A PATH TO HEAVEN

 

I walked a mile with pleasure

She chatted all the way;

But left me none the wiser

For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with sorrow

And ne’er a word said she;

But oh! The things I learnt from her

When sorrow walked with me.

-     Robert Browning Hamilton

 

I know not of any greater godly attribute than that of humility that this world of sorrow affords all those who travel its paths.

For a long time I have tried to unravel the enigma of the severity of this life’s suffering and the purpose thereof. I couldn’t understand why suffering affords godhood. Surely, there would have to be another way. I know, I have written about this more than once recently but I have finally received understanding that makes sense to me more than any other explanation and insight I have received concerning this subject.

I believe in this poem. My eyes have been opened to it. As I contemplated this morning I could plainly see that sorrow has taught me lessons that happiness never has. Sorrow has the power to induce humility which makes us teachable. I understood that the opposite would be the detrimental and spirit corroding attribute of pride.

A god could never be an entity full of pride. Pride seeks to elevate self at the expense of demeaning others. Pride is grounded in control. Control denies free will and seeks only self interest and elevation of one above the rest.

The Saviour excelled in humility when He sought the salvation of others to bring them to the station that He himself has. There was not an ounce of pride inside Him when He volunteered to be the way to the elevation of all the host of heaven, at His excruciating expense. The path has been provided but the price of learning has still to be paid, by each one of us.

Humility is crucial in our rise to exaltation. A god in the making needs its teaching power. King Benjamin defined this process in his address by saying that if we ‘humble ourselves in the depths of humility’ we will be: 1. filled with the love of God; 2. retain a remission of our sins; 3. grow in the knowledge of the glory of God; and 4. we will love our fellowman (Mosiah 4:10-12). Which one of these would not be needed in our rise to godhood?

If humility leads us to godhood, we can only imagine where pride leads…..we have a good example of that…..let us not follow there…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Divine Faith by Greg Collins)

PURE LOVE

 

“The greater definition of ‘the pure love of Christ is not what we as Christians try but largely fail to demonstrate toward others but rather what Christ totally succeeded in demonstrating toward us. TRUE charity has been known only once. It is shown perfectly and purely In Christ’s unfailing, ultimate, and atoning love for us.

“It is that charity – his pure love for us – without which we would be nothing, hopeless, of all men and women most miserable. Truly, those found possessed of the blessings of His love at the last day – the Atonement, the Resurrection, eternal life, eternal promise – surely it shall be well with them….Life has its share of fears and failures…but one thing in time or eternity does not fail us – the pure love of Christ.”

-          Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Christ and the New Covenant” [1997], 336-37

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   (Romans 8:38,39)

As the stars in heaven

That burn with everlasting light

So is my love that burns for Thee

On the altar of my godly heart.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: God of Wonders by Yongsung Kim)

THE SACRIFICE OF YOU

 

A few posts back I wrote about my belief that we are not here for our salvation alone but for the salvation of the whole human family. Here is a more detailed account of that belief.

Some months ago it was revealed to me that I was a ‘sacrificial lamb’ of sorts for someone in my life some thirty years ago. This someone had derailed me from what I expected to become a picture-perfect life to something that became a total opposite and what I had never expected.

For thirty years, every once in a while, I was reminded that my life was unfair. I had done all the right things and my assessment was that I did not deserve what I got. This revelation, however, taught me something of far more importance than the value of my life. It taught me the unfairness and the value of the Saviour’s life.

Elder Dale G. Renlund spoke of this in his April 2021 General Conference talk, “Infuriating Unfairness”:

“I declare with all my aching heart that Jesus Christ both understands unfairness and has the power to provide a remedy. Nothing compared to the unfairness He endured. It was not fair that He experienced all the pains and afflictions of mankind. It was not fair that He suffered for my sins and mistakes and for yours……He understands perfectly what we are experiencing.

“….all that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ overcame the world and ‘absorbed’ all unfairness. If we let Him, Jesus Christ will consecrate the unfairness for our gain. He will not just console us and restore what was lost; He will use the unfairness for our benefit.”

