Opposition in All Things

When Lehi preached to his sons that there must be opposition in all things, he was really on to something. This principle is not limited to theological discussions.  In the physical world, there are more examples than I could possibly enumerate, but here's a few:

• Gravity:  That which keeps us from flying off this planet is also that which causes us to fall down.
• Air Pressure:  Without it, many things wouldn't function properly (not to mention we wouldn't be able to breathe) but when we go biking our running, we don't like it and try to minimize it.
• Food Chain:  Without the perfect balance of predator vs prey, the prey is completely wiped out (and the predator soon follows).  Or we see invasive species which quickly move through an environment, to the detriment of everything around it.
• Muscles:  Muscles only atrophy with disuse, when they have none (or little) resistance.  Conversely, they only get stronger with increased resistance.

In physics, friction is a force that limits our inertia.  Friction slows us down, is the counter force to our applied force, and generally just makes things hard for us.  But if there was no friction, no movement occurs.  (You can see this principle in action if you try to walk after there has been freezing rain.)  Friction both slows your car down, and allows it to function as you apply a greater opposite force. Simple things like nails, screws, and bolts would not stay in place; a cork would not stay in a bottle; a light globe would drop from its socket; a lid would not stay on a jar.

It is the same with us spiritually.  Without any friction, we stagnate.  Our spiritual "muscles" atrophy, and we neither move forward nor progress.  But when we have friction, we groan and curse at our lot in life, pondering on the unfairness of it all.  We ask, "Why me?  Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?"

This will sound trite, but here goes: it's all part of the plan.  The plan was explained to us beforehand, and we agreed.  We might not have understood completely what we were in for.  "So, there is to be torture? I can cope with torture."

So why does it always appear so unfair from our perspective?  Because of our inability to see the whole scope and grandeur of the plan.  Life is fair...  Just not this segment of it.  This segment is filled with "individualized injections of irony", as Elder Maxwell put it, sore trials or temptations carefully crafted for us and expertly executed such as to give us maximum growth.  It is often the righteous who are called upon to shoulder the most difficult trials.

Remember, we are to cheerfully submit to all things that the Lord sees fit to inflict upon us.  Cheerfully.... right.....   How do we do that?  This implies that it is not merely enough to bear them or to simply endure.  We must overcome, be changed by, be refined by our trials and weaknesses. We must do the best we can with what we have.

It's also about attitude - not just the mental state (although that is helpful at times).  In aeronautics, the word attitude is used in airplanes to determine not only its direction, but its angle of attack into the wind and its stability against rolls.  Your direction might be right, but without watching your altitude, and without keeping the craft stable, you won't make it where you want to go.  We must be actively engaged in pursuit of our eternal goals.

Consider a sailboat.  A sailboat can maneuver its way to any direction, even somewhat paradoxically toward the source of the wind (a feat it accomplishes by tacking, travelling in a somewhat sinusoidal motion toward the wind).  It takes real effort, but it is possible.

It reminds me of a favorite poem:

One ship drives east and another drives west
With the selfsame winds that blow.
'Tis the set of the sails
And not the gales
Which tells us the way to go.
Like the winds of the seas are the ways of fate,
As we voyage along through life:
'Tis the set of a soul
That decides its goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

There are three things a sailboat needs for forward progress: a keel (which uses friction against the water to provide a counter force to the wind), a sail pointed in the right direction, and the wind itself, without which no movement is possible.

Our covenants are much like a keel.  They provide friction against the sea of false ideas and give us leverage to cut through.  If we have not made our covenants, or if their effectiveness has been ruined by breaking them, the effect is the same: we are blown about, unable to make forward progress, even if we hold our sail in the right direction.

Our sail is like our will.  When we are careful and meticulously give attention to its position, making subtle course corrections as necessary and trimming our sails appropriately (yielding our desire to his), we will make forward progress.  He has instructed us and continues to instruct us on how to match our will to the will of the Master, who has successfully made it through.  We can choose to go against or to ignore His guidance, kicking against the pricks, in which case we will go off course.  He doesn't give up on us, though, but will continue to try to influence us to come back on course.  If we cut off communication (which only occurs from our end), we will find ourselves adrift, subject to every wind of doctrine or current of temptation.

