THE SILVERSMITH

 

“There was once a group of women studying the book of Malachi in the Old Testament. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  This verse puzzled the women, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the idle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered “Yes”, and explained that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of this world’s fire, just remember that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are refining you. “You are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.”

-        Author Unknown

“…….have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenance? ”  

-        (Alma 5:14)

I have been through some refining fires in my life. I am presently going through one now. I am learning about endurance….an endurance I am determined to get through with dignity. I used to say to myself, “I HAVE to endure to the end” but I have realised on a deeper level that life is all about choice. It was so in pre-existence and it remains so. Now I say to myself, “This is but a moment. I CHOOSE to endure to the end.”

“I choose to” speaks commitment whereas ‘I have to’ speaks compulsion and compulsion breeds resentment. Reflecting on my life and all the decisions I have made showed me that in fact they were choices. My agency has been exercised.

I bow at the Saviour’s feet in gratitude for the refining fires of my life and I look forward to seeing His face when in the mirror I look one day.  All honour and glory be to the Saviour of my soul who has made my choices possible…..

May all who hear, praise Thy holy name

And seek Thy mercy and Thy grace;

And may those found worthy

Be endowed with Thy image

In the countenance of their face.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Peace I Give Unto You by B. Laura Wilson)

A SACRED LOVE

 

 

Moroni’s discourse on love is legendary. And not just any love but a love without which we are nothing; a love that survives hatred, animosity, harm, racism, sin, abuse, evil and all the inhumanity we are capable of; a love that ensures salvation at the last day (Moroni 7:44). Moroni called this love charity (v 47).

This love is unique to Christ and cannot be developed by others. It is therefore a gift bestowed upon those who are true followers of Christ and it must be sought through prayer (Moroni 7:48) . This love ensures that we become the sons and daughters of God so that when He appears, we shall be like Him (v 48). This love is the foundation of the glories of heaven and the cradle of eternity.

This love is the pure love of Christ, a love that endures forever and ever (v 47).

I have been praying for this love for some time now. I knew I was on the right path when I started seeing people as God’s children in the literal sense. Being a parent myself, I could relate to this and I began to understand why it is sinful to disparage anyone. I know how I would feel if someone thought ill of my children or considered them of little or no worth. So I began to understand and I began to think and feel differently about people around me.

I didn’t, however, expect to have a foretaste of the pure love of Christ through my own child. I thought I already loved her. Let me explain the difference between the two.

Over a year ago my daughter, who is no longer active in the Church, estranged herself from our family for no known reason. She merely said she needed space. She lives in another state so we could not understand this need. I went through bewilderment, sorrow, anger. And then an unexpected understanding of where she was standing came to me and all of a sudden I entered the space of forgiveness and compassion and I forgot about myself. She became more important than my feelings.

When Moroni identified its’ characteristics, he said that charity ‘seeketh not her own’ (Moroni 7:45). This means charity is not self-centered but is selfless. It puts the welfare of others before oneself. Christ exemplified this love through His atoning sacrifice.

When the Saviour came forward in pre-existence and said, “Here am I, send me”, He asked for nothing for himself. His only desire was to preserve the Father’s glory and to bring each one of us to His own station of perfection, glory, power and dominion. His motive was our salvation. He had no hidden agendas for self-advancement. His love was not contaminated with self-interest. It was pure. Unlike Lucifer, He did not seek to elevate himself through the work of salvation.

Without this selfless love the Atonement would not have been possible.  

When we are in possession of this love, we are able to by-pass our egos and bless each other's lives with its' power that makes a difference to the struggling other. Through this difference we start to assume the role of ‘saviours on mount  Zion’.  

May we reach across boundaries, limits and fears and shrink not from the love that will bind us together and lift us to  that place where we will at last, once more, once again and forever, see the face of God. Without this love, we cannot abide in His presence.

I long to be where I once was,

A child in my eternal home.

