GUARDIANS OF HAPPINESS

 

I read some years ago one of the prophets had said something very profound about marriage. He said that divorce is always a result of selfishness and that a marriage can be successful when both partners put their spouse first and consider themselves guardians of their partner’s happiness. That way both parties win and happiness ensues.  I was divorced by then and I reflected back on my marriage and understood this to be true.

Over the years as I have studied the Gospel and most importantly, came to know the Saviour more, I have come to the point where I am understanding more and more that selfless love is the path to true happiness, and not just in marriage. This is the kind of love that will prevail in celestial kingdom by law.

Consider what President Joseph Fielding Smith said concerning the pioneers’ failure to live the law of consecreation:  “It is verily true that before we can enter into the celestial kingdom we will have to learn how to live in unity with the love of our fellows at heart, desiring their good as well as our own, and not preferring ourselves before them. The Lord gave to the Church the plan and the opportunity to prepare themselves by obedience to celestial law. They failed, and the privilege to practice this law of consecration had to be postponed because we were not able to esteem our neighbour as ourselves.”  (“Church History and Modern Revelation”, 1:322)

The law of consecration as outlined in Section of Doctrine and Covenants 82 required the members of the Church to be equal but even more than that, the mandate was that every man should be ‘seeking’ the interest of his neighbour’  (v 19). To seek means to be on the look-out for your neighbour’s needs and be the source of help, even at your own expense….it means to put others before yourself.

I know of no one in history who is a better example of caring and constant concern for the well-being of his fellowmen than Abraham. I have studied about his life and have found amazing gems of his generosity, love and sacrifice for others. Abraham came the closest to the Saviour’s character out of anyone I have heard of.

There is a story in Midrash, a Jewish interpretation of biblical texts, that tells how Abraham earned the promise of Isaac. It tells of Abraham sitting outside his tent one day in the heat of the day on the plains of Mamre with the breath of hell whirling the heat and the dust and the sand. He was worried thinking that there was some stranger out there lost in that dust storm so he sent his servant Eleazer out to look in all directions but Eleazer came back and said he couldn’t find anyone.

Abraham was still worried so he went out into that hell himself though he was very sick following his circumcision at such an old age (Genesis 17:24) but he found no one. Upon his return there were three strangers at his tent. It was the Lord with two others. Abraham threw himself down on his face in obeisance and it was then that he was given the promise of Isaac…..as a reward for what he had done. Abraham found someone more significant in that dust storm than he had ever imagined….he found his son Isaac.  (see Genesis 18 and “The Faith of an Observer – Conversations with Hugh Nibley, pp 28-29)

Whether embellished or not, it’s a memorable story of our Father Abraham who went ‘seeking’ and who sits today exalted on his throne (D&C 132:29).

There is someone else who seeks the lost in the dust storms of Mamre. If you are there, He will seek you and He will find you…..and He will place you on His shoulders and bring you home.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Bring You Home by Sandy Freckelton Gagon)

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)

WHEN THE ANGELS COME

 

There was a time in Joseph’s life when happiness outweighed the sorrows. Those were the Kirtland years. Joseph wrote that the saints 'patronised all the institutions of heaven' as they participated in weddings and such like joyful festivities (Donna Hill, "Joseph Smith, The First Mormon", p 194). The apex of their content was the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in March of 1836. It was the time when the angels came.

“A noise was heard like the sound of a rushing mighty wind, which filled the Temple, and all the congregation simultaneously arose, being moved upon by an invisible power; many began to speak in tongues and prophesy….and the Temple was filled with angels….The people of the neighbourhood came running together (hearing an unusual sound within, and seeing a bright light like a pillar of fire resting upon the Temple) and were astonished at what was taking place.

“The Saviour made his appearance to some, while angels ministered to others, and it was a Pentacost and an endowment indeed, long to be remembered, for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and occurrences of this day shall be handed down upon the pages of sacred history, to all generations.” (“History of the Church”, 2:427-33)

Less than ten years later, the Church was under a cloud of darkness, dissension and apostasy with the dark spirit of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum hovering over Nauvoo while the saints were frantically attempting to finish the building of the Nauvoo temple. At the same time they were preparing their wagons for their trek into the westward unknown. They were poverty stricken, sick and desperate for the exodus. Despite the conditions of that period of darkness, the saints built a beautiful white sandstone edifice, towering over the countryside and visible for miles up and down the Mississippi.

“Part of the Nauvoo Temple was dedicated in October 1845, even before it was finished; and in December of that year, Brigham Young began to administer the temple ordinances day and night. Within a mere two months, the first company of wagons started across the frozen Mississippi, never to return.

"Within three years, the temple was burned by an arsonist, and two years later a tornado demolished what was left of it.” (Bruce C. Hafen, “The Believing Heart”, p 110-1). No angels came to the Nauvoo temple.

