NEW YEAR GOALS

 

Many of us will have begun to set goals as we approach the New Year. I gave up on that futile exercise many years ago. I discovered I don’t do well when I feel compelled to do something, even if that compulsion comes from me. Now I focus on spiritual aspects of my life’s journey more. My focus for next year will be ‘faith’. I have a burning desire to become a woman of faith at a much deeper level than what I have thus far been. This desire is linked to my understanding of faith being a component of righteousness. It has been given me to understand that learning to harness the power of faith is my next step on my life’s journey. 

 

Statistically, setting and reaching goals has very poor results. It has been estimated that 80% of people who set New Year resolutions drop out of the race after the first month. Many of you will disagree and say that goals are important. I understand if this is something you are converted to and have had success doing. The only point I am trying to make here is the highly advantageous surrender to Him who has all wisdom and knows us beyond our mortal understanding, to guide us on the path of our self-improvement and growth. When we are equally yoked with Him in our efforts to change and improve, the odds for succeeding are extremely high. Trusting Him to reveal to us where we should improve next so we can become who we need to be to fulfill our purpose here is where we should invest our finest efforts. 

 

If you are struggling with sin, weakness or addiction, the Saviour is the rudder of your ship when you put out to sea. If you have been floating on the waters of tribulation, He can point the way to the safe harbour and steady the turbulence of the storm so you can rise to your greatest potential. Do not trust in your mortal efforts alone, turn to Him who has all power to overcome and lift you to heights you need to be at.  I promise you, if you trust Him to show you the way, you will find His footprints even in the deepest seas……

 

I will step into deeper waters

And abandon the ground under my feet;

I will wade and look for You,

I will see Your footprints

Even in murky seas.

I will reach and find Your hand

To guide me where I am meant to go

I will trust, I will surrender,

Your purpose for me to know. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: David Bowman)

THE GIFT OF SACRIFICE

 

I mulled over the principle of sacrifice this Christmas. I am not sure why but perhaps my thoughts were ignited by my daughter who is far from the Gospel path pursuing a life that leaves me confounded. I would easily lay down my life if it would bring her back to God. And so the principle of sacrifice has made me realise an important truth.

 

It has become clear to me that the parental bond is strong within us so that it would motivate us to continuously sacrifice ourselves for our children, but for a very important reason. Basically, we are here on this earth for three reasons: 1. To gain a body; 2. To be tested and; 3. To become like Christ and thus become co-heirs with Him in the kingdom of God. It is this third reason that is in my mind connected to the principle of sacrifice. Self-sacrifice is central to Christ’s character, therefore, it stands to reason that we need to follow this path in order to become like Him. Thus sacrifice is a gift of immense proportions. What the Saviour achieved in His momentous death, we have the opportunity to emulate in the entire course of our lives through our children. The self-sacrifice we invest ourselves in is a similitude of the Saviour’s sacrifice for us. It is significant to note that because of His sacrifice, He has become our spiritually begotten ‘father’…..hence accentuating the parental bond that unites us through the medium of sacrifice. 

 

And here is another important thought: our children more often than not do not recognise or appreciate our sacrifices for them. Often it becomes an act of appreciation when they are adults and parents themselves but even then, not always. This too is a similitude of Christ’s sacrifice for us. Many people don’t appreciate His sacrifice, or they reject it, and even deny it, as atheists do. Some of our children do the same with us,  even defiantly pointing out that they didn’t ‘ask us’ to do so, that it was more or less our parental duty.  The difference in regards to the Saviour’s sacrifice is this: we DID ask Him to sacrifice himself for us long before this earth began. The minute we sustained Him as our Saviour and Redeemer, our sustaining vote became a plea. His birth, his death and everything in between was a sacrifice of an exemplary path to godhood. May we honour the God of our salvation and lay upon the altar our sacrifice alongside His. 

 

Did You count me amongst Your valuable host

As we met in the councils of heaven?

Did I stand strong and ready to defend Your godship;

To smite the enemy,

To secure Your path to my eternity?

Was I brave and willing to carry the cross

Some of the way to Calvary?

Did I weep with You in the garden

And held You as You bore the burdens of mortality?

Did I wipe the sweat of Your brow

As I wept for You and weep even now?

Did I promise to bear Your name

Etched in my mortal heart for all to see?

Am I now worthy to carry Your sacrifice

With me into eternity?

