A GOD OF MIRACLES PART 2

During his mortal ministry, Jesus performed many miracles. He healed the sick, gave vision to the blind, turned water into wine, fed the hungry masses, raised the dead, walked on water and calmed the troubled seas. These miracles He did not do just out of compassion but to show people who He was and what He could do. The physical nature of these miracles stood as the mirror image of the spiritual miracles that Christ could perform. Healing physical ailments typified His ability to heal spiritual ones. Christ's greatest miracle is His ability 'to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man' (Moses 1:39). This He achieves in two ways: immortality comes to us through the miracle of His resurrection, and eternal life, meaning life with God, through the miracle of making us holy.

Many spiritualists in the world today are pushing the theory that we are good enough as we are. Whereas it is admirable to teach people that they should love themselves on all levels of self-improvement, this theory can also be damaging. It stands in stark contrast to the scriptures which repeatedly tell us to 'consider our unworthiness' (Alma 38:14, Ether 3:2, Mosiah 4:11). Because of this repeated mandate many people abandon religion feeling guilty and lacking faith that they cannot live up to godly standards. In their efforts to remain connected to deity they tend to gravitate towards theologies which expect very little of their followers. For instance many people forsake Christianity in favour of Buddism. Dalai Lama declares the simplicity of his religion thus: "This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." As needed as kindness is in our world today, this is not, however, the only virtue that will lead us to eternal life. This philosophy overlooks virtues such as honesty, integrity, sexual purity, obedience, faith; not to mention the very first commandment, to love God and not have any other gods before Him.

Those of us who find it hard to accept scriptural references to our unworthiness tend to  miss an important mark. They miss the Saviour amidst the scriptures. When the scriptures speak of our unworthiness it is always in conjunction with Christ's power to save. Reflecting upon our imperfections therefore should bring us to Christ rather than push us away from Him. We were given imperfections and weaknesses for this very purpose (see Ether 12:27) with the promise that He will make us mighty to overcome. Why is it important to be harnessed with Christ on our journey to perfection and improvement? Because it is motivating to know that we do not need to do the work of changing alone and because no matter what we do, we can never secure salvation by our merits alone. Eternal life, being the greatest gift of God (D&C 4:7), can only be given to us through the grace of Christ, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23); Christ's grace being power to overcome. Accepting Jesus Christ as our Saviour outweighs any virtue we could possibly live up to for His greatest miracle is what He can do with what is within us. Thus coming to Christ serves the purpose of giving us hope of eternal life rather than cause to lose it. Coming to Christ means faith in His ability to make of us more than we can make of ourselves. Is this not His greatest miracle?

"Trust me, learn of me, do what I do. Then, when you walk where I am going, we can talk about where YOU are going, and the problems you face and the troubles you have. If you will follow me, I will lead you out of darkness. I will give you answers to yours prayers. I will give you rest to your souls."

- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Broken Things to Mend", Ensign May 2006

A GOD OF MIRACLES PART 1

"A small congregation in the foothills of the Great Smokies built a new sanctuary on a piece of land willed to them by a church member. Ten days before the new church was to open, the local inspector informed the pastor that the parking lot was inadequate for the size of the building. Until the church doubled the size of the parking lot, they would not be able to use the new sanctuary.

Unfortunately, the church with its undersized parking lot had used every inch of their land except for the mountain against which it had been built. In order to build more parking spaces, they would have to move the mountain of the back yard. Undaunted, the pastor announced the next Sunday morning that he would meet that evening with all members who had 'mountain-moving faith'. They would hold a prayer session asking God to remove the mountain from the back yard and to somehow provide enough money to have it paved and painted before the scheduled opening dedication service the following week.

At the appointed time, 24 of the congregation's 300 members assembled for prayer. They prayed for nearly three hours. At ten o'clock the pastor said the final 'Amen'. 'We'll open next Sunday as scheduled', he assured everyone. God has never let us down before, and I believe He will be faithful this time too.'

The next morning as he was working in his study there came a loud knock at his door. When he called 'come in', a rough looking construction foreman appeared removing his hard hat as he entered. 'Excuse me, Reverend. I'm from Acme Construction Company over in the next county. We're building a huge new shopping mall over there and we need some fill dirt. Would you be willing to sell us a chunk of that mountain behind the church? We'll pay you for the dirt we remove and pave all the exposed area free of charge, if we can have it right away. We can't do anything else until we get the dirt in and allow it to settle properly'. 

