THE SON

 

Portrait of the Christ by Richard L. George

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire their great works. 

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for the only son. 

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. 

He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." 

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having opportunity to purchase one for their collection.

On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gravel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?

There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."

But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting?  Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?

Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting."  Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.

"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. 

The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"

A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."

"What about the paintings?"

"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the works of art. The man who took the son gets everything."

God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The Son, the Son, who'll take the Son?"

Because, you see, whoever takes the Son, gets everything.

- Author Unknown

THE RETURN

 

 

I came into the world:

To give peace to the suffering

To give hope to the down-trodden

To strenghten the weak

To lighten your burdens

To lift the downtrodden

To give sight to the blind

To give power to the faint

To give might to the weary

To comfort those who mourn

To bind up the broken-hearted

To show mercy to the penitent

To give you living water

To free the captive

To be a refuge from the storm

And a shadow from the heat

To give you rest from sorrow and fear

To break the bands of bondage

To empower the powerless

To conquer the sting of death

To be a light unto the world

To establish truth

To atone for you

To love you 

To help you

To save you.

 

I will return:

To conquer the enemy

To destroy the wicked

To govern in righteousness

To unite the nations

To gather my people Israel

To establish peace

To take away the sorrow

To make all things known

To flood the earth with truth

To resurrect you

To judge in righteousness

To give mercy to the penitent

To take you to the Father

To give you eternal life

To exalt you.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus Beacon of Hope by Ivan Guaderrama)

THE PRINCE AND THE KING

 

There is a place in Daviess county, Missouri, which is called Spring Hill. This place “was named by the mouth of the Lord, Adam-Ondi-Ahman” (“History of the Church”, 3:34-35). This is the place where one of the most tender events occurred on the American continent.

This is where Adam, the Ancient of Days, called his righteous posterity three years prior to his death, to bestow upon them his last blessing (D&C 107:53-56). Picture this solemn occasion where the Saviour appeared to this congregation, upon which appearing, Adam’s posterity “rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel”. The Lord then administered comfort unto Adam and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.” (D&C 107:54-55).

After the Lord administered to him, Adam stood up even though he was ‘bowed down with age, and being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation’ (v 56). When Joseph Smith visited Spring Hill in 1876 he was privileged to see Adam, the Ancient of Days, in a vision of this momentous meeting (“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith” p 158). This is one vision I would love to have.

Adam lived 930 years according to Genesis 5:5 and Moses 6:12 but died in the ‘same day’ he partook of the fruit as the promise of death was spoken by God when the earth was still subject to the Lord’s time which was after the time of Kolob (Abraham 5:13). Imagine living and toiling that long…..

There will come a time when Adam will return to Adam-Ondi-Ahman: “He will call his children together and hold a council with them to prepare them for the coming of the Son of Man”…..The Son of Man will stand before him, and there will be given him glory and dominion. Adam will deliver up his stewardship to Christ, who holds the keys of the universe, but will retain his standing as head of the human family (“Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith” p 157).

This is the great Council of which neither the Church members nor the world will know about which will take place prior to the Saviour’s Second appearing as a ‘thief in the night’ (D&C 106:4) (Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, “Way to Perfection” pp 290-91; also D&C Student Manual p 288)

There is no greater summation of the Plan of Salvation that is as emotionally touching as this.  Adam, the head of the human family, having fulfilled his role so righteously as the father of all living, delivers his stewardship to the Saviour, the head of the Plan of Salvation, at the winding up scenes of this earth. Promises kept, mission completed, humanity reared and saved.

Whereas Adam is the prince over us ‘forever’, the Saviour is the King. If not for Him, we would not be. No one can rival His power and His glory.  May it be His forever and ever!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

ART:  Beside Still Waters by LDS Bookstore

 

WASHED WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB

 

"While we profess to be followers of the Lord, while we profess to have received the Gospel and be governed by it, a profession will amount to nothing unless we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

"It is not enough for us to be connected with the Zion of God, for the Zion of God must consist of men and women that are pure in heart and pure in life and spotless before God, at least that it is what we have got to arrive at....

"It is not enough for us to embrace the Gospel...and be associated with the people of God, attend our meetings and partake of the Sacrament of the Lord's supper, and endeavour to move along without much blame of any kind attached to us....