- CATHRNE ALLEN 

THE STORMS OF LIFE

 

 

I once had a discussion with a group of friends where a question was asked if we chose our parents in pre-mortal life. Many of them agreed that we didn’t because if we did, we would have all wanted to be born in the Church to goodly parents. I disagreed because I do not believe that we wanted to land on  a bed of roses and glide through mortality, otherwise what would have been the point of coming here? I believe we wanted to come to receive further progress and not to languish in worldly ease. We wanted the storms. We wanted storms because we wanted to become big ships at sea and not languish as little boats at the shore. 

 

I get it. Now that we are here, we don’t want the storms. It’s called being human. When we walk out of the baptismal font with hope of a better life, or walk out of the temple freshly wedded to the eternal companion of our choice, we tend to feel that we have made it and are on our way to celestial kingdom. Never in our wildest dreams do we envisage storms that are ahead of us. We do not plan on divorcing when we marry; or plan to bury a child when we enter the labour ward; or schedule chemotherapy when we commit to live the Word of Wisdom. When we commit ourselves to the journey that will take us to eternal life, we often expect, by virtue of our obedience, a smooth ride that will deliver us to the pearly gates.  Obedience, however, is not the teacher but the means of arriving at our chosen destination. The teacher is life. 

 

Every opposition in life is meant to teach us something,  help us overcome something, or make us rise to heights unknown. It all depends on our response. Will we sink or swim in the face of the storm? The ultimate though is to walk on water. Peter had the chance to learn that when he walked towards the Saviour in the midst of the billowing storm. He couldn’t grasp the lesson back then but I am guessing it didn’t take long after the Master was gone. Peter became so powerful that people brought out their sick into the street in the hope that his shadow would heal them (Acts 5:15). Now THAT is a big ship.

 

The naked truth is that God will not spare us the discomfort or hardship in this life if it will be for our ultimate good. We placed that trust in Him long ago. He will, however, be there to lift us up when we can’t go on; when the storms of this life seek to swallow us and the winds combine against our strength to break us. He will come in the final hour after we have learnt to trust, accept and seek His help to overcome. He will come. This is exactly why we were not afraid to come to difficult lives. We knew that He would come and empower us to overcome, to endure, to rise. We had faith back then in His capacity, His ability and His integrity. We did not only have faith that He COULD save us, but that He WOULD, at all cost, without fail.

 

This Christmas may we reflect on the faith that we had in Him long before He was born. May we renew our devotion to the Shepherd who desires to lead us, to love us, to protect us, to honour us, to exalt us. He would have us become our best…..to this end was He born.

 

How dear to the heart of the Shepherd

Is the flock of His sheep!

With tenderness and love

He watches over those in His keep.

How much do they love their Shepherd!

How closely they stay by His side,

With every footstep they follow

To forever in His care abide.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(ART: He Is My Refuge by Yongsung Kim)

THE FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATER

 

Christ was born to lift the lowliest of us to heights unknown. Consider the woman of Samaria whom Christ encountered at Jacob’s well (John 4:1-42). An encounter not by chance…..When all of Jewry chose to travel an indirect and longer route from Judea to Galilee rather than go through Samaria because they hated the Samaritans due to their mixed blood, Jesus chose to travel the direct route and sat himself down at Jacob's well at noon having sent his disciples to procure provisions. For a Jewish man to speak to a Samaritan woman in public would have been unheard of. 

 

The Saviour knew well the woman who came to draw water from the well. He knew that she had had five husbands and was now living with a man who was not her husband. This was a fallen woman who chose to come to the well in the heat of the day rather than the cool of the morning when it was the custom for women to gather and enjoy social interaction. The timing of her visit to the well emphasized her despised and outcast position. In general Jewish men didn't speak to women much in public, especially not to ones of ill repute. 

 

The Saviour came to heal the sick and bind the broken hearted (Isaiah 61:1; D&C 138:42). He did not minister to those who were well and rejected Him in the pride of their hearts. This is why He mixed with the publicans and the sinners. How better could He have demonstrated the power He had to lift us to eternal life? When I think of the Samaritan woman and consider His important message, I also see through my 21st century view the Saviour sending a message to the women of our day, a message of healing and hope. A great number of women today feel fragmented and damaged  having been divorced, widowed, abandoned or simply ignored by the opposite sex. Among the damaged are women who have been embroiled in sin, abused and enslaved in oppression. Perhaps they are all depicted in this Samaritan woman. She is the symbol of the downtrodden and the lowliest of us who can qualify for eternal life if we are but willing to accept the God in the babe of Bethlehem. 

