MINISTERING

Have you ever wondered why the two greatest commandments are to first to love God and second to love your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40)? It is obvious that we need to love God so that this love would motivate us to obey his commandments and thus set ourselves on the course to eternal life. It is equally obvious that we need to love others so that we could become like Christ, once again to set us on the course to eternal life. There is a good reason however why these two commandments stand side by side. Consider President Benson's take on this: "The world largely ignores the first and great commandment - to love God - but talks a lot about loving their brother....But only those who know and love God can best love and serve his children, for only God fully understands his children and knows what is best for their welfare. Therefore, one needs to be in tune with God to best help his children...If you desire to help your fellowmen the most, then you must put the first commandment first. When we fail to put the love of God first, we are easily deceived by crafty men who profess a great love of humanity" (Ezra Taft Benson, CR Oct 1967, p 35)

We live in a world of political correctness where the philosophy of kindness has replaced the importance of religion and a God centered life. One such example is the teachings of Dalai Lama whose popularity and influence has grown exponentially over the recent years:
"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." (Dalai Lama)
It is not my wish to disparage any religion here but rather to elevate the importance of placing God in our lives first so that we can better serve and love one another. Kindness is well and good and obviously necessary but it is not the tool by which we can help change lives and alleviate someone's suffering by bringing them to the fountain of all healing which is Christ. Kindness is just the beginning.

I noticed through my years of being a single mother that I and the other single mothers I have known have had a different response to the same situation we found ourselves in. Why is that? Because we are all unique with different capabilities, understanding and strengths of character. Well did Dr Seus say that 'there is no one youer than you'. From this period of my life I have concluded that nobody can support and sustain me better than God Himself. And here is the important part of this. God the Father understands and knows us best not only because He knew us long before we were embodied in mortality but because of the Atonement of His Son who has felt, experienced and gained first hand insight into every being that has ever lived and ever will walk the face of this earth. I had a priesthood blessing recently in which I was told that the Father knew all that I was experiencing in my present situation because the Saviour Himself has told Him so. This is a pretty powerful foundation for one's faith in God and his watchful providence.

If we want to be under-shepherds ministering to one another as the Saviour himself would do, we need to pay close attention to what He has to tell us about those that we serve. For one simple reason: there is no depths of pain that He hasn't suffered; there is no extent of sorrow that He hasn't felt; there is no degree of difficulty that He hasn't experienced. The depths of all human suffering is known to Him and Him alone. He is the Healer, He is the Rescuer, He is the Balm of Gilead.

MANNA ON THE HIGHWAY

"And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

"Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years." (Deut. 8:2-4)

God knows our every need, what we need and when we need it.  For forty years He provided the Israelites with the necessities of life, from food and water to clothing which was preserved during all their time in the wilderness.  None of us could imagine wearing the same clothes for forty years but the Israelites did.  As they entered the promised land which 'flowed with milk and honey', the dynamics of God's miraculous care immediately changed; manna ceased to grace the earth and as other options became available the Israelites were no longer totally dependent on God.  Able to now take care of themselves, all that was asked of them was to remember what He had done for them when they could not do for themselves. A good lesson for anyone's books; the Lord will not abandon us in our time of need and He will not disable us in our time of plenty by unnecessary indulgence.  The following is a story of a 'modern day manna' that illustrates this point related by Hyrum M. Smith:

"I was raised in San Bernardino....during the Depression.  I was taught a marvelous lesson in faith when I was about nine years old.  We were living in what could best be described as a converted chicken coop. We owned a piece of ground that bordered a very busy highway.  On one occasion our father called us together and said: 'I have been impressed that we should spend a day fasting and praying to see if the Lord can't direct us in a path that will help us have enough money to build a home' (as told by Gerald Quinn).

