THE LEGACY OF MORMON

I am in awe of Mormon. Worthy of my admiration is his spiritual tenacity to survive the most evil period of Nephite history morally unscathed and for that he deserves every praise. My ultimate admiration, however, concerns his achievements as a historian and a writer. I know of no other historian who has had the capacity to intimately connect with his readers like Mormon has. The Jewish historian, Josephus, comes close but nowhere near Mormon's standard because Mormon, unlike all the others, was a man of God with a vision. When I read the Book of Mormon I do not hear his voice even though he occasionally interrupts his narrative to reveal himself. What I hear when I read his record is the voice of God. This speaks volumes regarding his true intent which was not to bring himself to prominence but to bring men unto Christ. Mormon was a visionary man and he wrote with this one purpose. Having witnessed the destruction of his people fueled his desire to in some way save the future generations 'that they may once again be a delightsome people' (Words of Mormon 1:8).

As a writer, my biggest motivation comes from my readers. A writer needs to be read. Mormon never had this satisfaction. Imagine writing a book for people who would live almost 2,000 years after you and beyond. What would you say? What motivation would you have for doing it? So why did Mormon do it? Besides his desire to save the remnant of the House of Israel (Mormon 7:1-5), the obvious reason is that the records were handed down to him with a commission when he was just 10 years old that he keep them going (Mormon 1:1-4). The second reason is that he was commanded what to write (3 Nephi 26:12). But here is the crux of the matter, I believe Mormon who was a visionary man, knew his readers. He knew us and he knew us at close range.

Why do we have the Book of Mormon today? Because Mormon's son Moroni caught and continued his father's vision. And herewith is another amazing visionary man with an equal commitment to the salvation of others and preservation of the house of Israel. Moroni had a clear vision of our day and he described it in impeccable detail. I cannot help but believe that he saw my home land when I read: "Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands" (Momon 8:29). Right now Australia is burning. The smoke has reached New Zealand. 6,300,000 hectares of its land is scorched and burnt to the ground.  Did Dorothea MacKellar's heart ache when she penned her famous poem "I love A Sunburnt Country" as much as Moroni's when he saw it burn?

The Book of Mormon is your book. It is a book you can recognise yourself in. It will prick your conscience when you need it; give you answers when you feel lost; give you understanding when you have none and equip you with knowledge to enable you to fight your every foe. You were before Mormon's eyes when he wrote it and before Moroni's when he preserved it. They knew you. They prayed for you. And they wished against all hope that you would read it. Can you not feel this through these words: "Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing." (Mormon 8:15)

BEFORE THE STORM

"If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen an unusual photo I posted recently of my return flight from our France ministry trip. While travelling from Paris to Dallas, we had an emergency landing in Iceland! After four hours of flying from Charles de Gaulle airport to Dallas/Fort Worth, we suddenly saw the flight pattern on the little TV screen make a giant U-turn and we started heading back in the direction we just left. It was already going to be a long ten hour flight and to add an unexpected emergency land to the trip was not a part of my plan. 

As we sat on the tarmac for hours in Iceland awaiting our approval for takeoff, I texted my husband and my daughter. I let them know everything was OK, and that I'd arrive later than planned....but I would eventually get home. As we sat grounded at the Reykjavik Airport unable to disembark, I was reminded of a message I taught a few years ago titled, "Where Were You Headed Before the Storm Hit?". When pilots are learning to fly, and they encounter unexpected storms, delays, or emergency detours, they have three words drilled into them.....are you ready for this? Fly. The. Plane. It's deep, I know. In other words, don't panic. Don't crash. Don't get distracted. Don't give up. Don't land somewhere and assume you're supposed to stay there. Fly the plane and you'll eventually arrive at your original destination. And it's the same with your vision, your plan, your life. When you encounter a storm, a letdown, a setback, or an unexpected delay, you've got to stay focused. 

Storms happen to all of us. Financial storms, family storms, marital storms, physical storms, career storms; it's part of life. When a storm hits your life, you have to ask, "Where was I headed before the storm hit?" You can choose to let a storm defeat you or let it drive you to the next level. Think about how a shepherd leads his sheep. He doesn't take them from mountaintop to mountaintop. He leads them through the valley to get to the next mountaintop. It's in the valley where we grow, we develop character, strength, vision, and the skills necessary to prepare us for the next mountaintop. 

