Our LDS Life

One of my favorite talks from the last General Conference was by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the General Relief Society Meeting held in September 2008. He spoke on God’s happiness — the things that make Him happy, and how since we are made in His image, the things that make Him happy will make us happy. The two things he pointed out that bring God happiness are creativity and compassion.

President Uchtdorf made so many good points. These are a few that stood out to me:

“The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf,

“As we lift others, we rise a little higher ourselves.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Spencer W. Kimball, “The more we serve our fellowman in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls.”

“Work will cure your grief. Serve others.” President Hinckley

James Barry (Author of Peter Pan) said, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”

He ended his remarks with the following:

“In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance. Let us open our eyes and see the heavy hearts, notice the loneliness and despair. Let us feel the silent prayers of others around us, and let us be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to answer those prayers.

I have a simple faith. I believe that as you are faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, as you draw closer to him in faith, hope and charity, things will work together for your good. I believe that as you immerse yourselves in the work of our Father, as you create beauty, and as you are compassionate to others, God will circle you in the arms of His love. Discouragement, inadequacy and weariness will give way to a life of meaning, grace and fulfillment. As spirit daughters of our Heavenly Father, happiness is your heritage. You are choice daughters of our heavenly Father. And through the things you create, and by your compassionate service, you are a great power for good. You will make the world a better place. Lift up your chin, Walk tall, God loves you. We love you and admire you. ” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Relief Society Meeting, September 2008

I have found these words to be true, and it was a wonderful reminder of the fact! He gave me renewed determination to be more compassionate, to reach out and lift others, and to use my creativity in ways that will bless the lives of others.

I just got off the phone with a friend. We were talking about the blessings that come to us when we commit ourselves fully to the Lord, and also the sacrifices that sometimes he asks of us. She mentioned in passing how blessed she’s been in the area of friendships — how the Lord has given her so many wonderful friends. It reminded me of a quote by President Ezra Taft Benson. As I went to look it up, I found an entire article by him, and there’s just so much good stuff in here that I thought I’d post a segment of it:

“Christ’s great gift to us was His life and sacrifice. Should that not then be our small gift to Him—our lives and sacrifices, not only now but in the future? A few years ago my colleague Elder Boyd K. Packer said this: “I’m not ashamed to say that … I want to be good. And I’ve found in my life that it has been critically important [to establish this intention] between me and the Lord so that I knew that he knew which way I committed my agency. I went before Him and said, ‘I’m not neutral, and you can do with me what you want. If you need my vote, it’s there. I don’t care what you do with me, and you don’t have to take anything from me because I give it to you—everything, all I own, all I am—,’ and that makes the difference.” (“To Those Who Teach in Troubled Times,” address delivered at seminary and institute conference, Summer 1970, Salt Lake City.)

“Yes, men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life.

“Sacrifice is truly the crowning test of the gospel. Men are tried and tested in this mortal probation to see if they will put first in their lives the kingdom of God. (See Matt. 6:33.) To gain eternal life, they must be willing, if called upon, to sacrifice all things for the gospel. “If thou wilt be perfect,” Jesus said to the rich young man, “go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” (Matt. 19:21.)

Hearing this injunction, Peter said, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?”

To this query, our Lord replied, “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” (Matt. 19:27, 29; see also D&C 132:55.) From First Presidency Message “Jesus Christ — Gifts and Expectations” December 1988

Good stuff, don’t you think?!

This summer our family took a trip to Kirtland Ohio, Palmyra and Washington DC. This video  includes footage from the Johnson Farm … one of the places where Joseph Smith was tarred and feathered and also where he spoke the next morning to 200 people on the front steps of the Johnson home:

I’m reading Bruce Wilkinson’s The Dream Giver and thoroughly enjoying it. Our protestant friends know Bruce Wilkinson as the author of the popular The Prayer of Jabez. I love his work and have read the two little books that followed Jabez — Secrets of the Vine: Breaking Through to Abundance and A Life God Rewards: Why Everything You Do Today Matters Forever. A Life God Rewards is the closest thing I’ve seen in the protestant world to our beliefs about the blessings that God has for the faithful.

