Deep Roots

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin once told of farmers in the hot desert of northwest Mexico who “grow varieties of corn and beans that are unusually hardy and drought resistant. These varieties survive and flourish in a harsh climate where other plants would wither and die. One of these plants is the white tepary bean. Its seed will sprout and the plant will grow even when very little rain falls. It sends its roots as deep as six feet into the rocky, sandy earth to find the moisture it needs. It can flower and fruit in the 115-degree (Fahrenheit) desert temperatures with only one yearly rainfall. Its foliage remains remarkably green, with little irrigation, even in the heat of mid-July.”

Elder Wirthlin suggested: “Perhaps members of the Church could emulate the example of these hardy, sturdy plants. We should send our roots deep into the soil of the gospel. We should grow, flourish, flower, and bear good fruit in abundance despite the evil, temptation, or criticism we might encounter. We should learn to thrive in the heat of adversity”

( Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 7; or Ensign, May 1989, 7).

Get Back Up

For a little perspective- check out this fabulous video: http://www.maniacworld.com/are-you-going-to-finish-strong.html

The Power of Deliverance

But behold, I Nephi will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he has chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty, even unto the power of deliverance.
1 Nephi 1:20

I think it is natural to want "immediate deliverance." Elder Maxwell said that some of us (like myself) want to go through life with all "green lights and empty parking spaces." Which sometimes might come, but generally there are a good number of red lights and full parking lots in our journey through life.

I love this scripture, where Nephi tells me the secret is remaining strong in faith, which will result in the tender mercies of the Lord, leading me to deliverance.

Carried

Elder Uchtdorf starts his talk (The Infinite Power of Hope) with this gripping story:

Toward the end of World War II, my father was drafted into the German army
and sent to the western front, leaving my mother alone to care for our family.
Though I was only three years old, I can still remember this time of fear and
hunger. We lived in Czechoslovakia, and with every passing day, the war came
nearer and the danger grew greater.
Finally, during the cold winter of 1944,
my mother decided to flee to Germany, where her parents were living. She bundled
us up and somehow managed to get us on one of the last refugee trains heading
west. Traveling during that time was dangerous. Everywhere we went, the sound of
explosions, the stressed faces, and ever-present hunger reminded us that we were
in a war zone.
Along the way the train stopped occasionally to get supplies.
One night during one of these stops, my mother hurried out of the train to
search for some food for her four children. When she returned, to her great
horror, the train and her children were gone!
She was weighed down with
worry; desperate prayers filled her heart. She frantically searched the large
and dark train station, urgently crisscrossing the numerous tracks while hoping
against hope that the train had not already departed.
Perhaps I will never
know all that went through my mother’s heart and mind on that black night as she
searched through a grim railroad station for her lost children. That she was
terrified, I have no doubt. I am certain it crossed her mind that if she did not
find this train, she might never see her children again. I know with certainty:
her faith overcame her fear, and her hope overcame her despair. She was not a
woman who would sit and bemoan tragedy. She moved. She put her faith and hope
into action.
And so she ran from track to track and from train to train until
she finally found our train. It had been moved to a remote area of the station.
There, at last, she found her children again.
I have often thought about that
night and what my mother must have endured. If I could go back in time and sit
by her side, I would ask her how she managed to go on in the face of her fears.
I would ask about faith and hope and how she overcame despair.

It is natural to assume that his mother was frightened, and stressed. But maybe she wasn't. Have you ever not been stressed when theoretically you should have been. Has there been a time when the Lord walked you through a difficult situation, giving you the peace you needed as you went along. Perhaps when a loved one passed away, or you lost your job, you were not overly concerned, but rather felt calm.

This is what one aspect of the atonement is all about.

In Isaiah 46:4, we learn,

I will carry, and will deliver you.

In Mosiah 24:14, he told the people of Alma,

I will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you
cannot feel them upon your backs

In 1 Nephi 17:2:

And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live
upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their
children and were strong yea, even like the men; and began to bear their
journeyings without murmurings... and if it so be that the children of men keep
the commandments of god he doth nourish them; wherefore he did provide means for
us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

In Isaiah 53:4,

He hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows.