The little church was dedicated the next Sunday as originally planned and there were far more members with 'mountain-moving faith' on opening Sunday than there had been the previous week."

- Author Unknown

Gilbert Fowler White summed up his understanding of Albert Einstein's conversation with David Reichenstein as such: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is." In context of this theory, readers of the above story would be divided into believers in faith and miracles and believers in coincidences only. Some would believe that it is a fictional story and some would believe that this is an account of true events. What group you would fall into would very much depend on your level of faith in an unseen God. It would also depend on your understanding of God. It is one thing to believe that God exists and another to know God. The Lectures on Faith state that for a man to exercise sufficient faith in God unto salvation, he needs to have a correct idea of God's character, perfections and attributes (Lecture 3).

In Mormon chapter 9, Moroni points out two things about the character of God; one is that He is an unchangeable being and another, that He is a God of miracles (vs 9). For God to be changeable it would mean that He would be eternally progressing and adding onto His knowledge and power. This is an erroneous theory. If God was constantly learning new truths our salvation would be in peril for He would constantly have to revise the Plan of Salvation and Redemption. There would be no certainty in His dealings with His children. (See Maxwell, Neal A., "All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience" p 14-15). If God was an ever learning personage, He would be an ever changing God. If God was ever changing, we would never know for sure what He was like and could not exercise faith in Him. Miracles are born out of steadfastness of character, both God's and ours. His steadfastness is grounded in never changing power, omniscience and love for His children. Our steadfastness is grounded in faith. God can do nothing without our faith; faith of the mind, faith of the tongue, faith of actions, "for if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them....." (Ether 12:112).

What are miracles? To some a miracle is something as grand as 'the burning bush' or Jesus walking on water, while to others it can be the smallest of things coming about in miraculous ways, our faith being a good measure of our perception. What some of us may deem a miracle may be just an answer to a prayer for others. The crucial element of this phenomenon is that we believe and acknowledge that God is involved in our lives, that He answers prayers and that all good things come to us from Him. Failure to acknowledge such, breeds ungratefulness and dullness of faith.We do not need to know 'how' a miracle we have asked for will happen, we only need to know that it will. In whatever form they come, and through whatever channel, miracles are creations of faith, the righteous exercise of our agency, the end product of our belief in the God of Miracles.

FEED MY SHEEP

The third time that Jesus showed himself to His disciples following His resurrection was on the shores of the Tiberias sea (John 21:14). After they had dined on fish and bread, Jesus turned to Simon Peter and asked him: "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Peter answered that he did. After the question was asked the third time, Jesus said to Peter: "Feed my sheep" (John 21:16). Why was this admonition given to Peter out of all the apostles? Because this simple instruction was directed at the President of His Church and the sheep that Jesus committed into Peter's care were members and not people in general. When pressed by the Jews in Solomon's porch to declare more openly His divinity, Jesus explained that we do not all fall into the category of His sheep : ".......I told you and ye believed not......ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep......my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:23-27). When Peter became the President of the Church, he became the Saviour's under-shepherd and was entrusted with the care of His sheep.

Today, we are great in number and scattered all over the world. We are the sheep and we are the under-shepherds. We have a sacred responsibility to care for one another. We don't have to join clubs, knock on doors in our street or advertise to find those that are in need of care. There are many among us at Church that need to be fed because there are many of us that are weak, and sick, and naked and lonely, and misunderstood, and neglected, and unloved and many that are aching for loving kindness.

It is not always easy or convenient to feed one another and often it requires sacrifice. Before the disciples' encounter with Jesus on the shores of Tiberias' sea, Jesus instructed the weary fishermen to cast their nets one more time. They did so and what resulted was the most spectacular single catch of Galilee. It could have made Peter very rich and enhanced his fishing career. When Jesus posed His question to him, He did not just say; "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" but "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?", meaning the fish. In other words, "Peter do you love me more than the prospect of riches these fish could bring you? Do you love me more than yourself? Do you love me enough to forsake all this for the sake of the ministry?" Peter did, he 'forsook all, and followed him' (Luke 5:11) and he became a great great man. So great that 'the believers' brought out their sick onto the streets and laid them on beds 'that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them' (Acts 5:14, 15). Peter served as the under-shepherd with the price of sacrifice and often great suffering. He was imprisoned, flogged and threatened with loss of life but he did not waver in his responsibility as the under-shepherd.

