All These Things . . .

While I was sick a few weeks ago with the flu and pneumonia all at the same time, I had some dark moments when I wasn't sure I was going to make it. One night I awoke and had to use the bathroom. I was so weak it took great effort to walk the twenty-five or so feet to the room, but afterward I found myself too weak to make it back. I fell to the floor and lay there a long time finally falling asleep.

On the cold carpet before I slept vexing thoughts began to bombard me. I had a high fever. I could barely function. But I had faith to be healed. So why wasn't I healed? I knew God had the power to heal me so why didn't He? Why was I so sick? Why hadn't the priesthood blessing pronounced upon me that I would experience a miracle come to pass? Why was God letting this happen to me?

But as the thoughts began to come, I began to recite a scripture the gist of which is found several places in scripture including Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." Actually I wasn't quoting the whole verse. In my weakened state I just kept saying, "All things work together for good. This must be for my good. There is something about being too weak to get to the bed and something about being this sick that is good for me."

The thoughts finally faded and I slept. After awhile the cold awoke me and by then I had gathered enough strength to make it to the bed. But the feelings and encouragement that the words I had recited stayed with me and helped me endure. Over and over I kept repeating snatches of scripture such as, "All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good" (D&C 122:7).

I was aware how much the words were helping me at the time. I could feel them lifting and helping me. But looking back now, I am even more grateful that I knew those words and was able to call upon them to give me the strength and encouragement I needed. It is only now that the trial is past that I am beginning to realize what I learned from this experience and why it was important that I learn those things. It is also only now and looking back that I realize that a miracle did happen. No I didn't heal instantaneously, but the miracle is I did not die. I came close, but I did not die and that is a miracle.

Last night Elder Bednar gave an amazing talk at a CES fireside on this very subject and if you did not hear it go to this site and watch or listen to it. It answers so many questions about the relationship between faith and adversity and encourages us to endure whatever adversity befalls us with faith, hope and charity.

Happy Rowing

I've never met a person who doesn't have a problem. Problems seem to be the stuff of life. And problems become the problems. By that I mean that problems overwhelm us and keep us from thinking about others. Problems blind us to the world around us and make us think of ourselves as isolated and different.

But when we consciously make an effort to look beyond our own problems and reach out to comfort and help others with their problems, our own problems become easier to deal with.

To really Live in Truth we need to get outside our own problems and realize that the Truth is that everyone has problems and we are not in this boat alone. If we can help row the boat for all who are on board (all those around us!) we will get to our destination a lot faster.

So here's to Happy Rowing.

Watch Out For "Should Sharks"

Yes, watch out for the "Should Sharks"!

One of the adversaries greatest tricks that pushes us into the Pit of Illusion is to send "shoulds" to prey upon us like circling sharks whenever we experience adversity.  These "Should Sharks" don't bite physically, instead they stab the idea into your head that, “This shouldn’t be happening to you. You keep the commandments and are doing everything you should be doing. You shouldn’t be experiencing this!” This thought is often followed by a thought about the guy down the street who shouldn't be so blessed because he water skis on Sundays and doesn’t pay tithing so he can afford a boat.

But I’ve searched the scriptures, and no place can I find anything that promises that if you keep the commandments you will have no problems--no trials, no adversity. Instead I found a wonderful parable of a man who built his house without a solid foundation and when the flood came the house was washed away. Jesus compared this compared this to a man who built his house upon a solid foundation of rock and when theflood came his house stood firm.(see Luke 6:48-49.)

Notice that the devastating flood deluges both homes, but the home built upon a solid foundation of obedience and gospel principles withstands the storm while the home on the sandy foundation of pride and selfishness crumbles when the waters roar by.

Life with all its ups and downs happens. After all, ups and downs are what mortal life is all about. Gospel living isn’t a preventative measure that keeps life from happening; gospel living is insurance that we will endure despite the floods and down times.

A Medical Emergency

We had an eventful night last night flying home. Our plane was a little late getting out of Atlanta and we weren’t in the air too long when a flight attendant asked over the PA if there was a doctor, nurse or paramedic on board to please come to seat 39A. A few people got up and went back, but most people remained very orderly and in their seats as had been instructed. A few minutes later the flight attendant ran up the aisle calling watch your arms and shoulders. She went into the cockpit and after a few more minutes it was announced that we would be landing in Oklahoma City for a medical emergency.

Immediately the plane was prepared for landing and we took a detour into Oklahoma. Once we landed paramedics entered the plane and took the man off the plane. Then we sat for about an hour and a half while the crew filled out paper work, they refueled the plane, and went through all the red-tape to take off again. We were supposed to arrive in Salt Lake City at 9:10, but we arrived at 11:47.

We were lucky because Salt Lake was our destination, but most people were catching other flights in Salt Lake which, of course, they missed. The thing that impressed me most is how considerate and cooperative everyone was. I didn’t hear any negative comments or complaining. There were hundreds of people on the plane so I may have missed it, but I was paying attention to see what would happen and everywhere I looked people were making the best of an unfortunate situation.