In my life I have noticed that the degree to which my sorrows have been carried has a relationship to how close I am to Christ prior to the time in which I need his help.

Like the people of Limhi, if I start praying and repenting after the hard times strike, (Mosiah 21:15)

The Lord is slow to hear their cry because of their iniquities.

What do they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure? If we want to feel the atoning love and peace of the Savior as we enter the difficult times that will no doubt come our way, we, prior to that need to be close to the Savior.

My Grandfather said the other day, to have a friend, you have to be a friend. This may sound like a trite cliche, but it is true. Do we want Christ as our friend?

D&C 88:3

Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts.

Perhaps President Uchtdorf's mother was perfectly at peace during the horrifying ordeal. Perhaps Christ sent his Comforter to abide in her heart. Perhaps her burdens were eased, perhaps she was carried by the Savior.

Hope of Israel

I have been thinking about a particular aspect of Elder Uchdorf's talk on hope. He said,

Perhaps today I could sit by your side and by the side of any who might
feel discouraged, worried, or lonely. Today I would like to speak with you about
the infinite power of hope.

I read an article by USA Today that discussed Mormon women and depression. The reason the article gave for less depression among Mormon women was, the author proposed, perhaps, associated with their higher church attendance- suggesting increased support from others at church.

Whereas this may be true- I think that ideally, we should be less depressed, because of the hope that should fill our lives through Jesus Christ. (just a little interjection- I know that some cases of depression are unavoidable- and we cannot"hope" our way out of them. I've had post pardom- been there- done that- not judging- ever) President Uchdorf said:

Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness.

I love that simple statement. Isn't this what we are all seeking for? Happiness? The beauty of the word hope, is that it connotes that we don't necessarily have all that we want. Perhaps we don't have the relationships in our lives the way we want them. Perhaps we don't have our finances the way we want them. Whatever it is, hope can still fill our lives with happiness.

So then- what happens to our hope when we our situation changes, and we do receive what we were hoping for?

Each time a hope is fulfilled, it creates confidence and leads to greater
hope.

"But if not" as Esther would say... Sometimes it seems as though relief will never come- what then? President Uchdorf says:

And to all who suffer—to all who feel discouraged, worried, or lonely—I say
with love and deep concern for you, never give in.
Never surrender.
Never
allow despair to overcome your spirit.
Embrace and rely upon the Hope of
Israel, for the love of the Son of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow,
and gladdens every heart.

You Know Enough

Today is more lesson prep for me-
You Know
Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen Of the Presidency of the Seventy

He shares this personal experience:

Nearly 40 years ago as I contemplated the challenge of a mission, I felt
very inadequate and unprepared. I remember praying, “Heavenly Father, how
can I
serve a mission when I know so little?” I believed in the Church, but
I felt my
spiritual knowledge was very limited. As I prayed, the feeling
came: “You don’t
know everything, but you know enough!” That reassurance
gave me the courage to
take the next step into the mission
field.



We then remain steady and patient as we progress through
mortality. At
times, the Lord’s answer will be, “You don’t know everything,
but you know
enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is
right. Remember Nephi’s words: “I know that
he loveth his
children;
nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.”2

Has there been a time in your life when you felt inadequate, or like you didn't know enough ? I certainly felt that way when I had my first baby!

He goes on to tell of an experience that he had when visiting some missionaries- one missionary there wanted to go home early...

