Thoughts on “The Race of Life” (President Monson, April 2012)

Here are my thoughts on President Monson’s most recent conference talk “The Race of Life,” given in April 2012 conference, thoughts gathered after having read through it over and over.  President Monson's words are in green, mine in black.

My beloved brothers and sisters, this morning I wish to speak to you of eternal truths—those truths which will enrich our lives and see us safely home.

Everywhere people are in a hurry. Jet-powered aircraft speed their precious human cargo across broad continents and vast oceans so that business meetings might be attended, obligations met, vacations enjoyed, or families visited. Roadways everywhere—including freeways, thruways, and motorways—carry millions of automobiles, occupied by more millions of people, in a seemingly endless stream and for a multitude of reasons as we rush about the business of each day.

In this fast-paced life, do we ever pause for moments of meditation—even thoughts of timeless truths?

That last sentence is one excellent bit of counsel we need today—to stop every so often and meditate on the big questions of life, like “Where did we come from?” “Why are we here?” and “Where are we going?” because it will give us the break we need to see clearly where our priorities should be.

Let me explain with a personal example as an analogy.  I do a lot of stuff on the computer these days—email, writing, researching questions, blogging, learning from videos, browsing the web, reading and updating social websites, etc., that sometimes I can get so sucked into what I’m doing that I get imprisoned by things less important.  I’ll find myself so absorbed by a blog I am reading that I can’t escape.  It begins to seem like the most important thing to do at that moment.  And then the phone rings.  I get up and answer it.  By the time the call is over, I find proper perspective has returned, and what I was doing on the computer is finally seen in its proper perspective as a trifling matter.  What changed?  Just getting away from it for a tiny amount of time helped.  I’ve found that even just standing up and walking away from the computer for as little as 20 seconds can help restore me to a proper perspective about what is important for me to do.

This is what I think is part of President Monson’s counsel for us.  We are being encouraged to “step away from hectic life,” to pause to meditate on the big questions for a little while so that we can achieve clarity about what really matters.  Life is undeniably fast and complex, and the faster and more complex it gets, the more we NEED clarity on our priorities.  We are being counseled to choose to use some of our time and thought pondering the big questions.

When compared to eternal verities, most of the questions and concerns of daily living are really rather trivial. What should we have for dinner? What color should we paint the living room? Should we sign Johnny up for soccer? These questions and countless others like them lose their significance when times of crisis arise, when loved ones are hurt or injured, when sickness enters the house of good health, when life’s candle dims and darkness threatens. Our thoughts become focused, and we are easily able to determine what is really important and what is merely trivial.

Another way pondering the big questions can help us is when we are confronted with problems that are driving us crazy.  Pondering the big questions can show us the true scale of our problems and how they fit into the eternal trajectory of our soul.  It shows us whether a problem is negatively affecting our celestial trajectory or whether our wobbles and bumps will ultimately resolve themselves as we progress.

Notice his metaphor “when life’s candle dims and darkness threatens.”  Do you suppose that refers to aging or to depression?

I recently visited with a woman who has been battling a life-threatening disease for over two years. She indicated that prior to her illness, her days were filled with activities such as cleaning her house to perfection and filling it with beautiful furnishings. She visited her hairdresser twice a week and spent money and time each month adding to her wardrobe. Her grandchildren were invited to visit infrequently, for she was always concerned that what she considered her precious possessions might be broken or otherwise ruined by tiny and careless hands.

And then she received the shocking news that her mortal life was in jeopardy and that she might have very limited time left here. She said that at the moment she heard the doctor’s diagnosis, she knew immediately that she would spend whatever time she had remaining with her family and friends and with the gospel at the center of her life, for these represented what was most precious to her.

Notice that President Monson is not judging this woman.  This whole story was told to him by her.  She acknowledged her own errors of priority, and President Monson merely shares the lessons she learned with us (kindly withholding her name) so that we can be instructed by her story.

Also, notice that the woman had been battling her disease for TWO YEARS now.  Those two years have probably been both painful AND joyful.  Though they have been difficult, she’s had those two years now of living with friends, family, and the gospel at the center of her life. 

Such moments of clarity come to all of us at one time or another, although not always through so dramatic a circumstance. We see clearly what it is that really matters in our lives and how we should be living.

I suppose we are being encouraged to seek these moments of clarity and to change what we are doing if necessary.  Do we need a life-threatening illness to bring us to this state, or might we enjoy a greater life if we make our own small “moments of truth”?

If friends and family matter more than possessions, how might we give them greater priority in our lives?  More get-togethers?  More talking?  More activities with each other?