We are the body of Christ, we are the sheep and we are the under-shepherds. We need to be fed and we need to do the feeding. We need to feed the hungry and clothe the poor and strengthen the weak. We need to liberate the captives and dry their tears and we need to show loving kindness to the unlovable and the unwanted. If we do this we will be worthy of the connection to the source of all compassion and love, even the Saviour of the world, who has promised: "...Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matt 25:40)

WORDS

I love words. I love words like some people love numbers. My teaching assignments are always preceded with a prayerful request that I be allowed to speak with 'the tongue of angels' (2 Nephi 32:2). Very often when I pray I begin the prayer asking that the Holy Ghost give me the words that I should speak. Like Nephites of old, who did not 'multiply many words' and who were given what they should pray (3 Nephi 19:24) I believe best prayers are those born of the spirit. I don't do this because I am a highly spiritual person but because of my love of words which at times fail me and because I believe that the greatest words that can possibly be uttered are those that come from above. There are instances in the Book of Mormon where the prophets were forbidden to write down the words that were given them (1 Nephi 14:28; 3 Nephi 28:14,25; 3 Nephi 26:11:16; 3 Nephi 27:23; 3 Nephi 17:15; 3 Nephi 19:32,34; 3 Nephi 26:16,18; Ether 4:1; Ether 13:13). When all things are revealed I will wait in line with those who want to know the 'forbidden' words.

Scattered throughout the scriptures are "three word sermons", directives so to speak, to the true seekers of truth. They resonate with such, consciously and subconsciously, because their purpose is to bring men unto Christ. Such "three word sermons" as the following:

 Look and behold

Worship the Lord

Remember the Lord

Hearken and hear

Rebel no more

Awake my soul!

Hearken unto me

Put on strength

Remember my words

Prepare your souls

Follow thou me

Look unto God

O be wise

Come unto Christ

Awake and hear

Believe in God

O man remember

Come unto me

Do good continually

O repent ye!

Pray unto Him

Behold and remember

Cry unto God

Remember these words

Keep my commandments

O remember, remember

Words are energy, like everything in our universe. Because they are energy, they have a vibrational frequency which has the power to attract, affect and create. This is quantum physics. Through words we can make people feel loved, hated, belittled, valued, uplifted and demeaned. Words can hurt and words can mend. They can destroy or they can create. They have immense power: "In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God" (John 1:1). It was through words that Christ manifested His power to heal, raise the dead, cast out devils, confound the proud and the wise, still the storms, reject Satan's temptations and bring men unto Him.

Consider this simple, yet powerful example of the effect of His words: "Now in the morning as He returned into the city, He hungered. And when He saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforth and forever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, how soon is the fig tree withered away!" (Matthew 21:18-20). What followed this incident, however, is one of the most powerful teaching moments of His ministry. Not only did He tell the disciples that if they have faith and doubt not, they can by the power of their words move mountains, but something even more significant than mountains: "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matthew 21:22). And what is prayer? Words.

Words are power. I hear a lot about the law of attraction and how it is put into motion through words. They say whatever we speak, we bring about and I fully agree. However, I also believe that words are most powerful when they express faith in God. Through the medium of words we can express faith to be delivered, to be healed, to be comforted, to be made to understand, to be given revelations, to foster testimony, to believe. We can manifest God's power, mercy and love towards us through the words that we speak. When the chief judge of Ammoniahah came to Alma and Amulek in prison questioning them and receiving no answer, he said to them: "...Know ye not that I have power to deliver you up unto the flames?" (Alma 14:19). Alma however was familiar with flames. He stared at the fires of hell during the three days of his anguish and because of it he knew that God possessed far greater power than the pitiful judges of Ammoniahah. So Alma sat in prison with Amulek for many days suffering abuse of every kind from anyone who wished to visit them. And he said nothing. Finally when all had had a turn, their patience and long suffering was rewarded for 'the power of God [came] upon them and they rose and stood upon their feet' (Alma 14:25). This should have been a cue for all present to clear the cell. Alma however did not evoke any calamity upon his accusers but then he didn't have to. He instead spoke the most powerful words in scripture when he said: "O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance" (Alma 14:26). The cords were broken, the earth shook, the walls came tumbling down and those who despised the words of Christ were no more. Nephi, like Alma, when needed delivering from his brothers murderous' designs, spoke the same words and received the same results: "O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound" (1 Nephi 7:17). Nephi testifies: "And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again" (1 Nephi 7:18). We like Alma and Nephi can have the power of deliverance to free us from our sins, addictions, weaknesses, worldly lusts and pursuits, and to help us to overcome the world one temptation at the time, daily, monthly, yearly.  All it takes is faith in Christ and appealing to His power to save through the words that we speak.