We may well ask how He will use the unfairness for our benefit.  When I look back over my life, I can see that it has afforded me growth and learning that I would never have had if my life was picture perfect. The person I am today is because God asked me to be the ‘sacrificial lamb’ thirty years ago. In gratitude for this sacrifice I testify of what Joseph Smith said on the subject:

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation…..those who have this testimony will have faith to lay hold on eternal life, and will be enabled, through faith, to endure unto the end, and receive the crown that is laid up for them…..” (Lecture 6:7, “Lectures on Faith”)

There is no greater sacrifice you can give than the sacrifice of self. There is one man who proved that succinctly and irrefutably……

 

I carried my cross to the foot of Calvary,

While you carried yours to the top.

I cried bitter tears over the injustices of my life,

While you bled valiantly for all that was lost.

I carried my hurts like a badge

So scornfully proud and spiritually poor,

While you rose to the heights of your exalted throne:

Perfected, ennobled and infinitely more.

You are so high

And I am so low;

I consent to climb to Calvary’s top,

I consent to be lifted to Thy throne.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus is Lord by kBrake)

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

 

“One of the Hebraic meanings of the word “Israel” is ‘ let God prevail’…..The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives…. those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives…As an essential prelude to the Second Coming of the Lord, it is the most important work in the world.”  (President Russell M. Nelson, CR October 2020)

I have come to understand one important aspect of ‘letting God prevail’ in our lives….the one of God’s influence through which He teaches us what we need to know, not to educate us but to make us His own.

I have shared before that I have entered into a period of physical suffering which is new to me. For over a year now I have tried to understand its reason. Setting aside the varied explanations that the Gospel offers, I have come to understand and accept the most important one, what Apostle Paul meant when he said he had lost everything for Christ’s sake that he might ‘know him..and the fellowship of his suferings’ (Philippians 3:10).

Through my own minute experience of suffering, feelings of isolation and loss of hope, spiritual understanding was recently given to me to comprehend as much as a human can do so, the Saviour’s descent into the ‘darkness of hell’ and the loss of hope for support and endurance He encountered when the Father withdrew His presence on the hill of Calvary.  This is now what I somewhat understand in the depths of my heart:

“His descent into the darkness of hell gave the innocent Christ the power to carry the lowest of the lowly back up into the light of salvation. Christ placed himself in darkness, not only below the most disobedient of mortals, but below the accumulated darkness of all sins committed throughout the history of time.

“In drinking the cup of gall, Christ gave up all that was native to him, causing him to cry out from its darkness, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Nothing could have been more foreign, or more terrifying, than being isolated from his Father’s glory.” (B. Grant Bishop, M.D., “The LDS Gospel of Light”, p 96)

That we might know Him, the ‘fellowship of his sufferings’ is immutable, because only then can we truly belong to Him….

Oh the pain that You suffered

As all hope fled and

Darkness embraced You willingly!

But Your light that lifted You

To become a beacon of hope

For all who sample Your sufferings

Is the crowning glory of eternity.

 

My pain, so minute,

Yet my understanding more vast,

With eternal gratitude

I accept the price. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Light of Christ by Land of Dreams)

TO WORSHIP

 

“I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.”  (D&C 93:1)

Elder James E. Talmage said that our worship depends upon our comprehension of worthiness of the person we worship and therefore our capacity to worship God is a measure of our comprehension of His being. (“Articles of Faith”, pp 395-96).

For years now as I have studied the scriptures, I have been on the lookout for the Saviour’s characteristics. So far I have 18 on my list. One year I noticed a virtue in Doctrine and Covenants that I had overlooked before. It was the virtue of humility. This is the scripture that opened my eyes to a greater understanding of who the Saviour is:

“Therefore, I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may WORSHIP ME” (D&C 115:8). Can you imagine the amount of humility it would take to say such a thing for a God of perfect attributes and totally devoid of pride? It would have to be someone who knows perfectly well who he is, is confident in that knowledge and most of all, has a purity of spirit and heart. Compare this to Lucifer’s desire to be worshipped (Moses 4:1-4; 1:16-19).

It amazes me that someone so powerful who calls himself ‘the king of heaven’ (2 N 10:14), who can create worlds and annihilate them by the power of His word (Helaman 12:9-17; D&C 63:4; Isaiah 11:4) can also be so humble. This is the perfection of God, the balance is indisputable. Whenever I discover something new about Him, it’s like I don’t really know Him and I ask in awe, “who are You????” I stand amazed.