Whatever you're facing today, God can use it to lift you to a higher level. In the Bible, King David would be known as Shepherd Boy David if it weren't for Goliath. Think about that. Saul didn't promote David to the next level God had planned, Goliath did. That giant, that obstacle, that massive roadblock wasn't meant to destroy him, it was meant to promote him! The resistance you're facing today is preparing you. It's strengthening your character. It's building your trust and reliance in God. It's absolutely necessary in order to handle the growth you're about to have! 

My question to you is this: Where were you headed before this detour, this distraction, this supposed setback? Where were you headed before the divorce, the unplanned pregnancy, the bankruptcy, the job loss, the diagnosis, the heartbreak? You may have to chart an alternate course to get to your destination. It may not be the route you planned or the time frame you anticipated but you're still successful as long as you keep moving toward your intended destination. Don't ever lose sight of where you were headed. God doesn't change his mind about your destiny. Nor should you! I love this story I heard from the late Myles Munroe who was having lunch with Dr. Oral Roberts and Corrie Ten Boom in 1976. Dr. Munroe asked Corrie what her secret was to having such stamina at 82 years of age. Boom replied, "Son, remember to live according to your vision; never according to your eyes."  (Terri Savelle Foy, 1 July 2016 Newsletter)

When Peter in his eagerness walked on water towards Christ one stormy night his only desire was to be safe in the Saviour's presence. No doubt when he started to walk, believeing that he could, his sight was very much fixed on the person he wanted to be with but then he made one crucial mistake, for one moment he looked at the boisterous wind instead and no doubt felt the angry waves lapping at his feet and he grew afraid as he began to sink (Matthew 14:30). What happened to Peter's resolve to be reunited with his Master? Peter lost focus as he trusted his eyes more than his vision. When the storms of life hit, it is easy to only see the calamity that is unfolding in our lives. As our plane lands in some foreign land we never intended to visit, it very often obstructs the vision of our true destination.

When we walk out of the baptismal font newly washed and clean; or walk out of the temple freshly wedded to the companion of our choice, we often feel that we have made it and are on our way to celestial kingdom. Never in our wildest dreams do we envisage encountering any storms. We do not plan on divorcing when we marry; or plan to bury a child when we enter the labour ward to give birth; 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 than not feel that we should, by virtue of our obedience, have a smooth ride. Obedience, however, is not the teacher but the pilot that lands the plane at the chosen destination. The trials of mortal life, though making it a bumpy ride, make the destination once reached, all the more sweeter for the lessons suffered are lessons learnt. The challenge before us is to keep the eternal perspective and remember where we were headed before the storm:

"If we looked at mortality as the whole existence, then pain, sorrow, failure, and short life would be calamity. But if we look upon life as an eternal thing stretching far into the premortal past and on into the eternal post-death future, then all happenings may be put into proper perspective. Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience, death that we might be immortalized and glorified? If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected, and the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled and the basic principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith."

(Spencer W. Kimball, Faith Precedes the Miracle, p 97).

Being consistent in our obedience to 'small things' in everyday life will ensure that our vision stays clear and our eternal perspective focused: "Is our journey sometimes impeded when we forget the importance of small things? Do we realize that small events and choices determine the direction of our lives just as small helms determine the direction of great ships? We need to have family and personal prayers, study the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon; hold family home evenings; follow the admonition of the Saviour to love one another; and be thoughtful, kind, and gentle within the family. Through these and other similar small and simple things, we have the promise that our lives will be filled with peace and joy" (Elder M. Russell Ballard, in CR Apr 1990 or Ensign May 1990, p 6,8). Once obtained, that peace and joy will see us through and past the storms of mortal life. It will become the governing force in our lives that will make the storms bearable and foreign lands memorable.

This is a false world and it will one day be done away with. You come with nothing into it and you go with nothing out of it. Except one thing - YOU. This world was constructed with obstacles, pitfalls, enticements and stumbling blocks. Your purpose while you are here is to learn to jump, push through, walk around, avoid and rise above. All this will be the making of the person you have to take back to eternity, YOU.

But learn that he who doeth

the works of righteousness

shall receive his reward, 

even peace in this world, 

and eternal life in the world to come.

D&C 59:23

YE ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD PART 2

"Wherefore, be faithful.....succor the weak,
lift up the hands which hang down, 
and strengthen the feeble knees."

