OUR ETERNAL HOPE

 

Imagine if our eternal destiny looked like this:

“….if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil….and our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself….” (2 N 9:9). Besides calling him the devil, Nephi’s brother Jacob, also called him ‘an awful monster’ and ‘death and hell’, meaning ‘the death of the body and also the death of the spirit’ (v10).

Cast your mind back to the pre-existence. We knew this ‘monster’ as Lucifer, the son of the morning, who was in authority in the presence of God and who sought the throne of the Only Begotten Son, whom the Father loved (D&C 76:25,26; 88:115). So great was Lucifer in the beginning that the very heavens wept over him when he rebelled and became the monster of death and hell (D&C 76:26). Imagine losing a son and brother with such great potential….and now he is compared to a thief (John 10:10) who seeks to steal, kill and destroy, for……

He is the collector of ruined lives,

The Master of ravaged souls.

He is the Son of the Morning,

His pride yielded irreversible cost

In the beginning we sorely wept

When his soul was forever lost.

 

According to Jacob, eternal misery could never be our outcome because of the goodness of our God who prepared a way ‘for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster’ (2 N 9:10). Because of the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel, ‘body and spirit shall be restored to itself again and all men become incorruptible and immortal’ (2 N 9:12,13). The heavens no doubt echoed as we sang and shouted for joy (Job 38:7) that one was chosen with such integrity of character, the dependability, the steadfastness, the selflessness, the perfection, the power, and all the divine attributes that would enable him to rescue us from hell. Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, became our hope of escape from the clutches of the one who would make us miserable forever.

 

If not for You,

Where would I be?

I would belong to the enemy.

 

If not for You,

Where would I be?

I would be lost in obscurity.

 

If not for You,

Where would I be?

Death would claim me for eternity.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus the Symbol of Hope by Ivan Guaderrama)

FATHER'S SORROW

 

I have reflected from time to time on my inability to understand how a loving Father could send His children to a vale of suffering. Yes, I have always understood the Gospel’s explanation of the fact that we needed to grow and be tested but I could not really process this emotionally and reconcile it with my heart, especially since I am a mother and a mother would do anything to prevent suffering for her children. I also understood that God has all past, present and future before Him constantly so He knows we will eventually come through our sufferings. Still, my heart could not really accept that either.

This morning as I prayed, I understood so clearly what a sacrifice it was for the Father to send us to mortality. I remembered His conversation with Enoch and how He wept showing him His disobedient children on earth (Moses 7:28). There cannot possibly be pain without love. Those who hurt you the most are the ones you love the most. I understood that the Father’s tender feelings are ever present throughout our mortal probation. As I prayed and understood this, I had an overwhelming desire to make up for all those who do not want to know Him or those who are willfully disobedient. I wept knowing how inadequate I am to bring this to fruition but I had an overwhelming desire to be a dutiful daughter, even like His dutiful Son. I hope that my desire at least, will be some solace to His pained heart.

If sending us to a period of suffering was hard enough for Him, imagine how hard it was for the Father to allow His only mortal son, His Only Begotten, to descend to the bottomless pit of human suffering. This is the sacrifice greatest of all. Not just the sacrifice of the Son in laying down His life, but the sacrifice of the Father in allowing Him to do it. There is only one thing in my mind that would make this possible and that is Father’s knowledge of the joy that awaits us because of this sacrifice. The greatest thing He can give us is eternal joy, but even greater, His heart, which He has sacrificed for a season so this can become a reality. This is love.

And here is serious food for thought that I have found hard to accept: “If God suffers as mortal parents do when one of their children suffers, then, as long as God procreates, He will suffer…..God has felt and will yet feel our infirmities because He loves us, rejoices with us, suffers with us, and weeps with us. His suffering is a never-ending process of which the Atonement was an integral part. In this sense, the Saviour’s suffering continues, worlds without end.” (Elder Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement, p 155)

The last sentence is like a dagger to my heart…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown) 

TO BE ONE

 

 

There are two reasons why the Father loves the Son. And He loves Him and favours Him above all others, and this is why:

1. Because of what He has done for the rest of His children by way of salvation. Love is a two way street and nobody loves the Father more than the Son. If we loved Him as much, we would be sinless also.

2. In Jesus’ words: ‘I do ALWAYS those things that please Him’ (John 8:29). The operative word here is ‘always’…..not sometimes because I have to please other people  too and not sometimes because I have to please myself also…….but always….. I do the right thing ALWAYS to bring joy and delight to my Father….for I am a dutiful Son.

Through His relentless obedience, the Saviour grew one with the Father before this world even began. He gained the status of a God before worlds were rolled into existence. In fact, worlds came into existence BECAUSE He became a God (Moses 1:33). He became like the Father in every instance. The Father’s will became His will. The Father’s power became His power. The Father’s glory became His glory. Can you imagine such oneness??? And because of this oneness, Christ inherited all the Father has.