I long to see the God of love

And with Him walk the heaven’s floor.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: He Lifts Me Up by Danny Hahlbohm)

SAVED IN THE KINGDOM

 

 

There are two prophets in the Book of Mormon who I admire for one specific thing: they valued being saved in the kingdom of God more than they valued their lives.

As you will recall, Abinadi, was a prophet sent to the descendants of Zeniff with a grim prediction of bondage and destruction if they did not turn away from their sins. The king who sat on the throne governing this people was Zeniff's son Noah. Unlike his father before him who led the people in righteousness, Noah was the opposite.

Abinadi's message was not well received to say the least. In fact, King Noah sought to put him to death. Abinadi escaped only to resurface two years later not caring much for his life. This time King Noah succeeded in turning Abinadi into one of the great Christian martyrs. 

The scriptures say Abinadi 'suffered death by fire' (Mosiah 17:20). Our modern-day supposition of this would be being burned at stake, however, the description of his death never mentions that this was the case. Instead, it states that Abinadi was 'scourged with faggots'...'until the flames began to scorch him' (Mosiah 17:13,14).

Such a death is almost too much for our modern sensibilities to contemplate because history speaks of the ancient method of burning bundles of sticks (faggots) with which they poked and burnt the victim's skin until he died. Sometimes this process was dragged out for days or weeks to maximise the extent of the agony. This is most likely the death that Abinadi suffered.

Abinadi testified of Christ, spoke at length about resurrection and expounded on Isaiah but the greatest words he uttered were these: "....I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved." (Mosiah 13:9)

 

Ether was banished by the Jaredites who rejected his ‘great and marvellous prophecies’ and ‘esteemed him as naught, and cast him out’ (Ether 13:13). He was reduced to living in a cavity of a rock where he lived during the day recording the sad tale of the destruction of his people, the results of which he viewed by night (v 14).

Ether spent six years in the cavity of the rock because people sought to kill him (Ether 13:22;14:3;15:14). There was no mention of any friends or family. He lived in such a manner for this long to bear witness of the total destruction of the Jaredites. After their last and fatal battle, the Lord instructed Ether to view the carnage and record that all the words of the Lord had been fulfilled (Ether 15:33).

 

We don’t know what happened to Ether, whether he was translated or whether he died but he didn’t much care according to the very last words he wrote : ‘it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God’ (Ether 15:33,34).

An iron-clad testimony of Christ would mean that you would not only live for it but die for it too. When I read Nephi’s vision of us and the persecution that awaits us before the Saviour comes (1 Nephi 14:12-14), I wonder how many of us would say that it doesn’t matter what happens to us if we are saved in the kingdom of God. I only hope that I am one of them.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ether by James H Fullmer)

DIVINE PRAYER

 

I am always deeply touched by the prayers that are recorded in the scriptures. I delight in reading such beautiful words of praise uttered by man. I am also saddened that our prayers today fall short somewhat of reverence and worship they used to be anciently and now tend to be mere one-way dialogues of thanks and petitions for help.

We mostly tend to speak to God in all too familiar and common way as if He is our friend and so godly respect gets somewhat lost. I struggle with this trying to find more ennobling words that would be fitting to be heard by the God of heaven and earth and all of creation.

I am reminded of Nephi who praised God ‘all day long’ as he was tied and suffering affliction at the hands of his brothers while they sailed to America (1 Nephi 18:16). I think of the Jaredites who sang praises to the Lord unceasingly for nearly a year as they were tossed upon the waves of the sea sailing to the same destination (Ether 6:9).

Do we know God well enough to be able to praise him? You cannot praise someone you do not know.

Some years ago I read about the prayer of King Manasseh who reigned for 50 years from 671 B.C. This king was the most loathed and cursed king in the history of Judah, the most idolatrous king who sacrificed his own son to a heathen god, added devotion of heavenly bodies and constellations to idol worship, who shed innocent blood of prophets and all the righteous men among Hebrews every day until he had filled Jerusalem with blood from one end to the other (2 Kings 21).