Said the Savior:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”¹

(I thought it was totally neat that this scripture was quoted, especially after having blogged about it myself not too long before.  It made me feel like I was in tune and prepared for President Monson’s message.) 

But anyway..  remember, President Monson’s talk is titled “The Race of Life.” Looking at the above quotation of Christ’s words, we can see plainly that the race of life is not to see who can get the most toys.  What is it then?  To lay up the most treasure in heaven?  Perhaps.  It’s just that to compete over it is still kind of missing the point..

In our times of deepest reflection or greatest need, the soul of man reaches heavenward, seeking a divine response to life’s greatest questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after we leave this life?

When President Monson started bringing up these questions, I was rather surprised.  I mean, we members of the church have been taught about these questions and the answers quite often.  How are we supposed to ponder these questions when we already have the answers?  It sort of takes the fun out of it. 

Or does it?

Answers to these questions are not discovered within the covers of academia’s textbooks or by checking the Internet. These questions transcend mortality. They embrace eternity.

Maybe these questions and answers aren’t the kind of thing that are meant to be asked once and answered once.  Maybe they are something to be thought about often, just like we can think about our past mortal life, our present course, and our hopes for, say, the next 5 years.

And maybe thinking about these questions and answers will help us make better choices in our lives, choices that could only be made after frequent thinking about those things.

Maybe these questions are so important that we will still be pondering them past mortality into the eternities, into the resurrection.

Where did we come from? This query is inevitably thought, if not spoken, by every human being.

The Apostle Paul told the Athenians on Mars’ Hill that “we are the offspring of God.”² Since we know that our physical bodies are the offspring of our mortal parents, we must probe for the meaning of Paul’s statement. The Lord has declared that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man.”³ Thus it is the spirit which is the offspring of God. The writer of Hebrews refers to Him as “the Father of spirits.”⁴ The spirits of all men are literally His “begotten sons and daughters.”⁵

We note that inspired poets have, for our contemplation of this subject, written moving messages and recorded transcendent thoughts. William Wordsworth penned the truth:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!⁶

I love it when this poem is quoted in conference.  After hearing it again, I decided that I wanted to look it up on the internet to read the whole thing.  I was very much touched by lines 110-120, which I had never read before:

Thou, whose exterior semblance doth belie       

Thy soul's immensity; 110

Thou best philosopher, who yet dost keep 

Thy heritage, thou eye among the blind, 

That, deaf and silent, read'st the eternal deep, 

Haunted for ever by the eternal mind,—          

Mighty prophet! Seer blest! 115         

On whom those truths do rest, 

Which we are toiling all our lives to find, 

In darkness lost, the darkness of the grave; 

Thou, over whom thy Immortality 

Broods like the Day, a master o'er a slave, 120

A presence which is not to be put by;  

(Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood)

Imagine President Monson reading that poem, coming to those lines, applying them to himself.  No wonder, he wishes to remind us of the eternal questions, so he can open our eyes and ears to read and see “the eternal deep,” so that our coming immortality may brood over us like the day, like a presence not to be put away.  (By the way, be sure to read the whole poem, there are thoughts in there about the human condition that you will probably resonate with.)

Parents ponder their responsibility to teach, to inspire, and to provide guidance, direction, and example. And while parents ponder, children—and particularly youth—ask the penetrating question, why are we here? Usually it is spoken silently to the soul and phrased, why am I here?

This question “Why am I here?” helps us see through the trivial distractions and resist getting caught up in them.  Imagine scrolling through Facebook updates and then asking yourself, “Why am I here?”  Does Facebook seem important enough to be the reason why we are here?  Of course not.  And we want to know that our lives add up to something significant.

I find that I ask “Why am I here?” most when I am trying to figure out what plan God has for me.  I know the big picture, but the details are pretty fuzzy. 

Next, President Monson gives us a list of answers to the question “Why am I here?”  I suppose that each of them are to be pondered as carefully as the questions.

How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.

Clearly, one primary purpose of our existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bones. We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience. We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions.

By obedience to God’s commandments, we can qualify for that “house” spoken of by Jesus when He declared: “In my Father’s house are many mansions. … I go to prepare a place for you … that where I am, there ye may be also.”⁷

Although we come into mortality “trailing clouds of glory,” life moves relentlessly forward. Youth follows childhood, and maturity comes ever so imperceptibly. From experience we learn the need to reach heavenward for assistance as we make our way along life’s pathway.

That last one was one I had never thought of before—learning by experience that we need Heavenly Father’s help to make it.  Boy, if we haven’t learned that lesson yet, we need to learn it quick!

God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, have marked the way to perfection. They beckon us to follow eternal verities and to become perfect, as They are perfect.⁸

Next comes a great analogy that goes along with President Monson’s title “The Race of Life.” 

