RIVER OF MY TEARS

 

God of Wonders by Yongsung Kim

You seemed so far away,

My hope of rescue grew into fears,

Oh how my heart rejoiced

When I found You

 in the river of my tears!

- Cathryne Allen 

RESCUING THE LOST

"For the Son of man is come to save that which

was lost.

How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, 

and one of them be gone astray, 

doth he not leave the ninety and nine, 

and goeth into the mountains, 

and seeketh that which is gone astray?

And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, 

he rejoiceth more of that sheep, 

than of the ninety and nine

which went not astray.

Even so it is not the will of your Father

which is in heaven, 

that one of these little ones should perish."

Matt 18:11-14

Indeed it is not the will of the father that not one of us should perish. A will that sacrificed one of us for the good of all of us. Such is the love of a Father who desires to give us His all, who desires to give us eternal life. And so Jesus came to protect us, love us and claim us as His own. A shepherd who loves the one and will go and seek the one until that one is no longer lost. It matters not to Him how the sheep became lost or why, all that matters to Him is the rescue. How glorious and wise to relay His love for His sheep in such a poignant way. By leaving the ninety and nine he is not saying to them that they are not as important as the one that was lost, but to impress upon them that in Him is found true safety and protective care. In other words, by leaving the ninety and nine the Saviour was saying to them: 'If you get lost, I will come find you for this is what I do, I am come to save that which was lost."    

Since the beginning of man, the Lord has relied on His 'under shepherds' to do His work. Such under shepherds are found in prophets, Church leaders and anyone who possesses the truth. We are commanded to seek out and rescue the lost sheep but more often than not, we allow feelings of inadequacy to hold us back. We tell ourselves that we are not important enough or skilled enough for people to listen to us and believe our words when in fact we as the under shepherds and are endowed with power to do this sacred work. When Moses was called to his holy calling, in trepidation he replied that he was 'slow of speech'. The Lord replied, "Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say" (Exodus 4:10-12). In other words, 'do not suppose that this is your work, but mine, and you will say what I want you to say and I will empower you to say it'. 

When doing God's work, the power of the word is in God. It is never in us. When we speak with the tongue of angels, it is not by our brilliant skills but by the power of the Holy Ghost which not only empowers the bearer of the word but gives understanding to the hearer also. Such was the case for Enoch who was made mighty despite his claim that he also was of 'slow speech'. The Lord's reply was the same to him as it was to Moses: "Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance..." (Moses 6:32). So Enoch did and so great grew his power that when he spoke the word of the Lord, the earth trembled, and the mountains fled and the rivers of water were turned out of their course and all nations feared greatly 'so great was the power of the language which God had given him" (Moses 7:13) Not all went well for Enoch in the beginning though as he started his ministry. Even though he proclaimed the gospel with a 'loud' voice 'all men were offended because of him' (Moses 6:37). This is when most of us would give up. Fear of rejection and offence is a strong emotion so our rescuing efforts never get off the ground or become aborted when the going gets tough. Enoch, however, did not give up and he was rewarded, he was rewarded with rescuing a whole city, a city which became so righteous that the Lord took it unto Himself. 

The Lord never gives a commandment without attaching a blessing to it. Such is the case with the mission of rescue. The blessings attached to this work should negate all the fears we might have of rejection and offence and inadequacy. Proclaiming the gospel comes with a two-fold blessing. The Lord says clearly that if we get rejected, we will 'dwell with Him in His glory' and if we don't get rejected and those we are preaching to accept the testimony which is given to them, we shall have 'joy in the fruit of our labours' (D&C 6:29-31). In short, we cannot lose. Either way, rescuing will yield rewards.

And what of those who need to be rescued? How long and how hard should we expend our efforts, our time and our energy in offering them salavation? For as long as it takes. We should never give up on those who are receptive, even in the smallest way and proclaim them a 'hopeless cause'. Consider this example: "Like many of you, I have shared the gospel with some who are soon baptized or activated, and others - such as my nonmember friend Tim and his less-active wife, Charlene - take much more. For over 25 years I engaged Tim in gospel conversations and took Tim and Charlene to temple open houses. Others joined the rescue; however, Tim declined each invitation made to meet with the missionaries. One weekend I was assigned to preside at a stake conference. I had asked the stake president to fast and pray about whom we should visit. I was shocked when he handed me the name of my friend Tim. When Tim's bishop, the stake president, and I knocked on the door, Tim opened it, looked at me, looked at the bishop, and then said, 'Bishop, I thought you told me you were going to bring somebody special!' Then Tim laughed and said, 'Come on in, Merv.' A miracle occured that day. Tim has now been baptised, and he and Charlene have been sealed in the temple. We must never give up" (Elder Mervyn B. Arnold, To The Rescue: We Can Do It, Ensign May 2016, p 54). 