But something unexpected happened….Manasseh repented. When the Assyrians carried him off to Babylon he saw the error of his ways and went to the Lord with the most profound prayer that is today known as The Prayer of Manasseh. A reference to the prayer, but not the prayer itself, is made in 2 Chronicles 33:18-9. The prayer is deemed to be Apocryphal by the Jews and Christians alike and is used by some Christian Churches today. These are the words that touched my heart the most because they were uttered from the very depth of Manasseh’s heart:

“O Lord, God of our fathers…unending and immeasurable are your promised mercies….O Lord I am justly afflicted because I did evil things before you….And now behold I AM BENDING THE KNEES OF MY HEART…” 

Have you ever heard a prayer of repentance as touching as this??? How endearing do you think this was to God?

Manasseh’s prayer is today considered as one that pays tribute to the merciful heart of God. Praying to God acknowledging His providence, mercy, grace, kindness, love and all the perfect attributes He possesses will bring us nearer to His throne because of the humility which will grow in our hearts and which will endear us to the God of heaven. Therein we will find God’s listening ear, His mercy and deliverance and most importantly we will bring joy to His heart and be a delight to Him forever.

 

I long to praise Thee

With magnitude of words I cannot find

That tell the glory that is Thine.

As I can do so little this desire to meet,

I place my loyal love at Thy holy feet.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Light by Annie Henrie Nader) 

BEING WEAK PART 5

 

This is what I see the most in Ether 12:27. I see Christ’s overwhelming compassion and mercy toward the fallen man.

Over and over I stand amazed at His godly tolerance of our imperfections. I know that is so because all things in the past, present and future are before Him constantly hence His patience and mercy on us in our weakness while we are becoming who He knows in the end we will be.

Because He knows us as embodied spirits from eons of time, He knows who we truly are. Our imperfections and weaknesses are merely a sum of our earthly life’s experiences: our upbringing, our genetic inheritance and our environment.

Deep down in each man and woman is a brilliant spirit with unlimited potential. This is what the Saviour sees and because of it He looks toward our future more than our past:  

“The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than he does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”

-        - Elder Richard G. Scott, Personal Strength Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, Ensign Nov 2013.

The main reason for His tolerance is the path that the Saviour has provided for us to rise to our potential. This path is the path of grace through His Atonement. Grace is an enabling power. We can access this power by virtue of our discipleship and not stay in our imperfections forever. This power lifts us above the natural man and redeems us from this fallen world.

When we seek access to the power of the Atonement to overcome our weaknesses, it is imperative that we acknowledge our faith in Jesus Christ. It is far more powerful and effective to say, “through my faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, I ask…..”, than to say, “please help me….”.

I see this in the scriptures all the time. Nephi invoked God’s power through the use of His name (1 Nephi 17:48) and Alma asked for deliverance for himself and Amulek ‘according to their faith which was in Christ’ (Alma 14:26). These are just two examples.

As I said in the beginning of my posts on Ether 12:27, I say also in the end…..the weaknesses that we possess in this weakened state of mortality are a path to Christ and His saving grace. They serve to open our eyes to the power of His salvation, the power that will polish us and refine us to become like Him.

“His mission is to cleanse, purify, and refine the human soul so that it can return to his Father’s kingdom in purity, free from dross (3 Nephi 27:19-21). His cleansing power is ‘like a refiner’s fire….And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver’ in that great day when he comes to judge the world (Malachi 3:2-3; 3 Nephi 24:2-3; D&C 128:24)” 

-        - (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd ed. [1966], 624)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Coming Full Circle by Jenedy Page)

BEING WEAK PART 4

 

I have taught several lessons over the years on the gifts of the spirit as outlined in D&C 46.  The last time I taught about it, I learnt that besides their purpose to enrich the Church spiritually, they are an incredible tool for overcoming weaknesses. 

I got so convinced by this last lesson that the gifts of the spirit should be sought for this purpose that I started to wonder if one of them could help me with a long-standing weakness I had. 

As I pondered about it I realised I didn't know which gift was needed for me to have for this particular weakness so I decided to pray about this and ask which gift I should seek.  I knew the answer that came to me was straight from above because I would never have come up with it in those words on my own. 