His father had a job and all that job paid during the Depression was enough for food and clothing for a family and that was all.  At the end of this day of fasting, Bro. Quinn approached his children again.  Remember Gerald Quinn at this point was about nine.  And he said, 'I have been impressed that if we will go out in front of our house on this busy street, that we'll be able to find enough change dropped from passing motorists to feed our family.  Then I can take the money I get at work, buy the materials for the house and we can build the house ourselves'. Sister Quinn was very supportive and she said, 'If that's what you think is right, we'll do it'.

Gerald and his young sister were assigned the task of going out and searching the highway.  The next morning they went out and spent about 45 minutes walking up and down this highway about 600 yards on either side of the house.  They came back with 75c that they had found.  Those of you that remember the Depression, 75c was a lot of money. It bought food for the day.The next day they went out and did the same thing and brought back about $1.23. This was nickles, dimes and pennies. Brother and sisters, this went on for four years. Every day they would come back with anywhere from 25c to $1.50 in change.

Brother Quinn did exactly what he committed to the Lord he would do; took his money from work, bought the materials and they built a home. It was not a palatial place, but it was home. Gerald Quinn said, 'I'll never forget the day we finished the home. We had a ceremonial burning of the chicken coop out back. Mom fixed a really neat meal and we all had just kind of a special day'.

He said, 'the next day, because it had become our habit, my sister and I went out to the street to collect our 'daily manna'. We spent an hour and didn't find one penny. We came back to the house frantic, approached our mother and said, 'Mother, there is no money out there today'.

Mom sat them down and taught them a powerful lesson and said, 'you didn't expect there to be any money today, did you?' And Gerry not really understanding this whole process said, 'well, it's been there for four years, why not today?'  And then his gracious mother said, 'because we don't need it anymore. And there won't be any money anymore. The Lord provided that while we were building our home. Our home is completed. There won't be any money anymore'.

Gerry Quinn had to prove that. For the next three weeks he went out every day and never found another dime.

(From an audio recording by Hyrum M. Smith, "A Testimony of the Principles of Faith")

WISDOM OR FOLLY

When Adam and Eve came to be in the Garden of Eden they were commanded to eat the fruit of every tree of the garden freely except of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  They lived in the garden as one with the animals because there was no enmity between them.  Adam and Eve's ideal diet consisted of 'the fruit of the vine', meaning whatever came from the ground. There was no killing in the Garden of Eden, therefore, Adam and Eve ate no animal flesh. When Jesus comes again the enmity between man and animals that came into the world with the fall will be taken away and we will once again live in a paradisiacal state, this time for a thousand years.  In Isaiah chapter 65 we read:

"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 65:25)
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." (Isaiah 11:6)

The Millenium will be a time of peace, no crime and no killing.  The carnivorous animals will cease to be carnivorous and will become herbivorous. The lion who now kills his prey, will no longer kill and will eat 'straw like the bullock'.  This also means there will be no meat for us to eat because humans will not kill animals either.  We will return to our original plant based diet for which we were biologically created.

This is my take on the health code we have in the Church called the Word of Wisdom.  I fear we have become so proficient at killing in this fallen world that we have saturated this planet with suffering of innocent animals and in the process we have endangered our health with over-consumption of animal products.  I think most of the Church membership pays very little heed to the dietary guidelines of the Word of Wisdom and consider themselves obedient to this law just because they abstain from coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes.  Yes, the onus in the Church is on coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes, however, the observance of the total Word of Wisdom indicates the level of one's commitment to living the Gospel fully and taking advantage of all the counsel the Lord has given us.

The health advice in Section 89 is prefaced with a warning 'of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of the conspiring men in the last days'. The last days are the days that we live in. What are these evils and designs that comprise conspiracy which we should be aware of?  One well known that has been discovered in recent times has to do with cigarettes which was revealed do not only contain tobacco but many chemicals which make cigarettes so very addictive.  Why would anyone want to make them addictive? To generate sales which fill the pockets of the conspiring men.  It is plausible that the conspiracy might well and truly run beyond the cigarette manufacturers to pharmaceutical companies which produce drugs to supposedly 'cure' cancer and other ailments that smoking produces.