There was a time in my life when I was lost. I was attending Church every Sunday and living the gospel but in my heart I was harbouring resentment, feelings of betrayal and acute aloneness. I was freshly divorced and felt terribly betrayed by God. I had done all the right things from the time of my baptism and yet there I was with my heart in shreds and my life a shambles. Sometimes we see people at Church regularly and we do not know that they are lost in corridors, in Sunday School lessons, in fake smiles. But the Lord knows. He knows and He will reach out and send his under shepherds to find them and cradle them in the arms of His love. Such was the case for me. Following my divorce I moved and changed wards. I came into a freshly created ward where the Relief Society President was someone who was prepared by the Lord to be in that calling to rescue me. Through intricate, spiritually engineered sequence of events this sister was placed in my new ward and she became my source of security when I had none. She cried with me and she loved me and she cared for me. And she was not the only one. The Lord provided two other people who held me up, my Bishop and another sister who became my mentor and confidant for many years but my true under shepherd when I was hanging by a thread was my Relief Society President. To her I owe much more than I can repay for she provided comfort and grounding to me when I could not stand alone. She was sent at a particular time for a particular season in my life. I owe a debt of gratitude to her for her willingness to find the one that was lost.

"Our Saviour, the Good Shepherd, knows and loves us.

He knows and loves YOU.

He knows when you are lost, and He knows where you are.

He knows your grief. Your silent pleadings.

Your fears. Your tears.

It matters not how you became lost - 

whether because of your own poor choices or because of

circumstances beyond your control.

What matters is that you are His child.

And He loves you.

Because He loves, He will find you.

He will place you upon His shoulders, rejoicing.

And when he brings you home, He will say to one and all,

'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost'"

- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"He Will Place You On His Shoulders

and Carry You Home"

Ensign May 2016

BE YE SEPARATE

"Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, 

did cry much unto the Lord my God,

because of the anger of my brethren. 

But behold, their anger did increase against me, 

insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.

And it came to pass that the Lord did warn me, 

that I, Nephi, should depart from them and flee into the wilderness,

and all those who would go with me" (2 Nephi 5:1,2,5)

There are times when it is necessary to physically flee from evil, such as with Nephi and his followers who were told by God to separate themselves from that part of the family who chose not to believe in the warnings and the revelations of God. It must have deeply wounded Nephi's heart to have to guard against his own brothers who sought to take away his life but as always, Nephi obeyed the Lord in his instructions and removed himself and those who wanted to follow God (2 Nephi 5:6) from those who sought their destruction.

This separation was not only expedient for Nephi's temporal welfare but also for the spiritual welfare of his followers. Nephi records that because of their unwillingness to hearken to God's words, his brothers and their families were cursed by being cut off from God's presence (2 Nephi 5:20). As a sign of that cursing and to limit the spreading of more wickedness, the Lord caused "a skin of blackness to come upon them" (2 Nephi 5:21). Alma explained that the darkness of their skin was for the purpose of preserving the Lord's people, that in not mixing with the Lamanites, they would not 'believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction' (Alma 3:7,8).

Like Nephites of old, there comes a time in our lives also when it becomes necessary for us to separate ourselves from certain people who would potentially become the cause of our destruction. In our politically correct world, we are constantly encouraged to accept and mix with people of all persuasions, beliefs and lifestyles and it is often done under the guise of 'love'. In our willingness to comply with this edict we sometimes confuse the world's admonition for acceptance of people of all walks of life with the Lord's commandment to love one another. This erroneously leads us to become involved with people who live lives in direct violation of God's commandments. The danger that lies in this involvement is that the seeds of their beliefs and behaviour eventually gets sown into our own belief system and dilutes the strength of our commitment to follow Christ and His teachings. From there it can become a slippery slide as we start to put ourselves in places we should not be in and in which it becomes easy to behave in similar fashion to our non-Christian friends. I concede the difficulty exists for many families who are caught in the predicament where some children choose to follow paths that are not in accordance with the Church and its' laws. In my opinion, the emphasis there should always be on the parents' and siblings' love for them rather than acceptance of their lifestyle. The world would have us believe in the correctness of 'support' of ones' children no matter what their choices are but this is clearly not compatible with the teachings of the gospel. As followers of Jesus Christ we are commanded to uphold His teachings and none else.

Often times we come to believe that we should keep company with those not of our religious persuasion for purposes of converting them to the truth or helping them overcome their worldly ways and addictions. In those instances, we need to make sure that we ourselves are strong enough for such a path and that the person we are trying to help is serious about change. If we innocently put ourselves in places where the Holy Ghost would not keep us company, we go unprotected against the powers of darkness which seek to destroy us. It is in these mists of darkness that Satan has power to lead us by the neck with a flaxen cord until he binds us with his strong cords forever (2 Nephi 26:22). Notice how the leading away from righteousness starts with one cord but the further you are led away the cords magnify until they become a strong rope that cannot be broken, ever. For this reason Alma wisely admonishes us: 'come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things' (Alma 5:57). The more we touch, the more contaminated we become until worldly things become a part of us and we can no longer separate ourselves from them.