"If our hearts are not right, if we are not pure in heart before God, if we have not pure hearts and pure consciences, fearing God and keeping His commandments, we shall not, unless we repent, participate in blessings of which the prophets bear testimony."

- John Taylor, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church (2001) 114-15

You feed my soul as I meet You
At the sacramental table.
The bread of life, the living water,
Gives me strength and tells me I am able.
With parched lips I drink
So I will not thirst like before,
With eagerness I eat
Your body given forever more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Washed By The Blood by Danny Hahlbohm)

THE EXAMPLER

 

The more I learn about the Saviour, the more amazed I become. This is what amazes me the most. It is His greatness that began long before His astounding power to withstand the crucible of the cross.

Consider the beginning…. When He appeared to Abraham, the pre-mortal Saviour introduced himself thus: “I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven; the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea and it obeys my voice; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains – Depart hence – and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind……My name is Jehovah… (Abraham 2:7,8).

As Abraham was shown ‘the intelligences that were organised before the world was’, he saw many of the ‘noble and great ones’ and was told that he was one of them (Abraham 3:22,23). Once again, the Saviour affirmed who He was: “I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all…my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning….” (Abraham 3:19,21)

We read the interaction between Enoch and God along the same lines. After showing him all the workmanship of His hands, He declares Himself to Enoch in the most powerful manner: “I am Messiah the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven…” (Moses 7:53).

The perfection level of His obedience in pre-mortal life is astounding. It is through this obedience He gained the power to rise to the Godhead where He could create worlds without number (Moses 1:33). Is it any wonder He could endure this:

“This sacrifice…took place in Gethsemane when He sweat great gouts of blood from every pore….And it also took place as He hung on the cruel cross of Calvary. During the last three hours of that agonising ordeal, while darkness overspread the land, all the pains and suffering of Gethsemane returned.”  (Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Witness for the Articles of Faith”, p 109)

My point is this. The Saviour of this world was the firstborn of the Father. He was the perfect Son and therefore the perfect Brother. The Exampler who paved the way to obedience, who lifted us to heights we could not reach on our own even back then. He was the Shepherd long before we became the sheep, the Shepherd we followed and believed and chose to be our God.  We became great in our pre-existent state because of the perfect example we followed. The influence He has over us now would have been double-fold back then when we were in His presence.

I testify of this because I was told once during a prayer: “My Atonement is my gift to you because you were so valiant in your testimony of Me long before you were born.”  You, me, Abraham……..(D&C 138:11-24).

How can I contain the magnitude of You

In the meagre chambers of my heart?

How can I absorb the brightness

Of Your light that outshines the rays

Of the brightest sun?

How can I explain the lightness of my being

When You lift me up on wings of faith

Making real the wonder of You?

My love knows no limits

My honour of You, no bounds;

My needy reach for heaven’s door,

To concede, without You,

I am in spirit forever poor.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Like A Dove by Chris Brazelton) 

 

 

TO SEE HIS FACE

 

“If we want a real testimony, if we want to seek God until we find Him, even if we want eternal life – all these things can be ours, if we desire them, so long as we do not desire other things more. We show what we really want by what we do, not just by what we say.

“So if we say we desire to grow in our faith, but the way we live suggests otherwise, we probably want something else more than we want eternal life. It might be our friends. It might be physical pleasures. Or it might only be that we don’t want the Church bothering us with meetings and rules and guilt trips.

“Whatever it is we want so much, we are likely some day to have it. Not only will the righteous desires of our hearts be granted, the unrighteous desires of our hearts will also be granted. Over the long run, our most deeply held desires will govern our choices, one by one and day by day, until our lives finally add up to what we have really wanted.”

-        Elder Bruce C. Hafen, “The Believing Heart”, p 22-23

My question is this. How many of us have the faith that we can have what we desire? How many of us think our desires are feasible? How many of us would dare desire to see God in this life? Do we think it possible? Well, actually it is.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that He will manifest himself to anyone who loves Him and keeps His commandments. When the disciples asked how that is possible that He will manifest himself to them and not to the whole world, Jesus answered: “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 above with him.”  (John 14:21-23).