Our words either confirm or negate our faith. It is useless praying for something and then not showing forth our faith in our daily conversations and thoughts. If the Saviour told His disciples that through the power of their word they can exercise faith to move mountains, then it is so. So often we murmur and complain and stay on the negative course after we have prayed for good things to be manifested in our lives. This is a disaster because the power of our words destroy the power of faith. The following true story is a perfect example of this. Notice how Lucy Mack Smith demonstrated her faith through the words she spoke as opposed to other saints who destroyed their faith through murmuring and complaining:

"Shortly after the Church was organized in Palmyra, New York, Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, remained in Waterloo, New York, with a large group of Saints while her husband, Joseph Sr., and some of their sons, including Joseph Jr., departed before her for Kirtland, Ohio. Her responsibility was to bring this group to Ohio when she received word from her son, the Prophet. Word came in early spring 1831. Lucy, with the help of some of the brethren, began to move the group to Buffalo, New York, with the intention of making passage to Ohio by ship on Lake Erie. She said: 'When the brethren considered the spring sufficiently open for travelling on the water, we all began to prepare for our removal to Kirtland. We hired a boat....;and....we numbered eighty souls'. Then, as they pushed off into the Erie Canal and headed to Buffalo, she said: 'I then called the brethren and sisters together, and reminded them that we are traveling by the commandment of the Lord, as much as Father Lehi was, when he left Jerusalem; and, if faithful, we had the same reasons to expect the blessings of God. I then desired them to be solemn, and to lift their hearts to God continually in prayer, that we might be prospered'.

About halfway to Buffalo from Waterloo, passage along the canal became impossible. Conditions for the 80 Saints were uncomfortable, and murmuring began almost immediately. Lucy, relying on the Lord, had to unite their faith. She told them: 'No, no,.....you will not starve, brethren, nor anything of that sort; only be patient and stop murmuring. I have no doubt but the hand of the Lord is over us'. When they arrived in Buffalo on the fifth day after leaving Waterloo, the harbor leading to Lake Erie was frozen. They took passage on a ship with Captain Blake, a man acquainted with Lucy Smith and her family. After a couple of days, although conditions on the ship were not conducive for all of them to stay while awaiting notice of departure, Lucy reported, 'Captain Blake requested the passengers to remain on board, as he wished, from that time, to be ready to start at a moment's warning; at the same time he sent out a man to measure the depth of the ice, who, when he returned, reported that it was piled up to the height of twenty feet [6 m], and that it was his opinion that we would remain in the harbor at least two weeks longer'. This was devastating news to the group. Supplies were low and conditions were difficult. Lucy Mack Smith further recorded her admonition to the Saints: 'You profess to put your trust in God, then how can you feel to murmur and complain as you do! You are even more unreasonable than the children of Israel were; for here are my sisters pining for their rocking chairs, and brethren from whom I expected firmness and energy, declare that they positively believe they shall starve to death before they get to the end of their journey. And why is it so? Have any of you lacked?....Where is your faith? Where is your confidence in God? Can you not realise that all things were made by Him, and that He rules over the works of His own hands? And suppose that all the Saints here should lift their hearts in prayer to God, that the way might be opened before us, how easy it would be for him to cause the ice to break away, so that in a moment we could be on our journey! Now, brethren and sisters, if you will all of you raise your desires to heaven, that the ice may be broken up, and we be set at liberty, as sure as the Lord lives it will be done'. At that instant a noise was heard, like bursting thunder. The captain cried, 'Every man to his post'. The ice parted, leaving barely a passage for the boat, and so narrow that as the boat passed through, the buckets of the waterwheel were torn off with a crash, which, joined to the word of command from the captain, the hoarse answering of the sailors, the noise of the crash, and the cries and confusion of the spectators, presented a scene truly terrible. We had barely passed through the avenue when the ice closed together again, and the Colesville brethren were left in Buffalo, unable to follow us.