The wind is like our trials and temptations.  Paradoxically without them, we are stuck, trapped in a state where we cannot move forward.  In the midst of the storm, we long for respite, and petition God for reprieve.  We find it hard to fathom the reason or the utility of this strife.  We may not know in this life (and almost certainly not at the time) what the Lord has in store for us, the purpose for this trial or that.  Like in the poem, "Mine is not to reason why, mine is but to do ... ", but unlike the poem, and live.

President Kimball (no stranger to trial) said, “Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon sorrow and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery” (Faith Precedes the Miracle, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1972, p. 98).

God has prepared a way for us to pass through our trials and temptations.  The way is not obvious.  He will open the way as we have faith, and as we are faithful, and a the right time.

Though trials seem vast as the sea,
He surely will comfort thee.
He opens a way to walk through on dry land
As we put our trust in His hand.

- Come to the Mercy Seat

So, therefore, we are to go forth through our trials or our temptations, with cheerful heart because of our hope in Christ, casting upon Him our every care.  We will, like Paul, glory in our infirmities, as we know that they make us strong, stretch us, and can filter out our impurities.  We will keep careful watch on our attitude, set our controls the way He has instructed us, and monitor the radio for needed course corrections.

He will open the path for us.  But if not: happy day, all is well!  We will walk the path that He set for us.  And when the storm is past, if we have been faithful, we will know that He has carried us through, and that His ways are the right ways.  We will say, as Job:

He knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.  My foot hath held His steps, His way have I kept, and not declined.

Our Own Strength

In the third and fourth chapter of First Nephi, there is an interesting account of the return of the brothers to Jerusalem and their acquisition of the brass plates. Yes, this is a familiar story, but I think that some of the details in it warrant further discussion.

Background

In the first part of the Book of Mormon, Lehi, a prophet in Jerusalem at the time of Jeremiah, is commanded to leave the city. The Lord knew that the time prophesied by Jeremiah (and Isaiah, and others...) was about to enfold. Lehi, having seen in vision the destruction of Jerusalem, gathers his partially-willing family and supplies, and heads out of town into the wilderness bordering the Red Sea.

Let's assume for a minute that "the borders near the shore of the Red Sea" simply refers to the Gulf of Aqaba, a jut of the Red Sea on the east side of the Sinai peninsula. This is a distance of almost 180 miles. When Laban and Lemuel complain that it is hard, they have a point -- it's a significant journey each way! Lehi reminds his sons that the Lord commanded it. This great distance also gives some insight into Sariah's fears in chapter 6.


View Larger Map

Nephi accepts the assignment on simple faith, believing that the Lord will make it possible for them to accomplish the task.

The Interesting Question

Now comes the real question.  The Lord knew that they would need the plates as they were leaving Jerusalem.  Why then did he not have them get the plates while still there, or while they were closer to the city?

Here's my speculation on this:

• We read of Laban's character - he was a thief, and an attempted murderer.  It may have been out of safety that the family should be established out in the wilderness before the attempt could be made.
• The family's mindset needed to be sufficiently separated from their life at Jerusalem.
• And my favorite answer: Nephi needed to learn how to rely on the Lord, how to receive spiritual guidance, and needed to learn something about himself.

Attempt 1 - All we have to do is ask....

When they thought it would be hard, they were probably only thinking of the journey, and not considering that getting the plates might be the hard part.   "Oh, so we have to do a long, grueling journey, to pick up the plates from someone."

It seems that they gave very little thought to their first attempt to get the plates, relying on chance alone to determine the unlucky one.  Even Nephi, it seems, doesn't put any spiritual energy at all into it.

Of course, Laban doesn't go for it, and sends his guards to kill Laman, who high-tails it out of there.

This makes me think of the First Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War.  The common belief was that the battle was going to be easy (a laugh even), and that the Confederate Army wouldn't put up much resistance.  Some of the wealthy Washington elites, including some congressmen and their families, came to picnic and watch the battle!



The Union Army was defeated soundly, and had to retreat quickly (and were blocked by the panicked civilians in their carriages).  They were green, they were raw, they didn't consider the rebels to be much of a challenge.  They tuck their tail between their legs and head back to Washington in disgrace.