In his Conference Report of 1971, Elder Bruce R. McConkie listed 17 ways of being able to worship God, overwhelming I know…. Even he admitted that as he said: “It is ten thousand times ten thousand things….” (Ensign Dec 1971, p 130)

I have never read anything written by Elder McConkie that made me think he didn’t know Christ. The love he had for him is unmistakable. I am sure he observed the whole 17 ways of worship he mentioned.

I don’t know that I am that valiant but when I come face to face with the Saviour, I know I will fall at His feet and I will know Him…..I will know His love and His mercy and I will acknowledge Him to be my Saviour, my God and my King.

My heart is full of thoughts of Thee

As I stand in awe of Thy majesty.

The magnitude of worlds

And the stars of heaven

That roll upon their wings praising Thee;

But none greater than this,

The creation of man, a crowning glory

To Thy priesthood and Thy throne

In endless worship of Thy name

In the splendour of Thy celestial home.

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Creation by Yongsung Kim)

FATHER'S MERCY

 

“I believe that Heavenly Father wants to save every one of his children. I do not think he intends to shut any of us out because of some slight transgression, some slight failure to observe some rule or regulation. There are the great elementals that we must observe, but he is not going to be captious about the lesser things.

“I believe that his juridical concept of his dealings with his children could be expressed in this way: I believe that in his justice and mercy he will give us the maximum reward for our acts, give us all that he can give, and in the reverse, I believe that he will impose upon us the minimum penalty which it is possible for him to impose.”

-          President J. Reuben Clark, In Conference Report, October 1953, p 84

I too believe in Father’s inherent mercy because of His perfect love but I also believe that this mercy was increased in measure through the Atonement of His Beloved Son who is our Mediator and Advocate with the Father.

Father is justice and Christ is mercy (3 Nephi 20:20; 27:17; D&C 101:9; Mosiah 13:14; Moroni 7:27). Together they are the balanced scale we will face on the day of judgment. That day we will be judged so perfectly that we will not be able to question it.

Even though mercy cannot rob justice (Alma 42:25), it is the mercy that we will receive that we will remember forever because it will come from the loving heart of God. We will know then just how much we are loved…..

 

I marvel, Father, that You could perceive

every thought of my heart,

Long before you gifted one to me;

That you trusted my will to obey

With You so dim in my memory.

I stand amazed at Your sufferance

Of the struggling sinner like me,

And the steadfast flow of gifts you bestow

From the merciful heart that is in Thee.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Father by FluxPro.art)

THE CROWNING BLESSING

 

If ever there was a book for our time, it is the Doctrine and Covenants: a warning to the world and a concise compilation of prophecies, revelations and direct instructions and commandments to Christ’s Church. When I read this book I hear the voice of God.

Every time I study the Doctrine and Covenants, my testimony of Joseph as a prophet grows. No mortal man could come up with anything to rival or match any revelation contained therein that fell from the lips of our exalted, glorified and beloved Saviour.

Consider if anyone bar Christ himself could possibly make the promise He made at the very start of Section 93. The promise to the faithful members of His Church is beyond our wildest imagination:

“It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.”  (v1)

It is the same promise He gave to His Church in the meridian of time:

“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”  (John 14:23)

Could there be a greater promise than to see His face??? Elder Bruce R. McConkie called this “the crowning blessing of mortality”:

“We have the power – and it is our privilege – so to live, that becoming pure in heart, we shall see the face of God while we yet dwell as mortals in a world of sin and sorrow. This is the crowning blessing of mortality. It is offered by that God who is no respecter of persons to ALL the faithful in his kingdom. (In CR, Oct 1977, p 52, or Ensign Nov 1977, p 34)

President Spencer W. Kimball confirmed this privilege is available to all the members of the Church:

“I have learnt that where there is hungering after righteousness, forsaking of sins and obedience to the commandments of God, the Lord pours out more and more light until there is finally power to pierce the heavenly veil and to know more than man knows. A person of such righteousness has the priceless promise that one day he shall see the Lord’s face and know that he is.”  (“Give the Lord Your Loyalty”, Ensign March 1980, p 4)

“Sanctify yourselves that your mind become single to God, and the day will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you….”  (D&C 88:68)

“Verily I say unto you that it is your privilege, and a promise I give unto you that inasmuch as you …..humble yourselves before me….the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am….” (67:10)

I sometimes wonder if it is our lack of worthiness or our lack of belief in the promise that keeps Him away…..