'As we were leaving the harbor, one of the bystanders exclaimed, 'There goes the Mormon company! That boat is sunk in the water nine inches deeper than ever it was before, and mark it, she will sink - there is nothing surer.' In fact, they were so sure of it that they went straight to the news office and had it published that we were sunk, so that when we arrived at Fairport we read in the papers the news of our own death.' (Elder Gary E. Stevenson, With All Thy Getting Get Understanding, Ensign Jan 2017, excerpt from Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, Lucy Mack Smith (1979), 195-99, 202-5)

Do I believe that Lucky Mack Smith broke that ice with the words of her faith? Absolutely. Even as the brother of Jared moved Mount Zerin when he said, 'Remove' - and it was removed (Ether 12:30). Were these people unique people who had certain powers? No. They were faithful people who performed special deeds through the power of their spoken word.

I love discovering the "three word sermons". They say so much with so little. I am a writer. Expression is my passion. To say much with few words is an art in my estimation. Not only an art, but something of great worth for how we speak and what we say is an indication of the inner man. Nephi was a man of utmost faith. The greatest indication of his faith was his obedience. Therefore, there is no greater "three word sermon" in the holy scriptures that describe Nephi better than the one he closed his account with and the words of that sermon are: I must obey.

ONLY BELIEVE

I had a conversation with an old friend recently who has a close family member with a debilitating mental illness. Whereas I was of an opinion that we are given difficulties in life so that we would turn to God, she had forged an opinion that it was beyond some people to do so, especially those who do not know God. I greatly respect this friend and her opinions but I do not agree with this particular one. Even those who know nothing about God have a concept of His existence and have come to find him in their hour of desperation. As Abraham Lincoln once said: "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."

I am not speaking here out of idealism. Within my frame of reference lies experience regarding this subject. Not only have I had success myself in turning to God for relief of my difficulties, I too have someone close to me who suffers with a debilitating mental illness. It is heartbreaking to watch and equally frustrating knowing that they could be helped greatly if they would turn to the fountain of all healing and deliverance. So to me, what we live with on daily basis comes down to choice. We seem to all want a life free of pain, difficulties, stress and lack. We want a life full of love, money, success, power and ease.  And when we are afflicted with something and do come to God, we expect instant relief and permanent lifting of the problem. We do not want to 'take up our cross' as the Saviour has admonished us to do (Matt 10:38; Luke 9:23; 3 Nephi 12:30;  D&C 56:2, 112:14). We have forgotten that in our pre-mortal state it was this very cross that we fought for the privilege to carry. Consider what Elder Ballard said on this subject:

"I am convinced that no soul has ever been whipped into this mortal existence; that each one of us came willingly, cheerfully, and gladly; even though we might have known that we were to inherit a body that was crippled, maimed, and deformed, still we were glad to come.....We knew that it meant sorrow, pain, and ultimately, death, and yet we rejoiced in the prospect to come. We saw beyond the valley of the shadow of death, with all of its pain, with all of its suffering, the grand vistas of the eternities, providing for man's eternal and endless progress, on, up and up, until we should attain unto what God is. Yet we knew that we could never ascend until we had descended and had been given a mortal tabernacle, and the union of the spirit and the body had become an accomplished fact. So by the attraction of it all we came gladly and willingly, for our eyes were not so much centered upon the sorrows and troubles of life as upon the grandness of that which lies beyond." (Melvin J. Ballard, "Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard", p. 179)

For me, it is very simple. We either believe that Christ can do for us what He says He can do, and do it for all of us, or we don't. We either believe that He 'descended below all things (D&C 88:6, 122:8, Heb 2:18, D&C 62:1, Alma 7:12) in order to understand the pains of mortality and how to heal, rescue, deliver and make us whole, or we don't. His Atonement is the source of all power and it is universal. With Him, all things are possible (Mark 10:27) and they are possible for all. And if they are not possible, then the culprit is not Him, but us and our lack of faith. You will recall the story of a Jewish ruler by the name of Jairus who sought Jesus to heal his daughter who lay close to death. This father was stricken with grief as any parent would be. As Jesus traveled to administer the healing, someone came from the ruler's household to advise him that his daughter had died. The Saviour's compassion was stirred within Him as immediately he turned to this ruler with concern for his grief and said: "Be not afraid, only believe" (Mark 10:36). In other words, 'please believe that I can do all things, please believe, even if she is dead, I can yet heal her'. Obviously the ruler trusted Jesus because he led Him to his house and witnessed his daughter come back to life. The most interesting part of this story is what happened at the onset of this whole incident. As Jesus headed for the house of the ruler, a woman 'which had an issue of blood for 12 years' (Mark 10:25) also had pure, un-adulterated faith that the Saviour had so much power that even the hem of His garment would heal her. And of course, she was right.