Laban turned out to be far more reluctant to give them the plates, and far more dangerous than they had ever imagined.  The sons lick their wounds, they are depressed and about to return in shame, when Nephi comes up with a plan.

Attempt 2 - My Way (good, my way... which way's my way??)

It seems like a reasonable plan, a good old-fashioned swap.  Nephi knows he's on the Lord's errand, and uses this fact to make the case for his plan.  It takes some convincing, but Laman and Lemuel (surprisingly!) come on board.  However, even though they're on the Lord's errand, they still only rely on their own strength.  When it doesn't work (not surprisingly, considering Laban's character), Laman and Lemuel go ballistic.

Perhaps up until this point, the idea of going back to Jerusalem must have seemed like a real possibility to Laman and Lemuel.  Now their family property is gone, and the avenue of return is truly closed.  (It's brought up periodically later until they actually board the boat, but after this they know there's nothing left to which they can return.)  They take out their grief and anger and fear on Sam and Nephi, and act in disbelief to the message of the heavenly messenger.  They honestly believe now that there is no way to succeed.

Attempt 3 - The Lord's Way

Nephi goes this time, with no specific plan other than to follow the Spirit.  His temporal avenues gone, knowing no way he could accomplish the task using his strength, he must rely completely on the Lord.  The Lord prepares the way, and he succeeds.

Nephi previously had prayed and received an answer about leaving Jerusalem.  The Lord had softened his heart.  Here he learns to rely on, and to listen to, the Lord's direction as he is proceeding forth in faith.

He also learns about the imperative nature of the scriptures, how necessary they are for our (and our posterity's) spiritual survival.  Interestingly enough, even Laman and Lemuel attach value to them - one of the laundry list of complaints the Lamanites held for centuries against the Nephites was that the plates were stolen from them.

His will to follow the Lord deepens, and is tested.  It becomes far more than the journey to pick up some plates; it is the making of a man of God, willing to submit to the Lord's will and able to walk into the unknown.

Lesson From This

I think the first lesson from this is: seek the Lord first.  When I get complacent about receiving direction, or act faithlessly or pridefully, I set myself up for failure.

A wise man does not willingly walk blindly into a minefield, after seeing the danger signs.  He reads the signs carefully, learns where the clear path is, makes a detailed map of it, and follows it carefully.  A foolish man walks out without careful consideration and acts surprised when he is caught.

I live in a world with spiritual mines all around me.  Complacency and pride are foolish.  I have seen the danger signs.  I have a map presented for me.  I can choose to ignore it, or to make blind assumptions, or to consult it infrequently.  I can see others proclaiming a shorter, easier path, and follow them instead of the map of safety.

Another lesson is this: the Lord has a plan for me.  My trials, my weaknesses, my talents, my strengths are given to me for a reason.  That reason is not obvious.  That reason is obscured from my limited view, as those challenges are what builds me, what helps me to move forward.  Some situations I may have will seem redundant, or unnecessary, or overly difficult, or overwhelmingly painful, but the Lord can and will see me through, but only as I submit to His will.

Modern Tools For Understanding Isaiah: Wikipedia and Google Maps!

I was reading through Second Nephi again (the Isaiah chapters), and found that my mind was glossing over it.  I wasn't getting anything out of it.  We know that Isaiah's words are important:

And there are many things which have been spoken by Isaiah which may be likened unto you, because ye are of the house of Israel.

The Lord Himself asked us to study Isaiah:

And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

I find, however, that my mind wanders and I tend to just push through it.  And yet we're supposed to rejoice over them:

And now I write some of the words of Isaiah, that whoso of my people shall see these words may lift up their hearts and rejoice for all men.

How can we rejoice over something we do not understand?  Nephi said that even those one generation removed from living at Jerusalem had trouble understanding his words:

For behold, Isaiah spake many things which were hard for many of my people to understand

They had Nephi there to give them a frame of reference!  What hope do we have?

