Staying Tuned

I don’t know about your life, but my life tends to be like a violin string. Some days it is tuned correctly and makes beautiful music. Other days it squeaks and grates and makes a horrible screeching noise that I am tempted to shut my ears to. But the purpose of life is to make music not noise and so instead of shutting my ears (The temptation is to crawl back into bed and put the pillow over my head so I can’t hear!) I go about trying to tune the string.

What that entails is getting back in tune with the Spirit and letting it work through me to make music. As I start to tune, I often realize that the problem is that I’ve been trying to make music instead of simply staying in tune. That never works because I’m not a musician. The only way I can make music is by being the instrument I was created to be and letting the Musician play His music through me. Therefore when I concentrate on staying in tune instead of making music the music comes readily and easily.

The beauty of this is that it is so much easier to stay tuned than it is to make beautiful music. So why do I forget that fact and make myself miserable? That is an eternal question that does no good to ask. Instead, I just remember that when I am out of tune it only makes me more out of tune to berate myself for forgetting. Instead I use the time to recognize I am out of tune, retune myself, and move on realizing that the Atonement is what makes retuning possible. 

And then I enjoy the music.

The Power of Positive Truth

I’ve talked a lot here on Good News! about how Living in Truth is living with reality and the verities of life. But usually I’ve talked about the negative realities and how to deal with them. However there are many positive verities or realities of life that encourage us and help us to Live in Truth.  For example, it is true that you are a child of God. That is reality. When you remember that verity and make it part of your daily thinking and doing you live differently than when you forget who you are.

Next time you pass a mirror, stop, look at your reflection carefully, and say, “I am God’s child!”  Then as you go on about your day think about what that means. As God’s child you genetically have within you the potential to be like Him. You are loved by Him. He, like any good father, wants what is best for you. And He will help you in any way He can to do and be your best. How can you fail with a loving Father like that?

As we are taught in Romans, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37). Yes, in and of ourselves we are weak and make mistakes and are often inadequate. But we are not alone. We are conquerors through Him that loves us. The Truth is that He will always help us. 

“Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 

shall be able to separate us from the love of God, 

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

Working and Learning Together

I have another story that illustrates Living in Truth, but I'll let you decide how it fits in. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think. It is a folktale from India.

A flock of birds lived happily deep in the forest where there was always enough food and few hunters came. But one day a hunter braved the forest and happened upon a gathering of the birds. Seizing the opportunity he threw a net over the flock, gathered up the net and took his prize catch to market.

The birds who had not gathered that day were devastated by the loss of their friends and mourned deeply. But one wise bird advised them, "It was such an easy catch for the hunter that we must beware. The hunter will return. But do not be dismayed. Next time he throws his net if we work together and beat our wings as one we can escape."

Just as the wise bird said the hunter returned the next week and threw his net over the birds gathered to feed. But this time they beat their wings as one, rose in the air with the net, and swooped down into the trees so that the trees caught the net and the birds flew free from beneath it.

Excited by their cleverness the birds began to boast of their victory over the hunter. But again the wise bird warned, "The hunter will be back. You must be prepared."

Sure enough the hunter returned and again threw his net over the gathered flock. As it did one of the birds yelled out, "Flap your wings!" and another replied, "Who made you the ruler over us!" and still another scolded, "This is no time to fight!" and another, "Stop telling us what to do."

And thus while the birds squabbled, the hunter gathered them up and took them to market. Working together they were strong, but failing to work together they became dinner.

For Give

If you’ve followed Good News! for long you already know how much I love words and how much they have taught me. For example, the word forgive is one we’ve all heard all our lives.  We know what it means, but that meaning is intensified when we look at the word closer.

Our English word forgive  is made out of two words, the preposition for and the verb to give. We all know that the verb to give means “to deliver up or yield without payment.”  But few of us realize that for means “through and through” or “thoroughly.”  So forgive means to thoroughly deliver up without payment.” And what is it we need to give up without expecting anything in return?  We give up any bad feelings, the desire for retribution, and any inclining we may have harbored that the offending party suffers for what they have done to us.

Most of think that forgiveness  is something that blesses the other person, but as Elder Orson F. Whitney said, “We are required to forgive all men, for our own sakes, since hatred retards spiritual growth.”

When we refuse to forgive it is like drinking poison in hopes of hurting the other person. But it never hurts anyone but us! Forgiving brings peace, love, and the spirit into our lives!

Expectations

I had a wonderful trip to Long Beach, California, this weekend to teach the Living in Truth Seminar in the Long Beach East Stake. It is always so exciting to meet sisters in the gospel and feel of their commitment and love.  Everyone was very kind and I made some wonderful new friends. As I said before I think I learn more from them than I teach them and I’ll give you two examples.

A few years ago I met a woman who was older than I am but had never married. Instead of becoming bitter, self-pitying, or even pre-occupied with the fact she was still single she was full of light and happiness. As I got to know her, I realized why. She lived in Truth. One day she told me that every morning she wakes up very excited because she knows she is one day closer to meeting the man who will be her eternal companion.

This weekend I stayed with another woman also about my own age who lives in Truth. She has been married thirty years but never had children. She explained how hard they had tried to start a family, but finally she decided that all she could do was accept the fact that they weren’t going to get pregnant and move on. The startling thing to me is that all through the house I had seen books on child rearing including one in the room I stayed in about helping your child through the terrible twos. 

So when I got the chance I asked if she had read the books. She said she had. So I asked why and she said, “I don’t have children yet, but I will and I want to be ready.” She then proceeded to tell me who the best writers on the subject of rearing children were. That’s living in Truth! No self-pity, no bitterness, but a peace that comes from trusting in God.

Sabbath Scripture

From King Benjamin's great speech:

The Lord "doth require that ye should

do as he hath conmmanded you;

for which if ye do,

he doth immediately bless you."

Out of the Pit

I have a favorite quote from Brigham Young. He said, "When evil is suggested to you, when it rises in your hearts, it is through the temporal organization. When you are tempted, buffeted, and step out of the way inadvertently; when you are overtaken in a fault, or commit an overt act unthinkingly; when you are full of evil passion, and wish to yield to it, then stop and let the spirit, which God has put into your tabernacles, take the lad. If you do that, I will promise that you will overcome all evil, and obtain eternal lives. But many, very many, let the spirit yield to the body, and are overcome and destoyed" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 70).

President Young is talking about what to do when we find ourselves in the Pit of Illusion. Sometimes when we're in that deep, dark Pit the climb out seems impossible. But what he is saying is doing worry about getting out. Just concentrate on stopping the thoughts that are pushing you into the Pit and then pay attention to the Spirit inside you. It will lead you out. Simply follow its instructions. I love that advice.