 

In this modern world where so much suffering abounds, some of us are barely keeping our heads above the water and some of us are scraping up sludge of dry wells.   In all our suffering and stumbling in the dark we tend to turn to the ways of the world to fill us up. Sometimes we get so blinded by the glare of this world that we dive headlong into Jacob's well eager to assuage our thirst with that which does not satisfy, benefit or fulfill us. We seek for the corruptible things of this earth that have no lasting power to fill our cracks, heal our sorrows and make up for our lack. 

 

Drawing water from a well was a thankless and miserable daily burden designated to women. The water the Samaritan woman drew out of the well was dead heavy water of this earth, much like the burdens and cares of this world. The Saviour offered her that this water does not in the long term satisfy and that in Him was the fountain of living water that springs into eternal life. If we would but drink from this fountain of living  water we could be filled with hope believing Him who has said, "....eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9). He can give all this to us. This Christmas, be filled and thirst no more.   

 

You paved the way to glories untold

With drops of blood and hallowed tears,

Gifting me life beyond these mortal years;

The bread of life and the living water,

Flowing into my heart from yours,

With parched lips I approach

So I will thirst never more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE POWER OF "I AM"

 

I am mesmerised by the method of identity used in the Book of Mormon. It is not a method we use today in our written communication but to me it is enchanting. It says volumes about the person who proclaims “I am”. It ignites my heart with tenderest of emotions to hear this:

  

“I am Moroni; I am a leader of the people of the Nephites” (Alma 54:14). I just have to read this sentence and know who Captain Moroni was. I have been enthralled by his staggering passion for liberty, the welfare of his people and his faith in Christ as I have studied and admired his warfare acumen through the pages of the book of Alma. He is a fearless man who boldly addressed the leader of the Lamanites, as ‘a child of hell’ (Alma 54:11); he is the man at whose feet the Lamanites threw their weapons (Alma 52:38); he is the man who was beloved by all the people of Nephi (Alma 53:2); he is the man that Helaman addressed as his ‘beloved brother Moroni’ (Alma 56:2,45;58:41). All these things and more rush into my mind when I hear his name. His greatness is too numerous to name here. 

 

Another proclamation of self-identity that gets to me is, “I am Helaman, the son of Alma” (Alma 58:41). When I hear his name I remember the warrior who became a ‘Father’ to 2,000 young men he affectionately called his ‘little sons’ (Alma 56:30,39,44,46) and led them into war with valour and trust in God. To me, when Helaman says “I am the son of Alma” he is referring to more than just a biological connection but to his upbringing by a man who sorrowed for his people (Alma 8:10,14; 31:1,2,30,31;35:15) and sacrificed himself over and over to rescue them from the jaws of hell. Helaman walked in the footsteps of a father whose  accomplishments will echo throughout eternity. When I hear that he is the son of Alma, I know who Helaman is….because he was raised by a great man.

 

Now consider another greatness of valiancy: “I am Mormon, and I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (3 Nephi 5:12,13) . I believe that’s exactly who Mormon is when I read the greatest discourse in holy writ that he has penned on faith, hope and charity  (Moroni 7).  Someone who has produced a mammoth witness of Jesus Christ such as the Book of Mormon can with surety declare himself as His disciple. But nothing speaks to me volumes about this man as much as this poignant advice to his son which echoes in my heart repeatedly: “For we have a labour to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness” (Moroni 9:6). This was his creed and he went down fighting in the quest of its achievement. 

 

This Christmas, however,  may our hearts and minds be turned to the greatest I AM of all times….

·       I am the bread of life (John 6:31, 51)

·       I am the light of the world (John 8:12)

·       I am the door of the sheep (John 10:7,9)

·       I am the good shepherd (John 10:11,14)

·       I am the resurrection and life (John 11:25)

·       I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6)

·       I am the true vine (John 15:1,5)

·       I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God (3 Nephi 9:15)…….

 

Such magnitude of power

Of love, mercy and light

Cradled in the body

Of a baby’s heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Light of the World by Nathan Greene)

THE FATHER TO REVEAL

 

The babe that lay in the manger 2021 years ago came for two reasons: to secure our salvation and to reveal to us the Father.  Until Christ came people mainly understood God’s power, His holiness and His anger and judgment but when Christ came, He showed them the Father’s deep devotion and His merciful love towards His children. This He did through himself because that’s the way He was. He has said that He and the Father are one to the Jews, to the Nephites and to us (John 14:9-11; 3 Nephi 11:27; D&C 50:43; 93:3) therefore the way He is, is the way the Father is. I highly recommend that you read this Christmas  Elder Holland’s conference talk of 2003 entitled “The Grandeur of God” to fully understand this. 