I suspect there is so much more to this theory than we can possibly fathom here and now. There is so much we do not understand in this life that we are given to know. Truth that is discerned only through the manifestations of the spirit are sometimes difficult to access when we are so busy trying to decipher the complexities of our mundane earthly lives. But I do know one thing. We are now being prepared, through the Gospel of His Son, to be brought back into the presence of the Father. The oneness has to begin here and now. There is only one sure way to achieve this and that is by emulating the life of the Son. Pleasing the Father should be our only objective, not anybody else, and most certainly not ourselves. In a world where ‘living MY truth’ has become supreme, this can be a challenge on many levels. When we can say with sincerity of heart: ‘I always do those things that please Him’, we have arrived to the oneness with God. Then when all this is over and we have been sanctified, we can step into His presence with surety that we belong there….no, we will not step, we will run…..

 

I yearn to remember the splendour of my eternal home;

I yearn to feel the closeness of Thy presence

And the warmth of Thy embrace.

Grant me Father might to follow Thee,

And desire to always seek Thy face,

That we might be one through Thy Son’s eternal grace.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art AI Generated by unknown) 

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

 

There is something exquisite about the Book of Mormon and it is this: The Saviour can be seen on every page. Whether it is through His recorded dealings with people of the Americas or what others have said about Him, or revelations He has given to other people, this book of scripture makes the Saviour real and provides a wealth of knowledge about His character. Reading chapter 3 of 2 Nephi that deals with the prophecies of Joseph of Egypt has left me in awe of this fact.  Such detailed outline of something that would happen centuries later proves a remarkable truth: the Christ that we worship is a god who has the past, the present, and the future before Him at all times and is therefore in perfect control of the outcome of the Plan of Salvation (D&C 130:7).

To me this chapter is a wealth of knowledge. Here’s one: In latter-day prophecy regarding the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the Saviour told Joseph of Egypt that the voices of those who would write the records would ‘cry from the dust……after many generations have gone by them…because of their faith (2 Nephi 3:20,21). Who’s faith? Enos, for one, comes to mind. Enos pleaded with the Lord that He would preserve the records of his people and bring them forth unto the Lamanites that ‘they might be brought unto salvation’ (Enos 1:13). And take note of this: ‘Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask IN FAITH, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it and I had faith…..’ (Enos 1 :15,16). Is this not a voice from the dust? Have the records not been preserved? Have they not come forth to bring salvation to the Lamanites and indeed the whole of the House of Israel?

This is what captures my heart. Enos was in pre-existence, with the rest of those who would record the history of ancient America, when the Lord gave that detailed prophecy of the Nephites to Joseph of Egypt. Why is this so relevant to us? Because it should give us courage knowing that if we place our trust in the Lord, He will bring us in the end where we are meant to be…. because He knows what that end is. He knew it before you were even born. All you have to do is walk the path he sets before you and you will arrive at your ultimate destination. He will give you your ultimate end. Trust in the process and stay aligned with Him every day of your life. He knows where you have been, He knows where you are now, and He knows where you will end up. Because He knows your end, He will guide you to avoid the pitfalls, remove your stumbling blocks and protect you from forces that are working to tear you down. All He asks is that you let Him be your God.

I marvel as You lead me

Over mountains and over vales.

And when I fall,

You soothe away my pains.

I marvel at Thy patience,

I marvel at Thy love,

I marvel at Thy faith in me

And what I will become.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Guiding Light by Annie Henrie Nader)

IN ALIGNMENT

 

When I was baptized at 18 years of age, I said to the missionaries who baptized me: “I will never give a talk and I will never go on a mission”. Three months later I was giving my first talk and when I turned 21 I knew I had to go on a mission. My resistance was hard to overcome. I simply did not want to go. As my obstinacy grew, it began to nurture criticism of the Church. I became troubled to the point where I was driven to my knees. Shortly after my prayer, the confirmation was given of what I already knew and was resisting so hard and I was reborn. My attitude about everything changed and all my fears and concerns went away. I fulfilled an honourable mission which strengthened my convert’s heart. That was 45 years ago. I did the right thing but I missed a very big lesson which is this: when you are not in alignment with God, you are swimming against the tide.

Like a lot of people, I like to ride on a roller coaster of worrying over my life to the point where I would periodically hit rock bottom in my mental health. Then God would lift me up and give me clarity, and then I would walk on air until the next wave of my cycle hit. The last wave was affecting me far too much until I was enlightened to understand that I needed to step up on my ladder of faith. I understood in that moment that this would solve everything I had concerns about. As soon as I came to this understanding, my spirits rose and I understood the path that was God’s purpose for me. I knew the direction I was to take and I was stunned at the instant turn-around in my emotional well-being. I also realized that I experienced this quick turn around every time God lifted me up and I chose to follow His counsel.

Whatever it is that is preventing you from being in alignment with God, it will always produce fears, doubts, concerns, worries, and a myriad of other negative emotions that tear us down. If you are in the grip of an addiction and sin, you will feel a dislike of self and a barrier between you and God. When you are in alignment, all this goes away. This is called peace. We had sufficient faith in this earth life before we were born. We had faith that it could give us the desired end and we had faith in ourselves that we would allow God to guide us to that end. Now that we are here, it is time to allow Him to travel that road with us and to save us from unnecessary turmoil that we inflict upon ourselves. He will give us wisdom, He will give us peace, He will give us life eternal.

