at times, they were just inconsistent and wavering. This is emphasized by the fact that right after they saw the angel who told them the Lord would deliver Laban into their hands, they began to doubt and fear, and thought their task was impossible.

Lehi didn't ask them to start keeping the commandments or to begin running to the fountain of all righteousness, but to be steadfast and to continue.

Nephi, on the other hand, knew that if the Lord gave a commandment, then it wasn’t an impossible task. The Lord would be there to help you accomplish it, if you had faith. (1 Ne. 3:7)

I try really hard to remember that, and to keep faith in the Lord when He commands. But I could certainly do better, especially when things get hard, at remembering this, and 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 Ne. 1:20) He delivered the sons of Lehi from Laban, and delivered Laban into their hands so they might fulfill His (the Lord's) commandments. He will do the same for us, if we have faith. All my life I have seen, again and again, examples of this-- the Lord will help you keep the commandments He gives you.

Christmas Spirit

Every year when Christmas rolls around it's been a tradition for me to get all anxious because I'm not excited enough. Much like another certain short, bald guy in "A Charlie Brown Christmas," I wonder why I'm not feeling the spirit of Christmas like I did as a kid.

But since I've been married my wife has introduced another tradition-- every day in December (leading up to Christmas) she gives me a tiny note with a thought or a scripture on it about Christ, and also a task given that is service-oriented. The intention there is to help me keep my thoughts centered on Christ, and keep me in a charitable mood. That will help me feel the Spirit, which is the spirit of Christmas.

My first task was to "make a list of goals for this month to help feel the Christmas spirit." Since this blog is sort of my spiritual journal, I decided to do that here.

1. I want to focus this month on why Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time-- and that all starts with why the Savior's birth was such a joyful event.
2. I want to serve others-- in small, simple ways, but also I'd like to find a bigger service project for someone in need. This will help me to think of others and to strive for charity.
3. I want to pray every day that I can feel the Spirit this Christmas.
4. I want to do fun Christmas-y things with my wife and kids.

So there you have it! Let me know if you have any suggestions or anything that's worked for you.

Merry Christmas!

Hidden from View?

I love this passage from President Eyring's recent conference address:

Prayerful study of the Book of Mormon will build faith in God the Father, in His Beloved Son, and in His gospel. It will build your faith in God’s prophets, ancient and modern.

It can draw you closer to God than any other book. It can change a life for the better. I urge you to do what a missionary companion of mine did. He had run away from home as a teenager, and someone had placed a Book of Mormon in a box he carried with him in his search for more happiness.

Years passed. He moved from place to place across the world. He was alone and unhappy one day when he saw the box. The box was filled with things he had carried with him. At the bottom of the box, he found the Book of Mormon. He read the promise in it and tested it. He knew it was true. That witness changed his life. He found happiness beyond his fondest dreams.

Your copy of the Book of Mormon may be hidden from your view by cares and attention to all you have accumulated in your journey. I plead with you to drink deeply and often from its pages. It has in it the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the only way home to God.

Service Heals

This is a wonderful story of how service has blessed others who are going through great difficulties.
 

This video touched me deeply because my family has been going through a really tough time the past 6 months. Through the absolutely selfless service of friends, family members, and neighbors, we have been richly blessed during this difficult time. We've had our needs met and our prayers answered.

I can't tell you how much it means to me and my family that others have come to our aid, in ways big and small. Even the tiniest thoughtful acts or kind words have helped to heal our hearts. If you've done anything for us at all during this trial, I want to say thank you.

And if you know someone who's going through a trial, take some time to do a little service for them. It can really provide some hope and healing, and it serves as a reminder to them that our Father in Heaven is watching over them and answering their prayers.

Believe me, that goes a long way.

Got Worries?

Life is challenging. I don't think anyone would disagree with that. It was meant to be challenging. What do we do when we feel overwhelmed?

We should look to God. I love this talk from the last General Conference, given by Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy. Not only does he begin with a powerful object lesson, but he offers some wonderful counsel on how to get through life's challenges.

I love this passage in particular:

Experience has taught me that if we, like President Monson, exercise our faith and look to God for help, we will not be overwhelmed with the burdens of life. We will not feel incapable of doing what we are called to do or need to do. We will be strengthened, and our lives will be filled with peace and joy.

Here is the zinger:

We will come to realize that most of what we worry about is not of eternal significance—and if it is, the Lord will help us. But we must have the faith to look up and the courage to follow His direction.