I lift and I float in this vast

Universal space,

Seeking and hoping to see Your face.

Angels are near me,

They beckon and call

Ensuring I find a soft place to fall.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Bridegroom by LDS Art)

 

LOVING MORTALITY

 

There is a scene in a movie called “The City of Angels” where a deceased little girl is escorted out of the hospital by an angel who asks her: “What did you like best?” The little girl, in her innocence, replied: “Pajamas”.

I have often wondered what my answer would be if I was asked this question by an angel at the pearly gates. I used to feel guilty for a long time that I couldn’t say I love life but I have learnt over the years to be grateful for it, as hard as it is, for what it is making of me and where it is taking me.

Sometimes we get caught up in the pressure put on us to cultivate a positive attitude. Some of us consider  being negative in any way a downfall. Whereas, I believe there is a place for being positive, I equally believe it is dangerous to systematically deny negative things about life believing if we do so we will be happy.

I knew someone who considered positive attitude a virtue and who boasted that life was always beautiful and that he never let anything get him down. What he in actuality succeeded at the most was denying a full spectrum of human emotions, invalidating truth and reality and exerting a projection of superiority over others.

When Nephi said, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25) he had more than this life in mind. Adam and Eve rejoiced in the joy of their redemption and eternal life which will follow (Moses 5:11). If anybody found this mortal life a burden it would have to be Adam and Eve. Living out their mortal lives remembering what it was like to be in God’s presence would have been excruciating, therefore, their joy was rightfully in being redeemed from The Fall.

I cannot imagine the Saviour saying that He enjoyed His mortality. Paul tells us that ‘He endured the cross despising the shame of it for the joy that was set before Him’ (Hebrews 12:2). In reality, He endured His mortality, and gruesome death, looking forward to eternity.

And I think this is the point. If we were too comfortable here, if we had all the happiness we wanted, if our lives were smooth and easy, none of us would want to leave here. We would not yearn for eternal life with God where there is no trial, no pain, no misery.

Having said all that, I will now say this. It’s not about the quality of life you were given or how happy or unhappy it made you. It’s what you have become because of it that counts. This is what I know. Every righteous and good desire I have had in my life was met by God. He gave me all the trials and difficulties I needed to become who I wanted to be.

Nowdays I am ok with not loving life. It’s been hard but worth it. When I cross the bar and stand with God  face to face and He asks me what I liked best, I will say: ME. This is what I came for and what I will take back. I know deep down, I will kneel before Him and my heart will overflow with gratitude for my mortality. I hope that’s what will be written about me in the Book of Life.

 

Your teaching moments

 feed me like a bird in flight

Searching for a morsel

That gladdens its hungry heart.

These gifts are laid at my feet

And I, I come to You Father

Clutching these riches

That are mine to keep.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Book of Life by Chris Brazelton)

A SALVATION ASSURED

 

“Over long eons of time in the premortal realm the Saviour proved faithful and dependable and honourable in every commitment, every responsibility, and every charge……He never deviated from the mark, never slacked in his performance, never shrank from his word.

“He kept every command with exactness; he discharged every duty with precision; he was ‘not slack concerning his promise’ (2 Peter 3:9). His promises were  ‘ immutable and unchangeable’ (D&C 104:2). As a result, his spiritual credit was rapidly escalating until it was pure gold, even infinite in value.”  (Tad R. Callister, “The Infinite Atonement, 80)

Elder Callister goes on to say that the laws of justice (meaning the Father) recognised the Saviour’s Atonement as a surety long before it became a reality. He recognised and accepted it because Christ’s pledge and covenant was one of perfect integrity. What’s more, we all knew it too. This is why we could with a surety sustain Him as the author of our salvation for “there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it” (Abraham 3:17)

The Saviour’s commitment and integrity is not the only thing we relied on. His perfect knowledge, wisdom and power was undeniable. A massive mission such as the salvation of the whole host of heaven had to be trusted to one no less than a god. Because of His perfect knowledge and foresight, our salvation was sure.