Lucky for us who have been commanded not to smoke and have taken that commandment to heart, we have not fallen prey to the cigarette conspiracy.  But what of the dietary guidelines we have been given in the Word of Wisdom which are not enforced as a commandment to the body of the saints?  Here is what the Lord has to say regarding that:

"For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward." (D&C 58:26)

My daughter is a vegan.  She has received many health benefits from not eating animal products.  She is very passionate about it and wants others to know that this lifestyle could bring them happiness. She also loves animals and routinely posts information on social networks about inhumane treatment of farmed animals and the horror of slaughter houses.  She seeks to inspire others to seek better health and not to be supporters of cruelty through ignorance.  For this she is constantly attacked by her meat eating friends who feel it their duty to defend their eating habits.  They accuse her of being narrow minded yet they refuse to think 'outside the box' to entertain the idea that there might be a better way.  People are jumping down her throat regarding this issue unceasingly.

The scriptures tell us that we have dominion over all the creatures on this earth (Genesis 1:28).  It does not, however, tell us outright that we should not abuse the animals in our stewardship but, honestly, does it need to?  Any man who is born with the light of Christ, which means all of us, would know that this would be wrong.  The Mosaic law included treatment of animals and decreed that animals were to be spared labour on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10).   A proverb observed that 'a righteous man regardeth the life of his beast....' (Prov. 12:10)

In March 1831, it was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that even though we are not commanded to eat only a plant based diet, men are still responsible for their killing of animals.  I am afraid we have overlooked this responsibility and taken liberty with the fact that we are not 'commanded' to abstain from eating meat. We have allowed the meat and dairy industries to brainwash us to believe that we would die without the 'essential protein' we derive from animal products.

"For behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.
And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need." (D&C 49:18-19,21)

Many people reading this scripture would focus on the first verse and conveniently disregard the second. They would argue that we humans have a need for animal protein, every day, sometimes each meal of the day.  This is total nonsense.  The Lord himself proclaimed what this need is:

"Yea, flesh also of the beasts of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly.
And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine."
(D&C 89:12, 13)

It is very obvious that animals are to be used as the last resort to sustain human life.  For this reason the Lord has also decreed that 'whoso forbiddeth to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God' (D&C 49:18).  We know full well that there are religious groups in the world who would not eat the flesh of animals even at the point of death.  In other words, when there is a need to save human life and there is no other food to do so, we are commanded to consider human life before the life of an animal.  This is in accordance with the plan of salvation and the order of this telestial world we live in.

Most of us do not live in such cold climates that necessitate eating meat on regular basis.  None of us in the western world where animals are raised for mass consumption have ever seen or experienced a famine. Our stores are laden with colourful, fresh produce and many nutritious alternatives.  There is no lack of food that would necessitate such high consumption of meat.  We have gone from the directive of 'eating meat sparingly' to eating it on most days,  three times a day.

One of my daughter's missionary friends was outraged by her veganism.  He felt it his duty to point out to her that he cooks for one of the restaurants in Salt Lake City where President Monson eats regularly and that his favourite meal is meatloaf.  For this reason, the young man declared, we should not even question our consumption of animal products.  This is a perfect theory of following like sheep.

The natural resources of this planet are being depleted at dangerous levels because of the high rate at which we raise cattle for human consumption.  The gasses emitted into the atmosphere by this cattle cause more damage to the ozone layer than any carbon dioxide produced by humans.  If that isn't enough, the cruelty which is inflicted on these animals is staggering.  From cows that are artificially and constantly impregnated and milked just as constantly to animals that spend their entire lives in incredibly confined spaces and the atrocious ways they are killed in slaughterhouses makes this a horrific and shameful facet of our civilized society.  We are the only species on earth that drink the milk of another species beyond the time of our weaning.  We insist that we must have protein from the flesh of animals that eat grass for their protein. Well, we think they eat grass.  I once saw an American farmer on a TV programme who was feeding his cattle a mixture of cement and sawdust.  So much for high quality protein on our plates, not to mention the abuse of a vegetarian cow that is forced to eat cement.  And we pride ourselves on thinking with reason.  Do we know what goes on in the food industry?  If we don't, we should find out and we should live according to the dictates of our conscience.