 

There is a strong depiction of father-son relationships in the Book of Mormon. This is rightfully obvious because the records were kept by men and handed down to their sons. What else can be seen, however, is the spiritual legacy passed on from father to son. Consider for a moment just these few sons who had been righteously influenced by their fathers: Nephi, who believed all the words of his father Lehi (1 Nephi 2:16) and became crucial to preserving the tribe of Joseph in Americas; Enos who allowed the words of his father Jacob to sink deep into his heart (Enos 1:3) and because of which he was led to such mighty prayer that God could not be restrained from covenanting with him regarding the preservation of records and imminent salvation of the Lamanites (Enos 1:16);  Alma the Younger's concern for his son Corinaton which prompted an entire discourse on God's justice, mercy and resurrection spanning three chapters of his book (Alma 40,1,2); Moroni who accepted the incredible responsibility to safeguard the records and who gave us the discourse on faith, hope and charity as taught by his father Mormon (Moroni 7:1).

 

What do we learn from these family associations? That the testimony of righteous fathers could never be expunged from their sons' souls. There is one relationship that stands out the most in the Book of Mormon but this time it is the son-father relationship. Nobody has been a greater son to his father than Jesus, who fulfilled the will of the Father in all things (3 Nephi 1:14); the son who 'does always those things that please him" (John 8:29) and was consequently called by the Father "Well Beloved" (Helaman 5:47). During His visit to the Americas, according to my calculations, Jesus made 148 references to the Father. He came not only to affirm his divine Sonship but to teach the people to worship the Father. It is the Saviour's love for the Father, more than His love for us, that motivated Him to become the author of our salvation. He is the perfect son because of the perfect father. 

 

The men of the Book of Mormon leave me enthralled, the father-son relationships even more so for is there a more heart searing declaration than this: "I am Helaman, the son of Alma" (Alma 58:41)......except, there is this one: "I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (3 Nephi 9:15).

 

I wish to gift you my heart

Eternal Father of mine;

I wish to glorify Thy name

Through endless moments of time.

I wish to worship you each day that I greet,

I wish to honour you with each breath that I breathe.

Then one day soon when I kneel at your throne

And bring you my deeds from my earthly home;

Accept them with mercy,

Consider them bliss,

And greet me joyfully

With an holy kiss.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Danny Hahlbohm)

THE NAME BY WHICH WE ARE KNOWN

 

Early this year I heard a really good talk given at Church by one of the women of my new Ward but her name escaped me when I recounted the experience to a friend of mine. My friend was intrigued about this sister so I did my best to describe her: shoulder length brown wavy hair, glasses. How many people do you know that fit that description? Could you guess who I was talking about? Neither did my friend, even though she knows everyone in our Ward. In the end we had to ask someone else who had witnessed the talk to reveal the name of this person.

 

Imagine if we had no names. Imagine if we were known only by our physical description. What a chaotic world that would be. Being known by a name keeps order in our society. Names are very significant in many cultures and naming a child upon birth is a matter worthy of thoughtful consideration. The hope is that the child will grow up to fill the stature of its given name. Both Mary and Joseph were instructed to give the Saviour  the name of ‘Jesus’ (Matt 1:21; Luke 1:31) which is the Greek form of the Hebrew and Aramaic name of Yeshua which means ‘the Lord is Salvation’. But this is just one of the names He is known by. I am always on the look-out for His names when I am reading the scriptures. So far I have recorded 51 but I am sure there is more.

 

When we are born into this world, we take upon ourselves our father’s name. When we are spiritually born through baptism,  we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We become CHRISTians. King Benjamin explained this means that we become ‘the children of Christ’. He mentions the importance of having Christ’s name 11 times in 6 verses of Mosiah 5. Why is this important? Because, just as we are genetically predisposed to inherit physical and mental traits of our earthly fathers, so we, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and live his teachings, inherit His spiritual qualities. In other words, we become like Him by the virtue of our newly acquired parental bond (Moroni 7:48). This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘you’re just like your father’……Alma took this a step further when he talked about having ‘His image in our countenance’ (Alma 5:14).