I recently read the following story as recounted by Carole M. Stephens in October 2016 General Conference who used an example of a remarkable young woman to prove this point: "I have recently become acquainted with a remarkable young woman named Josie who suffers from bipolar disorder. Here is just a little of her journey toward healing as she shared it with me: The worst of the darkness occurs on what my family and I have deemed 'floor days'. It begins with sensory overload and acute sensitivity and resistance to any type of sound, touch, or light. It is the apex of mental anguish. There is one day in particular that I will never forget. it was early in the journey, making the experience especially frightening. I can remember sobbing, tears racing down my face as I gasped for air. But even such intense suffering paled in comparison to the pain that followed as I observed panic overwhelm my mother, so desperate to help me. With my broken mind came her broken heart. But little did we know that despite the deepening darkness, we were just moments away from experiencing a mighty miracle. As the long hour continued, my mom whispered over and over and over again, 'I would do anything to take this from you'. Meanwhile, the darkness intensified, and when I was convinced I could take no more, just then something marvelous occurred. A transcendent and wonderful power suddenly overtook my body. Then, with a 'strength beyond my own', I declared to my mom with great conviction seven life-changing words in response to her repeated desire to bear my pain. I said, 'You don't have to; Someone already has.' From the dark abyss of debilitating mental illness, Josie summoned the strength to testify of Jesus Christ and of His Atonement. She was not healed completely that day, but she received the light of hope in a time of intense darkness. And today, supported by a bedrock of understanding of the doctrine of Christ and refreshed daily by the Saviour's living water, Josie continues on her journey toward healing and exercises unshakable faith in the Master Healer." (Carole M. Stephens, "The Master Healer", in CR October 2016).

Some people who turn to God receive an immediate healing and for some it comes over time. Some never receive a total healing but are given strength to bear their mortal frailties. I don't know why. I do know that there is a certain plan for each of us that will afford us godhood at the end of the road and that we are given what we need to attain that end. Some need an instant miracle to convince them of Christ's power and love; some need to learn lessons that come through continuous suffering with increments of His sustaining power; and some need to learn to trust and believe and be proved by their patience. I also believe that nobody's acknowledgement of the Saviour's power will go unanswered and their faith not honoured, some time, somewhere. My heart goes out to those who are in the waiting room. I know something of that place. My belief is though that you will not be left there forever, just don't be afraid, but only believe.

THE WEAK THINGS OF THE WORLD

 I come from generations of European peasants. Poverty is ingrained in my family's consciousness.  My grandfather was raised to till the ground and farm the land he inherited from his family. To him, that was the way of life. The oldest of five sons, my father, was meant to inherit and carry on the family tradition. He, however, and four brothers that followed him were not interested in taking over the land. My father went into trade to become a bricklayer. His father was outraged and told him in very clear terms that he would not receive any support from him during his apprenticeship or ever after. All the sons went their separate ways and perpetuated the poverty consciousness they grew up with but the second youngest dared to break free from the family mold. Not surprisingly he was the only one that succeeded in his efforts to carve a successful life for himself.  This uncle of mine was born with certain talents that he would not deny. It became very evident early in his life that he had a talent for art. He loved drawing so much that he would secretly go to his friend's house after school and spend a considerable time there unrestrained, drawing to his heart's content. When he would eventually come home he would receive a beating from his father who thought drawing was foolishness and wanted to punish him for not being there to attend to family chores. When this uncle grew up he moved to the city, educated himself and became a very talented architect. He didn't stop there however. He proceeded to accomplish everything in his life that he wanted to do. Besides a lucrative career, he painted, he raced cars, invested himself in archeology, wrote books on his finds and opened a museum for gems and crystals. I am guessing he did all this because he knew who he was and chose to believe in himself. Whenever this uncle would visit us, he would be very respectful to my father who was the oldest brother in the family, but the differences between them were startling. My uncle lived in another city and he very much behaved like an educated city dweller that he was. He spoke with a city dialect and carried himself with dignity. My father, on the other hand, turned to drink to silence his fear of poverty which he could not break away from to his dying day. In other words, he remained a peasant.