We sat together in the mission president’s home. The missionary told me
about his challenging childhood, of learning disorders, of moving from one
family to another. He spoke sincerely of his inability to learn a new
language
and adapt to a new culture. Then he added, “Brother Andersen, I
don’t even know
if God loves me.” As he said those words, I felt a sure and
forceful feeling
come into my spirit: “He does know I love him. He knows
it.”
I let him
continue for a few more minutes, and then I said, “Elder,
I’m sympathetic to
much of what you’ve
said, but I must correct you on
one thing: you do know God loves you. You know
He does.”
As I said those
words to him, the same Spirit that had spoken to
me spoke to him. He bowed
his head and began to cry. He apologized. “Brother
Andersen,” he said, “I do
know God loves me; I do know it.” He didn’t know everything, but
he knew
enough. He knew God loved him. That priceless piece of spiritual
knowledge
was sufficient for his doubt to be replaced with faith. He found the
strength to stay on his mission.
Brothers and sisters, we each have
moments
of spiritual power, moments of inspiration and revelation. We must
sink them
deep into the chambers of our souls. As we do, we prepare our
spiritual home
storage for moments of personal difficulty. Jesus said,
“Settle this in your
hearts, that ye will do the things which I shall teach,
and command you.”3

I was trying to think of some scriptural examples of feelings of inadequacy. I thought of Jonah. Jonah was given an assignment from the Lord. He is to go to Nineveh to call repentance unto the people. Instead- he tries in vain to run away from God.

What are some ways that we might try to "run away from God?" I think we do this every time we ignore a prompting, or don't follow it.

Jonah felt as if the assignment given to him was too great- beyond his abilities, more than he wanted to take on- WAY out of his comfort zone.- Sooooo- he causes a great tempest, the ship he is on is in danger of going down, he tells the people to throw him over board- (he was probably expecting death- which might have been easier than going to Nineveh, in his mind.)- Of course we know that he was swallowed by a whale, and was there for three days and three nights. Yucky...

And so he was humbled. He had to go through a horribly humbling experience to bring him to the point where he was searching for the Lord instead of running from the Lord. Do we ever do this? Do we make the mistake of running away from God- only to be compelled to humility through hard times? I think that some "hard times" are avoidable. I think that sometimes they come our way, as they did for Jonah, because we ran away from the Lord, when we were supposed to follow him. And, as we learn from Jonah, no matter how "hard" it may seem to do what the Lord wants us to do- it is harder not to. And of course, it is always the case that when we are following God, we have His help- so sure- the assignment may very well be beyond our capabilities alone- but- we are not alone.

Help me with my lesson...

Today I am reading this talk: - This is the "Teachings for our Times lesson that I am teaching this month:
You Know Enough
Elder Neil L. Andersen Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Today's post is some random sections of the talk, combined with my ideas on perhaps how I will teach it, or some thoughts.

While there are many experiences like the one we are having today, full of
spiritual power and confirmation, there are also days when we feel inadequate
and unprepared, when doubt and confusion enter our spirits, when we have
difficulty finding our spiritual footing. Part of our victory as disciples of
Christ is what we do when these feelings come.

Isn't this true... perhaps we can discuss as a class what the best responses to those days and situations are. Maybe- before I read any of the talk, I can have the class write down on a 3 x 5 card what makes them feel close to the Savior.- Then I can have this first quote read, - asking them to remember the most recent of these times in their personal lives, and ask, what the best responses to those days are- asking them to read what they had previously written on their card.

Faith is not only a feeling; it is a decision. He would need to choose faith.

I can ask the class- "what does he mean that faith is not only a feeling, but a decision?" Here- perhaps we could have a little video clip- from Indiana Jones- where he is taking the "steps of faith"- where he has to put his foot forth, and lean forward before the foundation appears under his foot. I could ask the class members to recall times in their lives, big and small where they "chose faith." (maybe I could ask some people ahead of time to do this)

He got on his knees. His spiritual balance returned.

I could ask the class to get up and do some balancing exercises, standing on one foot, bending over to touch the floor- do the yoga tree pose - (I would need to wear just the right outfit that morning)- We could then talk about spiritual balance... Why are we sometimes off balance spiritually- how do we find that balance again? (two knees- on the ground)

Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts—these are part of our mortality. But
we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous
spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot
coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the
road of faith. Jesus said, “Be not afraid, only believe.”4

What are these reservoirs? How do we tap them?