I was musing on this problem while reading the 20th chapter of 2 Nephi (Isaiah 10).  The chapter heading says, "The destruction of Assyria is a type of the destruction of the wicked at the Second Coming".  While that is interesting, it doesn't help with verses such as:

9 Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

The problem with this verse is context.  With no context, it's akin to taking one of those word-game tests in school (apple is to helicopter as golf club is to ....?).  Meaningless.

It occurred to me that I could look these things up in Wikipedia.  They are names of cities in Syria that were destroyed by the Assyrian army.  I suppose you could use a World War II analogy:  "Isn't Amsterdam as Warsaw?"  (both taken over by the German army)  Or: "Isn't Hiroshima as Nagasaki?", "Is not Dresden as Tokyo?" - far away cities completely decimated by the incoming forces.  The news of the destruction of these cities and the ruthlessness of the Assyrian invaders was spread far and wide, causing a panic.

The same context problem shows up later in the chapter, starting in verse 28:

28 He is come to Aiath, he is passed to Migron; at Michmash he hath laid up his carriages.
29 They are gone over the passage; they have taken up their lodging at Geba; Ramath is afraid; Gibeah of Saul is fled.
30 Lift up the voice, O daughter of Gallim; cause it to be heard unto Laish, O poor Anathoth.
31 Madmenah is removed; the inhabitants of Gebim gather themselves to flee.
32 As yet shall he remain at Nob that day; he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

I looked up these name in Wikipedia - I wasn't familiar with any of them.  They are names of towns along the invasion route from Assyria to Jerusalem, each closer than the last.  I tagged each of them in my scriptures with the relative distance from Jerusalem.  I then had the idea to plot these places on Google Maps.



View Isaiah in a larger map

There you have it!  The Assyrian army is invading, the people are scared, and these "lines in the sand" are falling, one by one before the conquerors.

"The passage" is a crossable point over the ravine just south of Michmash.  The ravine's walls look pretty difficult for an army to cross anywhere but over "the passage".

Nob is right by the Mount of Olives, adjacent to the city.  Can you imagine the panic of the inhabitants of Jerusalem?  Here they've swept across vast portions of the country, and have reached the outskirts of the capital city.  Assyria's army is figuratively "shaking its hand" or "waving its raised fist" at the city.

The army taunts the people (who are under the rule of a good king, Hezekiah), as it says in 2 Kings 18:

28 Then Rab-shakeh stood and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and spake, saying, Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria:
29 Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you out of his hand:
30 Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.
33 Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
34 Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?
35 Who are they among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of mine hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of mine hand?
36 But the people held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

Hezekiah goes into the temple, and seeks the Lord's help (chapter 19):

1 And it came to pass, when king Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes, and covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord.
4 It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Rab-shakeh (he's the general of the Assyrian army sent to intimidate them), whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the Lord thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
5 So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah.

Isaiah's response from the Lord:

6 And Isaiah said unto them, Thus shall ye say to your master, Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7 Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.
10 Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

Hezekiah prayed again:

14 And Hezekiah received the letter of the hand of the messengers, and read it: and Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.

Isaiah's response from the Lord, a great promise:

20 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.
27 But I know thy abode, and thy going out, and thy coming in, and thy rage against me.
28 Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.
32 Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.
33 By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord.
34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David’s sake.

The Lord fights the battle, and the army retreats and goes home:

35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.
36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went and returned, and dwelt at Nineveh.

Wow, after all that, and as the Lord said, not a shot was fired into the city!

So what's the point for us?  We live in an age where there are wars, and rumors of wars, and where men's hearts shall fail them out of fear.  We live in an age where there is ruthless mocking of those who have faith, and there is an incoming tide of filth.  It's scary!  We've seen what has happened to other people distant to us, and now we're seeing it approaching our doors.

The Lord will fight our battles, if we put our trust in Him, and if we live as He would have us live.  Satan's bounds are set.  We can take courage - we know that God will protect us.

Wow, what was once a mind-numbingly painful chapter to read has become a powerful chapter for me! Thank you, Wikipedia and Google Maps!

Repentance

In the state of Pennsylvania there lies a small town called Centralia. It was a quiet, peaceful town, and had been blessed with tremendous potential: a large anthracite coal seam ran for miles underneath its borders. It had everything it needed to be successful, and the townsfolk had begun to tap into this vast economic treasure. 

