DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY

 

“We need to develop the capacity to form judgments of our own about the value of ideas, opportunities or people who may come into our lives. We won’t always have the security of knowing whether a certain idea is “Church approved”, because new ideas don’t always come along with little tags attached to them saying whether they have been reviewed at Church headquarters.” (Bruce C. Hafen, “The Believing Heart”, p 63)

Elder Hafen goes on to say how imperative it is for us to learn to govern ourselves with the correct principles which we have been given and in the process use good judgment that bridges the ideal with reality. He says that “choosing between two principled alternatives (two goods) is far more difficult than choosing when a stark and obvious contrast pits good against evil”.

Often we come across situations that are gray areas that require our judgment of direction we would take or ideas we would side with and approve of. Consider the ambiguity that exists in the scriptures as a great example of this: The Lord has said that He cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance, yet elsewhere He said, “I have forgiven you your sins” (D&C 1:31; D&C 64:3). To really understand this, we need to know the higher principle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ which includes the elements of justice and mercy.

The Saviour also said: “Do not your alms before men, to be seen of them” but He also said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works” (Matthew 6:1; 5:16). Likewise, He said: “In me ye might have peace” (John 16:33). Isaiah named Him ‘The Prince of Peace’, yet the Saviour has also said: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matthew 10:34). Ambiguous scriptures like these highlight the importance of employing a sound thinking process to understand that two different concepts are at play here.

I had an experience of having to choose between ‘two goods’ in my youth. At 17 years of age I yearned to join the Church but as a minor I needed my parents’ permission. My father would not consent and told me if I joined the Church I would have to leave home. I was raised in a very strong patriarchal family and had always obeyed my father but back in 1975 I had to make a choice between the 4^th commandment of honouring my father and my mother or the Saviour’s call: “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me….and he that taketh not his cross and follows not after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37,38)

I chose the latter. The ideal would have been to obey my parents but the reality was that they were not spiritually inspired. The ideal for Nephi would have been not to commit murder but the reality was that Laban was the stumbling block that would have spiritually crippled the Nephite nation had they not taken the brass plates with them to America. The same applies to David who slew Goliath to prove that there was a God in Israel whom Goliath was defying.

The difficult choices we make in the midst of ambiguity are essential for our spiritual maturity else what’s the point of being here? It reminds me of this: “For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things, for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.” (D&C 58:26)

It also reminds me of people who pray about every step they take in their lives and ask how to do it. I don’t find this overly productive to our spiritual growth. We need to be wise in our dealings and choices and seek God’s approval in directions we take after we have assessed and made the decision (D&C 9:8). And always we should choose the higher good that aligns with the reality we are in.

Perhaps the greatest guide should be that simple question:  “What would the Saviour do?” 

Because after all, He is the light, the truth and the way……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Divine Meditation by Greg Collins)

A GLORIOUS SPIRITUAL DIMENSION

 

“I fear that some members of the Lord’s Church ‘live far beneath our privileges’ with regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some are distracted by the things of the world that block out his influence, preventing them from recognizing spiritual promptings. This is a noisy and busy world that we live in. If we are not careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.

“Some are spiritually deadened and past feeling because of their choices to commit sin. Others simply hover in spiritual complacency with no desire to rise above themselves and commune with the Infinite. If they would open their hearts to the refining influence of this unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, a glorious new spiritual dimension would come to light.

“Their eyes would gaze upon a vista scarcely imaginable. They could know for themselves things of the Spirit that are choice, precious, and capable of enlarging the soul, expanding the mind, and filling the heart with inexpressible joy.”

-        Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, “The Unspeakable Gift” GC April 2003

From time to time, I get amazed at how many of us in the Church really do live far beneath our privileges. The wealth of knowledge we are given is endless, the opportunities to spiritually advance ourselves equally so. In our busy day and age spiritual complacency is alive and well and things of greater worth are slipping through our fingers.

