On Reliance

I am happy to say that I believe I am finally understanding what it feels like to be an adult.  Being a full-time student as well as working almost full time have taught me the power that comes to multi-taskers, and and the joy that comes from completing "twofers" and even "threefers."  It also has brought into my mind again the importance of faith to guide our daily lives.  Added stress, lack of rest even when weary, and increased responsibility and expectations have all caused me to evaluate that which matters most to me; my hope is that through these words you will gain inspiration to see what matters most to you, and perhaps learn to rely on the Lord, bringing your list in concert with His list for you.

In the classic movie, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, there is an iconic scene where the lead character must pass through a gauntlet of life-or-death situations that lead him to the Holy Grail, the most coveted piece of historical lore in ancient and modern times alike.  Among these tests Dr. Jones must step out over a chasm with endless depths and certain death waiting below.  He realizes that he is to take a "leap of faith," and moves himself to step out into the open, finding a narrow bridge camouflaged by the chasm walls all around.  With knowledge of the principle of faith, he crosses the bridge safely,  the same bridge where dozens before him with less pure intentions met their mortal demise.  In the moment of most need, Indiana Jones was able to tap into his reservoir of knowledge that enabled him to pass the test placed before him.

It is my testimony that the time will come for all of us when the hour of preparation will have  passed, a time when immediate performance will be expected of us.  Just like Dr. Jones, we will be asked to walk out over the edge of our understanding, putting our trust and faith in principles we accepted as truth at a prior date.  We won't have anyone to bail us out, and for a time we may even feel utterly alone.

This brings me to the theme of today's post: reliance.  In our Church culture we put a large emphasis on self-reliance such that perhaps sometimes we overlook the importance of relying on the Lord when the arm of our own flesh just doesn't seem to work any more.  However, there is peace and strength in learning to rely on the Lord in our times of most need.  If we live what we believe, we truly know through experience the words of President Uchtdorf just a month ago in General Conference:

"My dear brothers and sisters, it may be true that man is nothing in comparison to the greatness of the universe. At times we may even feel insignificant, invisible, alone, or forgotten. But always remember—you matter to Him!"

This is an important point to establish.  Because we matter to the Savior we know that He cares about everything that we do which either brings us closer to Him or draws us away.  Like a loving father motioning a baby to take its first steps toward him, the Savior motions us toward Him through the Spirit borne by countless angelic examples in our lives.  But are our hearts sufficiently pure in enabling us to step out into the darkness?

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3:19)

In order to better rely on the Lord we must understand that He loves us more than we will ever know in this life, and that He wants us to become willing to submit to all things that He sees fit to inflict upon us.  In my opinion it is a great travesty--but at the same time an essential part of living--that we think all too often on our own plans, leaving the Lord out of the equation.  True self-reliance in the Gospel sense involves a "pray and go" attitude, acknowledging that hiccups in the road, while often due to our disobedience, are an essential part of our growing to attain the standard set in the scripture above.  We read in Alma 37:37:

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

My friends, this is the crux of reliance.  Let us first understand that we are precious to the Lord, and will always be precious to Him for the remainder of our existence. The Lord wants us to step out toward Him, and knowing that He will direct us for good will enable us to do so, even if we haven't experienced prior successful attempts at reliance.  Reliance becomes easier as we submit to his will, recognizing that the natural man does not grant us lasting happiness.  And lastly, reliance is primed through prayer--not just a rote utterance at the end of a stressful day, but true counsel with our Heavenly Father.  Just as the Savior was perfect and we strive to emulate His example, we must strive to become perfect in our counsel with God; improving (i.e., perfecting) the quality of our prayers comes as we implement the aforementioned skills and as we strive to have a real conversation with our Father in Heaven.

It is my prayer that we may be able to more fully rely on He who is mighty to save.  Have a great week!

Hearing and Heeding: General Conference Reactions

Hello friends!

It is truly hard to believe that another six months have passed away, but they surely have, as will the next six months surely pass in a whirlwind.  I think that the goal is develop traction that can fuel improvement and progression, and hopefully this can be accomplished in a spiritual sense in between meetings of the General Conference of the Church.  My hope is that we all can use the words of the prophet and Apostles to propel us further, rather than to just maintain a level of spirituality at which we seem comfortable.  With that said, please enjoy my reaction to selected messages given this weekend by President Monson and other general authorities.

SATURDAY MORNING SESSION
Without question the most memorable announcement on Saturday morning was the announcement by President Thomas S. Monson that the Provo Tabernacle which burned down last December would be converted into the second temple in that city (artist's rendering at right).  I would to not like to neglect this truly historic announcement, but admit that there was doctrine more pressing that came from yesterday morning.  Of note were Elder Richard G. Scott's wonderful illustration of the importance of scripture study, and Elder L. Whitney Clayton's reaffirmation that no unhallowed hand will keep the work of the Lord from progressing; however, I would like to focus on President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk on the significance and insignificance of man.