When the Saviour faced the moment of His crucible in the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel came to strengthen Him (Luke 22:43). And when He hung on the cross during the last three hours of that agonizing ordeal, all the pains and suffering of Gethsemane returned (see Bruce R. McConkie, “A New Witness for the Articles of Faith”, p 109). And no angel came.

Sometimes the angels will not come and you will have to go it alone. The heavens will be silent even though God is still watching and hoping this moment will be the making of you.

I am still unraveling the mystery of endurance….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist Unknown)

EQUALLY NEEDY

I read recently Elder Holland’s glowing tribute to his wife Patricia. He basically described a perfect woman who always had the scriptures in her hands. I walked away feeling less than good about myself wondering how anyone can be so perfect.

Do you know people who seem to have easy, wonderful lives and who seldom get touched by any trial? I do. I don’t know why some people get away with simple, seemingly perfect lives and others don’t. I would imagine a lot of factors play a part. All I know according to personal revelation is that my life was planned for me and I am trusting that. I certainly don’t begrudge anyone an easy life, in fact I am glad someone has that.  

One thing I do know. No matter how perfect you are in this life, you still need the sanctifying blood of the Atonement. Abraham, Job and Noah were the most perfect according to the scriptures but they still needed saving simply because our mortality is a fallen state. There is no other way to be redeemed and be reconciled with the Father and be brought back into His presence but through the grace of Jesus Christ.  

Noah was a ‘just man and perfect in his generations’ (Genesis 6:9). Abraham was ‘the father of the faithful’ (D&C 138:41), one of the ‘great ones’ who was in Christ’s bosom long before this earth began (Abraham 3:23), a man whom the Saviour called ‘my friend’ (James 2:23; Isaiah 41:8) and Job, what hasn’t been said about Job?  A man who ‘was perfect and upright and one that feared God, and eschewed evil’…… and yet his life turned into a ruin (Job 1:1).

Another thing I know. We do not walk in other people’s shoes. We only know what is available to the eye. We are each a walking sum of our choices, our desires, our achievements, our abilities, our responsibilities, our challenges and our opportunities. We are all different people with the same destiny. We are God’s children destined for eternal glory.

When I joined the Church I did not desire to be perfect. Instead my desire was to be a strong person. I wanted to be valiant to the end. I wanted to be like Job. This is someone I admired the most. A man who endured against all odds and still sang praises to God. He was the perfect example that the trial equals the stature of the man. The trial of faith has to have the power to destroy that faith.

Another thing I saw in Job – his humanity. His soul became weary of living and he wished to die (Job 3:3; 10:1). I have been there…more than once. Now I am learning about endurance I am often reminded of my hero Job who was rescued by the greatest hero of all who suffered it all……

You sank so deep

Into the mire of your pain;

Nobody followed you

Nobody sang praises to your name.

 

In your hour of agony

You gloried in His name

You became my beacon of hope

that I can do the same.

 

He stood as sentinel

to your yielding heart

Knowing your trust

would stand the test of time.

 

He crushed the enemy

of your soul in the final hour,

His glory, His might,

His unfathomable power.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

THE ONE

 

There are several important scriptures which confirm the latter-day doctrine that the Godhead we worship is one: 2 Nephi 31:21; Alma 11:44; 3 Nephi 11:27; 3 Nephi 11:36; Mormon 7:7; D&C 20:28.

When we, in the Church, are asked how they are one, we inevitably answer: they are one in purpose. Whereas this is true, there is so much more to this. According to Lecture 5 of the Lectures on Faith, the oneness of the Godhead is symbolic of our salvation because they have the same godly nature (see Jerry A. Wilson, “The Great Plan of Happiness – Insights From the Lectures on Faith” p 53).

They could not be one in purpose without it. This means they have the same characteristics and attributes in perfection and hence they work in harmony as the Plan of Salvation unfolds for all of God’s children. This is a comforting doctrine because it means there is no inconsistency in their influence or the execution of their individual responsibilities.

Imagine if they were all different with varying ideas and attributes and were not in agreement with some things. We would never know where we stand. This is also why we can have assurance that what the Holy Ghost tells us is the same as what Heavenly Father would tell us and that is exactly what we would want to hear and know. We pray to the Father in the name of His Son and receive answers through the Holy Ghost. This is why we can rightly refer to all three of them as ‘God’.

Consider this important role that the Saviour has as He guides His Church. It is the authority given Him by the Father to speak and act in the first person of the Godhead, as though he were the Father. This is called ‘divine investiture of authority’.  (“The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency”, in Talmage, Articles of Faith, pp 465-73)

Often it can be confusing to read: “Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ” and shortly thereafter to come across a reference to “mine Only Begotten Son” (D&C 29:1, 41-46). Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains it this way: “Since Christ is one with the Father in all of the attributes of perfection, and since he exercises power and authority of the Father, it follows that everything He says or does is and would be exactly and precisely what the Father would say and do under the same circumstances” (Mormon Doctrine, p 130)

There should be no confusion when we are directed by either or any one of the Godhead. When the Saviour speaks by the divine investiture of authority He is saying: whether it is me speaking or the Father, it is the same because I am my Father’s Son. I look like Him, I am like Him, I am made by Him in the flesh, therefore, I AM Him. Both the Comforter and I are one with the Father and we will do everything in our power to save you from the jaws of hell. You are our purpose, our desire and our ultimate work. We are your hope and your salvation. We are the anchor for your soul. We are one.

