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Friday, September 18, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Trials
A young convert to the church in Mexico interrupted his schooling to go on a mission. When he returned, the school would not accept him back again. He had to attend another university that would only accept one year of his three years of study. (Ensign Sept. 2009)
The people of Ammon laid down their weapons of war when they embraced the truth of the gospel. When the Lamanites came to destroy them, they refused to raise their weapons against them. The Lamanites killed over 1000 of them.
Joseph Smith, a prophet of God, suffered being tarred and feathered multiple times. He suffered the loss of children. In Liberty Jail he was extremely sick from being poisoned and from being exposed to very cold temperatures. And ultimately, he suffered death for the gospel.
It doesn't seem fair. These were righteous people. And these are only a few examples. There are as many examples of righteous people suffering as there are righteous people. So why does God allow the suffering of His people?
The other day I asked my 5th grade class what it would be like if I gave them 1st grade work everyday. They said it would be easy. Then I asked them if they would learn anything from it. They all agreed that they wouldn't learn anything.
Then we talked about how they could expect challenges this year that would cause them to struggle and even to become frustrated, but if they didn't give up, their knowledge and skills would increase.
It's easy to see how that works in school. It's sometimes more difficult to accept in life. Too often we want 1st grade work when we are on a 5th grade level. We want life to be easy - to be free from trials and sorrows.
But a wise Heavenly Father knows that we'd never learn and grow if life were easy. We'd never turn to Him for help if we never needed help. If we never turned to HIm, we would never come to know Him.
I read an article somewhere once that said something like this: Fair means giving each individual what he/she needs.
I often have to remind myself that God knows all from the beginning to the end. My own vision is extremely limited. What may not seem fair is probably exactly what I need to help me to learn and to grow.
Some of our trials are the direct result of our own choices. Some are the result of other's choices, and some are just the result of living on this earth.
No matter the cause of our trials, a loving Father in Heaven can use these trials, if we let Him, to guide us in learning so that we can one day return and live with Him.
"This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)
His full time job is to help us return to Him. We are in a school of life. We are going to experience all kinds of struggles and sorrows, but if we will turn to the greatest teacher of us all, He will teach us everything we need to learn.
The people of Ammon laid down their weapons of war when they embraced the truth of the gospel. When the Lamanites came to destroy them, they refused to raise their weapons against them. The Lamanites killed over 1000 of them.
Joseph Smith, a prophet of God, suffered being tarred and feathered multiple times. He suffered the loss of children. In Liberty Jail he was extremely sick from being poisoned and from being exposed to very cold temperatures. And ultimately, he suffered death for the gospel.
It doesn't seem fair. These were righteous people. And these are only a few examples. There are as many examples of righteous people suffering as there are righteous people. So why does God allow the suffering of His people?
The other day I asked my 5th grade class what it would be like if I gave them 1st grade work everyday. They said it would be easy. Then I asked them if they would learn anything from it. They all agreed that they wouldn't learn anything.
Then we talked about how they could expect challenges this year that would cause them to struggle and even to become frustrated, but if they didn't give up, their knowledge and skills would increase.
It's easy to see how that works in school. It's sometimes more difficult to accept in life. Too often we want 1st grade work when we are on a 5th grade level. We want life to be easy - to be free from trials and sorrows.
But a wise Heavenly Father knows that we'd never learn and grow if life were easy. We'd never turn to Him for help if we never needed help. If we never turned to HIm, we would never come to know Him.
I read an article somewhere once that said something like this: Fair means giving each individual what he/she needs.
I often have to remind myself that God knows all from the beginning to the end. My own vision is extremely limited. What may not seem fair is probably exactly what I need to help me to learn and to grow.
Some of our trials are the direct result of our own choices. Some are the result of other's choices, and some are just the result of living on this earth.
No matter the cause of our trials, a loving Father in Heaven can use these trials, if we let Him, to guide us in learning so that we can one day return and live with Him.
"This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)
His full time job is to help us return to Him. We are in a school of life. We are going to experience all kinds of struggles and sorrows, but if we will turn to the greatest teacher of us all, He will teach us everything we need to learn.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
SIGNS
Sometimes I look back at tragic things that have happened in my life and I wonder why I didn't recognize at the time certain signs that seem so obvious to me now that had I recognized them then, I could possibly have avoided the tragedies.