There are a couple of scriptural examples in the Doctrine and Covenants which demonstrate this clearly. The first is found in Section 1 which suggests that the Lord called Joseph Smith as the prophet of this last dispensation because He knew the difficulties we would face in these last days (v 17).

Another example which is rather startling involves the loss of the 116 pages of manuscript of the Book of Mormon translation involving Martin Harris. Even though this event occurred in 1828, the Saviour inspired Nephi in 570 B.C. to compile a small set of plates and instructed Mormon in 385 A.D. to include those small plates in his records. Neither Nephi nor Mormon knew why they should do this but they trusted Him who knew. The Restoration and the Book of Mormon were secured because of the work of Him who promised us our salvation cannot and WILL NOT be frustrated.

The Saviour has knowledge of the beginning to the end (Abraham 2:8). Without our understanding that He has all knowledge, we could not exercise faith in Him and be assured of our salvation.  He does not miscalculate, nor is he startled over the events of this life or our thoughts and actions. Rest assured…..He has it covered.

Is there anyone greater than this man we call our God…???

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Light of the World by Mindi Oaten)

A SAVING WORD

 

“A 1986 “Guideposts” magazine contains the story of a woman who discovered what she called “the nevertheless principle”. She had been facing a difficult experience with her husband’s having a malignant brain tumour. She said that in the midst of the experience, at a moment of her greatest pleading, God granted her a word in a moment of inspiration. This single word was NEVERTHELESS. She said:

“I knew it had to be a special word, though I didn’t yet know it would become a life-style. I was sure only that it was a kind of promise. It was even a powerful little phrase: never the less.

“Never the less with God, no matter what. Always the most. Though I was alone in this automobile, nevertheless God Himself was right here beside me. Though doctors pronounced Jerry incurable, nevertheless he would be gloriously healed. Perhaps not here on earth as we had prayed. If Jerry’s physical body should die, nevertheless he would go on living in another, greater dimension.” (Marion Bond West, “One Simple Word from God”, p 12)

-       (Jerry A. Wilson, “The Great Plan of Happiness” p 40)”

This woman researched the word ‘nevertheless’ in her Bible and found it 90 times. There is a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants which uses this word to its biggest potential to teach us of Christ’s character:

“For I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; NEVERTHELESS, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven” (D&C 1:31-32).

Imagine if that word was not there. Imagine if instead of a semicolon there was a fullstop. Instead this one simple word introduces not only three doctrinal principles but the Saviour’s attribute which makes salvation possible: repentance>obedience>forgiveness…..born out of mercy.

If there was no mercy, we would all be lost. If He was not, we would not be, silence would have wept at Calvary!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Land of Dreams)

HIS GREATNESS

 

I contemplated the Saviour’s greatness upon awakening today and the scriptures I have loved and admired came into my mind like Joseph’s admiration and praise of ‘King Immanuel’ which has many times brought me down to my knees:

“Let the mountains shout for joy and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy!

“And let the sun, moon and the morning stars sing together and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever. And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory and salvation, and honour, and immortality and eternal life, kingdoms, principalities and powers!”   (D&C 128:23)

I also remembered how His greatness and His power will be manifest when He returns:

“O Lord, thou shalt come down to make thy name known to thine adversaries, and all nations shall tremble at thy presence – Yea when thou comest down and the mountains flow down at thy presence….And so great shall be the glory of your presence that the sun shall hide his face in shame, and the moon shall withhold its light, and the stars shall be hurled from their places.”  (D&C 133:40-53)

All that immense, immense, power yet nothing compares to His love, His compassion and His mercy. When he comes we shall acknowledge his loving kindness, his love and his pity on those he has redeemed…….if we follow Him that we might know Him and be recipients of such now…..

My desire to bring Thee honour

My desire to bring Thee joy

Shall forever through my faith in Thee

With devotion be known.

