The Secret Weapon

Happy Easter! May we all remember the Savior on this day, and how the Atonement provides us with new life. I have felt a rejuvenation myself, ending one semester, and moving on to a new term which promises new opportunities to learn and grow both temporally and spiritually. However, in the midst of thinking about the future, I would like to tie this Easter message into the past; that is, the story of the Secret Weapon.

As a young missionary, I was apprised of the culture and the tools that fed that culture. One of those tools was a hard-to-find video of the story of the conversion of Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The video portrays a young Wilford going from church to church, searching for 'the truth.' He even gets baptized in one church only to explain to the pastor performing the ordinance that he would not be attending is church because of its incorrect doctrine; Wilford just wanted to be baptized by immersion, for that was the way that Christ was baptized.

We missionaries loved this video, and heralded its panacea-like powers, as there were rumors that if we could just show an investigator who was having trouble committing this video, they would instantly be swayed into conversion. It was fool-proof, and there would be much less work and frustration on the part of the missionary.

Although I never was able to get a copy of "The Secret Weapon," I had certain scriptures that had great effects in previous occasions, and this were surely to work in the future. For example, early on in my mission I used the following scripture for Roney, a Venezuelan woman who became one of the strongest members I taught:

And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
--Ether 12:6

Roney was so touched by this scripture that, after some weeks of deliberating over the decision of baptism decided that now was the time to receive that witness, for she would not know of the truth of the Gospel until afterward. Now, although the scriptures are true, this passage never had the same powerful effect on other investigators with whom I shared it. I was at first dumbfounded, because this scripture had worked so well before for an investigator under the exact same circumstance...what gives? It wasn't just this scripture that I shared; there were several if not many scriptures, teaching patterns, tactics, and judgments that I used successfully once, and then to no avail when tried again. What I didn't realize then has been made clear to me now, after time and effort to gain more light as to how the Gospel really works. My accumulated light can be well illustrated in Elder David A. Bednar's most recent General Conference talk:

A light turned on in a dark room is like receiving a message from God quickly, completely, and all at once. Many of us have experienced this pattern of revelation as we have been given answers to sincere prayers or been provided with needed direction or protection, according to God’s will and timing. Descriptions of such immediate and intense manifestations are found in the scriptures, recounted in Church history, and evidenced in our own lives. Indeed, these mighty miracles do occur. However, this pattern of revelation tends to be more rare than common.

The gradual increase of light radiating from the rising sun is like receiving a message from God “line upon line, precept upon precept” (2 Nephi 28:30). Most frequently, revelation comes in small increments over time and is granted according to our desire, worthiness, and preparation. Such communications from Heavenly Father gradually and gently “distil upon [our souls] as the dews from heaven” (D&C 121:45). This pattern of revelation tends to be more common than rare and is evident in the experiences of Nephi as he tried several different approaches before successfully obtaining the plates of brass from Laban (see 1 Nephi 3–4). Ultimately, he was led by the Spirit to Jerusalem, “not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1 Nephi 4:6). And he did not learn how to build a ship of curious workmanship all at one time; rather, Nephi was shown by the Lord “from time to time after what manner [he] should work the timbers of the ship” (1 Nephi 18:1).

In these examples of the reception of greater light, there was a common denominator which under-girded the ultimate result: preparation and learning. That is, the Lord prepares us to be able to uphold the light that He desires that we ultimately receive. Such was the case in every successful situation in which I thought that I was the ultimate instrument in the Lord's hands--though I was acting as an instrument, I was not the only the player in the game--the Spirit was able to tap into the groundwork that they themselves had (often unwittingly) prepared. Simply put: they were ready.

So how does this apply to the notion of "The Secret Weapon?" The answer is again simple: THERE IS NO SECRET WEAPON! The secret is made simple as we gain further light and knowledge, continually growing to understand that in fact there is no secret.

How often do we go searching for a panacea that will solve all our problems and take away all our pain and toil, only to return to our home base spiritually broke, dejected, and confused? Little did we know that the true panacea was always in front of us, but would not come in a great epiphany, but after long, concerted efforts to do good continually. President Gordon B. Hinckley said:

"Life is just like an old time rail journey ... delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."

I hope that I have been convincing. On this Easter Sunday, let us make more concerted efforts to take advantage of the atoning sacrifice of the Savior, living each day with joy in our hearts, for we are loved. Let us remember the life that the Atonement brings, and how like the Savior on that glorious Morn we may gain a victory over death. The sting of physical and spiritual death is swallowed in the supernal sacrifice of Jesus the Christ; let us do the little things to merit this grace.

Have a great week!