 

When I was newly baptised at the tender age of 18,  I had a very significant dream. I was estranged from my parents because I had joined the Church. As you can imagine this was very hard for me to bear. One night I dreamt that I was in a high building with my parents when there arose a lot of commotion on the street and we hurried down to see what was happening. As we reached the ground, a white matter fell on top of us akin to snow. We started burrowing upwards but I was the only one who reached the top. As I did so,  I saw whiteness everywhere that covered everything. I looked to my right and I saw the Saviour coming towards me with His arms outstretched saying: ‘Where are my children?’. I knew then I belonged to Him as only a child could belong to a parent. 

 

In Jeremiah 31:9, the Saviour says ‘…I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn’. 

We are modern day Israel. We are the children of the covenant, we are the children of promise, the redeemed, the beloved, the cherished; His peculiar treasure, we are the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:9,10; Zechariah 2:8; Psalm 17:8); we are the jewel in the bosom of our God. May we forever be grateful to be known by His holy name.

-      - Cathryne Allen,  (Art: David Bowman)

YET HE CAME

He came to make something of you and me. All cost considered, a commitment iron clad, He subjected himself to the lowliest of all births that He might lift an amazing assortment of humanity that we are. I marvel at our uniqueness, our creativity, our intelligence, our very essence and all that we are and are yet to become. One baby born in a stable made this possible. 

When Moses encountered God on Mount Sinai, God revealed Himself to him and Moses saw the glory of God and every particle of this earth and all the children of men (Moses 1:8,27) that have ever been created. The vision of God's power was overwhelming to a man who grew up in an Egyptian court believing that Pharoah was god and there was no one greater than him so he exclaimed that now he could see that man is nothing (Moses :10). God, however, didn't want Moses to miss the point so He showed him the same vision again and concluded it with the most important message in the scriptures: "For behold this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The point that God didn't want Moses to miss is this: amongst all of God's creations, none are greater than man…..because man constitutes God’s glory. All that we are and all that we become matters because it leads to our glory and adds to His. So He came to clothe us in robes of glory whilst He, for a moment, declined His, the splendour of His godhood suspended to carry the burdens of the faithful, the faithless and the lowliest. 

                                       . 
We tend to think of the Saviour in relation to His infinite sacrifice, the life he gave up so that we might live, which is of course correct. That sacrifice would not have been possible, however,  were it not for His humble beginning as a mortal baby, a beginning such as every other. I cannot fathom His condescension:  leaving His godly station to lay himself down in a bed of straw of this lowly earth. What a sacrifice from the stable to Calvary! And all for you and me…..

 

Did you miss

Your godly robes

That you traded for 

The swaddling cloths of Calvary?

Was the ground rough beneath

Your feet as You traversed

The dust of Galilee?

The baseness of This earth,

So willingly suffered despite hostility.

Yet You came

The Father to reveal

And to Him forever

Our yielding hearts to seal.

CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Liz Lemon Swindle)

ALMA THE FATHER

 

The 18 months my daughter spent on her mission was the happiest time of my life. I knew where she was, that she was safe and that she was doing the best thing she could possibly do in her then young life. She was in Australia, being looked after by a caring Mission President, she was well fed, had access to all the conveniences and health care that she could want and she was having wonderful spiritual experiences. I knew all this because I myself had served a mission in Australia and that had been my experience. I am sure many of you parents who have had children serve missions have felt the same.

 

There is a missionary story in the Book of Mormon that tugs at my heart. It is the story of Shiblon, Alma’s righteous son who accompanied him on a mission to the hostile Zoramites. I love the sentiments of love and joy that Alma expressed for this son. Helaman was the golden boy, Corinaton was a good boy gone bad but Shiblon was the middle son and the only one who suffered for Christ’s sake. Alma commended Shiblon for his faithfulness, patience, diligence and long suffering during his mission (Alma 38:3) suggesting there was no peaceful assurance for Alma that his son was doing missionary work in the lap of luxury. He says that Shiblon was ‘in bonds’ and that he was ‘stoned for the word’s sake’ (Alma 38:4). Imagine knowing your missionary son was being stoned on his mission……Now here is an interesting thing. Alma didn’t protect his son by sending him home to safety. He instead commended him for his diligence and told him to continue in his labours (Alma 38:15). 