I've always tried to be a firm believer in 1 Nephi 3:7-- that if God asks us to do something, He will help us do it. I believe this applies to every aspect of our lives that involves some form of commandment from the Lord-- church callings, overcoming addictions, even raising families. If it's something that matters in the long run, God will help us with it. If it doesn't matter so much, why are we worrying so much?

That always seems to help me get through trials-- and it's helping me get through a particularly difficult one right now. I know that what I'm trying to do matters to God, so I know that He is helping me.

What a comforting thought!

Here's the full talk:

A Marvelous Work and a Wonder

I love this talk from Elder L. Whitney Clayton of the Presidency of the Seventy. The growth of the Church never ceases to amaze me. The coolest part about it is that, as Elder Clayton mentions, the growth of the Church means the spreading of the knowledge of a Savior to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people (Mos. 3:20).

Think about that for a second-- the more lives the Gospel touches, the more people are able to come unto Christ, learn of Him and enter on the road to salvation and exaltation. This truly is His work, and I hope to be able to contribute to its growth in any way I can (even through this small and simple blog).

I encourage you to think of a way you can share the Gospel too, and perhaps help somebody come to know their Savior.

Thank Heaven!

2 Nephi 9: 6-12:

For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.

Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.

And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.

And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

How awesome is this? This is the central message of the Gospel-- that through Christ we can overcome sin and death and be brought back into the presence of the Father.

It's overwhelming to think of how it would be otherwise! We would live these lives of ours without any hope, without any joy, for we would know that only death and misery loom ahead.

But because of Jesus Christ, our lives can be joyful and full of hope! I am so grateful for that!

Without Love...

This morning I listened to this talk from President Uchtdorf (in the Sunday morning session of April's Conference) about Christlike love. How powerful! It's amazing how often I forget that without charity, I am nothing. I love how President Uchtdorf presents this message-- that everybody is a V.I.P. to the Lord, and so should be to us. This is something that I really struggle with-- I judge too quickly, get angry too easily, feel too entitled, and forget how small and insignificant I really am. I tend to think too highly of myself and not highly enough of others, when it should probably be the other way around.

I need to listen to this talk again, I think, and really try to focus on how to love others in a Christlike way.

I hope you'll read this talk again, too.

Give Place No More

I just wanted to post a link to Elder Holland's most recent Conference talk. This is an amazing discourse on the difference between love and lust, and the opposing fruits they produce. I especially like this portion:

Like thieves in the night, unwelcome thoughts can and do seek entrance to our minds. But we don’t have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets, and then tell them where the silverware is kept! (You shouldn’t be serving tea anyway.) Throw the rascals out! Replace lewd thoughts with hopeful images and joyful memories; picture the faces of those who love you and would be shattered if you let them down. More than one man has been saved from sin or stupidity by remembering the face of his mother, his wife, or his child waiting somewhere for him at home. Whatever thoughts you have, make sure they are welcome in your heart by invitation only.

We need to be sure that we don't let the adversary take control of our lives. The truth is we are behind the wheel-- and it's only when we let him take the driver's seat that he can take us where he wants us to be (which is a little town called "Misery"). It's amazing to fathom that-- why would we ever let him drive? Why would we give place to the enemy of our souls? I guess a lot of it comes down to the way sin is presented. The world is awash with messages of how appealing it is, how fun it is, even sometimes how right it is!

But none of that is the truth. I guess the important thing is to keep the Holy Ghost with us to help us know the truth (and remember it). It's a hard thing to "always remember". But we certainly can do it, with help from the Lord.

From the Book of Omni (Really!)

I was reading in the Book of Mormon, and came across this wonderful pearl in the Book of Omni, verse 26:

And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.

Isn't that an amazing passage of scripture? We need to consecrate everything we are to our Lord Jesus Christ. We really do need to give Him our souls, and see what He is able to make of us.

Moral Discipline

Elder D. Todd Christofferson's most recent Conference address is AMAZING. Again, if the world (and myself) could really apply this to everyday living, how different things could be!

