Of Yokes, Crosses, and Christ

            

        Our world is full of symbols. Whether they’re found on street signs, billboards or clothing, we are constantly inundated with advertisements about items and ideas to look for, buy, or accept. Noticeable among the multitudinous messages are a few religious icons easily recognizable as being different from the world. There are numerous types of crosses, stars of David, stars and moons, and several more, each denoting a separate path but all aiming for the divine.

            Most Christian religions use the cross as a symbol of their faith in Christ. I’ve seen crosses that are empty, crosses showing the suffering Savior, and crosses of various designs and configurations. All these inevitably identify either the building as being one of Christian faith or the wearer as one trying to become more like Christ. I’ve worked with and am friends with many of these good people and support their efforts of being a disciple of Jesus.

            In our church, The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, we do not generally use mainstream religious icons, most notably the cross, in order to identify ourselves as followers of Christ. In his latest conference address, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland shared several reasons regarding this decision. But the one that most struck me has to do with this quote, shared by Elder Holland from the late prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. “The lives of our people must be the symbol of our faith.”

            He then shared this scripture from Matthew, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” In searching the scriptures, I found that in quoting this same admonition Luke 9:23 adds that we take up our cross daily.

            As I was pondering these verses, I began thinking about the different crosses that we are called to take up. Some of them may be more public, such as declarations of faith or testimony shared in church, home, or even social media settings. Others are more privately endured. Elder Holland shared several examples of diverse trials being experienced on this earth in his address.

            For me, some of the crosses that I’ve had to take up include forgiving those who have wronged me or seeking forgiveness for things that I’ve done wrong. I’ve struggled with pride and conversely with extreme bouts of self depreciation. I often seem to lack patience or trust in God’s timing and in His plan for me. And sometimes I find it difficult to have faith that His Atonement truly was for me.

            These crosses are probably shared by many and there are hundreds more that could be named without hesitation. So why would our loving Heavenly Father have His son admonish us that we must take up these crosses in order to fully follow our Savior? Why must we daily struggle with these trials and tribulations that feel more like heavy weights than heavenly qualifications?

            At times that call to take up our cross seems to run completely contrary to the message that “Men are that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). We often desire to forget that Lehi also said, “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Nephi 2:11). The Savior himself said, “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). In order to be worthy to qualify for eternal life, we must become like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It is not enough to wear the symbols of our faith, we must truly be willing to sacrifice to become as they are. As Elder Uchtdorf has said, “Jesus taught that our offering may be large or it may be small, but either way, it must be our heartfelt all.” We cannot give our heartfelt all to the Lord unless we are willing to do as The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob says: “Believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross” (Jacob 1:8).  

Ultimately Christ suffered and died on the cross, all while being reviled and taunted by those standing on Calvary (Luke 23:35-37). This angry crowd jeered and demanded that Jesus prove himself by coming down from the cross and saving his mortal life. What they could not understand was that Christ was not interested in saving only himself. With His supernal sacrifice, He knew that He would be able to save all mankind, including those who mocked and scorned. Because He ignored the crowd and stayed true to the Father’s plan, we have the opportunity now to repent and receive both immortality and exaltation.

The world still calls for us to symbolically come down from our crosses. They encourage us to abandon our moral standards, to cast aside our covenants, and to join them in their revelry. Sometimes the attacks are more subtle. Like Amalickiah when he was seeking to corrupt the army of Lehonti, he repeatedly entreated Lehonti to come down off the mountain. But “when Amalickiah found that he could not get Lehonti to come down off from the mount, he went up into the mount, nearly to Lehonti’s camp; and he sent again…desiring that he would come down, and that he would bring his guards with him” (Alma 47:12). Satan aims to lead us with flaxen cords that seem so small and insignificant in the moment, but eventually bind us in a web so tightly wound that freedom seems impossible. He knows that he usually will not be able to entice us to make a sudden plunge into wickedness, and so he begins by encouraging us to come down only a small amount, just as Amalickiah did with Lehonti.

Satan wants us to being to despise our cross by degrees. He encourages us, metaphorically, the hold onto the cross but slow our pace on our path toward heaven or even just stop for a moment. Perhaps he entices us to set the cross down with every intention of resuming our burdens after we’ve rested. Surely, he whispers to us, God doesn’t intend for us to always be carrying a heavy load. Happiness cannot be found in the midst of such trouble.

However, we know that we must keep moving forward despite the encouragement of the world to lay aside the things of God. But it is also true that our burdens can feel heavy, discouraging, and sometimes impossible to bear.

But I find hope in these two thoughts. First, Christ has not asked us to die upon our crosses, he has simply asked us to carry them. Our crosses lead us to becoming more like Him and are not meant to be a punishment, merely a tool used by a loving Father to help further craft us in His image. Secondly, Christ has also said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

I love the imagery of being yoked with Christ. An old-fashioned yoke was intended to fit over a perfectly matched pair of oxen in order to pull a load. If the pair did not match each other well both physically and in ability to work, then one of the animals would end up bearing more of the weight, lessening the effectiveness of the yoke.

As we think of being yoked with Christ, there are several thoughts that come to my mind. First, Christ thinks that we can be a matched pair. He’s not viewing us solely in our mortal fallen state in which we are unequally either physically or spiritually to Him. Instead, He sees our potential to become as He and His Father are and so encourages us to work with Him in order to achieve that goal.

Secondly, the purpose of a yoke was to carry or move a heavy burden. Jesus knows that He is asking us to do hard things, and that as we take up our cross that we will labour and be heavy laden, but He also wants us to know that that is the point of mortality. I often tell my daughter “If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it.” Christ knows that we will stretch, strain, and perhaps even stumble as we pull our load toward heaven, but He also promises to be there with us as we continue to try our best.

Thirdly, Christ promises us that as we yoke ourselves with Him we will find rest. It seems counterintuitive that by taking up a yoke we will find rest, but that is exactly what is promised. President Russel M. Nelson recently said, “Each person who makes covenants…has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ…The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power-power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way…Thus covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God.”

The crosses in our lives will never be easy to bear, but if we truly allow ourselves to be yoked with Christ, then we can find both power and rest as we continue to move forward along our paths. Paul said, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith: who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

We know what awaits us if we too endure our cross. Let us be like those whom Nephi described as righteous- “they… endured the crosses of the world [and] they shall inherit the kingdom of God” (2 Nephi 9:18).

            As we do, the symbols of our faith will become the reality of our eternal destiny.

Faith In The Promised Blessings

A saying I've heard for many years states, "God has a way of giving us a heart". In Ezekiel 36:26 it reads, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." This account explains the way that God gave me a heart of flesh and changed the way I lived. He did it by blessing me with faith.

A little back story is required to help this all make sense. Several years ago, I received a priesthood blessing that promised me that I would be able to receive those promises made to me that were so near and dear to my heart, including temple marriage and an eternal family.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we believe that the power of the priesthood, or the authority and power to act in God's name, was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr, and the ability to have this power is given to every righteous man in the church. His duty is to use this power to bless the lives of his family and those he serves.

