"Life is like an old-time rail journey - delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." - Jenkin Lloyd Jones
In our world of instant gratification, people are always looking for that next thrill. There seems to be an endless search for happiness, looking for those things that please the natural man. Movies and television programs promise us that if we choose to partake of the things of the world that our lives will be better. Of course these rarely portray the seedier side of the world. Alcoholism, drug addiction, or the pain caused by extra-marital affairs is rarely exposed, yet with glib indifference the characters of these shows demonstrate how these things supposedly contribute to a better life.
Our lives are meant to be challenging. Our purpose here is to learn how to become like our Father in Heaven, and this can only be achieved through obedience to His commandments. None of us here can expect to have a life devoid of problems, and those who adopt the ways of the world to avoid their problems will often find that their issues are larger than the ones they started out trying to avoid. I hope that we can take the advice in this quote and, when things are not as smooth as we might like them, we will remember that it is all just part of our experience here.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Trials (4/26/2010)
This past Friday, our family entered a new phase of our life. My wife, after taking 12 years off to start our family, received her college degree. The past two semesters have been particularly difficult, as all of us in the family have made sacrifices in order for her to realize this dream. There were plenty of evenings when I would come home from work only to find that my day was just beginning instead of ending. To make a long story short, these past few years I have found myself in the dense forest, often able to see only the trees around me.
I don't say these things to complain. I simply wanted to use this experience as an example of a life lesson I have learned. When trying to focus on attaining the goal we came to this Earth to achieve, we will always encounter obstacles. Sometimes - as has happened to me lately more often that I care to admit - overcoming the individual obstacles becomes the focus instead of reaching the overall goal. What I have learned and am working to bring my life back around to is the fact that as long as we are doing those things we need to do to return to live with our Father in Heaven, all of the other obstacles will melt away.
Trials come to an end. The challenges we face today will be a distant memory next week or next month or next year. In fact, those may be the very things upon which we look back and laugh, or even realize how much stronger they made us. The important thing I have (re)discovered is the importance of focusing on the things that will matter most in the end.
I don't say these things to complain. I simply wanted to use this experience as an example of a life lesson I have learned. When trying to focus on attaining the goal we came to this Earth to achieve, we will always encounter obstacles. Sometimes - as has happened to me lately more often that I care to admit - overcoming the individual obstacles becomes the focus instead of reaching the overall goal. What I have learned and am working to bring my life back around to is the fact that as long as we are doing those things we need to do to return to live with our Father in Heaven, all of the other obstacles will melt away.
Trials come to an end. The challenges we face today will be a distant memory next week or next month or next year. In fact, those may be the very things upon which we look back and laugh, or even realize how much stronger they made us. The important thing I have (re)discovered is the importance of focusing on the things that will matter most in the end.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Never Give Up (4/20/2010)
In his second epistle to his son Moroni, Mormon reminds his son "And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God." (Moroni 9:6) The conditions under which Mormon wrote these words were appalling at best. Men had lost all love for each other as demonstrated by the fact that they were more interested in killing one another and engaging in all manner of depraved acts. It was clear that even Mormon didn't have much hope that he could make a difference to the Nephites, but still he tried.
There are plenty of times that it seems like it would be easier to give up than to keep going. For example, I have several elderly neighbors who are not members of the church who have expressed no interest in the church. It would be easy to just ignore them because they are entirely different than we are, yet we still do what we can to be good neighbors and good examples. None of them has ever come to church, nor do I think that there is a chance that they ever will, but by opening the door and being their friends, who knows what good might come of it. Just because the task seems impossible doesn't necessarily mean it is, and as Mormon reminds us, we need to do as much as we are able.
There are plenty of times that it seems like it would be easier to give up than to keep going. For example, I have several elderly neighbors who are not members of the church who have expressed no interest in the church. It would be easy to just ignore them because they are entirely different than we are, yet we still do what we can to be good neighbors and good examples. None of them has ever come to church, nor do I think that there is a chance that they ever will, but by opening the door and being their friends, who knows what good might come of it. Just because the task seems impossible doesn't necessarily mean it is, and as Mormon reminds us, we need to do as much as we are able.