 

I was a single mother for many years. During that time I did everything in my power to protect my two daughters from any danger and pain. I over-compensated and over-sacrificed repeatedly because I am an emotional female and lack that pragmatic restraint that men so capably employ in their parental skills. Note Alma’s wisdom in not protecting his son from hardship. He teaches Shiblon that if he puts his trust in God he shall be delivered out of his trials, troubles and afflictions AND  he shall be lifted up at the last day (Alma 38:5). Why use these two concepts in one sentence? It suggests Alma could see that temporal difficulties would teach Shiblon that the Saviour’s power of temporal deliverance is a similitude of His power of spiritual deliverance which leads to eternal life and he wanted his son to learn this lesson. It’s the greatest thing he could have possibly done for him. I take my hat off to Alma as a parent because you can do nothing greater than bring your children to Christ. This is  most evident in his call to repentance he extended to his son Corinaton which comprises four chapters and gives us the most comprehensive teaching on the Plan of Salvation. The most endearing thing about this is that he makes it known repeatedly that this is not just a sermon but a personal admonition by saying ‘my son’ 24 times in those chapters. It makes me want to weep….Amidst his great achievements, none are as great as Alma’s achievements as a parent….who cannot be touched by another son’s bold and loving proclamation: “Behold, I am Helaman, the son of Alma” (Alma 58:41). It gets me every time….

 

Your words of courage bear me up

On wings of faith 

I follow in your footsteps father,

I stand as a witness of

His holy name.

 

CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: "This My Son" by Elspeth C Young)

LOVING AS CHRIST LOVES

 

Some years ago I was very stressed so I made a trip to the temple to receive some peace. I unfortunately sat next to two sisters who I later learnt had a ‘get-together’ standing outing to the Temple. As I sat there waiting for the session to begin peace eluded me because the sisters next to me chatted incessantly. My stress escalated until I angrily and tersely told these unfortunate sisters to desist with their chatter. My outburst upset them so much that they left the endowment room and in tears complained to the Temple matron. I was called out of the room and reprimanded for which I apologised. I knew even back then that this hurt I had caused someone else would one day find me because I believe that you shouldn’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you. This theory of mine proved to be true. As I posted a spiritual message in a Ward Newsletter as part of my calling this year, it was misunderstood by one sister who very unkindly replied to my message telling me that people are in a lockdown and that my message was suicide worthy. As we conversed and I tried to make my message clearer she remained hostile and indignant. In the end I had to just tell her that she had broken my heart by her attack on me and that I hoped I would never hurt a sister in Zion like she had hurt me…..hmmmmm.  I reflected on this incident and I realised that this sister had acted poorly towards me due to the stress she was under due to one of our severe Australian lockdowns. It was exactly what I had done in the temple some years prior. Is it possible to treat others lovingly even when under duress? Is it possible to treat others lovingly under ANY circumstances?

 

Consider the story of people called Anti-Nephi-Lehi. You cannot get greater duress than this. 

As we know, when the Lamanites came upon them to slay them, these people of Ammon did not prepare for war, nor did they run away. They stayed put, buried their weapons and subjected themselves to slaughter. We tend to always reflect on the main reason they did this, that reason being a sign of their covenant with God (Alma 24:18) but that reason does not end there. So profound and deep did their conversion become that  rather than ‘take away from a brother, they would give unto him’ (Alma 24:18).  And not just another, but even the sinner who would hate them, revile them, and even kill them.  But there is more….they also LOVED their brethren who sought to kill them (Alma 26:32). 

 

The lesson of the massacre of Anti-Nephi-Lehies doesn’t stop there. The number of Lamanites who were converted and ‘saved’  was greater than one thousand and five of them who were slain (Alma 24:22,26). So the sacrifice of the ‘innocent’ brought about the salvation of the ‘sinful’. How is it possible that these people could kneel in front of their executors and willingly go to their deaths for the sake of the salvation of others? There is only one answer. The love that they possessed towards their brethren was not ordinary love but ‘the pure love of Christ’. This was a deeper love than loving your neighbour as yourself (Matthew 19:19). This was to love ‘as I have loved you’ (John 13:34), this was the love the way HE FEELS IT, not the way we do. This love sends you to the altar of sacrifice to lay down your life for another, as was the case of people of Ammon whose sacrifice mirrored the sacrifice of the Son of God. This love cannot be developed by us but can only be a gift to the true followers of Christ who prayerfully seek it (Moroni 7:47,48). 