This blessing was a great comfort to me, especially as it was given shortly before I moved across the country to Washington DC. Moving here was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I didn't really know anyone, and as an introvert, it's sometimes difficult for me to meet new people and make new friends. It took some time, but I found myself slowly becoming acquainted with people at church and especially at my new job. The girls I worked with helped me more than they will ever know by being my friends as I struggled to figure out why I had come to this place.

I came here because I felt prompted to do so. I was trying so hard to exercise faith in my Heavenly Father's plan for me. Faith is, as Alma describes, "not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21) I could not see the reason that I was here, but I had faith that there was a reason even if I didn't know it. And I had faith that those promised blessings would be mine if I continued to have faith.

But then Heavenly Father began to test that faith. He gave me the opportunity to be in relationships that shook the very foundations of my confidence and self worth. Towards the end of my first year here, my sense of self was so distorted that I truly believed I was worth nothing. I was filled with doubt and fear. I began to question my faith. Not my faith in the gospel I believed in, but my worthiness to be a part of it. I felt like Peter as he tried to walk on water. At first he kept aloft, but then the winds and waves began to overtake him and he started to sink. (Matthew 14:24-31) But just as with Peter, the Lord did stretch forth his hand and lifted me out and I began to feel like perhaps my major trials were behind me for a time.

However, God in His infinite wisdom knew that my faith needed more strengthening, and so he gave me another trial. The first set of trials had given me compassion for those who are suffering the debilitating effects of self-doubt, abuse, and despair. Now, He wanted me to understand even more clearly the dark effects of depression. And to do this, he allowed my body to develop endometriosis.

For those who don't know what this disease is, a rough summary of it would be that it is an error in the female reproductive system where extra blood and tissue does not stay where it is supposed to and instead, escapes into the abdomen. It can cause varying degrees of pain and can lead to complications in the future, including infertility.

For me, in all my trials I always consoled myself by thinking that at least I had my health. If I was emotionally spent, spiritually drained, and intellectually depleted, at least physically I was healthy. But during that first year in DC I began to develop an increase in back pain. I'd always had pain, and I have a high tolerance for it, and so I thought perhaps I'd just injured a muscle and it would soon pass. It was a mark of how completely I was absorbed in my other trials that I allowed the pain to continue to increase until it came to a head in November. Just as I felt my other trials were lifting, I realized that my physical pain was so intense that I could barely function. I felt like a hot knife had been shoved into my back and was being constantly twisted back and forth. I nearly collapsed at work daily from the pain, but hid this fact from those around me because I hated feeling weak.

I finally went to an OB/GYN who diagnosed my endometriosis and discovered a large endometrioma (or blood filled cyst caused by the disease) as well. My case was so advanced that within 5 days of this discovery I was in surgery. When I first heard them say endometriosis, my heart sank. All my hopes and dreams for life centered around having my own family. I felt for a time that this last hope in my life was being taken away. My faith wavered for a moment as I considered what I had already endured and had to conquer in order to come this far in my life. I wondered how a loving Father would give me this trial- one that could possibly remove forever the possibilities of having my own children one day.

I had another blessing before the surgery and was again assured that all would go well. I chose to have faith in this blessing and the power that came with it, and went into surgery confident that I would be okay, despite the grim prognosis. After I awoke from anesthesia, I was told by that not only was the large endometrioma removed, but another cyst and my appendix as well. The surgery had taken twice as long as originally planned because my endometriosis was so extensive; they called it stage 4, which is as bad as it gets. The doctors were amazed I had not been on chronic pain pills for months with the amount of damage my insides had seen. Even so, I was blessed that the surgery went well and the possibility of children still existed. I felt relieved. Little did I know what was coming next.

Recovering physically from surgery was unpleasant, but it was the treatment afterwards that truly tested my faith. The doctors decided to put me into medically induced menopause in order to help clear up any remaining endometriosis they were not able to remove with surgery. Menopause at 30 was not exactly in the life plans, but I had no choice. The medication they gave me, Lupron, was known to cause other side effects including depression, and it did not disappoint.

For 6 months, I lived in blackness. I could not smile. I could not feel happy. I could not see a way out of the complete and utter despair that I felt. I could fake it well enough to get by. Most people would not have been able to see the amount of suffering I was enduring. I always said nurses were the best actresses. But behind the half smiles and steady daily survival, I was a shell. I had never experienced depression like this before. I wanted to be happy, but I couldn't be. It almost wasn't even a choice. I experienced the darkness of hell and learned a little more about what it means to feel completely alone.

Eventually the effects of the medicine wore off and my treatment progressed to other medications that helped me fight my disease. But I will never forget how it felt to be in that dark. God gave me the heart to see and feel how deeply depression can affect a life. I made it through because a part of me was able to cling to my faith; faith in knowing that, as Elder Worthlin said in speaking of the death and resurrection of the Savior:

"Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays. But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come. No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come."

Life has steadily improved since then. There have still been dark times to overcome, disappointments to face, and uncertainties to endure. My Heavenly Father knew me well enough to know that in order for me to become the person he wants me to be, I needed to be given these trials to test my faith and to help me grow. But in these trials He has continued to bless me, through the power of the priesthood blessings I have received, to know that He does have a watchful eye over me. He knows me, He remembers His promises, and He will fulfill them.

I was given another blessing this past week. I felt like I was finally moving forward in a positive direction, but then things seemed to become a little more cloudy. Again, God promised me that He was aware of me. He told me very clearly that He had brought me here to increase my faith in Him, and He was allowing this further trial in order to increase my faith just that much more. But He also promised He would give me all those blessings that I so fervently desire.

My story isn't that unique. Everyone experiences trials. In one way or another, God wants to give us all new hearts. It's not always easy, and is even painful at times. But my testimony is that He loves me, He knows me, and He will fulfill the promises He has made. Even when it seems as though life is falling apart, Heavenly Father is cognizant of our needs, our sorrows, our cares, and our hearts. I believe that He gave me faith in order to withstand the trials and sorrows necessary to give me a new heart. And with that new heart, I am finally becoming the person He knows I can be.

The Great Gift of Forgiveness

 

 

Alexander Pope once said, "To err is human; to forgive, divine." Being the imperfect being that I am, divine forgiveness is something I not only admire, but desperately seek from day to day. Only Jesus Christ lived a perfect life on this world. The rest of us suffer from temptations and trials that seem to so easily beset us. Satan whispers constantly, waiting for the unsuspecting moments in life that can lead us astray. And when we give into these whisperings, we find ourselves broken, miserable, and lost. It is easy in these times to want to give up hope or think we can never be as we were. But that is when the light of the Atonement allows us to begin mending our lives.