A lot of us expect the Church to spiritually feed us. Perhaps it used to more in the past than it does now that attendance has been narrowed down significantly. The onus now is on individual testimony building. The “Come Follow Me” programme was introduced for this reason.

I cannot help but think of the incredible promise the Lord made to us in Doctrine and Covenants that would elevate us to the ‘vista of a glorious new spiritual dimension’ that Elder Wirthlin spoke of. We are told in Section 76 that the Lord honours those who serve Him in righteousness and truth and that to them He will reveal all the hidden mysteries of His kingdom:

”Even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come will I show them….And their wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven, and before them the wisdom of the wise shall perish……for by my Spirit will I enlighten them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will – yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man” (D&C 76:5-10)

Do you know of any other group of people on this earth who have been given such a privilege????

I cannot fathom

The greatness of Thy Godhood.

I can scarce contain who You are

In the hollow of my lacking heart.

I am so small

And You are so vast;

Endow me with wisdom,

Endow me with might,

Help me to comprehend

Beyond the ages of the wise. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Liz Lemon Swindle)

THE DIVINE GARDENER

 

“We grow in two ways – removing negative weeds and cultivating positive flowers. The Saviour’s grace blesses both parts – if we do our part. First and repeatedly we must uproot the weeds of sin and bad choices. It isn’t enough just to mow the weeds. Yank them out by the roots, repenting fully to satisfy the conditions of mercy. But being forgiven is only part of our growth. We are not just paying a debt. Our purpose is to become celestial beings. So once we’ve cleared our heartland, we must continually plant, weed, and nourish the seeds of divine qualities. And then as our seeds and discipline stretch us to meet His gifts, ‘the flowers of grace appear’…..like hope and meekness. Even a tree of life can take root in this heart-garden, bearing fruit so sweet that it lightens all our burdens ‘through the joy of his Son (Alma 32:23)” (Elder Bruce C. Hafen, CR April 2004, 100-101; or Ensign May 2004, 97)

Often when it comes to repentance we think all we need to do is stop doing the wrong things but this is far from the truth. It is not enough to stop doing wrong things, we must also do the right things for repentance to be permanent and sincere. If we don’t replace the bad with the good, there is a big chance that we will eventually return to the bad.

Repentance entails so much more than confessing and forsaking. Repentance is the start of the road to change and becoming someone we had not previously been. Repentance is useless if it is not a process of refining and developing within us a celestial being. All the work put into it becomes useless if the end product does not yield a mighty change of heart and a new person in Christ.

Sometimes we expect the fruits of our repentance to be instantaneous. We expect a mighty change overnight and a total eradication of our desire for wrong doing. Consider the following story:

“A friend of mine recently wrote to me, confiding that he was having a difficult time keeping his testimony strong and vibrant. He asked for counsel. I wrote back to him and lovingly suggested a few specific things he could do that would align his life more closely with the teachings of the restored gospel. To my surprise, I heard back from him only a week later. The essence of his letter was this: “I tried what you suggested. It didn’t work. What else have you got?” ( President Dieter F. Uchdorf, The Way of the Disciple, Ensign May 2009, 76-77)

Nobody became celestial material overnight. It takes a journey of a lifetime to perfect obedience and endurance. For me, sin is anything that does not keep me in alignment with God and which sabotages my eternal progression. When I am aligned with God, I feel His spirit on consistent basis regardless of the circumstances of my life.

Because sin makes us weak, repentance oftentimes seems beyond our capacity. The good news is that we are not required to do this alone. Through the power of Christ’s Atonement, we can receive of His strength to assist us in rooting out the weeds of sin. This is what Christ died for, not only to forgive us, but to lift us and enable us to become celestial beings that Elder Hafen spoke of. Without the effects of Christ’s Atonement we cannot fulfil our eternal destiny. The Saviour grants us power over physical and spiritual death and brings us into God’s presence once again. We are not left alone on the path to spiritual excellence and godhood. He is the Divine Gardener without whom we cannot achieve our optimum excellence.  He is with us every step of the way…..if we will allow Him to be.