This personal appearance to anyone is alluded to in Doctrine and Covenants also where the Saviour said: “I am in your midst…..and the day cometh that you shall hear my voice and see me and know that I am” (D&C 50:44,45).

If you think you need to be a prophet or someone of great importance in the Church to see God, consider this: “It shall come to pass that EVERY soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth my name and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am” (D&C 93:1).

And if you think that this does not apply to this life, consider the scripture where the Saviour tells us that if we strip ourelves from jealousies and fears, and humble ourselves before Him, ‘the VEIL shall be rent and we shall see Him and know that He is’ (D&C 67:10).

It is the veil of forgetfulness that was ‘taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared’ whereby he was able to see the Saviour before him (Ether 3:6). It is the veil that separates us from the literal presence of God and it is something that exceeding faith and righteous state of a person can remove:

“And there were MANY whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, but truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith, and they were glad.” (Ether 12:19)

If we desire to see God, we can, “so long as we do not desire other things more”………….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Christ by Jechoon Choi)

A LIFELINE OF GRACE

I was looking at my missionary photos yesterday and I got in touch with who I was back then. So young, so naïve, so inexperienced, so hopeful for the future. Life tends to knock that eagerness out of you, however, as you get older and live through heartache, hardship, trials, loss, sacrifice. I do love that clueless, inexperienced, young missionary I once was though. She made right choices even back then which brought me to this place I am in now.

There was a time in my life when I felt I had nothing to live for. It was thirty years ago. I had just divorced and I was hanging by a thread. I felt my life was in ruins. The emotional pain I was in was excruciating. I knew God was my only answer for survival. This is when the scriptures became my saving grace. I began to study them in depth, for hours at a time.

They who testified of Christ gave me strength to rise above the ashes of my life. I began to recover and to hope for 'life eternal because of my faith in him according to the promise' (Moroni 7:41). They renewed me because of Him who brings life to all that is dead and recovers all that is lost.

The more I studied the scriptures, the more my testimony of Christ grew because I was seeing Him on every page. In the Old Testament, I could see the merciful Jehovah who put up with the backsliding Israel; in the New Testament I could see a loving Saviour who gave all of himself to the undeserving; in the Book of Mormon, I saw the caring, resurrected Christ who never forgets His people; in the Doctrine and Covenants, I saw the majestic exalted God who prepares us for His return; in the Pearl of Great Price, I saw the pre-mortal Christ, the hope of all creation.

Seeing the Saviour so clearly in the scriptures gave me faith that He could restore me to wholeness. I began to see that my life was not over, that with Him by my side, I would survive and I would flourish.

God began to speak to me through the scriptures all those years ago. When I needed to hear Him loud and clear, I would allow the scriptures in my hands to open at a random page and see there exactly what I needed to know. To this day this is my favourite way of receiving answers.

Here is a story that proves my point:

“A man whose business was failing terribly and who was so deep in trouble was contemplating suicide. As a last resort he went to a priest who advised him to take a beach chair and a Bible to the water's edge, put the Bible on his lap, to open it and let the wind rifle the pages and when it rests on a page he should read the first words he sees. He assured him this will be his answer that will tell him what to do.

“A year later this same businessman went back to the priest in apparent affluence and success. The priest asked him if he did what he instructed him to do. The man assured him he did.

"You sat on a beach chair with the Bible in your lap?"

"Absolutely"

"You let the pages rifle until they stopped?"

"Absolutely"

"And what were the first words you saw?"

"Chapter II"

 

(Author Unknown)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

 

 

 

THE RESCUE

 

 

I am trying to stay abreast of the world news but some days hearing of such evil happenings in our day is beyond my capacity to bear. I am even struggling to view all mankind as children of God. It is beyond my comprehension how all of us were reared by perfect deity before we were born and yet in this life we cleave to incomprehensible evil and to the enemy of all righteousness.

And here is a sobering thought:

“If there had been no Atonement of Jesus Christ, there would have been a terrifying oneness – negative atonement so to speak – a living with and becoming like the Evil One. Jacob spoke the somber truth when he said we would “remain with the father of lies” and worse yet, we would “become like unto him” (2 Nephi 9:9).