Animals are God's creatures too and as such they should be given respect and human kindness that they deserve. Prophet Joseph Smith explained that John the Revelator "probably saw beings in heaven of a 'thousand forms' that were 'strange beasts of which we have no conception', and that all animals 'might be seen in heaven'.  He also stated: 'John learned that God glorified Himself by saving all that His hands had made, whether beasts, fowls, fishes or men...." (DHC, vol. 5, p. 343)
"John heard the words of the beasts giving glory to God, and understood them.  God who made the beasts could understand every language spoken by them.  The beasts were four of the most noble animals that filled the measure of their creation, and had been saved from other worlds, because they were perfect.  They were like angels in their sphere.  We are not told where they came from, and I do not know, but they were seen and heard by John praising and glorifying God." (DHC, vol. 5. pp 343-44)
(Gerald E. Jones, The Gospel and Animals, Ensign Aug. 1972)

Why am I jumping on this bandwagon?  For one, I recognise my need to change and; two, I firmly believe that the state of our bodies affects our spirituality.  Our connection to God should matter to us the most. Everything is energy, even food.  We absorb the energy from the food we eat.  Consuming animal flesh means consuming all the vibrational energy from the animal that was once alive.  In Roman times, soldiers were fed stressed out chickens before battle to increase the adrenalin and make them more aggressive. Could it be that our consumption of animal products is responsible for many mental disorders our society suffers from?  Matt Monarch, a raw foodist who has subsisted on raw fruits, vegetables and nuts for 15 years, claims his spiritual energy is beyond what he ever dared imagine.  Could we improve our spiritual channels if our bodies were purer and cleaner and not so burdened with dead and unhealthy food that affects us mentally, emotionally and physically? President Packer seems to think so:

"Our physical body is the instrument of our spirit.  In that marvelous revelation the Word of Wisdom we are told how to keep our bodies free from impurities which might dull, even destroy, those delicate physical senses which have to do with spiritual communication."  (Boyd K. Packer, Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled, p. 211)

Information about bad effects of animal consumption on health are plentiful for anyone who wishes to research a healthier way of eating.  We are all responsible to seek things out for ourselves that will improve the quality of our lives.  We do not need to be commanded in this.  We will, however, be held accountable for stewardship of our bodies because our bodies are not our own. Paul taught this principle to the Corinthians:

"Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
"For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
(1Cor 6:19-20)

And again in Corinthians chapter 3:

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."  (1 Cor 3:16-17)

Clearly our bodies belong to God and are conduits for the Holy Ghost who administers the truth of all things and delivers personal revelation.

The children of Israel told Moses they would have been better off staying in servitude with their 'flesh pots of Egypt' than risk death being free in the wilderness.  Such is the nature of mortal appetite.  When the Saviour comes and we find ourselves vegan, will we reflect longingly on our 'flesh pots of Egypt' or will we live in gratitude for a society that will make us free from effects of crime, sin and wickedness? Preparation is everything.

ENOCH AND THE WORDS WE SPEAK

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them, and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command, and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him". (Moses 7:13)

When Enoch was called of God to cry repentance to the people of his day he, at 65, considered himself 'but a lad' and totally inadequate for the calling.  Not only was he relatively young compared to his predecessors who were well into 3 digits when called of the Lord, he was also highly unpopular and was 'slow of speech' Moses 6:31).  I imagine he lacked a lot of confidence and people thought him weak.  The Lord however, gave him five promises that convinced Enoch he had nothing to fear and enabled him to follow when the Lord told him, 'Therefore, walk with me' (Moses 6:34).  Among the five promises were two I think are worthy of extra attention.  Enoch was promised:

1.  "I will give thee utterance" (Moses 6:32)
2.  "All thy words will I justify" (Moses 6:34)

It is interesting to me that: 1.  the Lord would choose a man who had a stumbling block to the very task the Lord needed him to fulfill and 2.  that He was mindful and sensitive enough to Enoch's insecurity because of his speech impediment to the point that He would reassure him by addressing the problem in his promises. He could have very easily said to Enoch, "don't worry about anything, just walk with me".  This is such a clear indication that the Lord knows us and has compassion for us and how we feel.