Anyway, back to The Dream Giver — fantastic book. There is this one paragraph that stood out to me that made me think of my calling as Young Women’s president. When I was called earlier this summer my first thought was, “I have risen to the level of my incompetence.” Anyone who’s been in the Church for very long has felt that way at one time or another. It seems God has a habit of asking us to fulfill callings that stretch our capabilities — in fact — many times He asks us to do things we KNOW we aren’t qualified to do. Why? So we’ll be humble enough to ask for His help and activate His grace in our behalf.

In “The Dream Giver,” I ran into another reason why God repeatedly uses this method in the Church. He’s building leaders:

Bruce Wilkinson talks about having lunch with his friend who is a leadership developer. Wilkson asked, “Based on your research and experience what would you say is the most important secret to developing world-class leaders?”

His friend said, “Well, it’s not a course, a lecture or a book.” When his friend went back to his meal, Wilkinson prompted him to explain. His answer was, “The single best way to develop leaders is to take people out of their safe environment and away from the people they know, and throw them into a new arena they know little about. Way over their head, preferably. In fact, the more demanding their challenges, the more pressure and risk they face, the more likely a dynamic leader will emerge.” (p 117)

Isn’t that the way it is in the Church? Ordinary men asked to be bishops and stake presidents. Ordinary women asked to be Relief Society presidents and Young Women’s presidents. After reading this, I kind of feel excited to see what God can make of me after a season as a Young Women’s president. As inept as I feel, maybe there’s hope for me yet!

I was speaking to a friend today. Like so many wonderful Christian women of various faiths that I’ve come to know, she is a spiritual giant from whom I’ve learned so much. Personally, I think this is one thing we Latter-day Saints could benefit more from — getting to know Christians of other faiths and really appreciating their tenacious and child-like faith. (But don’t get me on my soapbox).

Anyway, she was talking about prayer. She had the feeling that she was limiting herself in her prayers — that perhaps God had more power to display in her life if only she prayed a little differently. I immediately thought of the definition of prayer in the Bible dictionary:

“The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings” (Prayer, Bible Dictionary, p 753).

I believe that God has blessings literally hanging over our heads that he would love to give us, but we think too small and we ask too little!

Back to my friend … she wanted to know if it’s okay to pray for inanimate objects (such as buildings that have witnessed violent or tragic events) or perhaps for her own body if it was functioning improperly. “Of course!” I said. She remarked that some people would find it far-fetched to pray that buildings receive relief from the atrocities they’ve witnessed. But it reminded me of what my mother always taught me … that everything has a spirit … even the rocks. In particular, we as Latter-day Saints have clear evidence that the earth has a spirit and actually mourns!

In Moses 7, Enoch prayed for the earth because it was groaning under the weight of iniquity played out upon its surface. Seeing what would transpire leading up to the flood, Enoch wept over his people.

“And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?

And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah? And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.

And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah; And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand” (See Moses 7:44-52).

Enoch prayed for the earth (what we would consider an inanimate object) that it would be relieved of its suffering. It clearly was pained by the violence and iniquity wrought out upon its surface. What’s more, God heard and answered Enoch’s prayer!

Further, Amulek taught the people to expand their prayers:

“Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase.

But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith” (Alma 34:17-28).

Pray over everything! Nothing appears to be off limits, given it’s done in humility and love! What’s more, we should assist in making our prayers a reality. As James said, what good is it to pray “be ye warmed and filled” and not give to the suffering the things they need (James 2:16)?

Finally, my friend wanted to know if she could pray for people who have died without knowledge of Jesus Christ. She quoted the passage in Peter where Christ went and taught the spirits in prison. If they could be taught and rescued then, why not now? she asked. Could she pray that Christ’s voice would echo through the halls of hell and still rescue more souls? Naturally, she got my attention with that one and a wonderful discussion resulted.