 

For me, one of the most poignant moments of forgiveness in the Bible recalls the story of the woman taken in adultery. Her accusers would have her stoned according to the law, but they bring her to Jesus and ask "But what sayest thou?" Then Jesus answers with that beautiful lesson, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Stunned no doubt by his response, and perhaps shamed in remembering their own guilt, the accusers depart. I imagine that tenderly the Lord then asks, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?...Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more." Jesus was the only man in the world that could have stood to accuse this woman, but instead He shows mercy and compassion. He does not condone the sin, but instead offers the admonition of "Go and sin no more." (John 8:4-11)

 

Heavenly Father will never excuse sin, but He loved us so much that He created a plan, with a Savior, that thereby we could repent and return to Him through the gift of forgiveness. Directly following this encounter with the woman taken in adultery Christ states, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12) Sinning can bring about a spiritual darkness that would envelope us with its blackness, but the light of Christ that comes by receiving forgiveness through the power of the Atonement will always bring us back into the presense of our Heavenly Father if we trust in Him.

 

Another favorite story from the gospels is found in Luke. The Savior has been healing and, seeking this blessing for friend, several men brought a man with palsy to be healed, but could not get into the house. "And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God." (5: 18-25)

 

There are so many wonderful lessons to be learned from these verses. First, no matter how hard the way may seem, never allow anything to come between us and the healing power of our Savior. Sometimes it might seem as though we have to figuratively dismantle a roof in order to uncover our Savior. But Elder Holland teaches, "Each time we reach out, however feebly, for Him, we discover He has been anxiously trying to reach us. So we step, we strive, we seek, and we never yield." (Holland, Broken Things to Mend) Christ wants to heal us spiritually through His forgiving power. We must never forget, that Christ suffered for each of us individually in the Garden. He knew, even before we did, the sins we would commit. He knows each of us so deeply and thoroughly that he knows exactly how to succor each of us. Alma states, "He will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:12)

 

Second, God heals us according to our faith. Not only did this man have to come to the Savior to receive forgiveness and healing, he had to believe it was going to work. I recall another story of healing, wherein a father brings his son to the Savior. "Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And staightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:23-24) We must have faith to be healed, especially spiritually.

 

Finally, forgiveness is not complete until we learn to forgive ourselves. Christ said, "Of you it is required to forgive all men." I don't think there was any part of that statement that said, "Exept yourselves- I want you beat yourself up and tear yourself down for your failures." He said All Men. Sometimes I think forgiving myself is the hardest part of all. Once the steps of repentence are in place and all seems done, I still feel that somehow I deserve to be punished more. That what I did was so awful, I should live with my guilt. That for some reason I can never again be as good as I was. But I have learned that this is Satan's greatest lie. Because if he can make us hate ourselves, then we can not do nearly as much good in God's kingdom. We must learn that the power of forgiveness comes in completely washing our sins away, from our mind and God's. Only then can we truly feel whole once more.

 

I love the inspiring end to "The Miracle of Forgiveness." Elder Kimball quotes Matt 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Then he states, "It is my hope and prayer that men and women everywhere will respond to this gentle invitation and thus let the Master work in their individual lives the great miracle of forgiveness."

 

It is my hope as well that we can all embrace the great gift of forgiveness. Whether our sins be large or small, the Atonement is there to allow us to return once more to our Heavenly Father and truly find peace and happiness in being forgiven.

For A Moment

Have you ever had a phone conversation that begins with the phrase "Hold for a moment please" or some derivative of that statement? For me, once those words are heard, I roll my eyes and settle in for the long haul because I know that moment will seem to me to last forever.

There are many such moments like this in life. Moments when it seems time stands still, the world ceases to revolve, and everything in life becomes caught in this one long pause that carries on indefinitely. These are the moments that memories are made of. The ones forever engraved in our minds with such vividness that we can view them years down the line with the same clarity as when they occurred.

Many of the moments are happy. Time spent with family as a child, being taught to ride a bike by a father, learning to cook with a mother, special vacations to exotic locations like Disneyland and Beaver, UT (great ice cream-just saying). Eventually there are more poignant moments. A wedding day, the birth of a child, your little one taking his first steps. Moments of joy that resonate within our souls.

But there are also moments of darkness, too many to even describe them all, when our souls seem battered by storms that never cease, when the night has fallen, when even the stars in the sky are obscured, and every path seems strewn with the wreckage we call our lives. In moments like these, it is hard to see how we can ever navigate the oceans of dispair and find our way back to the light and love of our Savior.

The scriptures are filled with countless examples of these bleak moments that were made light through the mercy of the Lord. I think about the life of Joseph in Genesis 37, 39-45. He was cast into a pit and then sold by his brothers into Egypt and later, falsely accused and imprisoned for years. I wonder if there was a point in his life that Joseph looked upward and simply asked, "Why?". It is hard to see the end from the beginning when we are in the midst of our trials, but if we can endure these moments in our lives, the Lord can put is in places that will be of greatest benefit to both ourselves and those around us. Because of the events in his life, Joseph was in place to save his family from famine.

Sometimes these moments are ones that come because of our own failings. Alma the Younger, though taught by a loving father the ways of the Lord, strayed and in his own words "went about seeking to destroy the church of God" (Alma 36:6). It took an angel of the Lord appearing unto Him to cause Alma to being to change his life. Said he, "I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins...Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God to be judged of my deeds." (Alma 36:12, 15) Alma's moment lasted for 3 days and 3 nights but I'm sure to him, it felt like an eternity.

We may not have an angel appear unto us and distill in us the need to change, but there will be times when we hear the clarion call of the Savior of all mankind, pleading with us to repent, to come back, to allow His mercy and His Atonement to have a place in our lives. It is hard to believe that He would want us back, that we haven't gone too far, done too much, or failed too many times that we no longer have any redeemable worth in His eyes. And yet the Lord forgave even Alma, a wicked and idolatrous man (Mosiah 27:8), and helped him become one of the greatest prophets to the Nephite people.

Alma states, "My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and the bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but i am snatched, and my soul is pained no more... (Mosiah 27:29) Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so equisite and sweet as was my joy" (Alma 36:21).

For a moment, we might feel like we are in the darkest of nights. We hang our heads in failure when we give into the temptations that so easily beset us and take us away from the paths of righteousness. In these moments we might feel as if we are dangling from a cliff with only a finger or two preventing our fall into the abyss. It is in these moments that Satan whispers to give up, give in, and quit trying. He would tell us we've failed. Our moment has lasted for too much of our lives. There's no hope left. BUT HE IS WRONG!

The most vital moment in history sheds its light upon everyone in everytime. The Savior of the world atoned for each person so that we could all find our way out of the dark. I know His moment was not easy. In the Garden of Gethsemane He cried to His Father, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done." (Luke 22:42) How dark this moment must have been! But the darkness was conquered, Jesus is the Savior for each of us, and we can overcome our own moments of darkness through Him.