“Simply stated, we would be at one with Satan…..Such a terrifying thought helps put the Atonement in perspective. Without it, all is lost. With it, all may be gained. However bleak or desperate our condition may seem, however dak and ominous the skies may appear, Mormon gave the reassuring answer: “Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ” (Moroni 7:41).”

-        Elder Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p 28

Let this sink in. The Atonement not only rescues us from our sins, our weaknesses, our pains and our sorrows; the Atonement rescues us from the Prince of This World, the Prince of All Devils, the Father of All Lies, The Liar From the Beginning, Perdition, the Son of Chaos, Satan, the very source of all evil. Imagine being at one with him and being like him…..

 

You rose above it all

Above your every earthly foe.

The Garden sprang anew

As from every drop You spilt

New flowers came into bloom.

 

Golgotha raged and tore

Your flesh without mercy;

Yet You paid Your due

For each and every rescue.

 

How pitiful the cross

That demanded You

Not knowing it sent a God

To a darkened tomb.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

A GIFT

 

 

I wrote yesterday about Oliver Cowdery’s ‘Gift of Aaron’ (D&C 8:6-9). As I progressed to Section 11 of Doctrine and Covenants, I came across another man with another gift:

“The Lord declared that Hyrum Smith had a gift. The great gift which he possessed was that of a tender, sympathetic heart; a merciful spirit…..This great gift was manifest in his jealous watch care over [his brother], the Prophet Joseph Smith, lest some harm come to him.”  (President Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and modern Revelation, 1:57)

Hyrum followed his brother to his death in his attempt to watch over him. This makes him just as much of a martyr as Joseph. To be willing to die for another is the ultimate gift. Does it remind you of someone?

This is what intrigued me the most: Hyrum’s gift was promised to come only after he exercised faith in Jesus Christ (D&C 11:10). This identifies his gift as a ‘gift of the spirit’, of which there are many (D&C 46:11-33; 1 Corinthians 12:1-12; Moroni 10:8-18). There are two reasons why the gifts of the spirit are given.

Firstly, they are given to those who have the gift of the Holy Ghost, through the Holy Ghost, for the benefit of the Church so all can be edified and unified. I know I keep harping about becoming a Zion people but I see no better way of becoming one than when we share our gifts with the congregation of faith.

In 1831 the saints were commanded by revelation in general conference to be one and esteem each other as brethren: “teach one another according to the office wherewith I have appointed you; and let every man esteem his brother as himself…..I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine.” (D&C 38:23,24,27)

Secondly, exercising our gifts makes us Christ-like. Hyrum was promised his gift would come only after he exercised faith in Jesus Christ because gifts come by the spirit of Christ (D&C 11:10; Moroni 10:17). This says to me that through our faith in the Saviour, we come to Him for recognition of the gift He is willing to give us. We cannot exercise a gift we do not know we possess and we can possess many by seeking them. Paul told the Corinthians they should ‘covet earnestly the best gifts (1 Cor 12:31; 14:1)

Can you think of any gift of the spirit that the Saviour would not possess??? There is none. When we are gifted with one of His gifts and exercise it for the benefit of others, we become in part like Him. The more gifts we obtain, the more like Him we become. He is the pattern and the giver of it.

There is no one like our God. Who else has sacrificed Himself for us, provided the way of godliness for us to follow, and endowed us with gifts to become like Him in order to prepare ourselves for the best resurrection whereby we can live with God the Father forever? You will not find this God in any other religion….

 

You have fed me from the banquet of your love;

Your arms have cradled me

in the eye of the heaviest storm;

You have led me to reach the heights of faith

to me unknown.

You are my Sovereign,

My wings of protection from the cold,

My eagle in flight

To pilot me home.

-  CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lamb of God by Greg Olsen)

COME TO ZION PART 2

 

“And there were no envyings, nor strife, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness…..and they had all things common among them; therefore there were no rich and poor…. they were all made free…..and they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God….and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God” (4 Nephi 1:3,16,17).

This was a Zion society amongst the Nephites of old akin to the city of Enoch, but in just 200 years they went from that idyllic picture to this:

“And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride…and from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them (4 Nephi 1:25). This pride of the people led to division into classes which led to the buildings of many churches which led to denial of the true church of Christ (vs 24-27).

During the two hundred years of peace and unity and no contention, the love of God dwelt in the hearts of the people (v 15).