 

This Christmas may we contemplate the birth and the condescension of a God who lowered himself to the dust of this earth so He can bind us one to another and to the Father through His unfathomable sacrifice born out of the deepest recesses of His heart.  And may we love one another as He has loved us……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

Art by Liz Lemon Swindle

SEEDS OF ETERNAL LIFE

 

I have a grandson. A beautiful boy. He is only five as I write this. He is the apple of his mother’s eye, and mine for that matter. I never had a son, only daughters. I marvel how well my daughter teaches her children and I wonder if I was as good as that. I passed many things onto my children: beliefs, principles, habits, traditions, teachings, even weaknesses. It delights me to see that some of our family traditions live on in my daughter’s family. My greatest hope is that I have planted seeds of truths of eternity into their hearts.

I have a daughter who is a returned missionary but no longer lives the gospel. I have come to the end of the road with how much I can do for her, and I know she is now in God’s hands. I hope against hope that one day she will be like Enos and remember the teachings of her youth. Enos gives me hope.

 

The Book of Mormon tells us that whilst hunting one day Enos hungered for a remission of his sins. This hunger came from remembering the words which his father often spoke about eternal life (Enos 1:3,4). We speak many words from day to day but none more important than the ones that uplift, inspire and sow seeds of eternal life in the hearts of those we love. Such were the words which Enos heard his father speak: "But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith.........O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever (Jacob 3:1-2).”

 

So Enos prayed like his father advised and received a remission of his sins, hoping that one day he will hear: "Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father" (Enos 1:27). This hope he owed to his father. Is there a greater hope we can have for our children? And is there a greater example we as parents can follow than the example of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, the defender of the faith, the foe of the anti-Christ, Jacob the believer.

 

I give you my patience

That you might follow your path;

I give you my understanding

That you might love you more;

I give you my forgiveness

That you might learn to love;

I give you my tolerance

That you might grow;

I give you my wisdom

That you might have courage;

I give you my all

As I promised I would,

From my heart into yours;

From mother to son

Forever more

Because a heart can give no more.

• Cathryne Allen

(Art: In The Arms of His Love by Greg Olsen)

YOUR PURPOSE - ODE TO ALMA

 

Here is another person who can teach us about fulfilling our purpose…..Alma the Younger who went about with the intent to destroy the Church became the man who led the Nephite armies in battle (Alma 2:16); who sat naked with Amulek in dungeons (Alma 14:22);  who was spat upon by the unrepentant (Alma 14:21); who dumbfounded an anti-Christ (Alma 30:49,50); who baptised thousands of souls unto repentance (Alma 4:4,5); who the Lord in the end took up unto himself (Alma 45:19).  Most people credit Alma’s eventual success to his repentance but I credit it to forgiveness.

When you look at Alma and his life, do you see a broken man with a past or do you see a powerful prophet of the Lord? The fact that we see a powerful prophet has more to do with forgiveness than with repentance. Certainly without repentance he would have never been set on the path to greatness but it was forgiveness that made him great. I am talking here about two-way forgiveness. The first and most important part is the Saviour’s forgiveness and the second is self-forgiveness. If Alma had never forgiven himself and had beaten up on himself for the rest of his life, he would  never have achieved his life’s purpose. 

If you are still 'harrowed' up by your past sins, you are missing the person that you could be.  If you believe you are no good, the Lord can make nothing of you. If self-forgiveness has not closed the circle of your repentance, you should examine Alma’s life post repentance. It is not enough to just stop doing the wrong things. What matters is doing the right things, the things that invite the spirit into your life so the Atonement can heal you and wipe away your guilt (Alma 24:10).  Abstaining from your sins is only the beginning of repentance.  What comes after is what brings about the change of heart and gives you lasting peace.  

If you have repented of your sins but can't let them go, you are giving them more power than you are giving God. The adversary wants nothing more than for your sins to continue to have power over you. Your forgiveness is not complete until you allow the Saviour to take away your remorse. The power of the Atonement can complete this process.  Believe in it, trust it, ask for it.  The Lord has a purpose for you and He is waiting.

He stood between you

And the gaping jaws of hell,

He cherished your soul

And snatched you from everlasting

Misery of the damned.

He planted the seed of faith

In your willing heart

But you, you tilled the ground

And nurtured the tree of faith

Growing the fruit, so exquisite and sweet.

So heavy in your overflowing arms

You sought to feed the hungry,

The spiritually maimed.

He who stood at the gates of hell

Your soul to save

Gathered the fruit,

The path to His throne to pave. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)