I think it has to do with the amount of knowledge that we have at the time. The more knowledge we have about something, the more we are able to recognize the related signs.
For example, last night, while camping, we were playing this werewolf game. The werewolves were trying to kill the villagers and the villagers were trying to kill the werewolves. The problem was that the only person who knew who the villagers and werewolves were was the leader of the game, and she couldn't tell us. We voted each round to kill someone hoping that it would be a werewolf, but we often killed villagers instead.
At the end of one game, the leader said, "Why didn't you vote to kill so and so? Couldn't you tell that when he did (whatever it was he did, I can't remember) it was a sure sign that he was a werewolf?"
To her it was a sure sign because she already knew he was the werewolf, but to those of us who didn't know, it didn't mean anything at all.
So that got me thinking how signs are already everywhere around us, but we only recognize those signs when we have enough knowledge about the subject.
Korihor, in the Book of Mormon (Alma 30), wanted to be given a sign before he would believe there was a God. Alma told him that there were signs all around him. Either he didn't recognize the signs due to a lack of knowledge, or because of a hard heart, he was unable to see them.
Satan wants to keep us from seeing those signs.
3 Ne. 1:22
"...there began to be lyings sent forth among the people, by Satan, to harden their hearts, to the intent that they might not believe in those signs and wonders which they had seen..."
It may appear that there are two different reasons why we do not see signs - lack of knowledge and a hard heart, but I think they are totally related. The more knowledge we have, the less likely we are to believe Satan's lies. If we do not believe Satan's lies, our hearts will not be hardened.
People today are not much different from the people of Alma's day. We often want to see the signs before we commit to believing. Many people in Alma's day said they would believe if they were just shown a sign so that they would know for sure. (Alma 32:17)
They didn't realize that the signs were already all around them. In order to see the signs they needed to "exercise a particle of faith" keeping in mind that "faith is not to have a perfect knowledge", but it does mean that we need to gain more knowledge by an "experiment upon the word".
In other words, the more we know and understand the words of Christ and practice them in our lives, the more we will see the signs that confirm in our hearts and minds that they are true.
There are signs in our every day lives that if we pay attention can help us to avoid some of the tragedies or pitfalls of life. Likewise, there are spiritual signs that if we pay attention to them will help us to increase our faith and testimony.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Making Our Loads Lighter
Last night I had a dream that was very realistic (unusual for me!) and the message of the dream was actually part of it.
I dreamed that I was driving a big new pickup truck (okay, not very realistic!). The truck was pulling a fairly large trailer similar to a horse trailer. I arrived at a bridge and had to stop because the load I was carrying was too heavy. Whoever was in charge told me that I needed to get rid of things that really didn't matter. I pulled things from various nooks and crannies in the truck and tossed them over my shoulder.
Everytime I thought I was finished, the man would shake his head and tell me to remove more stuff. As I was removing all the junk from the truck, the thought went through my mind that this was an allegory to life:
Oftentimes we are carrying heavy loads in our lives. They might be spiritual loads for which we need to repent or forgive, or they might be physical loads due to having too much and we may need to simplify. Either way, there really is no reason to carry so much - it makes life difficult and we often suffer unnecessarily because of it.
I dreamed that I was driving a big new pickup truck (okay, not very realistic!). The truck was pulling a fairly large trailer similar to a horse trailer. I arrived at a bridge and had to stop because the load I was carrying was too heavy. Whoever was in charge told me that I needed to get rid of things that really didn't matter. I pulled things from various nooks and crannies in the truck and tossed them over my shoulder.
Everytime I thought I was finished, the man would shake his head and tell me to remove more stuff. As I was removing all the junk from the truck, the thought went through my mind that this was an allegory to life:
Oftentimes we are carrying heavy loads in our lives. They might be spiritual loads for which we need to repent or forgive, or they might be physical loads due to having too much and we may need to simplify. Either way, there really is no reason to carry so much - it makes life difficult and we often suffer unnecessarily because of it.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Predicting the Future
One of my most favorite books is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. It is about a young shepherd boy named Santiago who is on a quest to follow his dream. At one point in the story he meets a seer and wishes to be told his future. The seer wisely told him:
"If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur."
I think the advice that followed was even more important:
"When people consult me, it's not that I'm reading the future; I am guessing at the future. The future belongs to God, and it is only He who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstance. How do I guess at the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity."