The Apostle Paul likened life to a race. To the Hebrews he urged, “Let us lay aside … the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”⁹

In our zeal, let us not overlook the sage counsel from Ecclesiastes: “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.”¹⁰ Actually, the prize belongs to him or her who endures to the end.

When I reflect on the race of life, I remember another type of race, even from childhood days. My friends and I would take pocketknives in hand and, from the soft wood of a willow tree, fashion small toy boats. With a triangular-shaped cotton sail in place, each would launch his crude craft in the race down the relatively turbulent waters of Utah’s Provo River. We would run along the river’s bank and watch the tiny vessels sometimes bobbing violently in the swift current and at other times sailing serenely as the water deepened.

During a particular race we noted that one boat led all the rest toward the appointed finish line. Suddenly, the current carried it too close to a large whirlpool, and the boat heaved to its side and capsized. Around and around it was carried, unable to make its way back into the main current. At last it came to an uneasy rest amid the flotsam and jetsam that surrounded it, held fast by the tentacles of the grasping green moss.

I think one of the important lessons from this story is that we should not try to be like that one boat that went faster than all the rest.  That can be like trying to do everything at once.  Because the boat was going so fast in the river’s current, it was in special danger.  If we are like that boat and go too fast in the current of life, we may find ourselves unable to tell the difference between racing in the current and racing around in circles stuck in a whirlpool.  When we go too fast, sooner or later we burn out and then come “to an uneasy rest amid the flotsame and jetsam” and then get trapped by inertia.  Instead, we need to be wise in our efforts.  We need to be persistent and consistent.

The toy boats of childhood had no keel for stability, no rudder to provide direction, and no source of power. Inevitably, their destination was downstream—the path of least resistance.

Lesson #2: We’re headed upstream, not downstream. 

Lesson #3: We need stability, direction, and a source of spiritual power in our lives to make any headway against the downstream current, which seems to be speeding up.

Unlike toy boats, we have been provided divine attributes to guide our journey. We enter mortality not to float with the moving currents of life but with the power to think, to reason, and to achieve.

Lesson #4: Our powers of thought, reason, and ability to achieve are to be brought to bear upon our journey.

Our Heavenly Father did not launch us on our eternal voyage without providing the means whereby we could receive from Him guidance to ensure our safe return. I speak of prayer. I speak too of the whisperings from that still, small voice; and I do not overlook the holy scriptures, which contain the word of the Lord and the words of the prophets—provided to us to help us successfully cross the finish line.

Lesson #5: Map and compass have been provided by Heavenly Father.  He cares enough about the results of our race of life to give us the tools to succeed and help us along the way.

At some period in our mortal mission, there appears the faltering step, the wan smile, the pain of sickness—even the fading of summer, the approach of autumn, the chill of winter, and the experience we call death.

Every thoughtful person has asked himself the question best phrased by Job of old: “If a man die, shall he live again?”¹¹ Try as we might to put the question out of our thoughts, it always returns. Death comes to all mankind. It comes to the aged as they walk on faltering feet. Its summons is heard by those who have scarcely reached midway in life’s journey. At times it hushes the laughter of little children.

But what of an existence beyond death? Is death the end of all? Robert Blatchford, in his book God and My Neighbor, attacked with vigor accepted Christian beliefs such as God, Christ, prayer, and particularly immortality. He boldly asserted that death was the end of our existence and that no one could prove otherwise. Then a surprising thing happened. His wall of skepticism suddenly crumbled to dust. He was left exposed and undefended. Slowly he began to feel his way back to the faith he had ridiculed and abandoned. What had caused this profound change in his outlook? His wife died. With a broken heart he went into the room where lay all that was mortal of her. He looked again at the face he loved so well. Coming out, he said to a friend: “It is she, and yet it is not she. Everything is changed. Something that was there before is taken away. She is not the same. What can be gone if it be not the soul?”

I remember a number of years ago having the same sort of experience (not the disbelief part, but the looking at a dead loved one part), looking at my Grandpa Walker as he lay in his coffin.  It was his body, but… it wasn’t him.  He looked different dead than he had alive.  Even with the corpse makeup prettying him up, there was something that made his face him that was gone.  I don’t know if you can really see the difference unless it is someone that you knew really well before.

Later he wrote: “Death is not what some people imagine. It is only like going into another room. In that other room we shall find … the dear women and men and the sweet children we have loved and lost.”¹²

I really like that idea.  I think it expresses well how a person’s character doesn’t change when they die.  I also like how it expresses how close the spirits of our loved ones may be to us.

My brothers and sisters, we know that death is not the end. This truth has been taught by living prophets throughout the ages. It is also found in our holy scriptures. In the Book of Mormon we read specific and comforting words:

“Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.