Grant me Thy power, dear Saviour

To embrace the grandeur of my eternal goal

That I might sin less and obey more.

Thou who art the deliverer of my soul

May glory be Thine forever more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Divine Gardener by Greg Collins)

A STEP UP

 

“On my way to visit the Jameses the other evening, I saw a wheat field that appeared to be greener and taller than the others. Thinking about it for a while, I concluded that occasionally some loving farmer drives over the field with his tractor and dumps manure all over it. I thought, ‘My it’s just like life. Here we are minding our own business, growing our little hearts out. We’re really quite green, somewhat productive and very sincere. When out of the blue, life deals us a dirty one, and we’re up to our eyebrows in manure. We, of course, conclude that life as we have known it has been ended and will never be the same again. But one day, when the smell and the shock are gone, we find ourselves greener and more productive than we have been! Unfortunately, no matter how often we go through these growing experiences, we are never able to appreciate the sound of the tractor or the smell of the manure.”  (Harold W. Wood)

“May I share some suggestions with you who face the testing that a wise Heavenly Father determines is needed even when you are living a worthy, righteous life and are obedient to His commandments. Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Proverbs 3:11-12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching and that generally entails discomfort and pain”.  (Elder Richard G. Scott, in CR Oct 1995 or Ensign Nov 1995, 16-17).

You warned me there would be mountains to climb

But promised there would be resting spots along the way;

You warned me of the subtle pitfalls

And how deep and wide the waters I would wade.

But you promised me Your hand in mine

Every minute of the day

And that You would meet me at the finish line

When I had conquered all there was to pay.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Carrying Us Home by Dan Wilson)

THE MIRACLE OF SELF-FORGIVENESS

 

 

Paul, who considered himself ‘the least of the apostles’ and not worthy to be called such  because he persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9), stays with us long after we have studied his extensive gospel doctrine epistles, as a spiritual giant who outgrew his small physical stature. When I study his epistles I am amazed at the grand scale of his growth, the depth of his understanding of the doctrine of Christ and his repeated testimony of the only source of our salvation. He will forever be remember as a spiritual giant among men and here is why. Even though Paul testified about God’s grace vehemently and gave credit to it for what he became (1 Corinthians 15:10), he would have had to at one stage forgiven the man who misled him to offend God, and that man was himself. I believe he arrived at that place of self-forgiveness when he could in clear conscience say: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul, after years of unrelenting, selfless service became a beacon of hope for all sinners. 

 

It reminds me of another sinner who did the same, Alma the Younger. In his day, Alma the Younger became a living testament of the Saviour's power of deliverance.  Not only because Christ forgave him for his sins and saved him from spiritual death but also because He freed him to become a great man.  After Alma came out of his three days of torment he immediately began to preach of Christ's mercy and His power to save (Mosiah 27:32). Nowhere in the scriptures does it say that he moped around and agonised over his past sins and felt bad about himself. He became a great example of someone who had his guilt ‘taken away from his heart, through the merits of God’s Son’ (Alma 24:10). Alma, who went about with the intent to destroy the Church became Alma who led the Nephite armies in battle, who sat naked with Amulek in dungeons, who was spat upon by the unrepentant, who dumbfounded an anti-Christ, who baptised thousands of souls unto repentance (Alma 4:4-5), who the Lord in the end took up unto himself (Alma 45:19). 

 

When you look at Paul and Alma, do you see broken men with a past or do you see  powerful servants of the Lord?  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.  In this state you are not good to anyone, not to yourself, not to God, not to your fellowman.  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, even after you have forsaken them, because he hopes one day you will return to them.  Your forgiveness is not complete until you allow the Saviour to take away your remorse. The power of the Atonement can  complete this process.  The Saviour can extend mercy, He can forgive, He can make of you a new person, He can wipe your slate clean. Believe it, trust it, ask for it.  The Lord has work for you to do and He is waiting. 

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mortality by Joel Rea)