I live for days like today when I stumble upon a diamond — someone who’s really thinking and asking questions — someone who genuinely cares about people and who can’t even bear that rock walls in old prisons should suffer from the atrocities they’ve seen. Whatever her path, God can work miracles with a heart like that.

For the last six weeks I’ve been dealing with relentless hackers who have been attacking my primary Web site - the one that supports our family of 8. Each time I feel like I’ve plugged the holes, they find another way in. Fortunately I don’t have any confidential data in my site that they can obtain, and we do make regular backups. But they do manage to mangle my site for a day or two each week.

Needless to say, this has been a constant concern and I’ve spent many 14-hour-days scouring code and making what repairs I know to make. In a way, I feel like I’m at war with an unseen enemy. I know the general countries my attackers are from, but not enough to pinpoint them. And perhaps it’s just as well. It’s easier to “love your enemies” or in the very least not “hate your enemies” when you don’t have a name or face to assign to them.

The real challenge for me over the last 6 weeks has been the loss of my normal life. Usually, I’d write an article for IAmJoyful.com each week. I’d post some blogs, I’d come up with new creative ways to promote my experts. I’d spend some time contemplating the young women over which I have a stewardship and how I could best serve them. I’d check in on a friend who’s struggling with her testimony. I’d write a book. I’d take more time to go for walks and ponder the important things of life. Instead, when I haven’t been traveling this month, I’ve been staring at code and attempting to keep an unseen enemy from destroying our family’s livelihood.

“I want my life back” has become my mantra. I long for the days when creativity was an active part of my day-to-day life. As I’ve contemplated this issue, I’ve tried to find the spiritual lesson within it. What am I supposed to learn from this? How can I learn it fast so I can move on? A few ideas have come to me and I’m adjusting accordingly. A couple days ago I received a script from a famous technical author. He was kind enough to share with me (at no charge) the defense he’s using against a similar assault. I’ve been able to integrate this “wall of security” on my site and am hopefully it will do the trick. Still, I must be ever-vigilant, checking and repairing code and constantly fighting to keep the enemy out until we can be certain the walls will hold. I’ve hired a team of experts to find my site’s vulnerabilities so we can repair them.

Today, as I was sitting in Sunday school, a parallel struck me between my current battle and the war Captain Moroni and his people waged against their enemies. In Alma 49, Moroni establishes “places of security” (Alma 49:5). He starts with the Nephites’ weakest cities and shores them up. He builds ridges of earth around the cities. His enemies attack what once were weaker cities, only to be confounded when they discover Moroni has been “altering the management of affairs among his people so that the Lamanites were disappointed in their places of retreat and they could not come upon them” (Alma 49:11). This made me think of the steps I’ve been taking to create walls and plug holes in my web code.

Through Moroni’s increased defenses, “the Nephites had all power over their enemies…not a single soul of the Nephites was slain” Alma 49:23.

What intrigued me about the Nephites was how they acted while they were at war — the kind of thoughts they had and their attitude. This is where I know I need improvement!

“The people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies” (Alma 49:28). Even though the Lamanites continued to attack them, they were still blessed, “There was continual peace among them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word of God” (Alma 49:30).

Captain Moroni and the Nephites did all they could to protect their lives, their liberty, their wives and their children. Then they were grateful every day. As a result of keeping the commandments, they continued to prosper, to be happy and grateful even when they were at war. They continued to function at their best. Life wasn’t all about their enemy attacking them!

I think there’s some great advice in this about how to deal with my situation. I’m doing all I can to defend my virtual cities, but that doesn’t have to make me miserable. It doesn’t have to destroy my peace or cause me to sink into depression. I can still prosper, be happy, and more importantly look to God in gratitude for the many blessings he’s given me and continues to give me along the way.

What about you? How does this apply to your life? Most likely you aren’t dealing with hackers, and you’re probably not waging a violent war, but perhaps you’re fighting your own spiritual, virtual, mental or spiritual battle. How can you use the lessons from Captain Moroni and the faithful Nephites in your life?