“And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.”¹³

Alma’s words to his son about where a soul goes after death become all the more weighty as he reveals that they came to him from an angel of the Lord.  How wonderful that this witness has been preserved for us and passed down!

After the Savior was crucified and His body had lain in the tomb for three days, the spirit again entered. The stone was rolled away, and the resurrected Redeemer walked forth, clothed with an immortal body of flesh and bones.

It struck me while I was reading how significant it was that the stone was rolled away from the door of the tomb.  It made it so that people could see that there wasn’t any body left.  Sure, the unbelievers could still make up their own story as to why Christ’s body wasn’t there, but for believers, it still is a strong witness of the resurrection.

The answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” came when Mary and others approached the tomb and saw two men in shining garments who spoke to them: “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”¹⁴

Is it possible that Job’s question “If a man die, shall he live again?” was about Christ in particular?  Possibly. 

As the result of Christ’s victory over the grave, we shall all be resurrected.

Christ demonstrated His power over death extended not just to His own resurrection, but to giving others power over death too, as I’ve blogged in “All facets of Christ’s power over death.” [http://scriptoriumblogorium.blogspot.com/2011/08/all-facets-of-christs-power-over-death.html]

This is the redemption of the soul. Paul wrote: “There are … celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.”¹⁵

The answer to the question “where do we go after this life?” takes us not just into the spirit world, but back to our bodies again in the resurrection, and then on into celestial, terrestrial, or telestial glory.  Which of those glories we end up in is totally up to us to decide and depends upon how righteously we live in mortality.

I think the question “where am I going?” can help us realize when we’re heading in the wrong direction.  If we’re honest with ourselves, we know whether we would be pleased or terrified to suddenly have our life end and be brought to judgment. 

It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings are earned through a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting, and finally succeeding.

That’s the ultimate answer we want for the question “where am I going?”  I like that President Monson reminds us that it takes a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting, and succeeding to make it to that final celestial destination.

Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where do we go after this life? No longer need these universal questions remain unanswered. From the very depths of my soul and in all humility, I testify that those things of which I have spoken are true.

Our Heavenly Father rejoices for those who keep His commandments. He is concerned also for the lost child, the tardy teenager, the wayward youth, the delinquent parent. Tenderly the Master speaks to these and indeed to all: “Come back. Come up. Come in. Come home. Come unto me.”

In one week we will celebrate Easter. Our thoughts will turn to the Savior’s life, His death, and His Resurrection. As His special witness, I testify to you that He lives and that He awaits our triumphant return. That such a return will be ours, I pray humbly in His holy name—even Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Redeemer, amen.

What thoughts do you have about President Monson’s talk?  How is it helping you so far?  How do anticipate that his talk will help you in the next six months?

Quality company in celestial glory

These are they who have come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of Enoch, and of the Firstborn. (D&C 76:67)

There are some neat things in this verse that I learned as I was pondering it.

who have come to an innumerable company of angels – How neat is it that qualifying for celestial glory will bring us among angels!  Sometimes, when I have eyes to see, I can look around our congregation and see that my fellow ward members are already becoming angels to each other, bringing messages of hope, comfort, and inspiration.  They also help each other in times of need, in small but nonetheless extraordinary ways.   There have been times when I have been helped by my ward, and when I look back at those times, I think that if an angel from heaven had come down, they would have done exactly the same thing as those ward members did.  

And just think of someday joining an innumerable company of angels!  I grew up in Illinois, where members of the church were few and far between.  I remember what excitement I always felt when I got to go to Especially For Youth and meet so many Mormon youth who held similar standards to me.  Those were watershed days for me, and I was always sad when it had to end after a week.  When I went to college at Brigham Young University and I got to be with a whole university of students and teachers that shared my beliefs, it is hard to describe how wonderful that was to me.  I figure that when I come to the innumerable company of angels in the celestial kingdom, I will have that same sense of excitement.

who have come…to the general assembly and church of Enoch – Did you ever think that we will mingle with Enoch and his people?  When I first read this, I kind of took it for granted—duh, we’re Zion, right?—but as I thought about it, I realized how neat it will be to fraternize with them, even though several thousand years separated our respective generations during mortality.  It brought home to me that there are no generation gaps in the celestial kingdom.  Living the same principles of the gospel and partaking of the Spirit of God brings all the generations of Saints together.

and of the Firstborn – If we remember the Biblical practice, the firstborn inherited a double portion from their father.  In the Abrahamic covenant, the firstborn inherited the birthright blessing with authority in the patriarchal order.  In the Mosiac covenant, the firstborn were to be given to the Lord’s service, or else redeemed with a sacrifice.   The Bible dictionary enumerates the ways Christ was the Firstborn:

• Firstborn of the spirit children of Heavenly Father
• The Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh (first and last)
• The first to rise from the dead in the resurrection

Faithful Saints will inherit all things the Father hath, through Jesus Christ, just as if they were also “firstborn,” so they become the church of the Firstborn.  In Genesis, Joseph received the inheritance from Jacob, even though Joseph wasn’t the firstborn.  So did Ephraim, even though he wasn't the firstborn.  In these stories I see a type and shadow of the promise given to us that we will inherit all the Father has, if we are faithful.  We can become firstborn.