"Choose the road of faith."- "Be not afraid, only believe." These sound so simple- when times are hard, when doubt and fear are all around us- how do we have this as our response?

Hadley Peay is now seven years old. Hadley was born with a very serious hearing
impairment requiring extensive surgery to bring even limited hearing. Her
parents followed with tireless training to help her learn to speak. Hadley and
her family have cheerfully adapted to the challenge of her deafness.
Once,
when Hadley was four, she was standing in the checkout line at the grocery store
with her mother. She looked behind her and saw a little boy sitting in a
wheelchair. She noticed that the boy did not have legs.
Although Hadley had
learned to speak, she had difficulty controlling the volume of her voice. In her
louder voice, she asked her mother why the little boy did not have legs.
Her
mother quietly and simply explained to Hadley that “Heavenly Father makes all of
His children different.” “OK,” Hadley replied.
Then, unexpectedly, Hadley
turned to the little boy and said, “Did you know that when Heavenly Father made
me, my ears did not work? That makes me special. He made you with no legs, and
that makes you special. When Jesus comes, I will be able to hear and you will
get your legs. Jesus will make everything all right.”

What have you learned from children, when it comes to faith?

OK- so if anyone is reading this blog and has any ideas for my lesson- how to make it better- please share :)

Come What May, and Love It

Today I am reading and studying the conference talk:
Come What May, and Love It
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

This story totally made me lol:

Learn to Laugh

I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all
dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked
a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to
me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the
door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually
our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man
that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our
daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.
We all had
a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our
daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I
was still in the kitchen laughing. Now I realize that our daughter could have
felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we
still laugh about it today.

Seek for the Eternal

The dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one
time
or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt.
Because Jesus
Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He
understands our
grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have
increased
compassion and understanding for others.

The story in the scriptures that has helped me so much with this principle is that of The people of Alma, living in the land of Helam. They were good righteous people. The Lamanites attacked them and put them in bondage. They were forced to work hard, and forbidden to pray. Sure the Lord could have protected the People of Alma. He could have kept them from being found. He could have struck them all dead. the Lord can do anything. And yet, he allowed those good righteous people to experience great trials. Why? "He trieth their patience and their faith." Mosiah 23:21. The Lord also could have helped them to escape quickly, and yet, it seemed t take a while. During which time, the people prayed in their hearts. From their first instinct, throughout their ordeal, they turned to the Lord. The result was that he eased their burdens, so they could not feel them. And then, of course, not immediately, but rather eventually, they were delivered.

Two days ago, I stopped by to say good-bye to my "super awesome neighbor" (Can I start calling her SAN?) As she had just packed her things to go with her daughter and grandchildren to Pittsburgh for a lung transplant, she was sweet, calm, normal, happy. I can imagine that someone else in the same situation could have been a mess. I could tell that the Lord was easing her burdens. I think that when the Lord eases our burdens, it is usually in this way. We don't have physical burdens on our backs like the people of Alma. But he eases our minds and thoughts. (not generally immediate deliverance) He gives us peace, even when logic tells us we shouldn't have it. SAN's daughter's name is Cammi, here is a blog that highlighted her story yesterday: Cammi.

Elder Wirthlin then talks about what he call the "principle of compensation." I had never heard this phrase before, I did a search for this phrase on LDS.org, and did not find it repeated. I had always kind of felt like it existed, but I loved having it named, defined and spelled out.

definition:

The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from
those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not
come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will
eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

He goes on to explain that compensation sometimes comes in this life, but ALWAYS comes on the other side.

He tells of his grandson with autism:

His parents have encouraged him to participate in sports. When he first
started playing baseball, he was in the outfield. But I don’t think he grasped
the need to run after loose balls. He thought of a much more efficient way to
play the game. When a ball was hit in his direction, Joseph watched it go by and
then pulled another baseball out of his pocket and threw that one to the
pitcher.
Any reservations that his family may have had in raising Joseph, any
sacrifices they have made have been compensated tenfold. Because of this choice
spirit, his mother and father have learned much about children with
disabilities. They have witnessed firsthand the generosity and compassion of
family, neighbors, and friends. They have rejoiced together as Joseph has
progressed. They have marveled at his goodness.