I have a very strong sense of justice which sometimes robs me of ability to show mercy. Add to that a somewhat dogmatic manner which created clashes over the years with people, necessitating later apologies.  This weakness caused me to stand up for myself even in less important situations such as customer service. 

The gift I was told to pray for was the gift of 'forbearance and self-restraint'.  As I contemplated this definition of the gift that I needed, I realised I had other weaknesses that could be overcome with this gift.  It was rather humbling to discover I had so many weaknesses that they could be grouped into a whole category!

I thought obtaining this gift was going to be a simple matter of praying for it and one day I would wake up with it under my belt ready to take on the world.  Unfortunately, it didn't prove to be that simple.  I prayed many weeks for this gift and one day I had another 'customer service' incident that left me feeling less than good about myself.  I was wrongly done by and I gave as good as I got. 

I walked away thinking I really could have used the gift of forbearance and self-restraint that day and wondered when I was going to get it.  As I thought about it, I realised what I had been doing wrong.  When I remembered, I prayed for this gift during my prayers and then I would forget about it. I realised this is not calling upon God for help at all.  I remembered the scripture in Ether 12:27.

I realised I lacked humility and faith in 'receiving' this gift.  I could see it was not enough to just pray for the gift in my daily prayers.  What I needed to do was humbly call upon God for my gift to be active in the moment that I needed it and then act in faith as if I had it. In other words, some effort on my part was needed as well.

I realise it can be very hard to make yourself call on God in the moment when you are facing your weakness instead of giving into it there and then. The gravity of habit is mind blowing.

Perseverance can be a hard road because overcoming weaknesses, even with God’s help, is a process and not a race run in one day. It is a race run EVERY day for as long as it takes, until one day that weakness becomes a strength.

When a weak link in your character becomes a force for good and blesses not just yourself but the lives of others, you know you have arrived.

The longer it takes to overcome something, the more steadfast is the change in our nature and less likely the relapse. Everything takes time in mortality. So what drives us to make the effort? When we no longer want to be the person we see in the mirror…..

 

I will scatter my prayers upward

Like birds in flight reaching for Thy throne;

I will seek Thy strength

I will surrender my soul.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Divine Faith by Greg Collins)

BEING WEAK PART 3

 In my previous posts I have written that the weakness of mortality was given to us to bring us to the source of all power, that source being Christ. Discovering this truth in mortality is like stepping back in time behind the veil. Unless we understand on a deeper level that we need the Saviour to enlarge our capacity, we will not be able to overcome our mortal shortcomings and navigate our mortal journey successfully long term.

 Here is the crux of the matter. It is one thing to know that we ‘should’ give up our weaknesses and another having a desire to do it. It is difficult to WANT to give up some weaknesses because they usually come with pay offs. None of us indulge in weaknesses that don’t give us something in return.

 The desire makes this process so much easier. Developing that desire becomes easier when we yield our hearts to God on consistent basis. The closer we come to God, the more desire we have to improve ourselves. Then it becomes easier to hand over all your stumbling blocks.

I have found something helpful to do is to replace “I should” with “I choose to” every time I am  faced with the behaviour I want to change.  When I adopt the thinking that I am choosing to give something up, I don’t feel cheated of that behaviour and its pay off. None of us like to feel that we are ‘forced’ to do something. There are no feelings of pressure when you tell yourself that something is your choice.

Expect some discomfort in giving up your buddy weakness you cosied up to for so long. Comfort zone is difficult to give up. Neal A. Maxwell called this process ‘spiritual surgery’, the giving up of the natural man is a ‘painful severing of pride from the soul’ (In Conference Report October 1987).

But here is the greatest motivation to do so: “...bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love…..”  (Alma 38:12)

The more stumbling blocks that we remove from our path to righteousness, with the Saviour’s help, the more we will rise to higher ground where an elated state of being exists. When you come to this higher ground you come to understand what the love of God really is because you will be filled with it. Our weaknesses with all their pay offs do not compare with this state of being EVER.