Here’s something else I was pondering: 

They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace; (D&C 76:94)

That bit about how they “see as they are seen, and know as they are known” takes some probing to understand and appreciate, at least for me.  One way to rephrase it might be, “they see and are seen, and they know and are known,” which to me implies full participation and honor in the celestial society, that every individual knows, recognizes, and appreciates every other individual and receives the same themselves.    How many of us feel like we are not fully known by others?  How many of us feel like we are not fully appreciated and recognized for all the talents we have built, for all the things we can do, for who we are, and for the good we have done?  Someday all of that will be made known, everything will be rewarded, and we will truly KNOW each other and see each other for who we really are.

I really look forward to that day.  I really want to know my fellow Saints better.  There is so little time to talk it seems, and I’ve gotten to the point in life where I realize there is so much more to every person than what meets the eye, so much that each person has learned by experience and study, so much wonderful variety in talent. 

So now I ask you, dear reader, what is something about you that you wish people could know and appreciate?

The Lord of the vineyard had preserved

…and they did keep the root and the top thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.  And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning. (Jacob 5:73-74)

When I was reading this verse, I noticed that the final results of grafting in the natural branches to the tree are listed, and we can learn some good things from this list.

the trees had become again the natural fruit -  This is kind of an awkward phrase, but we know what it means.  It expresses a transformation of character, that the good works we do will become an inseparable part of our identity.

they became like unto one body – This expresses how we will become unified with each other through the Spirit.  This is quite amazing, considering how congregations are all over the world.

the fruits thereof were equal – This gives us a vision of how the Lord sees our honest efforts, no matter what calling we have.

the root and the top kept equal, according to the strength thereof – We could look at this like a genealogical tree, where all the generations are kept equal with each other.  Or we could look at this like a church hierarchy where all the callings are kept equal.

I love the repetition of the phrase “the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself” as it is applied to both the trees and the fruit.  That word “preserved” makes me think of salvation and how the Lord is concerned about us as individuals and about our works. 

Thy walls are continually before me

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. (1 Nephi 21:16)

Here Nephi quotes Isaiah, who speaks as if from Christ’s perspective. 

I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands – This imagery makes me think of Christ’s crucifixion and the suffering He went through for us.  It is as if we were the nails that pierced Him, and every time He looks at the marks in of the hands of His resurrected body, He remembers the sacrifice He made for us.

thy walls are continually before me – In one way, this can be interpreted to mean that Jesus is always watching over us, caring for us, and thinking of us.  In another way, it expresses how He knows the walls we have put up in our lives to try to keep Him out, and He wishes He could get through to us if we would only let Him.

Spreading tender mercies

I looked through my journal today and I ran across this entry from 2006 that I wanted to share. 

We went to the temple tonight.  After doing a session, I went into the dressing room, and I saw a woman sitting on a bench with a very glum look on her face.  I said to myself as I passed, “Self, she looks like she needs a hug.”  Then the still small voice spoke to me.  Go back and give her a hug.  I immediately went back and sat next to her.  “You look like you could use a hug,” I told her, and I gave her one.  She told me she had been waiting for her locker to be freed up.  Then she asked me, “Were you reading my mind?”  I told her I wasn’t.  She told me that seven years ago from tomorrow her husband had died, and this was the first time she had attended the temple near the anniversary of his death.  So I guess my being told to give her a hug was one of those tender mercies from the Lord to her to let her know that He was mindful of her.  I’m very glad I obeyed the prompting immediately. 

Will you share a time when you found you were the means of bestowing a tender mercy from the Lord?

The heavens, they are many

Image: http://thingstolookathigh.com/outer-space-stars/

And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. (Moses 1:37)

That word “heavens” is baffling.  We know only one sky and one space, so it is hard to say in what manner there can be many.  Because if there are many heavens, then that means there is a discrete and discernable boundary between one and another.  Meteorology has advanced to the point that it can detect pressure gradients in the atmosphere and cold and warm fronts and temperature differences, but that makes sky into amorphous flowing blobs; it doesn’t result in a countable sky.  And it only has to do with earth.    So there must be other astronomical bodies that must have their own heavens with their own characteristics.  And probably space has its own “weather” and gradients and concentrations of particles.