After 50 years of Church membership and Gospel study, I am beginning to understand the Godhead at a deeper level. Whether it is the stirring of my pre-mortal knowledge within me, or the fact that I am more teachable and ready for greater understanding, I bear witness of the powerful, wonderful, incomparable God we worship: the Father (the Planner), the Son (the Executor), the Holy Ghost (the Finisher).

I wrote recently about the Holy Ghost being the Holy Spirit of Promise who places the seal on our worthiness to receive eternal life hence my title of the Finisher for him. I could write volumes about him who I once thought was the most mysterious of the three.

I don’t know how it can be but I am beginning to know all three separately who are ONE……how merciful and how gracious is MY God!!!! When I come home and I approach the throne of God, I will kneel and I will weep.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: As One by Danny Hahlbohm)

ALWAYS THERE

 

“By day and by night the shepherd is always with his sheep….This was necessary on account of the exposed nature of the land, and the presence of danger from wild animals and robbers. One of the most familiar and beautiful sights of the East is that of the shepherd leading his sheep to the pasture…..He depends upon the sheep to follow, and they in turn expect him never to leave them…

“As he is always with them, and so deeply interested in them, the shepherd comes to know his sheep very intimately…One day a missionary meeting a shepherd on one of the wildest parts of Lebanon, asked him various questions about his sheep, and among others if he counted them every night.

“One answering that he did not, he was asked how he knew if they were all there or not. His reply was: “Master, if you were to put a cloth over my eyes, and bring me any sheep and only let me put my hands on its face, I could tell in a moment if it was mine or not.”

-        George M. Mackie, “Bible Manners and Customs” p 33,35

The process of the Saviour’s Atonement through which He came to know us personally and intimately is beyond our comprehension but the proof of His involvement in our lives is unmistakable. In one way or another, we are each afforded experiences with the Spirit which speak of the reality of Him.

He is the ultimate shepherd who knows His sheep. He knows every pain, every difficulty, every desire, every intent. He is watching, guiding and protecting. And in the end, He will bring us home.

 

You see me dear Saviour,

Despite heaven’s vast expanse,

You hear the burning beat of my heart

Amidst the numberless host of heaven.

You cherish me,

More than the stars that encircle Thy throne;

Thy greatness is endless,

Thy power sublime.

I rest in Thy loving care

And trust in Thy watchful eye.

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Shepherd of My Soul by Gabriel Heaton)

THE VASTNESS OF US

 

I shed many tears yesterday as I came to the end of a particularly difficult week with my physical suffering. I expected some sort of comfort from above but I did not expect what I was given.

Surprisingly, my mind opened and I was given to comprehend through my tears, as much as I could comprehend, my significance in the Plan of Salvation and at the same time my significance as a single entity outside of  the vast overall picture of the process of that Plan.

I came to understand that there is something so much bigger than me and my experience no matter how painful it might be but at the same time, that pain was not without its importance to God.

The comprehension of the Plan which enlarges the Father’s glory through the salvation of us, eternal intelligences flooded my soul to the point that I could not verbalise it. I find it difficult even now to find the words. I understood the Saviour’s frustration in trying to describe to our limited mortal minds the kingdoms in existence beyond the planet we are for the time confined to when He said: “Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand????” (D&C 88:46)

This lack of perfect comprehension made me see how important is our faith and our trust. One day we will plainly see how our lives, our sufferings and our sacrifices were a part of something significant with eternal consequences that is now beyond us to even imagine. We will understand our role in this universe and beyond. Intelligences we might be but the eternal in us is withheld for now from our grasp by the physical realm we are confined to.

This experience did not really bring me comfort but it surprised me that God can teach us something so vast in our most dire moments if we always have our hearts open with a willingness to receive answers greater than we can ourselves supply.

In all that I received yesterday, my dire moment presented to me the unfairness of the Saviour’s life and His unfathomable sacrifice for others. The scope of that sacrifice is also beyond my understanding as is the resultant splendour of His glory He now has.

My point is this. There is something far, far bigger than what we can for now see, feel and touch. We might not see it but the spirit in us has the ability to believe it. We are both ants on this planet and also entities so big no space can contain us. It all depends on the perspective of the moment. One day we, the gods in embryo, will understand and rejoice in our being.

How small and insignificant I am 

Among the countless children

Of this earth’s dust and fleeting pace

But of what importance

to my Saviour’s eternal grace!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)