  

A river of peace floods my mortal being

I struggle to contain such a merciful gift;

With grace You enlarge

the sparse capacity of my heart

And righteousness moves within me

 as the waves of the sea;

I love You more dearly

I serve you more freely

I become what I alone could never be.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: His Grace Is Sufficient by Greg Collins)
 

DIVINE HUMILITY

 

 

One of the greatest lessons the Saviour taught when He established His Church in the meridian of time was one of humility. This is something we need to take note of especially in the Church.

There was something of a hierarchy in my mission field. It was like a ladder of progression which was deemed by us as success. We all felt important when we were elevated to higher positions. The progression of success went like this: becoming a senior companion, district leader, zone leader, assistant to the President, a member of the ‘power team’.

It makes us feel good when we are recognized and utilized for our abilities. Sometimes too good. The downside of the hierarchy is that it makes others that don’t make it to these stations feel like they are less.

My Mission President realized he needed to teach us young kids in the Church the danger of authority that was placed on us. He often referred us to D&C 121:39 which points out that authority can lead to ‘unrighteous dominion’. Such is the danger of pride.

Over the years I have witnessed some pretty prideful priesthood leaders in the Church and some very humble ones too. Authority comes with danger and an opportunity. Pride is he danger and humility is the opportunity.

The Saviour said in that scripture that it is ‘the nature and disposition of every man’ to get carried away with authority so He endeavoured to give us a lesson in humility that we should never forget.

At the last supper, the Saviour washed the feet of the apostles. I believe it is a priesthood ordinance practiced by the Twelve of the Church to this day. No doubt it is meant to remind them that they are servants and of humility the Saviour exercised when He did so. The lesson is that he who is the master is the servant of all.

This, however, is the greatest lesson the Saviour taught by washing of the feet. When He explained the ordinance to His disciples and said, “the servant is not greater than his lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him”, He was speaking about himself (John 13:16). He that was sent was Jesus and He that sent Him was God the Father.

Such was the humility of Christ who sought the honour and glory of His Father. Never at any time did He seek to elevate himself above the God who was above Him. Think about this and compare it to Lucifer who was once in authority in the presence of God, and who sought to dethrone them both (D&C 76:25-26; Isaiah 14:12-20).

Is there a greater humility than the Saviour of the world? Think of the power within His grasp that was never used for self when He walked upon this earth. Think of the power He had to walk off that cross and save himself. Think of the pride He never succumbed to. This is the God we worship, this is the God we love, this is the God we follow……and follow we should to the ends of the earth.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Greatest Among You by Yongsung Kim)

BEING WEAK PART 2

 

Some months ago I wrote a post about total dependence on Christ. One woman was outraged. She said I was ‘making’ people reliant on someone they can’t even see. She also said she doesn’t need to depend on anyone because she is strong enough to do anything herself.  

 

Consider the greatest reason for putting us in the condition of weakness in mortality: "I give unto men weakness that they may be humble" (Ether 12:27). The Saviour then proceeds to say that if we humble ourselves before Him, meaning if we come to Him with a realisation that we need His help, He will grant us strength through His grace to overcome our weaknesses.

 

The weak state of mortality is designed to humble us and strip us of pride. It is designed that way so that we will come to Christ for our salvation.  And so that we will become like Him, devoid of pride.

 

We cannot become gods even with the least degree of pride in us. Consider a god without humility. It means He would be full of pride instead. Pride seeks to elevate the one above the others.

 

If God the Father was full of pride, He would not seek to elevate His children to His station so that they could possess all the riches of eternity that He Himself has. If He was full of pride, He would seek to keep it all to himself because pride only takes care of oneself.

 

The status and power of godhood cannot endure if it is contained by one person. The role of a god is to ‘bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39). That’s the ultimate power that no one else but a god can have. Without exalting his children to the status of godhood, God would fail to be a god.

 

This is where Satan misunderstood what it means to be a god. Consider his pride when he volunteered to save us. His intent was to do so by exalting himself whilst Christ’s intent was to exalt others. Christ’s exaltation began in the hour of His humility when He said: “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).