Isaiah wrote, "For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer...For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. (Isaiah 54:7-8, 10)

What comfort this promise gives! Even if in our moments of despair we feel as if the Lord has forsaken us, we can know of a sureity that He will have mercy on each of us. He has covenanted to bring us peace in our moments of deepest grief. He is the light and the life of the world. He will take the moments of our lives, both the good and the bad, and will mold us into the person we were meant to be.

One of my favorite poems states:

My life is but a weaving
between my Lord and me;
I cannot choose the colors,
He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow,
and I in foolish pride,
Forget He sees the upper,
and I the underside.

Not til the loom is silent
and the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
in the skillful weaver's hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
in the pattern He has planned.

Heavenly Father is aware of our moments. He knows our happiness and our sorrow. He sees our weaknesses and our strengths. For a moment we might feel as if we have no hope, but He has promised mercy to each one that gives his heart to Him. He loves us all, He has a plan for each of His children, and if we let Him, He will create of our moments a masterpiece.

Look Up And Live

When I was in Oregon over the summer, I drove along the coast and stopped at several locations where lighthouses overlooked the rocky shore. They stood as silent sentinels to guard against a treacherous shoreline; friendly beacons that would light a dark night and guide ships to safety.

I love the imagery of a lighthouse; a guiding light when all around is dark. Often in life I feel like I'm on a boat in the middle of a stormy ocean. Surrounded by boisterous waves, it's hard to take my eyes off the frightening depths beneath me. But when I remember to look up, it's then that I can see the brilliance of the lighthouse, and I know that I will live if I follow it's shining beacon.

There are numerous examples in the scriptures of times when salvation came from looking up. In Numbers, we read the account of the Israelites as they are journeying through Canaan. They complain, again, about not having bread or water and so "the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died." (21:6) The children of Israel were sinning against the Lord and suffered the consequences of their disobedience. But because the people began to repent, "the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." (21:8-9)

The Lord has compassion on his children. He knows that we will make mistakes. And so He has prepared a way for us to be healed from sin in our lives through the Atonement of His Son. Repentance can be as healing for us as looking to the brass serpent was for the Israelites. But we read in 1 Nephi 17:41 "He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look ; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished."

All that was required was to look! But because of the easiness of the way, many would not look and perished. How often do I refuse to look to my Savior because of pride, stubborness, or doubt. If we can believe that we will be healed by looking, why not look? Nephi taught, "And as he lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal." (Helaman 8:14-15)

Another Nephi taught, "And as the Lord God liveth that brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt, and gave unto Moses power that he should heal the nations after they had been bitten by the poisonous serpents, if they would cast their eyes unto the serpent which he did raise up before them...I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved." (2 Nephi 25:20)

If we can look up at our Savior, and exert our faith in repentance, then He will exercise His atoning power to heal us from the sins and afflictions that are keeping us from being whole. The Savior's life was set as an example for us to look to; to know how to live to return to our Father in Heaven.

In the vision of the Tree of Life, the angel repeated told Nephi to "Look!", and Nephi "looked and beheld" the tree of life, the Lamb of God and Christ's mission upon the earth, the iron rod, and the sacrifice of the Savior for our sins. Because Nephi looked, he beheld and understood how Christ could help us gain eternal life.

When Christ came to the Americas after His resurrection, the people were gathered at the temple in Bountiful. It is recorded, "And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven...And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.

"And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name- hear ye him. And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven...and he came down and stood in the midst of them." (3 Nephi 11:3-8)

The people listened and when they understood the voice, they cast their eyes up towards heaven. Once we can understand the Spirit that prompts us to look to our Redeemer for life, we too can look up and behold the marvelous healing power of the Savior.

In the middle of a tumultuous ocean storm, a lighthouse can break through the darkness and bring a vessel safely to harbor. Likewise, in life there are times when it feels as though the darkness is all encompassing, everlasting, and unrelenting. But if we can lift our eyes from the depths of our sorrows and pain, we too can see the light of our Savior illuminating for us the way back to His light.

My testimony echoes the words of John: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:14-17)

The Light of The World

When I was a child, I have a memory of going deep into a cave with my family. When we were sufficiently far enough in that we could no longer discern any light from the entrance, my father had us turn off the flashlights we were using. The result was instant darkness. I held up my hand, inches from my face, trying to see even a tiny bit but to no avail. The darkness was simply too engulfing, too complete. Of course, all we had to do was turn back on our flashlights and that light that seem so insignificant when we were first entering the cave was suddenly a bright, shining beacon in the dark.

Life is often like that cave from my childhood. We enter in, leaving the glowing sun without, and venture forth into the dark. At first the light from the cave entrance illuminates our path, but gradually it decreases until we find ourselves surrounded by utter blackness, unsure of how we arrived and hard pressed to find a way out. The despair of finding ourselves in this situation is often overwhelming and makes it difficult to believe that we will ever emerge from the darkness.

But though at times it's difficult to see, Heavenly Father has prepared a way for all to rediscover light in their lives. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to the world to be the light of the world. John 1:4-5 states, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not." Christ shines in the darkness as our beacon of hope; our sure way to emerge from whatever darkness is engulfing our lives and back into the light of God. John explains further, "[Christ] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." (1:9)

A familiar psalm expresses the belief "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalms 27:1) Whether it is fear, disappointment, grief, self-loathing, depression, anger, or any other malady that keeps us from seeking the light of Christ, He continues to plead with us to come unto Him. John records, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Sometimes, when I feel as though darkness has blinded my path and I can no longer see, I remember the story of the man born blind. For countless years, this man had lived in darkness with no hope of escape. Then Christ came, as recorded in John, and stated, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he (Christ) had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing." (John 9:5-7)

Christ can perform a similar miracle in each of our lives. He knows how to remove the blindness covering our eyes and hiding the light. He invites us each to wash/repent so that we too may come forth seeing. I love the imagery in Isaiah 9:2 "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Abinadi further declared, "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." (Mosiah 16:9)

But Heavenly Father will not force us to choose the light. He has given each person their agency and will not retract that gift. Like the serpent raised in the wilderness with the promise that he that looked would live, we each have the choice of whether or not we will seek for light in our lives. Samuel the Lamanite, in preaching to a wicked Nephite city asked, "How long will ye choose darkness rather than light?" (Helaman 13:29)

Sometimes it's hard to believe that even with the sins we have committed in the past, God would still want us. We are afraid that if we turn to the light, we will be rejected and found unworthy. But then I remember the story of Alma the Younger. He went about actively trying to destroy the church of God. He committed many sins and led others down the paths of wickedness as well. But Alma was confronted by an angel who caused him to review his life and the path he was taking. Alma states, "I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell... And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul." (Alma 36:12-13, 16)

But God showed mercy even to this man who had committed so many sins against him. Alma continues, "And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy." (Alma 36:17-21)

If God can heal even a man such as Alma and bring light back into his life, then surely he can do the same for each of us. One of my favorite songs when I'm feeing low contains these verses:

Never doubt His goodness.
Don't believe that it's too late.
He sees your every struggle,
and He knows the trials you face.
Feel His warmth around you.
See His arms are open wide.
Know that He stands ready,
when you start to change your life...
Follow and believe Him.
Put your trust in Him again.
Change your heart forever.
Let the miracle begin.