It could have been such an ugly experience, but by taking what came and dealing with it in the best possible way people eliminated unnecessary pain from their own lives and saved others from having to deal with the pain their actions could have inflicted.

Since I didn’t get into bed until well after two, which would have been four according to Eastern time which is what I awoke to that day, I am tired, but I am happy and at peace and praying for the poor man who was suffering.

Because He Loves Me

In the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, we read, "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him" (Hebrews 12:5). In English that word chastening carries with it a feeling of punishment, but in the Greek from which our New Testament was translated the word means, "instruction which aims at increasing virtue." That settles into my heart a lot better than the feeling of punishment. We all, being parents and teachers, know the importance of giving and receiving instruction intended to help the person being taught, and when we are Living in Truth we welcome such instruction.

Paul goes on to say, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby' (12:11). I say, "Amen to that!" Exercised means "the act of bringing into play or realizing in action."  So chastening brings about righteousness.

Paul also draws a comparison between an earthly father (12:7) who chastises because he loves his son and wants his son to grow up to be a happy, functioning, capable adult. If the father didn't think the child could comprehend the lesson and grow from it, he wouldn't instruct him. Likewise, God chastens because He loves me, and because He wants me to grow into a happy, functioning, celestial being.

As Paul says, no one likes being chastised, but the consequence of such correction is worth everything we endure. Being chastened means God loves us and that he knows we can do better.

Being Succored

I wanted to share today one of my favorite quotes from C. S. Lewis: 

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. . . . You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”

On days when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I remember this quote and it reminds me not only that I am not alone, but that my Savior, who walks with me through life, knows exactly what I am feeling not because He has studied it or learned about it but because He has experienced it. AND that means He knows how to help me. He has conquered whatever I am battling against and He knows how to withstand it! 

As Paul says, “For in that [Jesus Christ] himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18). Succor mean to “run under” which gives me the mental image of my Savior holding me aloft in order to help me through my trials, temptations, and battles.

Oh, how grateful I am for a Savior!

To Life!

If you’ve ever watch the movie, Fiddler on the Roof, you’ve heard the song “L’Chaim.” L’chaim literally means “to life” and it is often used on special occasions as a Jewish toast. But the phrase has deeper meaning than the words capture. Rachel Naomi Remen in her book My Grandfather’s Blessings explains that the phrase means that “No matter what difficulty life brings, no matter how hard or painful or unfair life is, life is holy and worthy of celebration.”


I love that thought. Living life is a sacred experience and when we remember that thought it changes how we experience life. And when we remember that life is holy we know that each moment is worth celebrating no matter what the moments bring.

So celebrate this moment by giving thanks or shouting hurray or dancing or singing or whatever you do to celebrate!

L’chaim! To life!

Growth and Adversity

I've thought a lot about Post-Traumatic Growth that I wrote about yesterday since I learned about it. During and after my experience with Grizelda and the brain surgery I experienced it. It is very interesting how the very worst of life experiences can still be very encouraging and uplifting if we have the right mind-set.

A very good friend of mine was blind and she used to say to me, I hate being blind, but I wouldn't go back to seeing if it meant I had to give up all I've learned from being blind."

That's how I feel about Grizelda. It would be nice to not have a huge scar in my scalp and a "divot" in the temple on my forehead. It would have been nice not to have to miss a semester of teaching. It would ahve been very nice to have escaped the pain and worry. But I learned so much about life and especially about myself through that experience that I wouldn't go back and change anything.

The trick in life is to remember that and to keep our spirits up and to remain encouraged at the beginning of those trying experiences instead of only when we look back on them.

Journey of Faith

You can find the movie here

Last night I showed my students the documentary, Journey of Faith. I watch it every semester with my students so I’ve seen it over twenty times and I still am amazed by it. We all know the deprivations and adversity the modern pioneers encountered as they traveled from Nauvoo to what is now Utah. But we aren’t as familiar with what Lehi and Sariah and their family endured as they traveled eight years in the wilderness until they finally reached the land of Bountiful. Even then the journey wasn’t over. Nephi was told to build a ship and then sail it across an ocean. What a test of faith. I'm not sure I'd get in a boat built by anyone I know much less sail across the ocean in it.

Watching the movie makes me appreciate the Book of Mormon so much more. Seeing the places the Arabian Desert they traveled through boggles my mind. How could anyone survive? That would tax even modern survivalist adventurers, and yet they were bearing children and caring for young families in that environment.

The most amazing part of the movie is seeing how the Lord directed them to the one very small fertile place where they could stop to build a ship in order to continue on their way to the Promised Land. It makes me think about the desert periods in my life and the oases the Lord has provided for me along my way. It seems that just when I know I can’t take any more desert, an oasis appears.

If you haven’t seen the movie, you need to. It will make you think and appreciate the Book of Mormon more, and help you see the workings of the Lord in your own life.

Prosperity

When I was growing up it seemed to me that nothing went right. It seemed that trials and tribulations were all my family encountered at every turn. My mother had undulant fever. My father contracted encephalitis from a mosquito bite and almost died. Our house burned down. Dad started several businesses and serious problems plagued every one of them. Dad had blood clots in his lungs. Financial problems hung over us like a storm that wouldn't abate. I could go on, but this is enough to give you a feel for the things that plagued us.