And God can quantify all of this!  He is the ultimate scientist. 

Unexpected indirect blessing of tithing: learning to de-clutter

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)

This verse contains the great blessing that comes with paying tithing—that there will not be room enough to receive the blessing poured out. However, if we also look at it from the perspective of de-cluttering, it teaches another principle—the necessity of being able to perceive when there is “not room enough.” Finding there is not room enough is an invitation to give away the surplus and be blessed further.

These days many people are not able to tell that they have no room to receive more. They live their lives with homes stuffed with goods that are not important enough to the way they are living their lives now. This verse gives us the hint that an indirect blessing of paying tithing is that we will begin to discern what we need and what we don’t and be able to tell when we have been given more than we are able to receive. If we are able to tell the difference between what we can receive to make use of and what we don’t have room to receive, we will be able to de-clutter, our lives will be simpler, and our possessions will be streamlined in a manner that will really facilitate our lives of discipleship rather than inhibiting us.

How does tithing help us do this? When we pay tithing, we learn it is possible to live with what is left over. It gives us a chance to cultivate greater efficiency in our expenditures. That skill of efficient use can spill over to other parts of our stewardship, such as considering how our space is used and whether the things we have that fill up our space are really serving us as they should. Paying tithing takes practice, and de-cluttering takes practice too. Paying tithing gives us practice in sacrificing, so it will be easier for us to let go of what we don’t need when we de-clutter.

Sacrament talk on being committed & being converted to Christ

The following is my talk I gave in church this last Sunday about being committed and being converted to Christ. I had to cut some of it out in the interest of time, but I wanted to post the whole of it here as I would have liked to give it. The opportunity to research and bring my life in harmony with this topic was a great blessing to me, and I was so happy to share what I learned about it with my ward. Read on..

Definition of commitment—

“the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose”;

“the act of binding yourself (intellectually and emotionally) to a course of action;

Scriptural language for being committed expresses it in different ways:

· Coming to the Lord with full purpose of heart. (3 Nephi 10:6)

· Offer your whole souls as an offering unto him (Omni 1:26)

· Loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. (Matthew 22:37)

· Having a determination to serve the Lord to the end (D&C 20:37)

I wanted to see what Jesus had to say about being committed.

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea,

[or husband, yea and his own life also; or in other words, is afraid to lay down his life for my sake; cannot be] my disciple.

27 And whosoever doth not

bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

28 For which of you, intending to build a

tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

31 Or what king, going to make war against another

king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-33, emphasis added, JST added in square brackets)

There are two important analogies Jesus uses to teach about being committed in this section. In the first, he compares it to counting the cost of building a tower. It’s about considering what effort it is going to take to do what must be done to get the final result (which is eternal life). Being committed to the gospel for our whole lives is like building a tower. But it isn’t done all at once. To make the best progress, we have to do all the building we can every day of our lives. Are we going to stop in the middle and say, “Okay, that’s good enough for me,” or are we going to get to a certain level one day and say, “Whoa, I’m starting to be scared of heights here,” or are we going to say “I’m getting really tired of this”? If we start, we have to finish it.

In the second part, he compares being committed to a king going to make war with another king, consulting to see if he has enough men to beat the opposition. The lesson is that we are going to face opposition in living the gospel and we have to be willing to do what it takes to fight and overcome whatever Satan attacks us with, even though we are outnumbered. We have to be ready to fight, no matter the cost.

Next, there were some interesting conversations Jesus had with two disciples that are instructive:

19 And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.

20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.

22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. (Matthew 8:19-22)

Here two different people want to follow Christ and He shares with them some important information about being committed. The first one is very enthusiastic and says, “I’ll go wherever you go.” Jesus tells him that unlike the animals, Jesus has no place to sleep. I don’t think Jesus was trying to discourage this man; He was just being honest about what the man would experience if he were to follow Jesus around everywhere. The scribe wouldn’t have his own bed anymore. He had to be aware that there was going to be discomfort and a lot of traveling. Jesus wanted the scribe to make his choice based on full information about what was required to come along so he could be fully committed. The message for us is that you can’t take a rest from being a disciple of Christ. Being a disciple of Christ isn’t a 9-to-5 job; disciples of Christ are always on the clock.

The second man wanted to come with Jesus…but wanted to do it…later. He wanted to wait until after his father was dead. Maybe his father wasn’t excited about his interest in following Jesus and was making life tough for the man. In response, Jesus said, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” In other words, he was to not let his father get in the way of following Christ. The message for us is that commitment to Christ is something we have to do NOW. It can’t be delayed until conditions are right; that would be like waiting to start a trip until all the stoplights have turned green.