The Atonement (4/15/2010)
"The gospel of the Savior is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. And the Atonement provides help for us to overcome and avoid bad and to do and become good. There is help from the Savior for the entire journey of life - from bad to good to better and to change our very nature."
- Elder David A. Bednar
One of the main things non-members with whom I interact focus on is the things that we, as members of the church, are not allowed to do. Things like the Word of Wisdom and tithing come up (even though these elements exist in many other religions as well), and they wonder how I can choose to live such a life. Of course, many of these same conversations talk about how friendly Mormon's are, and those who are better acquainted with the Church comment on how they are impressed with our humanitarian efforts.
As Elder Bednar suggests, the church is not just about denying ourselves worldly things. It is about improving ourselves - about becoming perfect (see Matthew 5:48). On their website, the Church now has sections that talk about how we can become more independent through avoiding the shackles of the world such as debt and addiction, how we can prepare ourselves for whatever contingencies might arise in our lives, and in short about improving our life. Of course, all of these temporal preparations will avail us nothing without the Atonement. As we strive to become perfect, we will make mistakes. Because of the Atonement, however, we can overcome those errors and have hope that the path we are on will lead us towards perfection and our Heavenly home.
- Elder David A. Bednar
One of the main things non-members with whom I interact focus on is the things that we, as members of the church, are not allowed to do. Things like the Word of Wisdom and tithing come up (even though these elements exist in many other religions as well), and they wonder how I can choose to live such a life. Of course, many of these same conversations talk about how friendly Mormon's are, and those who are better acquainted with the Church comment on how they are impressed with our humanitarian efforts.
As Elder Bednar suggests, the church is not just about denying ourselves worldly things. It is about improving ourselves - about becoming perfect (see Matthew 5:48). On their website, the Church now has sections that talk about how we can become more independent through avoiding the shackles of the world such as debt and addiction, how we can prepare ourselves for whatever contingencies might arise in our lives, and in short about improving our life. Of course, all of these temporal preparations will avail us nothing without the Atonement. As we strive to become perfect, we will make mistakes. Because of the Atonement, however, we can overcome those errors and have hope that the path we are on will lead us towards perfection and our Heavenly home.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Doing All We Do in His Name (4/13/2010)
"Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore." (Moses 5:8)
I have come across several verses in Moses 5 recently that have made me think. When I read this one, I understood it in a context that I had never thought about it before. It is easy to think of saying prayers and carrying out church callings in the name of Jesus Christ. When I apply that same thought to the idea that everything I do - from my work to the way I parent to the activities in which I engage - should be done in His name, it takes on an entirely new meaning.
Suddenly I realized that I need to be much more selective about the way I act and think. It made me start to question which of my actions were worthy to be done in His name, and as I consider those actions that are not worthy, I now see room for improvement in my life. Is there anything new in this concept? No, but this scripture reminded me in a different way the importance of my actions.
I have come across several verses in Moses 5 recently that have made me think. When I read this one, I understood it in a context that I had never thought about it before. It is easy to think of saying prayers and carrying out church callings in the name of Jesus Christ. When I apply that same thought to the idea that everything I do - from my work to the way I parent to the activities in which I engage - should be done in His name, it takes on an entirely new meaning.
Suddenly I realized that I need to be much more selective about the way I act and think. It made me start to question which of my actions were worthy to be done in His name, and as I consider those actions that are not worthy, I now see room for improvement in my life. Is there anything new in this concept? No, but this scripture reminded me in a different way the importance of my actions.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Playing Our Best Part (4/12/2010)
One of the things of which I am most guilty is procrastination. For whatever reason, there are plenty of times in my life when I look at what needs to be done, become overwhelmed, and then find something else that needs to be done which is easier and, in all likelihood, less important. While taking the easy path might seem better at the moment when it is chosen, in the end, it leaves undone things for which one day I will have to account. This was brought home to me forcefully recently when I read a talk by Elder Holland in which he paraphrases an essay from C.S. Lewis entitled "The World's Last Night."