This also reminds me of a song by Janice Kapp Perry:
THE WOMEN YOU’LL BE SOMEDAY….
I see an old woman rocking there.
The sun shining softly on her silver hair.
I wonder the secrets she holds deep inside,
Is she smiling or hiding a tear in her eye?
She watches our day as her story unfolds
For you see, she is you grown old.
And with every decision you make today,
You’re creating the woman you’ll be someday.
Just for now the old woman depends on you,
She waits and she watches
As you make her dream come true.
Be kind to the woman waiting there
For time passes swiftly and you must prepare,
Hold fasts to the values more precious than gold.
And you’ll bless the old woman who waits down the road.
She watches our day as her story unfolds,
For you see, She is you grown old
Only you can decide her eternal role.
Just for now the old woman depends on you
She waits and she watches
As you make her dreams come true.
Be watchful Young Woman, Chose well today.
Remember to live for the woman, You’ll be someday!
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE OUR FUTURE BY CHANGING OUR TODAY.
"If good things are coming, they will be a pleasant surprise. If bad things are, and you know in advance, you will suffer greatly before they even occur."
I think the advice that followed was even more important:
"When people consult me, it's not that I'm reading the future; I am guessing at the future. The future belongs to God, and it is only He who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstance. How do I guess at the future? Based on the omens of the present. The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity."
This also reminds me of a song by Janice Kapp Perry:
THE WOMEN YOU’LL BE SOMEDAY….
I see an old woman rocking there.
The sun shining softly on her silver hair.
I wonder the secrets she holds deep inside,
Is she smiling or hiding a tear in her eye?
She watches our day as her story unfolds
For you see, she is you grown old.
And with every decision you make today,
You’re creating the woman you’ll be someday.
Just for now the old woman depends on you,
She waits and she watches
As you make her dream come true.
Be kind to the woman waiting there
For time passes swiftly and you must prepare,
Hold fasts to the values more precious than gold.
And you’ll bless the old woman who waits down the road.
She watches our day as her story unfolds,
For you see, She is you grown old
Only you can decide her eternal role.
Just for now the old woman depends on you
She waits and she watches
As you make her dreams come true.
Be watchful Young Woman, Chose well today.
Remember to live for the woman, You’ll be someday!
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE OUR FUTURE BY CHANGING OUR TODAY.
Dear Are the Sheep That Have Wandered
Here is a talk by President James E. Faust from the April 2003 General Conference. It has a great message for all parents.
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a30874536cf0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=a30874536cf0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
HARVEST TIME
Fall is fast approaching. I love fall with the crunch of dried leaves under my feet as I walk around the block enjoying the cool crisp air that smells of falling leaves and just a hint of wood burning stoves.Fall always makes me hungry for stews, pumpkin pies, and homemade ginger snap cookies.
It is also a time of harvest. The farmers are gathering in their crops, the home gardener is enjoying his fruits and vegetables, and many homes are filled with the smells and sounds of canning and drying.
It reminds me of a scripture in D&C 12:3 "Behold, the field is white already to harvest; therefore, whoso desireth to reap let him thrust in his sickle with his might, and reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the kingdom of God." (also repeated in D&C 4:4, and 14:3 - so I figure it must be pretty important)
I have heard this scripture used most often with missionary work, but I want to take a slightly different twist on it.
The field that is ready to harvest is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we want to reap the blessings of the gospel then we need to put forth the effort that is required for those blessings.
The farmer cannot reap the benefits of his crops unless he goes into the field and does the work of gathering in the crops.
The gardener cannot reap the benefits of his plants unless he goes out into his garden and picks the produce.
And so we must go into the garden of the gospel and work in order to receive the blessings.
The scripture says that we need to reap while the day lasts. I think this means all day long - or without ceasing. It must be a continued effort.
Have you ever tasted a tomato straight out of the garden? The flavor is indescribably delicious. In comparison, a store-bought tomato has no more flavor than a piece of paper. Store-bought produce has to be picked before it is fully ripe and can never reach that full flavor.
What I'm trying to say is, the richest harvest comes straight from the field or garden. The heart of the gospel contains the full flavor and can be enjoyed by all who desire and are willing to "thrust in the sickle".
Why be satisfied with mediocre produce. Begin to enjoy the full flavor today!
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