Enoch did walk with God and because of it he became an incredibly powerful man.  Because of his trust in God and his promises, the Lord turned his weakness into his greatest strength.  Going from what I imagine was a stutter he went on to become the master of words.  The scriptures record:

"And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence." (Moses 6:47)

There is something very interesting about the power the Lord gave to  Enoch. It would seem this power was not only for him but was to be had by his every descendant.  The interesting thing being is that every mortal is a descendant of Enoch.  Enoch was the Father of Methuselah, who was the father of Lamech, who was the father of Noah.  Everybody that has been born on this earth after Noah is Noah's descendant and therefore a descendant of Enoch.  The Lord made an oath with Enoch regarding this power which is found in Joseph Smith Translation:

"For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself, that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course; to put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God, to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers, and this by the will of the Son of God which was before the foundation of the world". (JST Appendix in Genesis 14:30, 31)

The oath sworn by God to Enoch and his seed is a promise made to us.  All mortals who receive the Melchizedek Priesthood have power promised to them by their faith to do the very works done by Enoch. (Ted Gibbons, SS Old Testament Lesson 5)  This means the Lord will magnify us in our callings to serve Him and will bless our efforts to bring others unto him by making us powerful even as Enoch.  All is needed is faith on our behalf to make this power active.

I am very fascinated with Enoch and how powerful he became in his speech.  I love words.  I fully believe in their ability to uplift or destroy.  The scriptures tell us that God created the world by the power of His word (1 John 1:1).  The Universe is made up of energy.  Different types of energy have different frequencies. Words also have energy and they resonate at different frequencies.  Words stem from thoughts and thoughts stem from words.  They both produce vibrations which produce emotions which produce action which produce desired results.  When you yell at someone out of anger, your intent is to hurt them by the words that you say and most often than not, you succeed because your words produce emotion in the person you are attacking.  Our words can be like poisonous barbs on the fragile souls of our children when we criticize them and lash at them in anger.

Just as damaging our words can be to others, they can also be damaging to us.  Constantly saying to ourselves that we are no good and that we can't do things would produce terrible emotions in us such as depression, low self-esteem and lack of confidence.  We tend to believe who we tell ourselves we are.  We can however, turn this around and start saying powerful words to ourselves. The Japanese scientist, Dr Emoto, has proved that if water or food is exposed to a written word, it will respond to that word.  Food and water exposed to words such as 'war' or 'hate' deteriorated quickly during his experiment, whereas those exposed to words such as 'love' and 'thank you' had not deteriorated.  Those who speak words of love and encouragement to their plants witness their plants flourishing in conditions where they would not normally thrive.

Our words play a major role in the law of attraction.  Because words have vibration, they attract to us what we talk about.  If we constantly say "I'm always sick", you will most likely be coming down with every infection and cold going around.  If you constantly say, "I never have money", the money that you receive will slip through your fingers like water.   Whatever we constantly say basically determines our reality.

I believe language was given to us not only for communication but to uplift and edify.  There is power in spoken word, especially when those words are words of eternal life.  We are commanded to worship and praise God through prayer and to teach others the doctrine of Christ for the salvation of their souls. When we pray we must address deity with utmost respect, reverence and gratitude. This in turn increases our faith in God and helps us feel closer to Him.  How else can we show reverence and expect the Father to honour our petitions?