The fourth point to his message was to Trust in the Father and the Son.

The same was said about the people of Alma: "whosoever putteth his trust in him the same shall be lifted up at the last day." (Mosiah 23:22) The Lord explained that eased their burdens in part so that they "may stand as a witness for me hereafter, that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."

“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”2
The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be
happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in.
He
who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold
us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He
will make weak things become strong.3
One
of our daughters, after giving birth to a baby, became seriously ill. We prayed
for her, administered to her, and supported her as best we could. We hoped she
would receive a blessing of healing, but days turned into months, and months
turned into years. At one point I told her that this affliction might be
something she would have to struggle with the rest of her life.
One morning I
remember pulling out a small card and threading it through my typewriter. Among
the words that I typed for her were these: “The simple secret is this: put your
trust in the Lord, do your best, then leave the rest to Him.”
She did put her
trust in God. But her affliction did not disappear. For years she suffered, but
in due course, the Lord blessed her, and eventually she returned to
health.
Knowing this daughter, I believe that even if she had never found
relief, yet she would have trusted in her Heavenly Father and “[left] the rest
to Him.”

The people of Alma submitted their will to the Lord "cheerfully and with patience." In my experience, I have found that I am a bit more of a slow metronome, moving between patient and discouraged. Consistency with my scripture study helps to always bring me back to patient. I think I have a total of about 4 readers on this blog, but could you all keep Cammi in your prayers? Thanks. I know that prayer works.

Helaman 12 Humble Becasue of the Word

I am still in chapter 12- I am not a big fan of verse 3 :)

3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him. (there is that word "remember" again- I need to "always remember Him.")

Instead, I like Alma, chapter 32, Alma is teaching the Zoramites, who were cast out of their synagogue because of their poverty.

14 And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?

To me, this verse (Alma 32:14)- is teaching me that I do not need to experience hardships to remember the Lord, I can be humbled through the Word of God rather than trials. This is what I want; this is what I am trying for.

Helaman 11 & 12 And thus we see...

Nineteen years before the coming of Christ, there is a long war going on, Nephi prays, " O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee. "

Let me start by saying that I know that the Lord didn't cause the big stock market melt down. This week has been "the worst since the depression" they say, with big financial market problems. The result of the failure of these large financial institutions has been widespread fear and panic on wall street. Perhaps, though, like the famine in Nephi's day, something good can come of it. It is so easy to trust in the arm of flesh, until that fails, and the only place to turn is to trust in the Lord.

Helaman 11:
17 And it came to pass that in the *seventy and sixth year the Lord did turn away his anger from the people, and caused that rain should fall upon the earth, insomuch that it did bring forth her fruit in the season of her fruit. And it came to pass that it did bring forth her grain in the season of her grain.

18 And behold, the people did rejoice and glorify God, and the whole face of the land was filled with rejoicing; and they did no more seek to destroy Nephi, but they did esteem him as a great prophet, and a man of God, having great power and authority given unto him from God.

And so the cycle continued, they repented, turned to the Lord, and they were delivered from their suffering. Their righteousness, however, was short lived. Nephi summs it up so well in the begining of chapter 12 with a classic, "and thus we see..."

1 And thus we can behold how false, and also the unsteadiness of the hearts of the children of men; yea, we can see that the Lord in his great infinite goodness doth bless and prosper those who put their trust in him.

2 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold, and in silver, and in all manner of precious things of every kind and art; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One—yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity.

3 And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him.

This a typical cycle, but one that I am continually trying to AVIOD in my life. I know that I can be blessed in my life, and still remember the Lord.

I look back to how the country, in large, turned to God after 9/11. Maybe we can have some of that in these uncertain days as well.