One day, however, with an excess of town garbage, a determination was made to clean up the landfill by dumping the garbage into an abandoned open pit mine and setting it alight. This was done with the approval of the town council in spite of the dangers they knew it could pose.

The main part of the fire took days to extinguish, but the town failed to put out a part of the fire that had spread down into the coal seam. Although there were some signs of the fire burning beneath the town (carbon monoxide, smoke in random places, periodic stench of fire), and there were some futile attempts to deal with the problem, no one really thought much of it, and the effects were largely ignored.

Nearly fifteen years later, the gas station owner lowered his dipstick down into the underground gas tank, and thought that it felt hot. He lowered a thermometer, and was surprised when he saw its temperature: 175 degrees! The matter became even more of a concern a year later, when a giant sinkhole collapsed under the feet of a young boy, who was fortunately rescued.

With the danger now everywhere around them, smoke and carbon monoxide pouring out of cracks in the pavement, the town was laid waste and its residents all were compelled to leave. Its potential had been destroyed by first carelessness and then by complacency - ignoring the problem until it had grown far too late.

Some of us have started, through our carelessness, or even through explicit defiance of the principles which we know are right, a blaze within us that burns our soul, a little each day. Some days we do our best to ignore its effects and the pain it causes.  We see its effects spilling out of us, its toxic fumes being seen as anger and impatience with others. This turns into unrighteous judgment and hypocrisy, and eventually to complete disavowal of the principles that we ignored to get us in this mess.

We may realize the problem and make token efforts to quench the flames. While these efforts may help and seem like they have solved the problem for a time, the signs of the unresolved issue keep returning.

The only hope to resolve this problem is a price of unfathomable cost. The entirety of the problem must be excavated, just be laid open, so that the quenching balm may be administered. Concealment only continues the spread of the fire.  Our only hope is the healing balm of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He has paid the terrible cost, he provides the tools.

Our limited view sees the outside layer - "Do you mean we'll have to raze all of the buildings in town to open up our path to the coal seam?" - our own embarrassment at the situation, and the humiliation we may endure as the problem is out in the open. Yes, the only solution is His solution. No half measure will suffice. True repentance requires complete honesty, and complete abandonment of the practices that caused the problem in the first place.

The length of the repentance process depends on the size of the problem, but we must accept His timetable. We must acknowledge that His ways are the right ways, and seek no more to rebel against those principles we know are right.

I know this is true. I know that the Lord heals us, and helps us rebuild after the repentance is complete. He will remake us into something beautiful, something we cannot yet imagine. Trust Him!

Embracing the Atonement

The atonement is not an easy subject to contemplate. True contemplation of the atonement requires sincere and prayerful self-introspection.  We ponder on our lives and what we have done wrong. We consider the habits we have acquired (perhaps even addictions) that, as President Eyring said in this last conference, are like erecting a pavilion or barrier over our head. This careful pondering is the first step in repentance, first step to application of the atonement in our life. If we set aside what we have learned, set aside the enlightenment and inspiration we receive, and do nothing about it, then we make no forward progress.

What is the atonement about? What does it make possible? Change. Growth. Jesus Christ paid the price for us, for our sins, so that we are not lost, and can be changed from our lost and fallen state.  Alma says that there is "... a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God." Alma 42:4 It's a good thing that we have this time.  In fact, it's an opportunity (as Elder Tate said during our Stake Conference) to "Embrace the Atonement".

This is an interesting word, "embrace". The dictionary has several different definitions for the word embrace, one of which is to avail oneself of (to embrace an opportunity) President Monson strongly bore witness to this in the priesthood session: He said, "Men" - he was speaking to men, but could just as easily said women - He said, "Men can change". Perhaps I can use that as a mantra. "I can change."

Then comes the inevitable question, "How?". "I've tried", we think. "I've really put forth the effort. Several times I tried, but to no avail. In the end, I always seem to keep returning to where I was before, and I'm tired of fighting a losing battle."