The light of Christ is a miracle in each life. D&C 88:67 states, "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be fill with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things."

D&C 88:11-13 states, "And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space- The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things."

Just as turning on a flashlight instantly brought light to me in a dark cave, the light of Christ can and will light the life of each person that turns to Him. And I know that by following that light, we can all come back into everlasting light in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

He Is Risen

Since tomorrow is Easter, I've been pondering on the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus The Christ. I could not begin to recount the ways in which Christ has affected my life and the lives all of who have lived or ever will live. I echo John's words, "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written." (John 21:25)

I cannot add much to the scriptures, the revelations, the numerous books, and the continuing testimony of the prophets that already preach and testify of Christ. I can only encourage anyone seeking for truth to look to the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon, for it truly testifies of Christ. Believe the words of the living prophets and apostles; they are special witnesses of Christ and have been given power and authority in this time to testify of the reality of a living Savior who gave His life and then took it up again in order to redeem the world.

All I have to give is my testimony of a personal Savior. I know He knows me, cares for me, and wants me to return to His presense to live with Him and my Father in Heaven again. I know that through following His teachings, I can have joy and peace in this life. I echo Peter who, when asked by the Savior if he would continue following him, said "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:68-69) I know that Jesus is that Christ, the only one who had power to perform the great and last sacrifice that would satisfy the demands of justice and encircle me in the arms of safety. (See Alma 34:9-16)

Joseph Smith testified, "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father- That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." (D&C 76:22-24) I have a testimony that Joseph spoke the truth. That the true church on the earth today is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know that Jesus Christ is the head of our church and that He has given the priesthood authority to our leaders today.

I know He lives. I know that He atoned for my sins, was crucified, and rose again that Easter morn. He overcame the pains, afflictions, and sins of man. He overcame the bands of death. I know that He did this for me. Christ's ministry was for the one. I know He knows me personally, and He knows each of us personally. He gave His life for me so I could return to live with Him again. This is why I celebrate the Easter season- He has given me hope, peace, and love. He is the author and finisher of my faith, and the reason for the hope that is in me.

I cry every time I read the words of the angels, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:5-6) I add my testimony to that statement and testify He is risen, and He is the Savior of the world.

How Firm A Foundation

I know it's a Christmas picture, but I just love the Salt Lake Temple. I'm always humbled to think about how much was sacrificed to erect this magnificent edifice. It's beautiful both outside and in. It stands as a beacon; a shining testimony of the truth held dear by Pioneer Saints of the importance of temples and the work done therein. The part of the temple not seen, however, is my favorite story to hear.

The account is given of how the Saints intially built the foundation of this structure using sandstone. They completed the foundation only to have to bury it for fear of the US Army coming through the valley. Once they uncovered the foundation, they were disheartened to realize that the stones they had worked to lay for years had cracked. The wrenching decision was reached to remove the sandstone foundation and replace it with granite. The effort took years, but was worth it as the granite foundation has held up the temple that has become a symbol of faith for millions. The Saints knew that only a sure foundation would be able to hold the weight of the temple. It had to be built carefully, one stone at a time. It had to be exact, so that the pressures it was under would not cause it to collapse.

Our spiritual foundations are just as crucial in supporting us through the pressures and trials we face, as the physical foundations are in supporting buildings like the Salt Lake Temple. Recently I've experienced a trial in my life that has given me pause and caused me to honestly examine my foundation of faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. How have I built my foundation? On whom does it rest? And is it really strong enough to withstand the pressures in my life?

A scripture came to mind of an account Christ gave of the wise and the foolish man in Matthew 7:24-27. He states "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

When I am afflicted with the rains, and the floods, and the winds of life I know that I can withstand, because I have built my foundation on the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have faith in my Savior, in God's plan, and in His ability to help me stand firm in times of trial. If I hold true and faithful to the covenants that are my foundation, then I know I can weather life's storms. This doesn't mean that the storms won't come. In fact, I think the winds, the floods, and the rains try harder to tear down those houses that are built upon the rock. But if we have built ourselves up as carefully as the Saints did in laying the granite foundation for the Salt Lake Temple, then our foundations will be sure, solid, inmovable, and able to withstand the tempest.

In the Book of Mormon, Jacob teaches the Nephities, "This stone (meaning Christ) shall become the great, and the last, and the only sure foundation, upon which the [we] can build." (Jacob 4:16) Later, Helaman exhorts his sons, "Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

As we carefully lay the foundations of our faith in Christ, as we keep His covenants and obey His laws, He has promised that we cannot fall. When we're beaten down, we will be there to lift us up again, to strengthen our feeble knees, and keep us on the path to eternal life.

It is foolish to believe, however, that we don't need to take care in building our foundation. Haphazard efforts in laying our spiritual cornerstones would be as ludicrous as thinking that throwing stones into a trench would create a solid base for a building. Firming our foundations takes precision, effort, and time. But once laid, it becomes our anchor in the storm.

One of the greatest examples to me of a firm foundation is Captain Moroni. The scriptures state, "He was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ...Yea verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." (Alma 48:13,17) What a character statement! If we could be like Moroni, firm in the faith of Christ, what a difference it would make in our lives. How crucial it is to build our foundation firmly on the gosepl of Christ. Only then will we "be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13)

In the hymn "How Firm A Foundation" it reads,

"How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for yor faith in his excellent word!
Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am they God and will still give aid.
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand.
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o'erflow,
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake!

God will never forsake us in our times of need if we build our foundation of trust on Him. Though He won't stop the storms from coming, if we are firm in our faith He will enable us to weather whatever trials may come. When the tempest is raging, He will always be there to calm the winds and the waves. And I know that because my foundation is built upon Christ, I will always be able to stand.

The Worth of A Soul

I recently returned from a trip to Washington D.C. Our capitol houses wonderful collections inside the various Smithsonian museums of those objects we deem to be of great worth. Among these, in the Museum of Natural History, is the Hope Diamond. One of the largest diamonds in the world, it is accounted of great worth and is therefore guarded closely to ensure its protection. How interesting it is that this diamond, this piece of compressed coal, should be valued so highly as to ensure its safety and our admiration. In contrast, I was thinking tonight of how little society seems to value life. We hear daily accounts of lives taken throughout the world in wars, natural disasters, or local disputes. How sad it is that this has become so common place that we often do not ponder the deeper implications of the loss of life.

More important still, I've come to realize that while life is important, the blessings of eternal life are more precious than all diamonds in the world. In a revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith God counselled, "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God. For behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him." (D&C 18:10-11) God is our Heavenly Father and as such He deeply values the lives of each of His children. He paid the ultimate price- sacrificing His only Begotten Son- so that each of us would have the chance to return to Him. It is hard for me to sacrifice those things in my life that I truly care for and desire. Would I be able to sacrifice a child?