 

If you exalt yourself in this life through pride, you cannot be exalted on high. Salvation and exaltation comes through humility (Matt 24:12; D&C 101:42; 112:3; 124:114; Alma 4:12,13). Our hour of exaltation begins when we become like the Saviour, devoid of pride. The first step in that direction is our climb to the top of the hill of Calvary……

 

I carried my cross to the foot of Calvary,

While you carried yours to the top.

I cried bitter tears over the injustices of my life,

While you bled valiantly for all that was lost.

I carried my hurts like a badge

So scornfully proud and spiritually poor,

While you rose to the heights of your exalted throne;

Perfected, ennobled and infinitely more.

You are so high

And I am so low;

I consent to climb to Calvary’s top,

I consent to be lifted to Thy throne.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In Humility by Greg Collins)

BEING WEAK PART 1

 

Ether 12:27 must be the most important scripture in the book of Ether. It is widely known and widely quoted. It deals with weakness.

I don't know of anyone who sees weakness as a positive thing. None of us want to be weak. We don't want to be seen as weak and we don't want to feel that we are weak.

The world tells us we need to be super achievers and excel in all we do and that it is up to us to make ourselves successful.  For this reason we persist in making goals and sometimes tackling that which is beyond our capacity to overcome, relying solely on our motivation and willpower. 

Both motivation and willpower are incredibly difficult to maintain and so we beat ourselves up when we fall short. And in the process we allow our weaknesses to define us.

Consider alcoholism. The weakness of drinking has now become the weakness of disease. I do not agree with Alcoholics Anonymous who define people as 'alcoholics'. What's worse, they tell people they are alcoholics for life.

I get it, they want people to be vigilant but what happens when you label yourself? You act and behave according to that label. If you think you are an alcoholic, you will always struggle with the temptation to drink. Even some who abstain from drink for years fall off the wagon because in the end what does an alcoholic do? An alcoholic drinks.

The danger comes in saying 'I am'. I AM is highly declarative. Once declared, it becomes a reality you live by. Obviously, the importance lies in recognising that what we do is not who we are. It is better to say, "I have a weakness for drink" than to say "I am an alcoholic". This gives one hope that he or she can become free from drinking through the help of the higher power. One thing Alcoholics Anonymous got right.

The Saviour’s explanation of weakness in Ether 12 would have us know that our weaknesses need not define us. According to the Bible Dictionary, weakness is the primary condition of mortality and a state of being in this fallen world. It is unavoidable because mortality means weakness. Weakness means being human.

The weakness of mortality is manifest in individual weaknesses and frailties that each person has.  In Ether 12:27, Christ told Moroni: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their 'weakness."  Notice the word of 'weakness' is singular here. This is the condition of being weak.

What the Saviour is referring to here is the weakness of mortality, not our individual weaknesses, of which He speaks in the latter part of the scripture when He says: "...for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them". The weak things He speaks of are in reference to individual 'weaknesses'.

So being weak is not our fault. Being weak means being human and a condition of living in a fallen world. This does not, however, mean that we are to remain in this condition. Christ’s main purpose is to lift us out of the fallen world and restore us to the Father through His Atonement.

There is so much more to this scripture in Ether which I am eager to expound on in more posts. This is but an introduction to this important subject. In the meantime, remember there is hope:

The Saviour 'descended below all things' so that He might comprehend all things (D&C 88:6), meaning all our sins and our weaknesses. In the words of Elder Tad Callister: "....you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach.....as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, He is there....." (The Atonement of Jesus Christ, April 2019).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Sanctify Them by Chris Brazelton)

EXEMPLARY FAITH

 

Whenever I read the story of the brother of Jared, I ask myself: what kind of faith does it take for the veil to become so thin that the Lord was compelled to fully show himself to this man?

Undoubtedly, this faith began the moment the solution to the problem of light entered into this man’s mind. The solution he came up with may not have been so unusual since some rabbis and scholars claim that Noah’s ark had the same illumination and the brother of Jared might have been familiar with that fact (New Era Dec 2020).