I like analogies. I like to compare this struggle in our life to a contest on a show called "Top Shot", which is a sharpshooting contest. There is a head-to-head match where a group of targets are mounted such that they can swing back and forth. When you shoot one of your targets, it swings to the other side, and becomes your opponents target. You want to shoot all the targets over to the other side. Your opponent can shoot them back as you're trying to shoot others.  Early in your struggle it may seem that we are shooting a target, just to have it flip back almost immediately. It seems like we are matched against a superior opponent. And we are! But we have an ally, a far superior ally.  We need to turn our life to Him! We must be exacting in our sacrifice to Him. Prayer and scripture study are the bedrock on which we must build. After we start being exactly obedient in these things, we will see that we have increased power to fight this battle. We will be repentant and want to change.

We will have the courage to talk to the bishop. The bishop can help us to receive the grace (heavenly help) that is available through the Atonement of Christ, and through the power of the Priesthood, which he holds. The bishop's heart groans with compassion, and aches for those who are suffering, for whom the atonement could heal, but hold themselves back from true relief. People that he, as a common judge in Israel, can help through his priesthood keys. He can help us understand the true meaning of the scripture: "God sent not his son into the world to condemn [us], but that [we through him might be saved]."  (see John 3:16)

When our life is flooded with the things of God (with light), the evil things start getting pushed out. When we do this, the targets start getting pushed to the other side. We will feel like we are making significant progress.  We will even get to the point where all of them are on their side. But our enemy does not give up. We think, I am doing this! Here we see the pride cycle working in our life. The success that we see, the tangible result, makes us forget who is backing us up. We feel like we have arrived at our goal. We feel like we can rest - we can relax. We forget that it is our continual effort, which mostly involves keeping up our own spirituality, which is most important. We cannot stop doing those things which first helped us to start our change. If we do, our enemy will start making inroads. We become weak. We rely on our own strength, and we fail.

With a failure, we may feel like we have fallen back to the beginning. We will feel embarrassed and depressed and sorrowful about our mistakes. We feel despair, as though all we have done is worthless and that we have no hope to be free from these chains which hold us down. This is exactly what our enemy wants, for us to feed on these feelings. He wants us to be unhappy. He wants us to be miserable.  We cannot allow ourselves to fall in this trap. If we do, he will be able to shoot back all those targets as we have stopped shooting ours. We should quickly acknowledge our mistakes and start the repentance process.  We have to start shooting back immediately. But we cannot forget the source of the power we had to change in the first place. We must turn to the Lord. We must renew our exact obedience to His will. We must keep our supply line open to our true source of power.

This power, the Word of God, is like a sword that we can hold. The sword is an agent of change, a tool. This sword divides from us the "cunning and snares and wiles of the devil". (Helaman 3:29) It is like we are walking through a thick forest or jungle. Progress is extremely slow if we rely on our own strength. We may find the vines so thick that we cannot get through them. With a sword or machete, we can break through. Whenever we give up our grip on that 'sword', we lose its power in our life.  Lehi's dream compared the 'sword' (the Word of God) to an iron rod, again something that we can hold on to.  Those that held fast were protected, and those that let go fell away and were lost.

As we make progress, we can periodically look back over the trail and see where we have been and see the view from where we are. We must always humbly recognize by what power we have made it this far. We continue to hold onto the iron rod, for its safety and protection. We will not let go and walk over to the cliff of pride, for we know that the ground by that cliff is unstable. At any time that ground can give way, and wipe out the progress we have made. We know by looking up the trail that the view will be far better higher up. Our desire should be for that better view: the additional light, knowledge, and happiness that we can qualify for through our faithfulness, our faith, our repentance (which is our part), and overwhelmingly His divine help (His grace) and His mercy.

It doesn't matter where we are when we begin. It doesn't matter how vile a sinner we consider ourselves. It doesn't matter how worthless we may feel. He has promised that we can be forgiven, that we can be healed.  He was sent, as a physician, to the sick. It is His desire to make us whole. He does not send us away. Remember the woman taken in adultery.  Although her sin was abhorrent, the Master did not condemn her, and helped to place her on the path.  There is hope. There is a way. That is through faith on Him.