But because He has a perfect comprehension of our eternal worth, God proceeded with the plan. We might look past Him, but He never forgets us. Nephi quotes Isaish and states "But, behold, Zion hath said: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath fogotten 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 will I not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." (1 Nephi 21:14-16)

The scriptures are filled with numerous parables and testimonies confirming the worth of the soul. In Matthew, Jesus recounts the parable of the sheep. "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost. How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and on eof them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray." (Matt 18:11-13)

I like the verse in Luke 19:10 that states "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Christ not only saves us, He seeks us out to be saved. This is further illustrated in the parable of the piece of silver which reads, "what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the resence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." (Luke 15:8-10)

One of my favorite parables is that of the prodigal son. We know how it goes- disobedient son wastes his inheritence in riotous living, falls into poverty, at first is too proud to return, but then decides that his father will at least treat him as well as the servants and starts home. My favorite verses, however, describe the father's reaction. He has every right to be angry and disappointed but instead this is how he reacts: "But when he (the son) was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20)

How the father must have loved this wayward son! Firstly, he saw his son a great way off. He must then have been looking for him to return; watching and waiting with faith that his wayward son would come home. Secondly, he had compassion, ran to his son, and kissed him. I love this image. Being in the position of the father, would we have enough love and forgiveness in our hearts to recognize the worth of those that have hurt us? In the place of the son, are we humble enough to ask for forgiveness and return when we've done wrong? When we understand both the worth of others as well as our own worth, we begin to see how God can have charity and understanding when we do wrong. We might not grasp the full measure of our worth, but God does, and I know that He waits with open arms to receive us and longs to bring us safely back home.

John 3:16 states "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Moses 1:39 states "For this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." God not only wants us to live forever, He wants us to live like Him and with Him.

Remember the worth of souls is great. In this world where souls are sold for pennies, never think that you have no worth. You are a child of God. You have the capacity to become like him, to live with him. You are of great worth.

Beholding Grace

Sometimes living near BYU has major benefits. Today it was the opportunity I had to go tour the Carl Bloch exhibit currently displayed in the Museum of Art. BYU manage to procure several altar pieces and other paintings from Denmark and they are absolutely beautiful. But the one I find most fascinating is the one I've seen every time I'm in the MOA; Christ Healing at the Pool of Bethesda.

In ancient times, Jewish tradition held that the Pool of Bethesda possessed special healing properties, and that when the water was disturbed by the touch of an angel, the first person in the water would be healed of their infirmities. Because of this, many who were sick or afflicted would gather at the pool and wait for the waters to be troubled. John 5:2-9 tells the story of a man who was there 38 years waiting to be healed, and this is the subject of Bloch's painting. In the painting, Bloch shows Christ lifting the cover of darkness wherein the man resides. The symbology is easily portrayed as a glowing Christ comes as the light of the world to a man who sits in darkness. The still pool in the corner of the painting contrasts with the Living Water who has the power to heal both body and soul.

When viewing the painting, this scripture from Isaiah came to mind: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." (Isaiah 9:2). What a perfect metaphor for the healing power of Christ! The light and the life of the world came to earth to cast off the darkness in our lives, and light our path to eternal life. John 1:17 states, "Grace (JST- life) and truth came by Jesus Christ."

To me, this story has always been an poignant example of the grace of Christ. He who condescended below all things purposefully lived His life in order to both understand us and be able to save us. Nephi in a vision was shown the life of Christ, and told about His mission to earth. The angel asked, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?...Behold the Lamb of God, yea even the Son of the Eternal Father. Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?" Nephi answered, "Yea, it is the love of god, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men." (1 Nephi 11:16, 21-22).

Christ is the Living Waters, the Tree of Life, and the epitomy of the grace of Heavenly Father that allows us to gain eternal life. Nephi taught, "It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23). Grace means mercy, benevolence, favor, and good will. Thus, after we've done all we could, God shows us mercy and will make up for our shortcomings.

In a revelation to Joseph Smith we are taught, "Through his Atonement, and by obedience to the principles of the gospel, mankind might be saved." (D&C 138:4) Of course it is important to try our hardest to live the commandments and keep the covenants we've made, but no one is perfect and no one can be the sole means of their own salvation. Abinadi discoursed on the redemption of man through Christ and stated, "Only in and through Christ can ye be saved...Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord." (Mosiah 16:13,15). Acts 15:11 states "We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved." In Ephesians 2:8 we read, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." And in 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul taught, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

God's grace, His mercy, is there for all who come unto Him, who believe in Him, and who exercise their faith in Him through humbling themselves and following His commandments. Paul taught the saints in Corinth about the grace of Christ: "My (Christ's) grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) And Moroni taught, "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weaknesses. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

Thus, the simple recipe for allowing us to behold the grace of God is to humble ourselves and have faith in the power of the Atonement. Alma taught, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and affliction and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infimities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he many know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)

Christ wants us to be healed by spiritually coming unto Him. As he lifted the veil of darkness off the man at the Pool of Bethesda and healed him physically, Christ's Atonement gave Him the power to heal us from spiritual darkness as well. His grace is sufficient for all men who come unto Him, and He desires to bring each one out of darkness and into the light of eternal life.

There Is Hope

Several months ago I attended a Living Legends fireside and heard a song that stated simply, "There is hope." Although I have since forgotten the rest of the words, I was struck by that powerful, yet simple statement. There is hope. So often it is easy to become discouraged in life. Whether our problems lie in our physical appearance, our social station, or our spiritual standing before God, it seems easier to live in despair rather then put forth the effort to hope for improvement.

However, our Heavenly Father did not put us on this earth to forever feel hopeless, unworth, or unloved. He stated, "This is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) And "men are that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25). If God wants us to have immortality and eternal life, that means he wants us to be as he is. And I believe that if he wants us to have joy, that means He has joy. And we feel true joy in our lives when we have hope.

But what is hope? Defining hope for me is like trying to define salt; I know what it is but it's hard to describe to others. I finally found a definition that I liked that defined an aspect of hope- a person or thing in which expectations are centered. I liked that description because it reminded me in whom I should have hope; my Savior, Jesus Christ. Moroni records, "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection." (Moroni 7:41) It is through the Atonement of Christ that we can change our hearts, repent, and turn again toward our goal of eternal life. And in this, I find hope. Without the Atonement, life would be an endless train of sadness and despair. But with the Atonement, we can see again the light of Christ that shines in a world gone dark.

Nephi counsels, "Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope. " (2 Nephi 31:20) I love the expression "a perfect brightness of hope". When I think of something bright, I think of the sun because it gives light and life to the whole world. And then I think of the true light of the world- God's son. Christ stated, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." (John 12:46) If we believe in Christ and follow His light, then we can have joy in this world and hope in the world to come.