Despite all of this, my parents were always faithful in the Church. They paid a full tithe. They studied the scriptures. They attended the temple often. They taught us. They served in the Church and were always very active. The problem with all of this is that I kept hearing and reading verses of scriptures such as that found in 2 Nephi 1:20; "Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall prosper in the land." I saw that my parents were diligently trying to keep the commandments, but they weren't prospering. This bothered me a lot and challenged my testimony.

It took years of study and gospel scrutiny for me to finally realize what the Lord means when he says "prosper in the land." I should have caught on from the very verse I just quoted. The rest of that verse says, "But inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from my presence." I was always so caught up in the "prosper" part that I didn't see that the opposite of prospering has nothing to do with wealth. The opposite is to be cut off from the Lord. This led me to the realization that this earth is one day going to be the celestial kingdom. So to prosper in the land means to stay here—to be part of the celestial kingdom. This is explained in Proverbs 2:21-22, "For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it."

While it is true that righteous people often acquire more earthly prosperity, it doesn't always happen. There are many righteous people who struggle financially and many wicked people who don't. But righteous people will always acquire faith and will "prosper in the land" in that they will receive a celestial inheritance in this land.

Now when I think back on my growing up years I realize that everything went exactly as it was supposed to. My parents had faith. What more could I ask for?

The Test of Faith

When we’re going through it we usually think we are the only ones who’ve experienced it, but we’ve all had times when for some reason God seems to have forgotten us. It’s as if He’s so far away He’s become unreachable. But we aren’t the only ones who have felt this. In Isaiah we find, “Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour” (Isaiah 45:15). But in the Doctrine and Covenants we find an answer, “But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me; But the day soon cometh that ye shall see me, and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he that is not purified shall not abide the day” (D&C 38:7-8).

Even though we sometimes feel left alone, we never are. His eyes are upon us. But for some reason part of the test of life is to see what we will do if we think we have been forgotten. It is easy to worship God when everything is going well and we constantly experience His tender mercies in our lives. But what will we do if we can’t feel Him near? That is the test. Will we still worship and praise God or will we turn our backs on Him?

Job went through terrible trials. He felt this aloneness and cried out, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8-10).

Faith is knowing that God is always near even if you can’t feel His presence. Faith is trusting in Him even if the tender mercies don’t come. Faith is worshiping and loving Him despite what you experience. To expect and always be seeking after a warm, fuzzy feeling is to worship the feeling instead of God.

To worship God, we need to trust, love, and be loyal to Him despite what we experience. That is the test of faith.

Cast Your Burdens

So many of the Psalms speak to my heart. One of my favorites is “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee” (Psalm 55:22). When you really stop to analyze it, that statement is all you need in order to be filled with hope.

First look at the word cast.  It means, “To deposit (a ballot) formally” or “To throw off or away.” So we can deposit our burdens with the Lord or we can throw them away. Both imply that we give them up completely, and walk away from them. In other words, we stop worrying about them.

Next look at the word sustain. It means, “To supply with sustenance or nourishment.” “To give support or relief to.” “To support the weight of.” “To bear up under.”

That last definition is especially insightful to me and takes us back to the original Latin word from which we get the word sustain, sustinere, which is a combination of sub-meaning “below” and tenere which means “to hold up.” Thus we see that the original literal definition is “to hold up from below.”

So to cast my burdens means I turn them over to the Lord so I am free from their cumbersome weight, but in addition to that since I have now put my trust in Him, he will now “hold me up” or carry me. Thus besides being unburdened, He takes me on as His burden and I have none not even my own support. He will sustain, nourish, support, and bear me up. What more could I ask for?

More on Yesterday's Post

source here

I loved the comments on yesterday’s post. If you didn’t read them Julie started it out by sharing that her niece added to the phrase, “And it came to pass” this, “It didn’t come to stay.” I loved that! Jen shared that she’s waiting for a trial to pass that has lasted six years but in the comment you sense her hope, faith and patience. Wendy liked the reminder, and Rebecca shared how her mother often encouraged her with the words, “And it came to pass. . .” and that remembering those words help her now as she deals with a difficult stage in a child’s life. 

All of these comments brought new thoughts to my mind. I have a student this semester who was born without one arm. She has a couple of fingers that grow out of her shoulder and the other arm goes only to the elbow and she has three fingers there. She is a delightful young woman and has not let her handicap hinder her or make her bitter. This trial won’t “come to pass” for her during this lifetime, but she knows it will eventually come to pass and her optimism is fueled by that knowledge. When you have an eternal perspective you know that because of Jesus Christ all trials will eventually pass.

I also thought about how some people would dismiss this “and it came to pass” statement by saying it is too simplistic or too naive, but I sensed from all of you who commented that trusting in those simple words really does make a difference in how you cope with challenges. 

Thanks to all of you who shared your thoughts. We all learn more by sharing!