 

In the depths of my heart You bid me follow

My love freely flows from me,

My offering so small but faithful

With honour I give to Thee.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Everlasting God by Spencer Rasmussen)

PURPOSE

 

Over the years I have had revelations that had given me clarity about my life’s difficulties but this morning I was given such clear understanding that it made me reflect on our purpose here at a deeper level.

I am beginning to see that salvation is not an individual responsibility but a collective effort to save the human family. We are not single entities but links in a chain that binds us together in the Plan of Salvation. Some of us might never survive without the efforts of those around us.

And here is an important component of this principle. We cannot strengthen others without having had experience in difficulties ourselves which give us compassion, empathy and wisdom. Alma is a great example of this. Alma became the single greatest missionary in the ancient Americas who baptised ‘thousands of souls’ (Alma 4:4,5)

He could never have obtained his zeal for relentless missionary service had he not faced the jaws of hell during his 3 days of repentance (Alma 36:6-24; 43:1). His amazing sorrowing for people was born walking through the fire of his own experience with sin ((Alma 7:5; 8:10,14; 31:1,2,30,31; 35:15).

One of the greatest lessons I learnt from the Old Testament is about being a link in the chain. As ancient Israel conquered cities before them, lands were appropriated to them for their settlement. Among the first to receive land were the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Mannesah. They settled in the land of Gilead which divided them from the rest of Israel by the river Jordan (Numbers 34:14,15; Deuteronomy 3:12,13; Joshua 22:9).

After they had assisted in further conquest of the land, Joshua sent them back to Gilead to live peacefully in their newly appointed inheritance. Upon their return home, these tribes built an altar by the river Jordan. When the rest of Israel heard of it they were outraged presuming the altar was built for idol worship.

These three tribes had to defend themselves by explaining the altar was built to be "a witness between us that the Lord is God" (Joshua 22:34) and that even though they were geographically divided from the rest, they were still a link in the chain. They knew that if they turned to the worship of other gods, the ripple effect would be detrimental to the spiritual salvation of the whole House of Israel.

My greatest lesson in all this is my belief that the difficulties we go through are not just for our benefit but for a human being we might have the ability to save. We are the under-shepherds and saviours on mount Zion following in the footsteps of the greatest healer who did the same by taking upon himself our infirmities that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh that He might know how to give relief and aid to the human family in their suffering (Alma 7:12).

I am just now beginning to understand the willingness of Him who embraced pain for our sake…..

Next time you are suffering through something, know there might be a greater purpose….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Knock and Ye Shall Receive by LDS Art)

REMEMBER

I was reminded today by a beloved friend that some days we need to rely on remembering our special moments because it is all we have. It is the days we feel unloved, forsaken, directionless, and alone in our suffering. My special moments are my glimpses into heaven. They keep me going when I wonder, despite all my knowledge and testimony, is all this worth it….

It would seem that heaven thinks remembering is the way to go too because I don’t think there is a more significant word in the Book of Mormon that is repeated more often than the word ‘remember’. It was an important concept amongst the ancient Israel who used festivals, harvests and commemoration days for this purpose.

King Benjamin spoke of ‘remembering’ 15 times in his speech to his sons and to the people gathered to hear him (Mosiah 1:3,4,6,7,17; 2:40 twice, 41 twice; 4:11,28,30; 5:11,12; 6:3).  Alma used the verb ‘remember’ 6 times in speaking to his sons (Alma 37:13,14,32,35; 42:11). Helaman used it 11 times in speaking to his sons in Helaman 5. The legacy of remembrance passed on from Alma to Helaman was so strong that Helaman named his sons Nephi and Lehi for this very purpose (Helaman 5:6).

Perhaps the greatest example of the importance of this word comes from Alma and this is why. As he lay unconscious he ‘remembered’ his father’s prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ and when he pleaded with Christ to have mercy on him, he could not ‘remember’ his pains anymore (Alma 36:17, 19). Remembering brought Alma to Christ.

When we pass on from this life, we hope we will be remembered for ‘something’. None of us want to be forgotten. Nephi is remembered for his obedience, Alma for his repentance, Helaman for his strategic warfare, Captain Moroni for his passionate patriotism, Mormon for his discipleship, Moroni for his endurance, but one thing they all have in common…….they remembered Christ, always….in all their endeavours.