It took two hundred years for two generations post Christ’s visit to die out and for Satan to step in to get ‘hold upon their hearts’ (v 28). His success to make them weak was based on the inverted formula which once made them strong. First came Church inactivity (v 20), then pride (v 24) and then iniquity (v 28).

This is the path that the city of Enoch never took. Instead, they chose to ‘walk with God’ and were endowed with the pure love of Christ. This pure love enabled them to become a celestial society where only unity reigned.

This is the pure love of Christ: The Saviour had no self interest or motivation for self-advancement when He accepted His role as our Saviour and Redeemer. His only motivation was our salvation. He put us ahead of Himself. When He was here, He never used His power to satisfy His needs. It was always used for the benefit of others. This is what it means to be a celestial person. The self no longer ranks first.

A pure love means it is not contaminated with selfishness. This is proven by the fact that there were no poor among the citizens of Enoch’s city. It means everyone put others before themselves so everyone was cared for and provided for. This is a celestial state of being that we are asked to prepare ourselves for.

I stated in Part 1 that the pure love of Christ cannot be developed by us. It is a love unique only to Christ, hence its name. It is a gift given to the true followers of Christ who keep His commandments because they love Him: “If you love me, keep my commandments” is repeated 20 times in the Bible alone (Exodus 20:3-6; Deut 5:8-10; 7:9-11; 10:12-13; 11:1;13-14;22-23; 19:8-9; 30:16; Joshua 22:5; Daniel 9:4; Nehemiah 1:5-6; Matt 5:17-19;19:17;22:37-40; John 14:15,21; 1 John 2:3-4; 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6).

Can you see how love begets love? If we love the Saviour and show it, He will endow us with the ability to love others as He loves.

This is the greatest commandment for us to live if we expect to become a Zion people that will usher in the Millenium. Right now, the world is in turmoil. Satan is bringing out his strongest weapons to divide us, get us to hate each other and to promote the ‘me society’. All this is the opposite to the principles of Zion.  His scheme of One World Order is a counterfeit of the Millenial theocracy under Christ. All his schemes are counterfeits with one goal in mind, to destroy us.

We must not let this happen, because we are the children of Christ……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As I Have Loved You by B. Laura Wilson)

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST

 

 

I was intrigued with Joseph Fielding Smith’s quote I used in my last post about the Light of Christ being withdrawn from the world.

One comment I received to this post was about the Light of Christ being a conscience and that everyone is born with it, so the suggestion was, how could it be taken from the earth? I pondered all day about it and did some research which made me understand this at a greater level. This is what I found in the Gospel Library Topics and Questions:

“The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost.”

The definition continues to point out that ‘conscience’ is only one manifestation of the Light of Christ but certainly not the only one. Another manifestation is that the Light of Christ is an influence for good in the lives of all people. I think this is what Joseph Fielding Smith was referring to.

And here is the sad part…..conscience can be lost……just as much as the Light of Christ as an influence……through consistent sinning and yielding our hearts to evil. The scriptures are clear: he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received (D&C 1:33). This I believe, is the condition of our world. The conscience has been lost to many besides the influence of the Spirit of Christ.

Other names for the Light of Christ are identified in the scriptures as: the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ or the Light of Life. And….it should not be confused with the Holy Ghost.

All these names denote immense power. A thorough description of the Light of Christ is found in D&C 88:6-13. Reading these scriptures leaves me in awe of the man we call Jesus Christ, Redeemer, Saviour, King of Kings, Son of God, Creator of Heaven and Earth…..

Basically, His light is in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, in the earth. He is the light which shines, which gives us light and enlightens our minds and our understanding, the light which gives life to all things, and which is the law by which all things are governed.

I cannot conceive such power in my mind but I can feel it in my heart. I stand in awe of Him now and forever.

I cannot fathom

The greatness of Thy Godhood.

I can scarce contain who You are

In the hollow of my lacking heart.

I am so small

And you are so vast;

Endow me with wisdom,

Endow me with might,

Help me to comprehend

Beyond the ages of the wise.

