THE SCHOOLMASTER

 

Day 6 of Creation by Nathan Greene

“We will acknowledge someday, before God and all his children, that life on this earth, that which we longed for as premortal spirits desiring mortality, was the perfect school for our development. Though the curriculum was exacting, the tests were more than adequately supervised by the schoolmaster. Though the homework was extensive, again our teacher was our constant support.” (Jerry A. Wilson, The Great Plan of Happiness – Insights From the Lectures on Faith, p 75)

Looking back on Job’s life and considering the perfection of his character, it is obvious that the test of his life had to equal the stature of the man otherwise it would not have qualified as a test. I don’t know how long Job’s test of faith lasted. The Bible does not tell us the exact length though most biblical scholars and estimates suggest it lasted anywhere from several months to under a year, composed of these timeline clues:

-          Initial Losses: Job’s sudden loss of children and livestock happened rapidly, unfolding over a single catastrophic day (Job 1:13-19)

-          The Silent Mourning: Job’s three friends sat with him in silence for seven days and seven nights after seeing his physical affliction (Job 2:13)

-          Months of Suffering: Job laments in Job 7:3 that he has been allotted ‘months of futility’ and wearisome nights, suggesting his physical misery lasted a prolonged period.

-          The Discourses: Time passed during the lengthy back-and-forth dialogue between Job and his friends, followed by Elihu’s speeches and God speaking from the whirlwind (Job 38-41).

I have looked back to the greatest test of my faith and have been amazed to discover how perfectly fitted it was to me even though I would never want to repeat anything like that. This test of faith challenged my best attribute and my very essence of being and who I am. I have only just now discovered how intricate the schoolmaster has been with me. The attribute that was tested also happens to be my biggest strength that has kept me active in the Church and ensured my obedience to the Gospel.

The test that I passed lasted much longer than Job’s. It lasted for 11 years and in fact added another 30 years of ensued issues and fears that needed to be resolved. This has been my extensive homework that has made my life difficult but has in the process developed the strength of character I will carry with me into eternity.

The teacher has indeed been my constant support and has because of my endurance granted me the wish of my heart….to keep me in His sight.

 

I failed to understand

Why such deep trials in my life,

I expected much better in my arrogant pride.

How merciful You were Father

To help me see the purpose of the tide;

That through my bruised and aching heart

You kept me by Your loving side.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

ALIGNMENT WITH GOD

 

Jesus Christ’s primary purpose is to bring us to the Father. This achievement comes in two parts: His Atonement and His advocacy that would eventually, through our repentance and acceptance of His sacrifice, align us again with the Father, to last for eternity.

For many years after my baptism, I could only see the Saviour. I prayed to the Father but the Saviour was the one I saw in the scriptures and the one I got to know through my personal understanding of the living word and my revelations from the Holy Ghost. Then, after many years, all of a sudden the Father came into my life so clearly and the Saviour took the back seat. Ever since then, the Father became more real to my mind than ever before. I gained an incredible desire to return to His presence and to bring Him joy through the life that I live.

Since this has happened, I have been given the privilege of having a few ‘discussions’ with Him, mind to mind, spirit to spirit. I wrote about my latest one in a recent blog. It helped me understand His power of discernment and intuition to such a degree that I understood perfectly there is nothing He does not know about His children. It’s almost like we are transparent and He can see into our very souls. I was amazed by this. When I shared this experience on social media, one of my readers asked me if I felt love in His presence.

This made me reflect on the other occasions I was privileged to hear Him speak to me. I realized that I did not feel the love…..not because He doesn’t love me or I was preventing the feeling of it, but because of something very logical that I believe to be true.

It’s a matter of something inherent in us that this story is a good example of. Some years ago, my then bishop in his talk told us how his young son came to him with skinned knees. He assessed the damage, told his son it wasn’t that bad and that he’ll be ok. The son went on his way. A few minutes later, the bishop’s wife appeared with their son in tow alarmed demanding that they take him to the hospital because he had skinned both his knees. We all laughed because we could see the difference in the gender response.

Women are by nature emotional and subjective and men are pragmatic and objective. Because of their inherent nature, men’s judgment is not clouded by emotion. God the Father is a man, He assesses the skinned knees and can cope with our sorrow and this is why….. He is a God whose primary objective is eternal salvation of His children. He is not interested in rescuing us from life’s difficulties at the cost of our eternal progression. He instructs, He disciplines and He chastens those He loves to bring them to higher ground. He wants us to learn from our falls and to get tough enough to soldier on. In every instance I heard Him, I was corrected, I was instructed and He kept me in line. This is love, perhaps the best love there is.

I learnt how important this is when I was a single mother raising my two daughters. I am an emotional female and a self-sacrificing one at that. I did everything I could to protect my children from any pain or discomfort. I realized later they were ill equipped to handle the harsh realities of life because they had no father’s influence in the home to toughen them up. From this experience I also understood why Heavenly Mother is not in charge of our earthly probation. I am convinced she would sabotage our growth left, right, and center. I know I would, because I am a woman and a mother who cannot bear the suffering of my children.

God the Father looks at the overall picture….from a different vantage point than we do. He looks ahead to see how we will ‘grow up’. This is love. And it might not be felt until Judgment Day when our Advocate will step forward and reveal our difficulties that need mercy applied to. This is the partnership: the Father is justice and the Son is mercy.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Father and Son by Danny Hahlbohm)

BEAUTY FROM ASHES

 

“Ultimately, the gospel of Jesus Christ was not given us primarily to PREVENT our pain. The gospel was given us to HEAL our pain. That is the promise of the scriptures: the Atonement not only heals us – it can sanctify our trying experiences to our growth.

“Our doctrine is not just that adversity can help us learn and grow; rather, it is that Christ, because of what flows from the redemption, gives us the power to make weak things strong, to sift beauty from the ashes of our lives.”

-          Bruce C. Hafen, “The Belonging Heart”, p 90-1

 

Thou art my Prince of Peace,

Thou art the God I know,

Thou art the love of my soul,

Thou art my comfort, my guide, my all.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lord and Master by Greg Collins)