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-34,00.html

The Ultimate Operation

Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Seventy gave an AMAZING talk this past Conference. He likened heart transplants to spiritual change, and noted that both require not just the initial procedure but consistent effort to maintain the operation. He said:

To endure to the end, we need to be eager to please God and worship Him with fervor and passion. This means that we maintain faith in Jesus Christ by praying, studying the scriptures, partaking of the sacrament each week, and having the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. We need to actively help and serve others and share the gospel with them. We need to be perfectly upright and honest in all things, never compromising our covenants with God or our commitments to men, regardless of circumstances. In our homes we need to talk of, rejoice in, and preach of Christ so that our children—and we ourselves—will desire to apply the Atonement in our lives.10 We must identify temptations that easily beset us and put them out of reach—way out of reach. Finally, we need to frequently biopsy our mightily changed hearts and reverse any signs of early rejection.

Please consider the state of your changed heart. Do you detect any rejection setting in as a result of the tendency of the natural man to become casual? If so, find a place where you too can kneel. Remember, more than mortal years on this earth are at stake. Do not risk forfeiting the fruits of the ultimate operation: eternal salvation and exaltation.

This Talk Would Change the World

Amazing stuff by President Thomas S. Monson. If everyone tried harder to not get angry so easily (including myself), most of the world's problems would vanish. How huge is that?

Work and Learn

This is an awesome talk by President Uchtdorf from the most recent Priesthood Session. He notes that two things can help us get through difficult times: work and learning.

I can't say enough about how wonderful this talk is; it's quite inspiring, and I think it would do wonders if everyone in the country would read it and apply it.

Here's the link: http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-19,00.html

God of Truth

Reading Elder Walter F. González's talk from this past General Conference, I came across an interesting point.... see for yourself:

...the brother of Jared recognized that the Lord was a God of truth; therefore, He could not lie. What great hope this attribute brings to my soul! All the promises in the Book of Mormon and the promises given by the living prophets today will be fulfilled because He is God and cannot lie. Even in these turbulent times, we know that things will be OK if we follow the teachings learned from the Book of Mormon and the living prophets. Once we learn about an attribute of Christ, such as the one recognized by the brother of Jared, we should work to implement it in our own life.

Amazing insight, eh? I never thought of it that way.

Scripture of the Week: Glad Tidings

(We'll try bringing this Scripture of the Week thing back...)
I was reading in Mosiah 3 this morning, and I realized that the message that the angel brought to King Benjamin is really quite Christmas-y! We read of all the angels who brought glad tidings of great joy to many saints in the decades leading up to Christ's birth, and this is certainly one of them! Here is part of that message:

3) And he said unto me: Awake, and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy.
4) For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, and hath judged of thy righteousness, and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, that they may also be filled with joy.
5) For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases.
6) And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
7) And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
8) And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.
9) And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
10) And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

Also, I think this is what I need to focus on more at Christmas time.... the actual mission of our Savior, not just His miraculous birth. The true joy of celebrating His birth is in remembering His Atonement and Resurrection, and the marvelous gifts He has made available to us.

Love and Law

Great talk by Elder Oaks in this past General Conference. He spoke on the concept--and importance-- of love and law, and how they actually go hand-in-hand (as opposed to what many think-- that love should overpower law).

A few of my favorite quotes:

There is no greater evidence of the infinite power and perfection of God’s love than is declared by the Apostle John: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16)....Think how it must have grieved our Heavenly Father to send His Son to endure incomprehensible suffering for our sins. That is the greatest evidence of His love for each of us!

God’s love is so perfect that He lovingly requires us to obey His commandments because He knows that only through obedience to His laws can we become perfect, as He is. For this reason, God’s anger and His wrath are not a contradiction of His love but an evidence of His love.

The effect of God’s commandments and laws is not changed to accommodate popular behavior or desires. If anyone thinks that godly or parental love for an individual grants the loved one license to disobey the law, he or she does not understand either love or law.

God loves us so much that He gave us laws and the ability to choose to obey them or not. If we choose wisely, we can become as He is.

Teaching

If you are a teacher in the Church today (which every member is in some capacity), you need to read this talk that President Osguthorpe gave in the most recent General Conference. It is amazing-- it will change the way you teach.

http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-5,00.html

Children Are Our Future

Being a dad rocks. Our little girl is only two months old, but already everything I've focused on in my life has shifted (just like when I got married). Families are not only the basic unit of society (the only lifestyle choice, coupled with Gospel living, in which to find true happiness and fulfillment), but they help us come ever closer to Christ.

In the two years since my wife and I have been married (and especially in the last two months since we've been joined by our little one), I have learned more (and struggled more) about becoming unselfish, loving unconditionally, and finding what it takes to be a real man.

I invite you to read this talk by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, given at a recent Congress of Families in Amsterdam.