Certainly, the carving out of the stones would have contributed greatly to his faith in this solution for why would you go to such trouble if you were not a hundred percent sure that it would work?

Bringing the stones before the Lord and acknowledging his personal conviction in the Lord’s power to do all things would have added another decibel to his faith (Ether 3:4). Being specific about the finger would have taken that faith up another notch.

What amazes me further is this. Once his faith rendered the veil, everything beyond it was fair game. He was shown not only the Lord but ‘greater things that never have been manifest before’ (v 18,19,20; 4:4). These greater things are contained in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon (Ether 4:4,5).

Much can be written about the brother of Jared’s experience but my intent here is to show that we need to take note of the principle of faith that unfolded the whole story. There are two things I find are of great interest.

Firstly, Moroni indicates that the brother of Jared was told ‘in times before’ that if he believed in the Lord, He could show him ‘all things’ (Ether 3:26). We can conclude from this that the brother of Jared had a long-standing relationship with Christ, he had a desire to know the mysteries of the kingdom and he worked on developing his faith to come to the point where ‘the Lord could not withhold anything from him’ (Ether 3:26).

We should take note of this, especially in relation to the promise that the saints of this dispensation have been given as contained in D&C 76:5-10.

The second point of interest involves us. I have friends, who like me, are eager to read the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. I have always thought the ‘yet unrevealed scriptures’ will one day just appear and we will get to read them, probably in the Millenium. There is a catch however.

This is what Moroni was told by the Lord himself referring to the ‘greater things’, when he was commanded to seal up the portion of the plates:

“They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord. And in that day that they shall EXERCISE FAITH IN ME….EVEN AS THE BROTHER OF JARED DID…..” (Ether 4:7)

The Saviour went further to say that we will need to be sanctified in Him before He will unfold to us all His revelations (v 7). This is a sobering thought that tells us we will not get to read these scriptures without any effort on our part…a serious effort, one that leads to the principle of repentance and the manifesting faith like we have never known before…..the manifesting faith of the brother of Jared.  Are we up to it????

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Brother of Jared by Emily Pugmire)

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)

EXEMPLARY JOB

 

I revisited the story of Job today for personal reasons I will not go into here. I have written about Job extensively in the past but I have never written about him from this vantage point.

At the onset of his trial of faith, Job received a taste of Satan’s objective through his wife who told him: “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9).

This was the worst affront to Job, “a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God and eschewed evil” (Job 2:3). His love for God was beyond fault. How could he possibly curse Him and sin with his lips? (v 10). It was unthinkable for him. As things grew worse from there, that temptation was never yielded to even though Job came to the point of wishing that he would die (Job 7:15,16). In fact, he started wishing he was never born (Job 10:18,19) but still he would not curse God.

Then something interesting happened. Through the merciless taunting of his friends who offered no support, Job stood firm defending God. The more they opposed his strength, the more Job praised God insisting ‘with him is wisdom and strength’ over and over (Job 12:10-24). And in his sorrow, he exclaimed: “My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God” (Job 16:20). And then the strength of his testimony: “I know that my redeemer liveth!” (Job 19:25).

To fully appreciate Job’s faithfulness and tenacity we should reflect on his life as it was and how acutely intolerable it became.

Job was righteous, did good continually, was incredibly respected in the community and he was fabulously wealthy. You could say, his life was perfect. Job went from the pinnacle of society to living in rags on the outskirts of the city, in constant pain, not understanding what has happened to him. 

Basically, he went from the picture of perfection to being disfigured with boils and worms and maggots were bred in his sores (7:5). He ended up living outside the city on the refuse heap where outcasts and lepers lived. Pain was his constant companion (30:17,30) as were also terrifying nightmares (7:14). Whereas, everyone in his community honoured him before, he suddenly became an outcast.  

 

Job, however, did not foresee in the midst of his suffering that his life would take a turn for the better. This turn did come as 'the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning' (Job 42:12). Job lived another 140 years in prosperity and wellness after the trial of his faith. Would he have had such a glorious ending to his life if he had cursed God and died???