 

-  CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Creator by Chris Brazelton)

TO BE WILLING

 

 

“When Mary told Joseph that she was with child by the power of the Holy Ghost, his reaction was one not only of shock, of sorrow, and of dismay, but also of disbelief…..That he wanted to believe Mary, but did not, is shown by his determination ‘to put her away privily’ with as little embarrassment as possible.

He planned to give her a letter of divorce in the presence of two witnesses only, as the law permitted, rather than to make the dissolution of their contract to marry a matter of public knowledge and possible gossip. It must have been at this point that Mary sped hastily to Hebron to find comfort in the arms of Elisabeth.” 

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 331-2)

Mary stayed with Elisabeth in Hebron for three months. We may well suppose that Joseph struggled with his problem during that time until he received the revelation from angel Gabriel who appeared to him in a dream testifying of the divine paternity of Mary’s expected child.

In Elder McConkie’s words: “As with all men, his [Joseph’s) faith and his willingness to submit to the divine will in all things [had to] be tested.” (ibid)

This submission to God’s will would have to have been Joseph’s greatest trial of faith. That he passed the test with flying colours is evidenced by his guardianship and care of the Christ child and His mother.

What relief and elation Joseph must have felt when he was assured of Mary’s condition. It meant she was still his but he must have envisaged that fathering such an important child that was not his own would mean he would tread a difficult road.

Receiving confirmation of the path we should follow in life is one thing but following that path is another. Receiving is sometimes the easy part and following, the hardest because it means you are conforming to God’s will instead of your own.

On a lesser scale than Joseph’s, but also of eternal significance,  is our commitment to follow the revelations we receive:

“After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, ‘go forward’. Don’t fear, don’t vacillate, don’t quibble, don’t whine….with the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet…..

“Therefore, let not your hearts faint….Mine angel shall go up before you…and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land (D&C 103:17-20)……What goodly land? Your goodly land. Your promised land. Your New Jerusalem. Your own little acre flowing with milk and honey. Your future. Your dreams. Your destiny.”

-        Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, BYU Speeches ,  March 2, 1999

Next time you hear the voice of revelation, do not retreat, because you might just discover how very important you are…..to yourself….and to someone else.

 

When God called,

So willing was your spiritually tender heart

No forces of hell could sever you

from your appointed path.

 

The guardian of my youth,

The obedient servant of the Lord,

Thou art Joseph

The valiant son of God. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Rose Datoc Dall) 

A LESSON FROM GETHSEMANE

 

“We must do as Jesus did – preface our prayers by saying, “If it be possible”, let the trial pass from us – by saying, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt”, and bowing in a sense of serenity to our Father in heaven’s wisdom, because at times God will not be able to let us pass by a trial or a challenge.

“If we were allowed to bypass certain trials, everything that had gone on up to that moment in our lives would be wiped out. It is because he loves us that at times he will not intercede as we may wish Him to. That, too, we learn from Gethsemane and from Calvary.”

-        Neal A. Maxwell, “But For a Small Moment”, Sept 1974 BYU Speeches

I used to think that some people have been allotted to experiences trials in this life emotionally and others physically. I classified myself in the emotional category. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to my 60s facing physical challenges which have morphed into the classification of ‘suffering’.

I didn’t think I deserved it after everything I have been through in my life emotionally and so I threw myself into a tug-o-war with my mortality. The resistance escalated my physical suffering.

A very dear and close friend of mine has been trying for a long time to teach me about acceptance. She kept saying acceptance is everything. I made some progress in that respect over the years until this principle came upon me very strongly recently and liberated me from absence of peace.

Imagine if the Saviour was spared His crucible of Gethsemane. If everything He did up until then was really wasted: His preparation in pre-existence, our sustaining vote of Him and our preparation for earthly life, the creation of this earth, all the people that lived before the Gethsemane experience, His condescension, His teachings, His miracles, His promise of eternal life through His sacrifice…..

Of course, this would have never happened because of the Saviour's impeccable integrity but He had His free agency to the very end and the possibility of such a scenario doesn't bear thinking.

My friend claims I should always say ‘yes’ to whatever God asks of me. I am grateful beyond my ability to express that my Saviour did so.

Because of You,

I do not belong to the enemy.

Because of You,

I am not lost in obscurity.

Because of You,

Death cannot claim me for eternity.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus Christ the Creator by SKAI Studios)