How do we stay committed to follow the Lord when it is hard?

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

I used to see this scripture as meaning that one decision is enough to last us through our whole lives, but I recently began to see it in a different way. When it seems really hard, we just need to break it down into manageable pieces. One day at a time. Make a firm decision that TODAY you will follow and serve the Lord. Make it the best day possible. (We can handle a single day, right?) Then, tomorrow, make a firm decision that THAT DAY, you will follow and serve the Lord. And make that firm decision each day of your life.

Personal Experience: For the last few months I’ve been struggling with internal chatter of the doubtful, fearful variety that was causing me to waver when I wanted to be firm. I wondered for a long time what I could do about this. I prayed for courage, and I struggled as best I could. When I was asked to give this talk, I realized immediately that commitment and conversion was exactly what I needed. I also knew that I would not be able to give this talk until I strengthened my own commitment to the Lord. So I began taking steps immediately. Whenever that negative chatter started tearing at me, I would say strongly to myself, “I will follow the Lord.” I repeating that to myself as often as necessary, “I will follow the Lord.” It said that to myself quite a lot for the first three days. I worked to be more vigilant in my small choices. I also asked my husband give me a blessing so I could escape the buffettings of Satan. And each day I would recommit myself to follow the Lord that day. It really helped me.

How do we show our commitment to the Lord?

It starts with obedience to the basic principles of the gospel-- faith in Christ, repentance, then baptism, then receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

We continue to show our commitment and renew that commitment when we take the sacrament and keep the other commandments that we’ve been given.

What kinds of experiences have people had when they’ve made a commitment to the Lord?

There are a number of examples in the Book of Mormon that illustrate how commitment brings great blessings, but in the interest of time, I thought I would focus on the stripling warriors.

The stripling warriors were committed both to following the Lord and to fighting in all cases to protect the liberty of their fathers. What the scriptures have to say about their character never ceases to be inspiring to me.

· They were “strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day” (Alma 58:40)

· They kept God’s “statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 58:40)

· They “[stood] fast in that liberty wherewith God [had] made them free” (Alma 58:40)

· They had “exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe” (Alma 57:26)

· “Their faith was strong in the prophecies” (Alma 58:40)

· They put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:27)

· “They were…true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted” (Alma 53:20)

· They were men of truth and soberness” (Alma 53:21)

· They were “exceedingly valiant for courage” (Alma 53:20)

· Were “firm and undaunted” (Alma 57:19-20) when many Nephites were “about to give way” (Alma 57:20)

I so want to be firm and undaunted.

Story told by Elder John B. Dickson of the seventy:

In 1979…missionaries began proselyting in a lush, green area called the Huesteca. 52 people joined the Church in Panacaxtlan. … A short time later, a meeting was called in Panacaxtlan at which Church members were given the following options: denounce the Church, leave the village, or be killed (not an idle threat). The members, particularly the women, said they knew the Church to be true and would not denounce it. They also indicated they had worked just as hard as the rest of the community to secure their homesteads, and they would not leave. Boldly stepping forward, they told their taunters if they were going to kill them, to get on with it. The moment grew tense as machetes were raised, then finally lowered while the Latter-day Saints stood up for that which the Spirit had testified to them to be true. These Saints eventually learned, as most of us do, that it is harder to live the gospel day by day than to die for it in an instant, but their early commitment came because the Spirit had touched their hearts and changed their lives. Their conversion process had taken place as the Book of Mormon helped build their faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (“The Incomparable Gifts,” Ensign, Feb. 1995, 7).

What blessings do we receive when we commit to follow the Lord?

Ezra Taft Benson said:

“Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 361).

CONVERSION

(from the Bible Dictionary) Conversion “Denotes changing one’s views, in a conscious acceptance of the will of God. If followed by continued faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism in water for the remission of sins, and the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying of hands, conversion will become complete, and will change a natural man into a sanctified, born again, purified person—a new creature in Christ Jesus. Complete conversion comes after many trials and much testing. To labor for the conversion of one’s self and others is a noble task.”

What shall we compare the conversion process to? Let’s compare it to taking an old car out of the junkyard and fixing it up. Let’s say it is a ’62 Chevy pick-up truck. It is a rusted-out dented shell, with torn leather seats, cracked and broken windows, birds nests behind the grill, blown head gasket, bent axel, a real clunker. Little by little, you take it apart and replace everything bad with new parts of the highest quality. You replace the body panels, put in new seats, replace all the glass, put in a new engine and new axel. You give it a gleaming, new paint job. It’s still a ’62 Chevy pick-up when you’re done with it, but it isn’t the same as it was.