When we speak the words of eternal life, these words resonate with the spirit of God and empower us to achieve things we could not ordinarily do on our own.  For instance, the words you speak about Jesus Christ and his Gospel when telling someone about the Church will resonate with the spirit of God which will enable you to proclaim the truthfulness of the Gospel with confidence and boldness you did not previously have. Another example is calling upon the power of the Atonement to enable us to overcome a certain weakness. The vibration of the words with which we plead for help will attract the power we are asking for and need.  I believe this is why we have been commanded to pray.  We cannot receive something we do not invite into our lives through the vibration of words that attracts the thing we need. When we pray, we create a pathway for manifestation of that which we want in our lives.

Immoral language corrodes our spiritually sensitive souls.  Using immoral language and swear words attracts darkness which creates negative emotions within us. They are words which disempower us in many ways. Consider this story by Elder Boyd K. Packer:

"A number of years ago I went with a brother to tow in a wrecked car.  It had been a single car accident, and the car was demolished, the driver, though unhurt, had been taken to the hospital for treatment of shock and examination.

The next morning he came asking for his car, anxious to be on his way.  When he was shown the wreckage, his pent-up emotions and disappointment, sharpened perhaps by his misfortune, exploded in a long stream of profanity.  So obscene and biting were his words that they exposed years of practice with profanity.  His words were heard by other customers, among them women, and must have touched their ears like acid.

One of my brothers crawled from beneath the car where he had been working with a large wrench.  He too was upset and with threatening gestures of the wrench he ordered him off the premises.  'We don't have to listen to that kind of language here' he said.  And the customer left, cursing more obscenely than before.

Much later in the day he reappeared.  Subdued, penitent and avoiding everyone else, he found my brother.

'I have been in eh hotel room all day', he said, 'lying on the bed, tormented.  I can't tell you how utterly ashamed I am for what happened this morning.  My conduct was inexcusable.  I have been trying to think of some justification, and I can think of only one thing: In all my life, never, not once, have I been told that my language was not acceptable.  I have always talked that way.  You were the first one who ever told me that my language was out of order.'

Isn't it interesting that a man could grow to maturity, the victim of such a vile habit, and never meet a protest? How tolerant we have become!
(Boyd K. Packer, "The Clean Voice of Youth", New Era, Jan. 1976, 5)

King Benjamin warned his people about the condemnation that can come upon them if they misuse the power of words.  Why would he mention words?  Because out of words are born deeds and deeds can lead us to destruction. Here is how he put it:

"But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words,  and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith, of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, o man, remember and parish not."  (Mosiah 4:30)

Alma in contending with an unrighteous lawyer from Ammonihah called Zeezrom, whose career depended on the craft of persuasion and use of words, had this to say to him:

"For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence." (Alma 12:14)

When Enoch spoke with the power of God,  people trembled.  There is only one way that power could have been given to him and that is through the Holy Ghost, through which all truth and things of the spirit come. We too can have the power of Enoch if we live worthy to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. According to Nephi, it is by this power that angels speak:

"Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels?  And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore they speak the words of Christ....."
(2 Nephi 32:2,3)

Language is a powerful tool and when we learn to use it properly, especially under the direction of the Spirit, it can be forceful and commanding.  It was so with Enoch for the scriptures record:

"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him". (Moses 7:13)

We might not be called as Enoch was, to accomplish miraculous tasks.  We might not need power to move mountains or stop rivers in their course.  We, however, can possess power to uplift, beautify, ennoble, encourage, inspire.....all with the words that we speak.  Words that can bring life and joy and peace. And all this with the ultimate language, the tongue of angels.