We can start to exercise that faith through daily prayer and scripture study. These are our lifelines. We might feel like we do not have time for prayer and scripture study. If so, we will need to adjust our priorities, drop something less important if necessary. We may feel like, "I don't know how to study or pray well, or what to do." Don't worry so much about the form of this at first. It doesn't really matter yet. The point is to start on that path, and gain access to that spiritual strength we receive by our sacrifice of our time and energy and diligence to do these simple things. Like everything, we'll get better as we work at it.

The Spirit will start to teach us. Remember, the preaching of the word has a more powerful effect on our minds than anything else, and that it has a great tendency to lead us to do that which is just. This preaching has its most powerful effect when we are poor in spirit, and when we are the one searching out this preaching. The greatest sermons (those of greatest impact) are those that we receive in private and that no one else hears, that we get during our daily personal study and prayer. We are taught as we read and study teachings by prophets (called servants of the Lord) and by our Savior. As we are receptive, we will receive personal instruction from God through the Holy Ghost. We can also seek help from our leaders, from priesthood blessings, and by reading our patriarchal blessing (if we have one).

Alma asked an important question, especially to those of the church: And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?  "Can you feel so now?" - the phrase is somewhat awkward. Let me ask the question a different way. Do you still feel that way? When is the last time you felt this way? Have you ever felt this way? Have you done what it takes to feel, or to keep feeling this way?

Another definition of embrace is “to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept willingly”.  Remember what Laman and Lemuel said to Nephi, “The Lord makes no such thing known unto us” in response to his question “Have you inquired of the Lord?” Remember the flying fiery serpents, and the brazen serpent that was lifted up? All the people had to do was look, and they would live. But many did not.

Brother Boswell in our bishopric shared an interesting analogy:

Late one afternoon, a package delivery man needed to make a delivery to a farmhouse in the country.  Upon approaching the porch of the farmhouse, the delivery man was greeted by an old farmer.   While conversing with the farmer, the delivery man could not help but notice the farmer’s dog.  The dog was lying on the front porch whining and howling.  The delivery man politely said, "Sir if you don't mind me asking, why is your dog whining and howling?"  The farmer responded, "He's lying on top of a nail."  The delivery man, in a confused tone, asked, "Why doesn't he move?"  The farmer responded, "Best I can reckon, it doesn't hurt that much."

Why did Laman and Lemuel not ask? Why didn't the children of Israel look? Why didn't the dog move? Maybe because the answer was too easy. It was too good to be true! Do we really believe it possible? Do we believe that His burden is easy and that his yoke is light?  

President Packer said that we are behind enemy lines. What does that mean? It means that there is real danger.  Are we content to ignore the warning signs of the incoming tidal wave of filth that is approaching us? Or are we moving to spiritually higher ground? Isn't it easier to walk (or better yet run) away than wait for it to overtake us, and then try to swim away from its extremely strong currents?  Are you leaving out of your life the things that really matter, at the expense of the things that really don't?  

I think of the scene at the end of “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. He's holding the girl's hand, trying to keep her from falling into the pit. She's trying to reach for the Holy Grail, which is just barely out of her reach.  He tells her “I can't hold on!” She doesn't listen, and falls. Then the ground by him gives way, and his father catches his hand. Now he is in the same position, trying to reach for the same thing. His father warns him, “I can't hold on.” And then his father whispers to him quietly, lovingly, calling him by name, “Let it go.” Is there something in our life about which we hear the still, small voice whispering, “Let it go”?  

Here's a spiritual gem I got from our last stake conference: “Distractions don't have to be evil to be effective”.  It is of no lasting significance that you got three stars on that angry birds level, or as President Uchtdorf so eloquently said, “Dedicating some of our time to studying the scriptures or preparing to teach a lesson is a good sacrifice. Spending many hours stitching the title of the lesson into homemade potholders for each member of your class may not be.” 

It does matter what movies I choose to (or choose not to) watch, what books I read, what music I listen to, and what links I choose to click on. It does matter what my response is to evil stimuli when it is thrown up in my face, for Satan doesn't wait for us to go looking for it. It does matter how we prepare ourselves for the battle of each new day, whether or not we strap on the whole armor of God, or not.  

