Giving Comfort

 "Their Joy was Full" by Walter Rane

I love what the story of Lehi and Sariah teaches me about Living in Truth. While living in the wilderness, Lehi sends his sons back to Jerusalem to get Ishmael’s family. The sons are gone a long time and Sariah’s worries and fears cause her to fall into the Pit of Illusion. Naturally when in the Pit we begin to exaggerate and complain and Sariah is no exception. She says to Lehi, “Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness.”

But Lehi is not distracted from Truth. He doesn’t chastise her and tell her she shouldn’t be saying such things. The Truth is she has said them and does feel them. He accepts that and responds by bearing testimony to her, “I know that I am a visionary man; for if I had not seen the things of God in a vision I should not have known the goodness of God, but had tarried at Jerusalem, and had perished with my brethren. But behold, I have obtained a land of promise, in the which things I do rejoice; yea, and I know that the Lord will deliver my sons out of the hands of Laban, and bring them down again unto us in the wilderness” (1 Nephi 5:4-5).

As Nephi goes on to say, “After this manner of language did my father, Lehi, comfort my mother, Sariah.” By staying in Truth, Lehi comforts instead of chastising, condemning, or calling to repentance. But there is something not written here that is important. By staying in Truth and bearing testimony (speaking words of Truth) Lehi invites the Spirit to be part of the conversation and that is what makes the comforting possible. When the Spirit (The Comforter)is present, comfort occurs.

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.

Something to Ponder

Sabbath scripture to ponder: 

"Therefore, in the beginning the Word was,

for he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation--

The light and the Redeemer of the world; 

the Spirit of truth, 

who came into the world, because the world was made by him, 

and in him was the life of men and the light of men" (D&C 93:8-9)

Word=conveyor