"The doctrine of the Second Coming teaches us that we do not and cannot know when Christ will come and the world drama will end. He may appear and the curtain may be rung down at any moment. This kind of not knowing seems to some people intolerably frustrating. So many things would be interrupted. Perhaps you were going to get married next month. Perhaps you were to graduate this spring. Perhaps you were thinking of going on a mission or paying your tithing or denying yourself some indulgence. Surely no good and wise God would be so unreasonable as to cut all that short. Not now, of all moments!
"But we think this way because we keep on assuming that we know the play. In fact, we don't know much of it. We believe we are on in Act II, but we know almost nothing of how Act I went or how Act III will be. We are not even sure we know who the major and who the minor characters are. The Author knows. The audience, to the extent there is an audience of angels filling the loge and the stalls, may have an inkling. But we, never seeing the play from the outside, and meeting only the tiny minority of characters who are 'on' in the same scenes as ourselves, largely ignorant of the future and very imperfectly informed about the past, cannot tell at what moment Christ will come and confront us. We will face him one day, of that we may be sure; but we waste our time in guessing when that will be. That this human drama has a meaning we may be sure, but most of it we cannot yet see. When it is over we will be told. We are led to expect that the Author will have something to say to each of us on the part that each of us has played. Playing it well, then, is what matters most. To be able to say at the final curtain 'I have suffered the will of the Father in all things' is our only avenue to an ovation in the end."
"The doctrine of the Second Coming teaches us that we do not and cannot know when Christ will come and the world drama will end. He may appear and the curtain may be rung down at any moment. This kind of not knowing seems to some people intolerably frustrating. So many things would be interrupted. Perhaps you were going to get married next month. Perhaps you were to graduate this spring. Perhaps you were thinking of going on a mission or paying your tithing or denying yourself some indulgence. Surely no good and wise God would be so unreasonable as to cut all that short. Not now, of all moments!
"But we think this way because we keep on assuming that we know the play. In fact, we don't know much of it. We believe we are on in Act II, but we know almost nothing of how Act I went or how Act III will be. We are not even sure we know who the major and who the minor characters are. The Author knows. The audience, to the extent there is an audience of angels filling the loge and the stalls, may have an inkling. But we, never seeing the play from the outside, and meeting only the tiny minority of characters who are 'on' in the same scenes as ourselves, largely ignorant of the future and very imperfectly informed about the past, cannot tell at what moment Christ will come and confront us. We will face him one day, of that we may be sure; but we waste our time in guessing when that will be. That this human drama has a meaning we may be sure, but most of it we cannot yet see. When it is over we will be told. We are led to expect that the Author will have something to say to each of us on the part that each of us has played. Playing it well, then, is what matters most. To be able to say at the final curtain 'I have suffered the will of the Father in all things' is our only avenue to an ovation in the end."
Rewards for Our Efforts (4/6/2010)
I was thinking the other day about all of the things we are commanded to do. Pray. Study our Scriptures. Attend the temple. Work on our family history so we have something to do at the temple. Attend church. Do our home teaching and visiting teaching. Hold regular family home evenings. I could go on, but I think that you all pretty well know the list. And it seems like the more we do, the more we are asked to do.
It can be overwhelming, but then I realized that with such work comes the inevitable blessings. The means to accomplish what has been asked of us will always be there. (see 1 Nephi 3:7) We have been promised that as we do what is asked of us, we will receive the blessings according to our faithfulness. (see Doctrine and Covenants 82:3, 130:20) And the greatest comfort of all is that as we strive to do good, the Lord has promised that He will "go before (us); he will be with (us), he will not fail (us), neither forsake (us): fear not, neither be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8) I hope that as we work our hardest to become perfect that we will see these blessings in our lives.