Remember the Boy Scout motto - be prepared. Have you put on your armor today? Have you missed a spot?  Can I use a football analogy? Is there a gaping hole in your secondary? Have you slacked off in the off season due to laziness or even perhaps pride (my talent will carry me through), and now the conditioning and training of your line not up to par? The other team is just blasting through your line and you can't seem to stop them.  Do you feel like you're up a few touchdowns so you can slack off, maybe throw in the second stringers?  

Let's go back to Alma 5 for a minute. What is this song of redeeming love that Alma talks about? Is it something musical, a tune we don't know? Probably not. I thought of an iconic scene from a great movie, “Signing in the Rain”. Gene Kelly's character is walking home in the middle of the night, in a pouring rain. His movie had just flopped, he had every reason to be miserable. Yet his heart was light, in his heart was joy. The stormy clouds, the darkness, the pouring rain around him didn't matter, because of what was in his heart. 

Another definition of embrace is “to encircle; surround; enclose” Lehi said, “But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” It's a feeling of pure love, pure joy, pure peace.  That you might shout, or burst into song, because the happiness cannot be contained in your heart. It's overwhelming. Immediately you want to shout it out, to proclaim it, I have found it, found this pearl of great price, and want to invite my friends over to share in my joy.  

Paul wrote, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. This is not just talking about the future, after we die. It's for the here-and-now as well. The atonement can heal us.  We should resolve to start today.  

President Kimball said: “I am convinced that each of us at least some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures for ourselves – and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again.” In your life, with your continual struggles, have you tried the virtue of the word of God?  

Another definition of embrace is “to adopt, to include, to contain”. As a parent, how can I expect my children to learn these things from me if I have not practiced them? How can I bear resounding witness to something I have not experienced? As children and youth, how can we expect to be ministers of the Lord Jesus Christ if we have not followed him, and have no means to bear testimony of the fruit which we have not experienced?  

Have we read, or do we remember the struggles of those that came before, who embraced the atonement in their life?  Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.  And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not.  And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the chains of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you, Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did sing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved.  

What will it take for you to start?  Would it change things for you if the Savior appeared to you? Is a physical manifestation really the thing that would have greatest impact for you? I would argue, no. Of far greater impact for you would be to feel, absorb, and embrace the fruits of the real change -- the impact on our heart and mind that comes through personal application of the atonement in our life.

This need not be a wholly ethereal concept that cannot be measured.  We can apply the scientific method here.  As we learn and then with faith (even only a desire to believe) do His will, we will see and feel the tangible result.  Our rough edges will be shaved off.  Our desires will change.  Our ability to put aside the things that trouble us will increase.  We will be more and more like Him.  We will know that the fruit is good.

And when we do meet Him, we will fall at His feet, and praise Him for his goodness and mercy toward us, for we will know Him. Through His marvelous power we will have been changed, and we will be like Him. If we do His will, we will know of the doctrine, and know Him. And knowing Him IS eternal life.

Thus we must commit to walk the path each day, allowing Him to change us.  Make no mistake, this change is not a passive process, it requires constant care, effort and attention.  I know that we can and will succeed if we but do, because He has made it possible through His great mercy, immeasurable grace, and His love for us.

Starting a gospel-oriented blog

Why should I start a blog?  Hopefully I can use this one to share some of the (share-able) spiritual thoughts I have, as well as post good quotes, thoughts, and metaphors I encounter.  Primarily, I'm doing this for me, but I feel that there are others who could benefit somewhat or somehow from this.

And upon these I write the things of my soul ... For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children.  2 Nephi 4:15

I'd also like this to become my spiritual journal.  President Kimball repeatedly admonished us to start a journal:

On a number of occasions I have encouraged the Saints to keep personal journals and family records. I renew that admonition. We may think there is little of interest or importance in what we personally say or do—but it is remarkable how many of our families, as we pass on down the line, are interested in all that we do and all that we say. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us—and as our posterity read of our life’s experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted.  Spencer W. Kimball, Oct. 1979 General Conference

Lastly, I feel like it is an opportunity to share the gospel, to strengthen those that know, to help those who are falling or have fallen away, and to share with those who don't yet know the peace and joy and happiness that come from sharing the gospel.