On a lesser scale, we should also be aware of those people around us who drain our spiritual and emotional energy by their constant negativity, criticizing, complaining and lack of faith. Sometimes it becomes necessary, after all you can do, to distance yourself from such friends for the sake of your own mental health. I was a participant of such an experience once when I was going through a period of diminished faith. The friend I was being a drain on let me know very diplomatically that she could not bear my melt downs along with her own challenges. This was the greatest thing that she could have done for me because not only did it make me assess the strength of my faith but it helped me see the importance of uplifting and nurturing others instead of being a burden to them. It also made me see that I was not being true to my convictions and the knowledge I possessed about the character of God. In other words I was not being true to myself, to who I professed to be and to my testimony. If the person you are seeking to correct is not blinded by pride and ego, they will take your correction on board and use it to their advantage. If not, they will depart from you. It is important for all of us to know that nobody wants to be with someone who is high maintenance. There is a difference between needing temporary support through trials and being an ongoing concern. In all situations though it is important to have resilience and a trust in God who is our true deliverer from predicaments.

"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,

they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit;

and they cried out for fear.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying,

Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou,

bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. 

And when Peter was come down out of the ship,

he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;

and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save me."

(Matthew 14:26-30)

Peter walked on the stormy sea with eagerness towards the Saviour until he directed his gaze elsewhere. The minute he did so, he could see the wind whipping up the waves around him and he lost his focus. If he had kept looking at the Saviour he would not have begun to sink. Lucky for Peter he cried out immediately and he was rescued forthwith. So it is with us. We must focus on the Saviour at all times and if we so much as begin to sink we need to cry out 'Lord save me' but if we wait until we sink to the bottom the Saviour will no longer be within our view and we will not have sufficient faith to cry out for help. The Lord can rescue us from the deepest ocean and the deepest sea but He can become lost from our sight forever if our vision is obscured by the watery depths. At that point we run the risk of becoming lost. May we stay on the surface of life's stormy seas keeping the Saviour always within our sight. We, the children of the covenant, do not belong in the depths of the sea, drowning in the ways of the world. May we separate ourselves from its' ways never losing sight of our divine destiny.

"Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell

combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock,

they cannot prevail.

Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

(D&C 6:34,36)

TO RESCUE AND TO SAVE

 

After a few of the usual Sunday hymns, the church's pastor stood up, walked over to the pulpit and, before he gave his sermon that evening. briefly introduced a guest minister who was in the service that evening.  In the introduction, the pastor told the congregation that the guest minister was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to have a few moments to greet the church and share whatever he felt would be appropriate for the service. With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak:

A father and a son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast when a fast approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high, that even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized. 

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in his story. The aged minister continued with his story.

Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life - to which boy he would throw the other end of the life line. He only had seconds to make the decision. The father knew that his son was a Christian and he also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves. As the father yelled out. "I love you son!", he threw the life line to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the friend back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells in to the black of night. His body was never recovered.

By this time, the teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for he next words to come out of the old minister's mouth.

The father knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus and he could not bear the thought of his son's friend stepping into an eternity without Jesus. Therefore, he sacrificed his son to save the son's friend. How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed His only begotten Son so that we could be saved. I urge you to accept His offer to rescue you and take a hold of the life line He is throwing out to you.

With that, the old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. Within minutes after the service ended, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story", politely stated one of the boys, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life in hopes that the other boy would become a Christian."

"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. A big smile broadened his narrow face. He once again looked up at the boys and said, "It sure isn't very realistic, is it? But I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up His Son for me. You see, I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."

- Author Unknown

The Father gave us the perfect example of sacrifice when He sent His only begotten Son so that we might through Him be saved. Such a sacrifice might be unfathomable to our finite minds but to Him, sacrificing the one that all might be saved was worth the momentary pain. Imagine as a parent standing to lose all your children to eternal death never to feel their presence again. By not sacrificing one, the Father stood to lose us all. This was unthinkable to Him who desires not only to save us but to make us equal to Him in might, power and glory. As a parent you want the very best for your children; the best house, the best job, the best companion, the best situations in life, and most of all you want them to be happy. Does your heart not break when your children are suffering? You want to save them from the dangers and harshness of this world and so you want to give them everything to ensure their well being and happiness. What we can give our children though is not even a tenth of a tenth compared to what the Father can give us. Paul said to the Corinthians that "....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)

If God so loved us that He would sacrifice his only begotten Son, should we not love one another "...for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8).  This law was decreed by Him who has also loved us with a perfect love which enabled His sacrifice for the souls of men for "greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). The Son, "having finished his preparations unto the children of men" (D&C 19:19), having saved them from the depths of the deep, has charged us to love and save one another, for if we labour all our days and save even one soul, how great shall be our joy with him in kingdom of our Father (D&C 18:15).

Brightly beams our Father's mercy
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.

Dark the night of sin has settled;
Loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

- Philip Paul Bliss, 1838-1876