I don’t want accolades at my funeral. I am hoping that people will ‘remember’ what I have taught them about the Saviour and that they will talk of Him. My fear is that I would be remembered for not enduring to the end. I know remembrance of my glimpses into heaven are crucial for my endurance.

The Saviour died over 2,000 years ago and He is still remembered by many but many are also trying to forget Him. He, however, will never forget us…..because….He has graven us upon  the palms of His hands  and He has worn the crown of thorns on His head (Isaiah 49:16; John 19:2). In the words of a dear friend Bonnie Lake Bloomfield:

 

I don’t know how the sun remembers to rise,

Or how the stars remember their places.

I don’t know how the flowers remember to bloom,

Or how in spring the leaves fill their spaces.

It’s enough for me to know who created it,

And I’ll never be the same;

Because I know I have a God who loves me

And a King, who remembers my name.

 

My King, who remembers my name;

A mighty King, who remembers my name!

He is the Lord of all creation,

And yet, my King remembers my name.

I’m a small creature compared to His greatness;

I’m only one and the same,

But I’ll always be His, and He will be mine –

A King, who remembers my name!

 

I look at the world today with people

Rushing about without thinking of why;

Why we’re all here, and what is life about

And where we all go when we die.

But I know, and I’ll ever be thankful

That I know from whence I came.

I’ll go home to heaven once more,

To my King, who remembers my name.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Crown of Thorns by Mindi Oaten)

 

AS PURE AS HE IS PURE

 

I have of late been studying about the nature of God which has led me to deeper understanding of the principle of sanctification. It came through doctrinal study and a personal lesson.

“Joseph Smith, along with Oliver Cowdery, saw God and declared, “his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun” (D&C 110:3). In January 1836 Joseph Smith and others saw “the celestial kingdom of God and the glory thereof…the transcendent beauty of the gate….like unto circling flames of fire; also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.” (“History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints” edited by B.H. Roberts, 2:380)

These accounts, along with others such as Moses’ encounter with God in the Pearl of Great Price (Moses 1), help us to understand that the Father is an exalted being made entirely of light of truth (see also D&C 50:24). Because of this ‘no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God’ (1 Nephi 15:34). We cannot live with God in Celestial Kingdom if we are not sanctified.

Firstly, because God cannot abide the least degree of darkness. Light and darkness cannot co-exist. Hence the need for sanctification which purges all darkness from us due to our fallen state and sinful nature.

Secondly, because God is pure and His light is brighter than the sun, it would consume anything that is not pure in His presence. It consumes every corruption, the same as the light of Christ will consume all corruptible beings when He returns to earth (Malachi 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; D&C 5:19; 29:9; 63:34; 133:4-49)

Sanctification comes in two stages. The first stage happens in this life and is very much connected to remission of sins (D&C 43:11). Repentance is cessation of sin while sanctification is purging of its resultant darkness. It’s only a remission because we are still exposed to temptations of this life and are liable to sin again (D&C 43:11; see also Daniel H. Ludlow, “A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, 2:248-49)

The second stage happens following judgment which will be permanent and will afford exaltation to those who are deemed worthy. Both stages of sanctification are exacted through the power of the Holy Ghost.

In one of my recent posts I wrote how I have in recent years come to form a connection with each member of the Godhead separately. This has afforded me immense closeness with the Father like I had not known before. This closeness, however, developed something in me I didn’t expect, a fear that I might be spiritually lost one day.

I couldn’t understand this for a long time. I had never had this fear before. Recent clarity, however, helped me see that once I had revived in my heart the closeness I once had with the Father, I started to fear that I would miss out on this for all eternity if I didn’t make it. As I could plainly see this reason, I was given confirmation that the Father acknowledges our bond and the fear I had lost its power.

I know my need and desire for sanctification will be honoured one day when I stand before God to be judged of all the offences I have committed against Him, no matter how small or great. Every bit of darkness will be expunged from my soul and forgiveness through the grace of the Son will make me pure as He is pure so that I can be numbered in The Book of the Names of the Sanctified and be in Father’s presence forever (D&C 35:21; 88:2; Malachi 3:16). My gratitude knows no bounds.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Father by FluxPro.art)