Or, compare conversion to a caterpillar that makes a cocoon for itself and then comes out at the end of a time as a butterfly. It’s still the same animal, but in a totally different form. It can do things it couldn’t do before. It doesn’t become a butterfly all at once. It takes days of tiny incremental changes for the transformation to occur.

Why must we be converted?

"And [Jesus] said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3) Conversion is absolutely necessary.

King Benjamin said, “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19)

Conversion is both instantaneous, and it is a process.

It is a change of view, which is then followed by a process of transformation of action and character, from grace to grace, from glory to glory. Grace, or the power of God, is what makes this change happen.

When King Benjamin gave his great sermon to his people, they believed him, and their hearts were changed. Mosiah 5:2-7 has a list of all the things they felt that characterized their conversion:

· Knowing the surety of the words because of the Spirit they felt

· A might change in their hearts

· No more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually

· Great views of that which is to come through the manifestations of the Spirit

· Feeling as if they could prophecy of all things if they had to

· Great knowledge

· Rejoicing with exceedingly great joy

· Willing to enter a covenant with God to do his will and be obedient in everything to the end of their lives

So now, I would ask of all of you, like Alma asked his people, “if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?”(Alma 5:26)

As I was studying for this talk, I started to see that I have had moments of conversion throughout my life, and that they arose out of specific commitments I made.

· I remember when I was baptized and how clean I felt afterwards. I knew I had been changed.

· I remember the conscious commitment I made to start reading the scriptures on my own and the change that happened in me because of it.

· I remember the commitment that I would try to express my individuality by being a better person, instead of rebelling.

· Or the commitment I made to pay tithing, even when it was hard.

· Or the decision I made that I would be brave enough to admit the times I was wrong.

· Or the decision I made to keep the Sabbath holy.

· Or the decision I made to forgive a difficult roommate rather than harbor resentment.

Each of those commitments and many others have been part of my conversion process. Going back to the analogy of fixing up a truck, it has been like a new axel here, a new leather seats there, and so on. I have more commitments to make, and so do you.

The power of Christ’s atonement is such that not only does it make sinners into saints, but it will make saints into gods. He gives us the power to maintain good works that we otherwise would not have power to continue on our own. I can testify that is true. I have seen it in my life more times than I can count.

I pray that we will follow the Lord today, then tomorrow, and onward until our faithful commitments have allowed the Lord to seal us His, and complete our conversion into rightful heirs of the celestial kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Dwelt in captivity all his days

30 And it came to pass that Hearthom reigned in the stead of his father. And when Hearthom had reigned twenty and four years, behold, the kingdom was taken away from him. And he served many years in captivity, yea, even all the remainder of his days.

31 And he begat Heth, and Heth lived in captivity all his days. And Heth begat Aaron, and Aaron dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Amnigaddah, and Amnigaddah also dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Coriantum, and Coriantum dwelt in captivity all his days; and he begat Com. (Ether 10:30-31, emphasis added)

That’s a lot of captivity. Verse 31 has massive history compression, and all you learn about four generations is that they were all in captivity.

So I began to wonder, what does it mean when a king is in captivity? What is the character of this captivity?

While I was starting to think about that, I realized that this idea of kings in captivity is repeated over and over in the Book of Ether. Its repetition suggests that it has great importance to us.

In one way, it is important because it shows the fulfillment of the prophecy made by the brother of Jared that kingship brings into captivity. But in another way, it is important because those of us who are endowed have been promised that we will become kings and queens, priests and priestesses unto the most high God hereafter, and yet WE may still be living now in spiritual captivity!

Reading those verses about the Jaredite kings has always given me a feeling of sadness that they lived at a level so far below their privileges. But now I see that it may be just as true of me as well, if I don’t repent and keep a broken and contrite heart.

13 O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. (2 Nephi 1:13)

29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. (2 Nephi 2:29)

18 Or, that a cursing should come upon you for the space of many generations; and ye are visited by sword, and by famine, and are hated, and are led according to the will and captivity of the devil. (2 Nephi 1:18)

For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken. (1 Nephi 14:7)

And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12:11)

Wherefore, this land is consecrated unto him whom he shall bring. And if it so be that they shall serve him according to the commandments which he hath given, it shall be a land of liberty unto them; wherefore, they shall never be brought down into captivity; if so, it shall be because of iniquity; for if iniquity shall abound cursed shall be the land for their sakes, but unto the righteous it shall be blessed forever….(2 Nephi 1:7)

We escape captivity through faith in Christ, repentance, and keeping the commandments.