I guess my uncle felt in his heart that he was not a peasant, even though he descended from generations of such before him. I am guessing that he recognized who he really was and sought to change the course of his destiny. I consider him exceptionally smart because he believed in the possibility of change. We know through Epigenetics that environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle can change gene activity in subsequent generations suggesting that DNA is not fixed, that DNA can be switched on or off and that we can change it by the choices we make: diet, lifestyle, thoughts, attitude, awareness and therapy. This means that we do not have to be poor, fat or sick like our progenitors. We do not have to follow those before us like blind sheep. Because we are all individuals, we all have different individual paths irrespective of our families before us. These paths are spiritually engineered and are individualized plans for mortality and beyond. The Saviour is a perfect example of this. Born into Jewish traditions and laws that His family had followed for centuries, He fulfilled the laws and changed the course of not only His family but the entire human race. The Saviour was true to who He was and to His mortal and spiritual destiny, no matter what the sacrifice.

We women of the free world have so much in this day and age. We have the ability and freedom to be whatever we want to be but more importantly than that, we have the freedom to be who we truly are. We are not stuffed into corsets, denied ownership of property or rights to an education. We have come a long way yet still many of us are forcing ourselves into molds created by others intent on proving that women are capable of anything and everything. The quest for equality has caused us to lose many womanly traits that are so badly needed in the world today. Many of us follow society's expectations at the risk of individuality and freedom to choose paths in mortality that will ensure our spiritual well being. Our ultimate destiny is to live with God forever. However, the path to eternal bliss begins here and now. It is our duty to perfect ourselves on this path of mortality employing our strongest capabilities and relying on God's assistance to get us to where we should be. There is a curse spoken by one tribe in Asia to their enemies that says "may you stay in one place for the rest of your life" or "may you stay where you are forever and may it torment you for the rest of your life". A life of regret would certainly be a curse we could carry upon us forever. We live in the most exciting and vibrant dispensation of all times. Joseph Smith stated once that "prophets, priests and kings have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live; and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung, written and prophesied of this our day...." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 231). Never before has the human race had the opportunities and resources we now have to polish ourselves and prepare ourselves for the golden age of the Millenium. Never before have we been given so much to ensure our spiritual destiny is obtainable. We stand at the threshold of another whole year of opportunities to repent, overcome, subdue, improve, and achieve.

When Joseph Smith said that prophets, priests and kings have looked forward with joyful anticipation to our day, he added that we are "the favoured people that God has made choice of to bring about the Latter-day glory; it is left for us to see, participate in and help to roll forward the Latter-day glory, the dispensation of the fullness of times", for of whom much is given, much is required, therefore, the obligation is two fold: to perfect ourselves and to perfect others. Do you feel weak or strong when you reflect on this responsibility? If you feel weak cast your mind on the humble beginnings of this dispensation and those who were commanded to lay the foundation of 'the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth' (D&C 1:30). In the words of one talented writer: "Who would lay the foundations of the Kingdom of God on the earth in the last Dispensation? Two simple farmers and a one-room school teacher would become the principle witnesses of the Book of Mormon. A potter, a glazer and simple carpenter would be called to stand firm by the Prophet Joseph. A twenty-three year old printer, who never joined the Church, would actually print and publish the Book of Mormon. A simple German farming family would provide a small 20 x 30 foot cabin as the first headquarters of the Church. A poor. unsuccessful homesteader who had never really been able to finish his payments on his land would be called off a canal boat to become of the great missionaries of these last days. The list could go on and on. And all of these led by a simple farm boy from western New York. And this would indeed be the stone cut out of the mountain without hands that will roll forth and fill the whole earth" (Scott Facer Proctor, "The Voice of Warning shall be Unto All People" Meridian Magazine).