LIKE A BROKEN VESSEL

I taught the Relief Society lesson today based on Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk entitled 'Like a Broken Vessel'. It is refreshing to have the General Authorities share the things they have suffered in their lives as Elder Holland did with a bout of serious depression, so serious that it made it difficult for him to function. The depression he talks of is 'a crater in the mind so deep that no one can responsibly suggest it would surely go away if those victims would just square their shoulders and think more positively'.  This kind of depression is usually born from some serious trials that we are subject to in this fallen world: death, divorce, prolonged unemployment, transgression, post natal blues, abusive marriage, work stress etc.  Sometimes physical reasons come into the equation as well such as food allergies, prolonged sickness, disability, diet deficiency, drug dependency.  I realise there are many degrees of depression and many different ways of handling it. The purpose of this blog is always to view things from the spiritual perspective and so I offer my thoughts in this vein.

Among other suggestions for coping with this malady,  Elder Holland suggests to 'faithfully pursue the time-tested devotional practices that bring the Spirit of the Lord into your life'.  We all know what these practices are: prayer, scriptures, fasting, temple, Church attendance.  I can attest that bringing the spirit into your life is the best course to pursue in relation to depression because I have benefited from it myself.  I recognise how incredibly hard it is to do anything positive when you are depressed.  Even though I have not had debilitating depression, I had experienced prolonged bouts of it for many years leading to my marriage.  This only got worse during my marriage.  Following my divorce I was hanging by a thread in the Church not knowing which way I was gonna go.  I finally resolved that I could not leave the Church not only because of myself but mostly because of my children.  However, I did not just stay active, I did something that would bring me amazing benefits which I did not know at the time.  I immersed myself in the scriptures and started studying about the Atonement.  After about a year or more I realised one day I had not been depressed for a very long time.  In fact, I realised that I had not been depressed since I had started studying the scriptures.  I gave it some serious reflection and came to understand that studying the scriptures brought the spirit into my life more than anything else I was doing and that the spirit healed me of the depression.  That was 18 years ago and I have not been depressed since.  This is not to say that life doesn't get me down from time to time but an occasional down day does not depression make.  I feel mentally healthy and spiritually well.

I believe the reason Elder Holland suggests the devotional practices first and foremost is because not only does the spirit help us cope from day to day but because in the end it heals us.  It might not happen overnight but I truly believe that over time the spirit of God heals all spiritual wounds and corrects all spiritual and emotional defects.

My spiritually sensitive daughter suffered from severe depression for 5 years during her teenagehood.  It was the most difficult time of her life and mine too.  The depression was so great that it derailed her from the Church as she searched for other ways to free herself from the prison she felt she was in.  This only compounded the problem as it produced a huge amount of guilt and remorse in her.  I feel this ride to hell and subsequent emergence from it will somehow be a force for good if she now remains faithful.  Just like Alma and the sons of Mosiah, I too believe that she will make something good come out of something so bad.  A year after my daughter came back to the Church she served a full time mission.  Her reactivation was the beginning of her spiritual and emotional healing.  Her journey of wellness has really only just begun. It's like an onion that she is peeling off one layer at a time but already she has helped so many people with her understanding of their trials.  She is not a broken vessel anymore, only slight cracks remain but a vessel with cracks can still do much good as is demonstrated in the following story.

'A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck.  One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house the cracked pot arrived only half full.  For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made.  But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.  After two years, of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house.  Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts", the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said:
"As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path".

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.  But at the end of the trial, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot:
"Did you notice that there were flowers only on you side of your path, but not on  the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.  I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.  For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table.  Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws.  We are all cracked pots.  But if we will allow it, our flaws are used to grace life's table.  In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste.  Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them and you too can be the case of beauty.  Know that in our weakness we find our strength.  May we look for one another's strengths to build up one another and in doing so build the kingdom of God.'

My daughter informed me the other day that she is helping one of her converts from her mission who had gone inactive and is now suffering from severe depression.  I thank God that my daughter is a cracked pot. May she water the flower bed every day of her life and thereby serve God who gave her life.

If you are in the darkest abyss and "though you may feel 'like a broken vessel'....you must remember, that vessel is in the hands of the divine potter......Know that one day the dawn will break brightly and all shadows of mortality will flee" (Jeffrey R. Holland).  Trust in it, believe in it, hope for it.