When Joseph Smith sat in Liberty jail and cried out in anguish: "Oh God, where art Thou?”, the Lord responded with: "My son peace be to thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.....Thou art not yet as Job” (D&C 121:1,7-10)

In the words of Neal A. Maxwell, endurance is “passing beyond breaking points without breaking”.

ODE TO JOB:

You sank so deep

Into the mire of your pain;

Nobody followed you,

Nobody sang praises to your name.

 

In your hour of agony

You gloried in His name,

You became my beacon

Of hope that I can do the same.

 

Your blessings multiplied

As the stars of heaven do

Each night I see them,

I am reminded of you.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lord, I Believe by Liz Lemon Swindle)

 

A MEASURE OF TRUST

 

The story of the Jaredites would have to be one of the most interesting in the Book of Mormon.

Imagine the confusion and fear that would have ensued as the only language you have ever known became confounded and you saw people scattering  (Ether 1:33).

I presume this process was gradual and so the fear would have been so much greater. You would wonder if one day you would wake up and not be able to communicate with your family.

Ether, who was a descendant of Jared recorded that his brother cried unto the Lord a ‘long time’ before the Lord answered his petition to not confound the language in their family (Ether 1:6-32; 43). In fact, chapter 1 mentions the word ‘cry’ seven times suggesting the brother of Jared ‘pleaded’ with the Lord. But there is something else that piqued my interest.

I have never before noticed the hand that Jared had in his people’s possession of the land of promise. He must have been an optimist. He not only asked his brother to plead with the Lord so their language would not be confounded but he expressed a hope that the Lord might bless them beyond what they expect: “And who knoweth but the Lord will carry us forth into a land which is choice above all the earth?” This was the beginning of trust.

Then he went a step further. Jared did not only hope for the blessing but he ensured that his family and friends were worthy of the choicest land the Lord could give them by exhorting them to be faithful (Ether 1:38). He was no doubt the patriarch of his family and respected as a leader by his friends.

The Lord answered their petition and promised them He would deliver them to the land choice above all other lands (Ether 1:42,43). So intent was He that they would arrive to America that He personally led them in their travels and gave them directions where they should go ‘as he stood in a cloud’ in their midst (Ether 2:5).

The trust that the Jaredites had in the Lord during their experience is astounding.

I don’t know if this company of people ever travelled anywhere by sea. The fact that the Lord personally led them to it suggests, not (Ether 2:13). Now imagine you get into barges you had never seen or been in before to travel to another land. They were small and light and tight and the length of a tree (v 16,17).

All you know is that they were built according to the Lord’s instructions (v 16). And then a frightening warning: ‘you will be as a whale in the midst of the sea, for the mountain waves shall dash upon you’ (v 24).

If you were claustrophobic, would you get in? And once you are in, you see no rudder or anyone at the helm. All you are going on is the word of a friend who said that God told him He will blow you by the breath of His mouth to a ‘choice land’ you have never been to (Ether 2:24).

How would you feel if you were in there listening to the deafening sounds of crashing waves against the barge you were in? On top of that, you are constantly listening to a ‘furious wind which tossed you upon the waves of the sea continually’ (Ether 6:5). Add to that being ‘buried in the depths of the sea because of the terrible tempests which were caused by the fierceness of the wind’ (v 6).

You have no idea if the other barges are safe, if the other half of your family is alive or not. No mobile phones, no reception, no communication. Only trust.

The worst is this: you do not know how long you have to endure this journey. Three hundred and forty and four days, to be exact (Ether 6:11). That’s 21 days short of a year.

But something marvelous happened in those barges. The trust never died….. for one reason. They sang praises to the Lord unceasingly (Ether 6:9). And 344 days of praises later, when they arrived, they shed tears of joy ‘because of the multitude of the Lord’s tender mercies over them’ (v 12).

Next time you are buried in the depths of your sea, sing…… 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: God of Wonders by Yongsung Kim)