The Power of Association

Way back in the days of manual typewriters—before word processing and before electric typewriters—I learned to test out the touch of a typewriter by typing this sentence: “Now is the time for all good boys to come to the aid of their country.” Supposedly this sentence covers most of the keys on the typewriter so you can get the feel of it. To this day, every time I put my hands on a key pad those words start go go through my head.

Touching my fingers to key pads also brings back another memory. In my freshman year of college I was taking a linguistics class where we had to memorize the phonetic symbols for sounds. I transcribed the "good boys" sentence into phonetic symbols figuring if it had most of the keys it would be an easy way to learn most of the sound symbols. To my surprise the final exam asked us to write out that “good boys” sentence in phonetic symbols. I aced the exam!

The fact that forty-plus years later the simple act of putting my fingers on a key pad brings back those memories is intriguing to me. Our minds are powerful and if instead of just letting things happen we recognize the power of the mind and memory we can make them work for us. We can purposely make associations that will constantly remind us of the things that will make us better, bring us closer to God, and help us remember His ways.

For example: the first thing I see when I wake up every morning and something I stared at when I was recently sick is the light and fan that hangs from the ceiling over my bed. It has five big brown blades and five is the numeric symbol for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As I open my eyes each morning and see those five blades, I think about the Atonement. Those thoughts encourage and lift me and they get my heart and mind ready for the day. 

 

This is something all of us can do. We don't have to wait for memories to just happen. We can make associations with things we encounter every day that will remind us of our Father in Heaven and our Savior and thus empower and encourage us.

Lot's Wife

Many of the symbols we find in the scriptures have duel meanings. They are good for the godly and turn into evil for the sinful. For example, water is a symbol of purification, through washings and baptism, but water can also flood and destroy the land and a people as it did in Noah's day. Fire is a symbol of the Holy Ghost and like water a symbol of purification, but fire can also destroy as it did in Sodom and Gomorrah. In many places in the New Testament leaven is a symbol of corruption and decay and the spreading of evil, but in other places it is used to mean the expansion and spreading of something good. This dualism is also true with salt. Salt is necessary to sustain life, can preserve, purify, enhance, and is permanent. But too much salt can kill, make the land infertile, or cause health problems.

This is illustrated in the story of Lot's wife. When Lot and his family were commanded to leave Sodom and Gomorrah they were told not to look back, but for some reason not explained in the scriptures Lot's wife looked back and was immediately turned into a pillar of salt. (The picture above is of a woman shaped pillar of salt that to this day locals claim is Lot's wife.)

By looking back, Lot's wife disobeyed God, she broke her covenant to obey, and a broken covenant is the opposite of purifying and enhancing. Broken covenants destroy us. The condition we inherit from either keeping or breaking covenants is eternal--it is permanent. Thus the story of Lot's wife is a warning that rebellion and disobedience can lead to permanent, eternal conditions.

Using the Power of Memory

Way back in the days of manual typewriters—before word processing and before electric typewriters—I learned to test out the touch of a typewriter by typing this sentence: “Now is the time for all good boys to come to the aid of their country.” Supposedly this sentence covers most of the keys on the typewriter so you can get the feel of it. To this day, every time I put my hands on a key pad those words go through my head.

Touching my fingers to alphabet keys also brings back another memory every time I touch them. In my freshman year of college I was taking a linguistics class where we had to memorize the phonetic symbols. I transcribed the "good boys" sentence into phonetic symbols figuring if it had most of the keys it would be an easy way to learn most of the symbols. To my surprise the final exam asked us to write out that “good boys” sentence in phonetic symbols. I aced the exam!

The fact that forty-plus years later the simple act of putting my fingers on a key pad brings back those memories is intriguing to me. Our minds are powerful and if instead of just letting things happen we recognize the power of the mind and memory we can make them work for us. Last week I wrote about Alma's sermon in which he encouraged the people to use the power to imagine. In that same sermon (Alma 5) he urges the people to also use the power to remember. But we don't have to wait for something to happen to us and then remember it. We can make associates with things we see each day so that every time we see that thing we remember what we have associated it with.

For example, I have a fan over my bed that has five blades. In symbology the number five represents the Atonement. Each morning as I wake up the first thing I see is that fan and I remember and give thanks for the Atonement. It is a magnificent way to start the day!

Wise Men

Of all the stories associated with the birth of Jesus Christ, the story of the Wise Men raises the most questions and intrigues me most. How did they know about the King of the Jews? How did they recognize the star? What made them come so far? Who were they? Did it take them weeks, or months, or years to arrive in Bethlehem?

I once heard a scholar speak about them and his assumption was that since they were from the East they were non Jewish. But there were many Jewish communities in the East as well as in Egypt. Therefore, my guess is that the Wise Men were Jewish people of the Diaspora whose families had been taken from Palestine during the Assyrian or Babylonian conquests or at least men influenced by Jewish people of the Diaspora.

But there are still more questions. Did angels announce the birth to the Wise Men as they did to the shepherds? Or did the Wise Men learn from scriptures or an oral tradition that a star would announce Christ’s birth? The wording in Matthew makes me think they had scriptures or an oral tradition that they recognized as fulfilled when they saw the new star. All we are told is that they saw the sign in the East and then traveled west to Judea—symbolically they followed the path of the sun. It was a long journey, and once in Jerusalem they began to inquire, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).