It can be overwhelming, but then I realized that with such work comes the inevitable blessings. The means to accomplish what has been asked of us will always be there. (see 1 Nephi 3:7) We have been promised that as we do what is asked of us, we will receive the blessings according to our faithfulness. (see Doctrine and Covenants 82:3, 130:20) And the greatest comfort of all is that as we strive to do good, the Lord has promised that He will "go before (us); he will be with (us), he will not fail (us), neither forsake (us): fear not, neither be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:8) I hope that as we work our hardest to become perfect that we will see these blessings in our lives.
Learning from General Conference (4/5/2010)
I enjoyed listening to General Conference this past weekend. While there were many things that I took from the messages presented, one of the best was from President Uchtdorf's talk on patience in the Priesthood session. From his talk:
"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring... staying with something and doing all we can - working, hoping and exercising faith."
I talked afterwards with my oldest son who attended the meeting with me about this talk (since patience is one of those things both he and I could use help with). His reaction was that he had failed to reach the mark established by President Uchtdorf, but I pointed out to him that he cannot have failed because he has not yet reached the end of his life. The messages we hear at General Conference are not meant to condemn us for our shortcomings (though it may sometimes feel as though they are). They are intended to teach us, to remind us of what we need to do moving forward. I understand where my son was coming from, but with his comment, I realized that as long as I wake up every morning, I have the chance to apply what I have been taught and strive to become better.
"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring... staying with something and doing all we can - working, hoping and exercising faith."
I talked afterwards with my oldest son who attended the meeting with me about this talk (since patience is one of those things both he and I could use help with). His reaction was that he had failed to reach the mark established by President Uchtdorf, but I pointed out to him that he cannot have failed because he has not yet reached the end of his life. The messages we hear at General Conference are not meant to condemn us for our shortcomings (though it may sometimes feel as though they are). They are intended to teach us, to remind us of what we need to do moving forward. I understand where my son was coming from, but with his comment, I realized that as long as I wake up every morning, I have the chance to apply what I have been taught and strive to become better.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Seeing Who We Really Are (4/1/2010)
In the March First Presidency message entitled "Moral Courage," Elder Eyring made a statement that really made me think:
"Before we were born, we knew God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, personally. We could see Them and listen to Them as They taught and encouraged us. Now a veil has been placed over our minds and memories. Satan, the father of lies, has an advantage because we must see the reality of who we are through the eyes of faith, while our bodies make us subject to carnal temptation and to physical weakness."
I think that we all struggle at one time or another with the idea that we are not as good as we could be. There are always times we wish we were smarter, wish we were better looking, wish we could lose those additional pounds... the list goes on. When I read this statement, however, it occurred to me that one of Satan's great lies is that we will never be good enough.
If we take a step back and try to see ourselves as our Father in Heaven sees us, we will realize that He does not view us as the sum of our faults. He sees us as His children, and loves us in spite of everything. Of course we need to constantly strive to become more perfect, but President Eyring's message reminded me how important it is to see our true worth as we work down that path.
"Before we were born, we knew God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, personally. We could see Them and listen to Them as They taught and encouraged us. Now a veil has been placed over our minds and memories. Satan, the father of lies, has an advantage because we must see the reality of who we are through the eyes of faith, while our bodies make us subject to carnal temptation and to physical weakness."
I think that we all struggle at one time or another with the idea that we are not as good as we could be. There are always times we wish we were smarter, wish we were better looking, wish we could lose those additional pounds... the list goes on. When I read this statement, however, it occurred to me that one of Satan's great lies is that we will never be good enough.
If we take a step back and try to see ourselves as our Father in Heaven sees us, we will realize that He does not view us as the sum of our faults. He sees us as His children, and loves us in spite of everything. Of course we need to constantly strive to become more perfect, but President Eyring's message reminded me how important it is to see our true worth as we work down that path.
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