President Uchtdorf began by explaining that modern science has shown that man truly is nothing; the stars in the sky that we can observe with modern telescopes outnumber the sands of the earth.  And even in the grand Plan of Salvation, our existence on this earth is but a small moment.  However, in spite of this knowledge we also know that the vast universe was created that we might reach our potential as sons and daughters of God.  We should remember that the Lord uses a scale very different than that of the world to measure the worth of souls, and that even when we feel all alone, Heavenly Father has not forgotten us.  I know this of myself to be true, and was touched as I received that reaffirmation of truth from a prophet of God.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSION

I must admit that over the last several months I have thought more and more on the doctrine of the family, and its importance in the great Plan of Happiness.  With that said, it's natural that I was inspired yesterday afternoon by the first two talks given, by Elders Bednar and Andersen, respectively.

Elder David A. Bednar spoke on the Spirit of Elijah, and that the greatest responsibility with which the Lord has entrusted us is that  of seeking after our dead, that they may too be partakers of the Heavenly Gift.  When we perform family history work and vicarious temple ordinances we are direct fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah, turning our hearts to the fathers who have come before us.  How great a work is this!  I know that as we strive to reach across this generational gap, we will be blessed to appreciate our lineage in even greater measure.

Elder Neil L. Andersen spoke on the importance of parenthood, and specifically motherhood.  He said that how many children to have is a sacred decision between husband, wife, and the Lord, and that motherhood specifically is not a hobby, but is a divine calling.  We should not be judgmental of others' abilities to fulfill this calling, but rather should seek to create a spiritual sanctuary for our own families within the home.  We should exercise faith, and not put obstacles in the way of raising righteous posterity.

PRIESTHOOD SESSION

Over the last few Priesthood Sessions there has been an extra focus placed on the moral decay that is present all around us, and there have been bold and fervent voices of warning against getting trapped by the lures of the adversary to be sent into paths that will disqualify us from Priesthood service.  None were more bold than Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, who seems to always deliver a message that shakes the very core of the individual. He spoke candidly, beginning by saying that Satan is real, and is the very personification of evil.  Elder Holland also made clear that Satan is eternally opposed to the work of God, and although he knows that in the end he will lose, the devil will try to take down as many with him as he can into that "gulf of misery and endless woe" (see Alma 26:6).  Moreover, Satan delights if he can but bind the tongue of the faithful.

In the context of missionary service, we must not let this happen.  Our testimonies are too great, our light too bright to be hid from the world who is "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" (D&C 123:12).  We cannot think that we can play on the side of Satan, and then expect to be able suit up for the Savior when the hour of service arrives.  While Elder Holland applied this specifically to missionary service, this applies equally to any calling in the Priesthood.  We all must be better prepared for day when our name is called.

 SUNDAY MORNING SESSION
This morning I loved hearing Elaine S. Dalton's talk on how to raise righteous daughters of God, and that we must "be loyal to the royal within [us]."  While this talk was inspiring, I'd like to focus my reaction from this session on the words from our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson.

President Monson again reiterated that the moral compass of society is rapidly evolving, and that today we are seeing the same reckless abandon for moral capital that we today see for financial capital.  President Monson affirmed that though this may be the case in the world, morality is NOT passe,  for the laws of God are unchanging and immovable.  It is, in fact, a great solace to know that in the midst of constant change, our Father in Heaven is an unchanging constant, the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We should strive to follow God's laws, as (just as in times old) nothing brings more joy and peace than the Spirit that comes from putting off the natural man.  As the world has moved so far away from the spiritual, we must be ever vigilant.  President Monson went on to state that we will be able to overcome if we have the Gospel in our core, and the love of the Savior in our hearts.  Though Satan desires to have us, we will be the Lord's as we daily turn to Him, and strive to draw near to Him.  Amidst all the turmoil we see in the world today, we should not fear as we strive, for the Lord will be with us.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON SESSION
The fifth and final session of conference was as equally enlightening as the other previous four.  I was impressed by Elder J. Devn Cornish's words that honesty is essential when making requests from God.  I was informed and inspired by Elder Dallin H. Oaks' talk on what it means to really believe in Christ.  While all the talks were faith-promoting, I would like to focus on the words of Elder Matthew O. Richardson, Second Counselor in the General Sunday School Presidency.  This talk had special meaning for me, as Elder Richardson was once my religion teacher at BYU before being called as a general authority.

 Elder Richardson spoke today on the importance of being real: a real missionary, real priesthood holder, real member of the Church.  Part of being real in this church is the ability to teach others, and doing so by the Spirit, not in front of or behind the Spirit.  This means that we teach in line that the Spirit may teach, having put in our preparation time, but being open to the needs of those whom we teach.  Elder Richardson stated that teaching by the Spirit entails understanding that the Holy Ghost teaches each individual in a very personal way, and that he teaches by inviting, inspiring, and encouraging us to act.  As teachers we must utilize the Spirit to invite those we teach to learn for themselves, and to understand that learning comes line upon line, precept upon precept.  Elder Richardson ended by saying that we desperately need this type of real teaching and learning.

CONCLUSION
I hope you have enjoyed this brief synopsis of those things I found inspiring this weekend.  I know that the Brethren are ordained prophets, seers and revelators, and that they receive divine guidance from God for us.  I know that they see that which the world cannot, and are compass that we can follow in these days of turmoil and strife.  Let us be humble enough to hear their words, and with that same humility have strength to act in accordance with their words as taught by the Holy Spirit.

Have a great week!