How could such humble and weak men of the earth accomplish so great a work? The answer was given through Joseph F. Smith's vision of the spirit world where he saw Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum and others. He observed that they were "among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God. Even before they were born, they, with many others received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labour in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men" (D&C 138:55,56). We are 'the others' who came to earth disguised as the weak and simple ones. We are the ones the Lord spoke of when he said 'the weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones...." (D&C 1:19). We are the ones crowned with nobility and greatness to accomplish the great work of bringing salvation to the souls of men.

Our destiny is our destination, being eternal life in the presence of God. May we strive to stay on the path that leads to this holy place, the place of our eternal home.

"Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, 

and called thee from the chief men thereof, 

and said unto thee,

Thou art my servant; 

I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee:

be not dismayed; for I am thy God:

I will strengthen thee; 

yea, I will help thee;

yea, I will uphold thee with the

right hand of my righteousness."

- Isaiah 41:9,10

THE PATH OF CHARITY

President Howard W. Hunter condensed our mission in life in three words: to save, build, and exalt (Teachings of Presidents of the Church, p. 255). This, he pointed out, is accomplished through travelling the path of charity. We often relate to charity as blessing the lives of the poor or doing good deeds of service. Whereas these are important, charity entails more than that. Charity is a two part concept: LOVE and SERVICE. Love is the feeling part, service is the easy, doing part. Service, however, if not born out of proper motives, profits us nothing. Therefore love is the more important part. Charity is defined in the scriptures as "the pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47). It is the purity of this love that makes it different to any other love because it enables us to serve others without selfish motives. It is defined thus: "At its' core, charity is all about 'purity of motive'. Moroni defines this purity of motive as the 'pure love of Christ'. Christ's pure love is simply this....It is His perfectly pure desire to bring each of us to His own station of character, glory, power and dominion. This is His only motivation (D&C 76:94-95, Moses 1:39). His love is pure because it is free of any ulterior motive or hidden agenda. Charity, therefore, is not an act, but rather the pure motive which prompts or inspires the act" (Larry D. Keeler, "I Do Always Those Things That Please Him", p 2). This kind of love is not easy to develop. In fact it is impossible for us to do so. We are told in Moroni 7:47,48 that this pure love is a gift bestowed upon the true followers of Christ. If we follow Christ in all things, aspiring unto righteousness, we will become more and more like Him and acquire His attributes, including charity, the most most crucial one for us to have. We must want it and we must have it. To what end? To build, save and exalt.

"The world in which we live would benefit greatly if men and women everywhere would exercise the pure love of Christ, which is kind, meek and lowly. It is without envy or pride. It is selfless because it seeks nothing in return. It does not countenance evil or ill will, nor rejoice in iniquity; it has no place for bigotry, hatred, or violence. it refuses to condone ridicule, vulgarity, abuse, or ostracism. It encourages diverse people to live together in Christian love regardless of religious belief, race, nationality, financial standing, education or culture" (President Howard W. Hunter, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church", p. 263).

"Out of the abundance of His heart, Jesus spoke to the poor, the downtrodden, the widows, the little children; to farmers and fishermen, and those who tended goats and sheep; to strangers and foreigners, the rich, the politically powerful, as well as the unfriendly Pharisees and scribes. He ministered to the poor, the hungry, the deprived, the sick. He blessed the lame, the blind, the deaf, and other people with physical disabilities. He drove out the demons and evil spirits that had caused mental or emotional illness. He purified those who were burdened with sin. He taught lessons of love and repeatedly demonstrated unselfish service to others. All were recipients of His love. All were 'privileged the one like unto the other, and none were forbidden' (2 Nephi 26:28). These are all expressions and examples of his unbounded charity." (President Howard W. Hunter, "Teachings of Presidents of the Church", p. 263).

I asked God to take away my pride;

And God said "No"

He said it was not for Him to take away,

But for me to give up

I asked God to grant me patience,

And God said "No"

He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation

It isn't granted, it's earned.

I asked God to give me happiness,

And God said "No"

He said he gives us blessings;

Happiness is up to me.

I asked God to spare me pain,

And God said "No"

He said suffering draws you apart from worldly cares

And brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow,

And God said "No"

He said I must grow on my own,

But He will prune me to make me fruitful.

I asked God if He loved me,

And God said "Yes"

That's why He gave me His only son to die for me,

And I will be in heaven someday because I believe.

I asked God to help me love others

As much as He loves me.

And God said

Finally you understand what you truly need.

-Author Unknown