I will look to Thee to lift me up

When into the depths of sorrow

I sink and comfort cannot find;

I will look to Thee to lift me up

When nothing makes sense

In my troubled finite mind.

I will look to Thee to lift me up

When forsaken I happen to be;

I will look to Thee to lift me up

When trials seek to swallow me.

I will look to Thee to lift me up

When farewell I have to say,

Lift me up with tender mercies

In thine arms to gently lay.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Rescue Me by Yongsung Kim)

TO PROSPER

 

 

In conjunction with his profound statement that he was ‘encircled about eternally in the arms of His love’ (2 Nephi 1:15), Lehi said something else that was just as profound. I say conjunction, because I think the content of these two scriptures are related. This is the scripture:  “And he hath said that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land; but inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence” (v 20). This, I think, is what landed Lehi in God’s arms and this is why.

To prosper in the land is not a reference to being rich. Scripturally, prosperity means to have the blessing of being close to God, to be in His presence, that’s the opposite of being ‘cut off’. The fact that God’s commandments are closely tied to spiritual blessings of righteousness, peace, faith, fortitude, self-control and ultimately eternal life, confirms this fact. Another fact, Alma the Younger, in his sinful state, became a hindrance to the ‘prosperity’ of the Church (Mosiah 27:9). The prosperity of the Church was not tied to the riches of this world but to the hearts and spiritual well being of its members. For this reason, this advice is given over and over in the Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 2:20; 2 Nephi 1:9; 20, 31; Jarom 1:9; Mosiah 1:7; Alma 37:13; 49:30; 50:20).

To prosper means to move forward, to be added upon, to successfully come out of difficulties, to have things work out for you, to have all you need come to you providentially, to be spared misfortune, to thrive, to flourish. Consider this explanation from the Church D&C Institute Manual: “To be rich and successful is of this world. God’s blessings are spiritual, in line with the spiritual realm that He is part of. His presence and strengthening power in your life are for the benefit of your eternal prosperity. He makes you prosper eternally because His work and His glory is to bring to pass immortality and eternal life of man. Though wealth and success can be byproducts of the Lord’s prospering presence, they are not meant to be equated with it. Spiritual blessings of wisdom, understanding and knowledge are spiritual blessings that can lead to riches and success. He does not necessarily bring wealth into your life himself”. This explanation goes along well with evidence of God’s presence in Lehi’s life, because Lehi was not only spiritually but temporally rich too.

This fact is true. If you let go of the world, God will come to you…..in more ways than one. But if you acquire riches as the result, be careful, riches are a trial of their own. Reflect on Nephite’s cycle of pride. The question is, what do we want more? To be in God’s arms or in the arms of the world?

I come to Thee Father,

In whose arms I belong,

Whose arms I once left long ago.

No earth’s breath between us

To mar the union of our souls,

No desires of heart to match our eternal joy.

 

(My apologies for inadequate referencing of the Institute Manual which I neglected to note at the time).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Home by David Bowman)

VALIDATING GOD

 

 

Before Lehi died he said something highly profound to his children. He said: “I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love” (2 Nephi 1:15). Note that he did not say I ‘will be’, when I am judged and found worthy and will therefore be rewarded with eternal life with God. He said I ‘AM’, meaning he was already there, in His arms, with not an iota of the world between the two of them. How did Lehi end up in the Father’s arms while still in his probationary state? The answer lies in the rest of this scripture. Firstly, he says his soul was redeemed from hell. This sounds like an iron clad assurance that his sins were forgiven him.  Secondly, he says he has beheld his glory. The assurance of his forgiveness most likely came from a personal visitation from the Lord where his calling and election was made sure. This scripture says a great deal to me about Lehi and the life he lived. The lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon would be an incredible read.

There is a distinction between the Church and the Gospel. The role of the Church is to bring us to Christ and the role of Christ is to bring us to the Father, and that means not just in the eternities, but also here. In every way, we are being trained and prepared here and now to live in the Father’s presence. This is the goal. The Saviour came not only to atone for us but also to reveal the Father to us (see “The Grandeur of God” by Jeffrey R. Holland, October 2003 conference talk).

Being a good member of the Church and being in God’s arms are two different things. You can be a good member by mechanically obeying the rules but being in God’s embrace means validating Him in your life. How do we do that? By making Him our partner in all our responsibilities, overcoming our downfalls, seeking His guidance and His will, turning to Him in all things and being aligned with His Spirit in righteousness. It is making Him a reality rather than a belief.

Some time ago I had a wonderful experience whilst I was praying. I had a vision in my mind of being in Father’s arms leaning against His ample chest. It made me weep uncontrollably. At the time I thought that was a memory from my pre-existence and it might very well have been but I know that our relationship with Him here and now can be described in those terms as well. If we feel the closeness, the love, the devotion, if we feel Him in our lives because we are aligned with Him and His will, we are in His arms…..we are being more than just good members of the Church and His offspring. We are being children of God.

I yearn to feel the closeness of

Your presence

And once again feel the warmth of

Your embrace.

I come to You, Father,

Through the gift of

Your Son’s benevolent grace.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Beloved Son by Danny Hahlbohm)