How do we obtain this hope? Moroni again gives the answer- the "Comforter filleth with hope." (Moroni 8:26) In order to gain hope, we must have the Spirit. In order to have the companionship of the spirit, we must do those things which invite his presense into our lives. They're the answers that any primary child would give; pray, read our scriptures, follow the prophet. And yet how often do we do these things "with a sincere heart", and "with real intent" as Moroni admonishes? But as we strive to have the spirit in our lives, we will be filled with hope. And when we have that hope we will be able to give "a reason of the hope that is in us." (1 Peter 3:15) This world is full of darkness and despair, but because of the Atonement there is always hope.

Faith To Be

As I was sitting in sacrament meeting today, I was thinking about Christ and had a sudden flash to the story of the woman with an issue of blood who touched Christ's robe and was healed. I've heard that account numerous times, but I never really appreciated the amount of faith demonstrated by this believing woman. I decided to reread the account found in Matthew 9 and was again struck by the woman's faith as she thought, "If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole." And then by Jesus's response, "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." (Matt 9:20-22)

This story started me thinking about my life, and especially the problems that I seem to dwell on from day to day. They aren't nearly as severe or limiting as was this woman's, and yet I find myself occassionally shying away from the one source that could heal me. Why do we think that the Atonement is true, wonderful, and for everyone but ourselves? That for some reason we do not deserve God's love, mercy, or consideration? In speaking for myself, I've decided it's because sometimes I lack faith. Faith to be healed, faith to be loved, faith to be anything.

Faith is so simple and yet so powerful. As sung in the primary song, faith can be as simple as "knowing the sun will rise each and every day," yet it's powerful enough that Jesus said, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." (Matt 17:20) The woman understood this power and had faith enough to remove the mountain in her life. But how do we accomplish this in our own lives?

First we must have an understanding of what faith is. The Bible Dictionary has entire column dedicated to faith. I'll just hit the highlights here:

1. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen, but which are true, and must be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation.

2. Faith is a principle of action and of power.

3. All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge, or it cannot produce the desired results.

First, "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." (Alma 32:21) And as Moroni states, "Faith is things which are hoped for and not seem; wherefore dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith...wherefore thou [speaking of God] workest after men have faith" (Ether 12:6, 30)

Simply put, we don't just wake up one day and suddenly understand everything in the universe (as convinient as that would be). Some things we will never see in our mortal lives, but that does not mean that they do not exist, or are not true principles. We have been given prophets, apostles, scriptures, and most importantly the Holy Ghost to testify of truth and to help us develop faith. It is through obedience to the gospel, taught by living and ancient prophets, that we develop faith and can see miracles in our own lives. Alma likened developing faith to planting a seed, and as we nurture the seeds of gospel principles our faith in these principles will grow until we have a sure knowledge of their truthfulness. (Alma 32)

Second, faith is a principle of action and power. James states, "Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone." (James 2:17) One of my favorite stories illustrating this principle is found in the story of the handcart companies caught in the early winter storms, and stranded far from Salt Lake City. It was conference and when Brigham Young heard about the plight of these saints, he quickly decided that instead of prayers sent to heaven to help the handcart pioneers, he would do something about it! He quickly explained the problem then cancelled that meetings so the saints in Salt Lake could go out and save the stranded pioneers.

How often are we spiritually stranded, or see others in precarious situations and instead of doing something about it, we sit and think about how great it would be if God would rescue us from our trials. This isn't faith! Faith is having hope that God will assist us in our trials and then going forth and tackling them head on. Imagine if Nephi had done nothing more than thought about going back for the brass plates, and then hoped that God would drop them in his lap without any effort. It sounds ridiculous, but I find myself doing it all the time. We need to take action instead of passively allowing our lives to continue without directionless. God has said that we must act and not be acted upon (2 Nephi 2), and that we will receive no witness until after the trial of our faith. We must be like Nephi and go and do!

Third, we must base our faith on correct knowledge, or it will not produce desired results. I could have faith all I want that I can turn the sun blue (which I think would be a very pretty shade for it), but because that faith is not based on correct knowledge it will never come to pass. One of my favorite bible stories about this is found in 1 Kings 18 and chronicles the story of Elijah and the priests of Baal. Elijah challenged the priests to have their god consume a sacrifice with fire from heaven. If it happened, then Israel could continue worshipping Baal. As the priests in vain tried to get their idolitrous god to respond, Elijah (after thoroughly mocking them in their efforts-love it!) commanded that the sacrifice to Jehovah be completely drenched upon the altar he had built. Then when Elijah prayed to the Lord to accept his righteous sacrifice, the offering was consumed by fire. Elijah based his faith in correct knowledge and was rewarded after showing forth his faith.

Moroni also speaks of other men who placed their faith correctly in Christ and were thereby able to work many miracles (Ether 12). Also, in the famous lecture in Moroni 7 on faith, hope, and charity, Mormon states that "thus by faith, [we can] lay hold upon every good thing" (Moroni 7:25). The point of faith is to enable us to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ to return to our Father in Heaven. As we lay hold of this good thing, we will develop the faith needed to overcome our mountains and be healed.

Holding True

Sometimes when I'm trying to make the right choices in life, I feel like Prince Philip; at the edge of a cliff and facing a fire-breathing dragon determined to make me fall. It's hard to see the way to safety when the dragon before you seems too large to conquer. But it is in those moments when the Spirit whispers to me that if I hold true, I will overcome whatever in my life that is striving to bring me down. Flora reminded Prince Philip of the sword of truth held in his hand, and then commanded the sword to "fly swift and sure, that evil die and good endure!". The death of opposition in our lives probably won't be as dramatic as the downfall of Maleficent, but it can be just as sure if we hold fast and hold true.

But what does it mean to be true? It is used often in the scriptures, and by modern prophets and teachers. I first remember the word true being used to describe the sons of Helaman. "And they were all young men and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all- they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted." (Alma 53:20) In this scripture, being true is portrayed as the most vital of characteristics held by these young men.

Wanting to know an exact definition of true, I looked in the dictionary and found these words used to describe true: reliable, unfailing, sure, firm in allegiance, loyal, faithful, steadfast. I especially loved the last 3- firm in allegiance, loyal, and steadfast. That's always how I pictured the sons of Helaman- consistently doing what they knew to be right. And then I thought about Heavenly Father and Jesus, the best examples of what it means to be true. God is unfailing. He is sure and reliable. God is firm in his allegiance to the principles of the gospel, and is steadfast in His relations with His children.

In the scriptures, Jesus is often described as being true. He "was the true light" (John 1:9). He says of Himself "my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven" (John 6:32). Jesus taught "he that sent me is true" (John 7:28). He asks "will [ye] not receive the strength and nourishment of the true vine? Yea, will [ye] not come unto the true fold of God?" (1 Nephi 15:15). And He says "I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (D&C 93:2).