D&C 81:5

"On one occasion, as a missionary in Tonga, I received word that a missionary was very ill on a somewhat distant island. The weather was threatening, but feeling responsible, and after prayer, we left to investigate the situation. Extra heavy seas slowed our progress, and it was late afternoon before we arrived. The missionary was indeed very ill. Fervent prayer was followed by administration, during which the impression came very strongly to get him back to the hospital on the main island, and to do it now! The weather had deteriorated, but the impression was strong - 'Get back now' - and one learns to obey the all-important promptings of the Spirit. There was much concern expressed about the darkness, the storm, and the formidable reef with its extremely narrow opening to the harbor. Some found reasons to stay behind; but soon eight persons had boarded the boat.

No sooner had we made our commitment to the open seas than the intensity of the storm seemed to increase seven-fold. As the sun sank, so did my spirit seem to sink into the darkness of doubt and apprehension. I found my spirit communing with the spirit of the father of an afflicted child in the New Testament, as he exclaimed, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief'. (Mark 9:24) As we rolled and tossed closer and closer to the reef, all eyes searched for the light that marked the opening - the only entry to our home. Where was it? Then I heard the chilling sound of the waves crashing and chewing against the reef! It was close - too close. Where was that light? Unless we hit the opening exactly, we would be smashed against the reef. It seemed that all the elements were bent on our total destruction. Our eyes strained against the blackness, but we could not see the light.

At the heights of this panic, I looked at the captain - and there I saw the face of calmness - the ageless face of wisdom and experience - as his eyes penetrated the darkness ahead. Quietly his weather-roughened lips parted, and without moving his fixed gaze and just perceptibly shifting the wheel, he breathed those life-giving words, "Ko e Maama e" (There is the light). I could not see the light, but the captain could see it. And I knew he could see it. Those eyes, long experienced in ocean travel, were not fooled by the madness of the storm or were they influenced by the pleadings of those of lesser experience to turn to the left or to the right. Soon we were in the protected harbor. We were home. Then and only then did WE see through the darkness that one small light - exactly where the captain had said it was. Had we waited until we ourselves could see the light we would have been smashed to pieces. But trusting in those experienced eyes, we lived.

And so the great lesson: There are those who, through years of experience and training, and by virtue of special divine callings, can see farther and better and more clearly - and can and will save us in those situations where serious injury or death - both spiritual and physical - would be upon us before we ourselves could see."  (Elder John H. Groberg, There Is The Light, Ensign Nov 1976)

It's a wonderful thing to bring yourself back into the presence of God but it is a powerful thing to bring with you another; one who was sick or lost or unbelieving; someone on whom your life had an impact, someone who needed your leadership and guidance. It is true that we are here to work out our own salvation but the mandate issued by the Saviour that we love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34) suggests that this is not our only responsibility. What exactly did the Saviour mean by this admonition? If the gesture of love was merely a poetic notion He would have just said, "Love one another". When the Saviour added 'as I have loved you' He meant that our love should be the source of salvation to one another as His was and is to us. The Saviour's love was undoubtedly the motivating force behind His infinite sacrifice, the sacrifice that culminated in salvation for all mankind.

Just as in this life, in our pre-mortal state we were all at differing stages of emotional and spiritual growth. Bruce R. McConkie taught that due to man's free agency in pre-existence 'the spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it." (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:58-69, Book of Mormon Student Manual, p 192). This hypothesis suggests that some of us came here more spiritually developed than others, meaning our spirits are endowed with individual and unique gifts, talents and strengths. It also means that some of us are more susceptible to truth. What this doesn't mean is that those more developed are more worthy when we measure the worth of a soul. It simply means that those of us who are stronger have the responsibility to bring back with us those that are weaker; those who are sick and feeble and oppressed; and those who have perhaps had such spiritually and emotionally debilitating experiences in life that they have been rendered incapable to survive mortality alone. This goes beyond an occasional charitable casserole dropped of at the door. It goes as far as being actively invested in saving someone who needs to be saved. Our uniqueness ensures that we, like the captain in the above-mentioned story, have the power to get another through the storm, the storm that induces fear, alienation, loss of vision, despondency and despair. We each have something that someone else needs and when we stand on higher ground, we have the responsibility to lift another to stand alongside us.

When Ammon recounted the success of their missionary labours to his brothers he gave all credit to the Saviour claiming that He has saved their brethren the Lamanites from everlasting darkness and destruction and brought them into His everlasting light and salvation and now that they were saved they were encircled about with 'the matchless bounty of His love' (Alma 26:15). This matchless bounty of love was brought to godless Lamanites through the selfless efforts, anguish and afflictions of four brothers who could not bear the thought that one soul should be lost (Mosiah 28:3). And neither could the Saviour for He has loved us with a love unsurpassing; a love unfeigned; a love that is endless; a love that has suffered for all.