News of their inquiries concerning a king reached Herod, and he sent for them under the guise of wanting to worship this new king. But in fact, Herod was troubled by prophecies that a child would be born who would rule Israel–after all, he was the king of this land. And being a ruthless king he would not let such a thing happen.

After consulting with his priests, he told the Wise Men of the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and sent them on their way after instructing them to return to tell him when they had found the new king. But being warned by an angel that Herod’s intent wasn’t to worship the king, but to kill Him, they refused the order and after worshiping the Infant King returned to the east without telling Herod.

As the prophecy foretold the Wise Men found Mary, Joseph, and Jesus in Bethlehem, but not in the stable. By then Mary and Joseph had moved out of the stable and into a house. I often wonder what these intelligent, wealthy men thought as they beheld the helpless infant born to such humble parents. They’d had a lot of time to build up expectations as they traveled to Bethlehem. Did they go away confirmed and elated or disappointed and wondering? The decision was theirs to make, but I tend to think they were jubilant. They knew they had found the King of Kings.

Tradition always tells the story of the Wise Men following a star, but really they were following their own hearts. Thousands saw the sign, the star in the sky, but few had studied enough to be able to recognize it and fewer still cared enough to see where it led. No, it wasn’t the star they followed, it was their own hearts that guided them to travel west, to find their Savior, and to refuse to tell Herod. Thus we have a beautiful definition of what it means to be wise; to follow the righteous promptings of your heart.

That is one question the story does answer; the wise men and women of the world are those who follow the path of light to find their King.

"Away in a Manger"

When I was a child my favorite Christmas carol was “Away in A Manger.” We sang a version in which the chorus divided into two parts and half of us would sing “asleep” and then the other half would echo “asleep” in lower tones. Then all together we’d sing, “Asleep the Lord of all.” I loved hearing the volley of voices, but I especially loved thinking about that new born baby in his straw bed, the animals looking on, his mother tenderly swaddling him.

Being a city girl, for me the word manger was synonymous with bed or cradle. No one ever explained to me that a manger is a box used to feed animals. In other words, it is a feeding tough. Our word manger comes from the French word manger which means “to eat.” In Bethlehem the manger in which Mary placed her Son would most probably have been carved out of stone.

stone manger

As I learned these facts about the manger my earlier imaginings began to grow. I now picture Joseph carefully cleaning out the feeding trough worrying about his young wife and the responsibility he had to protect her and the child. I see him gathering the best straw to make a soft nesting place for the baby. I wonder if Mary swaddled the baby herself or if someone was there to help her. According to the law of Moses it was unlawful for a man to witness child birth, but if no one else was available perhaps Joseph had to serve as midwife and nurse. Perhaps he first swaddled the baby and placed Him in the manger.

Whoever did it, I doubt that at the moment the significance of what they did registered with them. Here they were in the House of Bread placing The Bread of Life not in a cradle, but on a feeding trough, a symbolic offering that invites you and I to partake of the Eternal Bread.

I can’t think of that manger cradling the Bread of Life now without being reminded of the weekly feeding tough—the Sacrament table—I visit to partake of the Bread of Life. As I ponder on it, I can hear the words, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger" (John 6:35). "He that eatheth of this bread shall live for ever" (John 6:58), and I am remind that the Bethlehem manger offers Eternal sustenance to all mankind.

Feeding Five-Thousand

Since I’m getting ready for BYU Education Week and the classes I’ll be teaching on the Messages in the Miracles of Jesus, I’ve been studying the miracles again. I’ve been doing this off and on for the past six years, and they never cease to amaze me. One of the things I’ve learned came from the miracle of the feeding of the five-thousand. Can you imagine the feelings and thoughts the disciples had when they told the Savior He ought to send the people home and instead He told them to feed them? Five-thousand men plus their wives and children! And can you imagine how the one small boy felt when the disciples asked if he would give his five loaves of bread and two fish to feed the multitude?

The numbers here are very interesting. To the people gathered numbers had symbolic meaning. Five is a symbol of the Atonement and God’s grace. Two is a symbol of opposition-good vs. bad. The elements used in this miracle are also symbolic. Bread is a symbol for Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. And Fish are a symbol of man. Five loaves of bread plus two fish equal seven which is a symbol of perfection or completion and of covenants. Thus we trust in the Atonement of Christ (5), and endure the trials and opposition of life (2) His grace is sufficient to bring us to perfection or completion (7).

But there is more. Remember the small boy who gave all he had. So often in life we are called upon to do what seems way beyond our ability. We are called to positions in the Church. Or we feel overwhelmed by parenting, or jobs, or relationship. Or sometimes life and its trials just seem way beyond our ability to cope with. But from this miracle we learn that if we just give or use whatever we have, if we just do our best, the Lord makes it enough. We give what we can and the Lord makes up the difference.

And there is more! After feeding the thousands of people until they are full and satisfied, the disciples gather up the left-over bread and fish and discover that there are 12 baskets full. Twelve is a symbol of the priesthood, and there is one basket for each disciple so that they can continue, through the power of the priesthood, to assist in feeding all those who follow Jesus.