So for me, being true requires that I be like God. Firm, reliable, steadfast, and unfailing in my commitment to the truth. But it's one thing to know what it is to be true. It is another thing to hold true. How do we become like the sons of Helaman? Like Stephen who was martyred because he would not deny Christ (Acts 7)? Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego who were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship a golden image (Daniel 3)? Or like Joseph Smith who was just a boy when persecution began to rage against him but simply stated "I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for say that I had seen a vision, yet it was true...I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it." (Joseph Smith History 1:25)

President Hinckley said, "We believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves. Each of us has a thing we call a conscience. We know the difference between right and wrong. We do not have to be constucted concerning what is good, and what is evil. To be true to ourselves means being an example of righteous living in all situations and circumstances."

Shakespeare wrote, "To thine own self be true,/ And it must follow, as the night the day,/ Thou canst not then be false to any man." (Hamlet Act 1 Scene 3).

To hold true we must know what we believe, and we must act on this belief with the best of our abilities. We must have personal virtue. We must be honest. We must always strive to stay on the straight and narrow path that leads back to Heavenly Father.

There are so many stories throughout the scriptures and in the lives of the modern day prophets that reflect an ability to hold true. It's never easy and we often feel as though the dragon that is Satan is thwarting all our efforts to succeed. But if we arm ourselves with the whole armour of God, and hold true to His principles, our swords of truth will also fly swift and sure and we will come off conquerors.

Stories of people who held true:
Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 39-41)
Esther (Esther 2-7)
Job (That whole, big mess- great example!)
Daniel (Daniel 1, 6)
Paul the Apostle (2 Timothy 4:6-8 his final testimony)
Nephi (1 Nephi 3:7- Mr Go and Do)
Captain Moroni (Alma 48:11-17; most of the war chapters)

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates- You Never Know What You're Gonna Get

My friend at work was telling me about a chocolate shop the other day, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about that delicious yumminess since :) I love chocolate, and it comes in so many different varieties. Dark, milk, white; with or without nuts, fruits, caramel, and the list goes on and on. I must admit, though, there are a few flavors that don't really float my boat. Everyone has them. They come in those assorted boxes of chocolate that are passed around like wildfire during valentines season and Christmas. It's always a bit nerve wracking having to pick one without knowing what's inside. Will it be heaven on earth for your mouth, or one to put back in the box after you've nibbled off a corner? Not that I've ever done that :)

Well, life's a lot like that box of chocolates. Sometimes there's a guide on the back helping us choose which ones we'd like to try. Other times it's a complete shot in the dark. I guess I've been feeling like I've been taking more shots in the dark lately and my choices seem to follow the 50-50-90 rule: If there's a 50% chance of getting it right, 90% of the time I get it wrong. It seems the more I try to do what's right, the more lost I feel. In the musical Wicked, Elphaba sings "No good deed goes unpunished. No act of charity goes un-resented." While that might be slightly cynical, it often feels like everything I try to do doesn't turn out. There are trials in my life that I wish I hadn't picked up out of that chocolate box. I wish, after I nibbled off a piece, that I could be done with them and put them back in the box.

Fortunately life doesn't work like that. Why fortunately? Because if it did, we would never grow! There's no way I would continue working through a trial if I didn't have to. Trials are no fun; nobody really wants them. But they're the best ways to learn and increase in faith.

Trials, in one way or another, test our faith. Why does God want to test our faith? He already knows us so well that He can predict our actions, but He wants us to know ourselves. Only when we are tested do we come to learn who we are. If we coasted through life, we'd never know how strong our faith could be. Peter said, "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (trials): That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7) Peter is saying that even when we are burdened by many trials and our faith is tested, we should rejoice because overcoming those trials, especially ones that pull us through a refiner's fire, make us acceptable to Christ.

Alma, in talking with his son Helaman, said, "I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3) Alma is saying that God will not take away our trials, but He will support us in our trials and afflictions so that we may eventually return to him.

However, Heavenly Father does not always help us right away. Sometimes He tests our faith in order that we may grow. Moroni states, "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6) Sometimes, when I'm in the midst of a trial, it's hard to see the end, the point, the reason why. But Moroni is saying that instead of arguing your situation with God, have faith that He knows what He's doing and that everything will work for your good if you continue making correct choices.

One of my favorite examples of this principle is the story of Zion's Camp. This takes place in 1834, when the newly founded Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was gathered in 2 places; Kirtland, Ohio where Joseph Smith lived, and Independence Missouri. Mobs combined to drive the saints living in Independence (Zion) out of Jackson County Missouri. The saints had tried to regain their land through legal means, but were unsuccessful. Finally, Joseph Smith was told in a revelation to raise a camp of 500 men to march down to Jackson county and redeem Zion. Exciting, right? :) It's like a story out of the Book of Mormon: righteous men fighting for their wives, religion, land, and freedom just like Captain Moroni.

Well, despite it being a commandment from God that 500 men go, only about 200 finally followed Joseph down to Missouri. Now you would think, this whole camp thing being the Lord's idea, that He would have made it a nice jaunt down to Missouri, followed by a quick smack down on the wicked Missourians. Not so much. Just the trek itself was filled with sickness, murmuring, and bad conditions. And when the party finally reached the Fishing River in Missouri, Joseph received a revelation stating that the Lord was revoking His promise to redeem Zion and that it would have to wait for a season. (D&C 102 and D&C 105).

I must admit my first reaction to hearing that would probably have been along the lines of "What gives?!" (in 19th century slang of course). Why would the Lord ask them to come all that way- about 1000 miles- through trials and suffering and then change His mind? The reason was that the people were not sufficiently prepared to redeem Zion and they needed to learn more before they could return. (D&C 105:9-10)

So was there a point to the trial they underwent? Absolutely! God told Joseph, "But inasmuch as there are those who have hearkened unto my words, I have prepared a blessing and an endowment for them, if they continue faithful. I have heard their prayers, and will accept their offering; and it is expedient in me that they should be brought thus far for a trial of their faith." (D&C 105:18-19) The lesson we need to learn from this is that God knows what we need to learn from our trials, and He gives us trials that will increase our faith if we hearken to His words. The outcome might not be anything we expected, but it is what we need. For example, Zion's camp never redeemed Zion; in fact it remains unredeemed in that sense to this day. However, from Zion's camp came the next several prophets of the church, apostles, seventy. The majority of leadership in the church for the next 50 years were members of Zion's camp. The world might call it a failure (and wikipedia does- I looked it up), but to God it was the proving ground for the leaders the church would need to take it across the plains into the Salt Lake Valley.

Christ said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Yes we will have trials in this life. They may not be what we would choose for ourselves, but they all will help us come to the Savior if we hearken to His counsel and have faith. Life may be like that box of chocolates: we never know what's going to come at us next. But we know that mixed in with those trials, are the blessings of that perfect piece of chocolate- eternal life. And I know that if we keep trying, someday we'll receive it.

Additional scriptures:

1 Kings 17

2 Kings 5

Daniel 3

Mosiah 23 and 24

3 Nephi 1