Do you ever like to just thumb through your scriptures and read the verses you’ve marked in the past? I love doing that every now and then. These are a few I’ve marked in Mosiah 27 -29 for example. As I’ve read through these, I see some wonderful truths about societies and their governments. King Mosiah is speaking here to his people. He’s been a righteous king but at this point in the Nephite history, Mosiah suggests they abandon their king-ruled society for a representative republic. It’s a republic because it’s ruled by law and it’s representative because it allows for elected officials. In essence, it’s a similar form of government to the one the Founding Fathers set up in the United States.

Mosiah starts off in chapter 27 by suggesting how they should treat one another as a society:

“That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.” Mosiah 27:4

He also makes it clear that this society will flourish best when the people have Christ in their hearts:

“And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters: And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.” Mosiah 27:25-26

Then, as he sets up judges, he concedes that it would be ideal if all their leaders were godly men because he says:

“Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just.” Mosiah 29:12

Next he explains to them why they should no longer have a king and why this representative republic is better than a monarchy:

“And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood. For behold he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; and he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whoseoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he sends his armies against them to war; and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness” (Mosiah 29:21-23).

“Therefore choose you by the voice of the people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord” (Mosiah 29:25).

The laws they were given, by the way, were the 10 commandments. Having given his people a representative republic with its great virtues, he warns them of the primary weakness of this form of government — the people themselves:

“And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgements of God will come upon you; yea then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he hath hitherto visited this land. (Mosiah 29:27)

“But I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land.”

We can learn a lot from Mosiah about the proper role of government and why it is so critical that we have a righteous society if we want to maintain a stable representative republic like we have (had?) in the U.S. If you’re interested in learning more about the proper role of government and the constitution, I recommend reading the US Constitution along with the Book of Mormon.

I’m sure you’ve had this happen to you … where you read a passage of scripture for the umpteenth time and it strikes you as it never has before. That happened to me Sunday in one of our classes. The teacher had us read Moses 5:8, “Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.” Then she asked, “how do you do everything in the name of the Son?”  She was teaching a group of young women and so she asked, “How do you do your homework in the name of the Son? How do you interact with your peers in the name of the Son?”

Which made me ask myself, “How do I build web sites in the name of the Son? Or promote experts in the name of the Son? Or wash dishes or do laundry in His name?” It’s something I’m pondering this week. Perhaps some of it goes back to the sacrament prayer, “that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.”

Is it a matter of remembering Him as we go throughout our day and our work? Does remembering Him as we do these things change the way we do them? Do we do them with greater excellence when we remember Him and thus have His Spirit to enhance everything we do?

Do we shine a little brighter, stand a little taller because He’s there in all we do? What do you think? What does it mean to “do all that thou doest in the name of the Son?”

There’s a common misconception that Latter-day Saints believe we have to “work our way to heaven.” Of course this isn’t true. Who on the planet would ever live perfect enough to “work their way to heaven?” The only person I know who lived a perfect life was Jesus Christ. All of us need grace to bridge the gap between our efforts and what God requires. I think Michaelangelo’s “Hand of God” would be the most accurate depiction of the LDS belief in Faith, Works and Grace.

We reach toward His reaching. We do what we know to do, repent as we go along, strive to follow Him more faithfully, and leave the rest to the atonement of Jesus Christ. I think the miscommunication about faith, works and grace between Latter-day Saints and other Christians boils down to the definition of the word “faith.” If faith means simply “having a belief in something” but not necessarily acting upon it, then Latter-day Saints would say you need more than faith. But Latter-day Saints use faith as an action word. True faith in Jesus Christ leads you to take action. What good is believing that a seed will grow if you never take action to plant it in the ground? Held in your hand forever, you’ll never taste the fruit. True faith makes you put that seed in the ground, and patiently hope long enough to enjoy the harvest.

I like the way Ether 12:3-4 puts it::

“…by faith all things are fulfilled — wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, making an achor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”

The action-oriented faith is clear in this passage. Faith makes you hope, and hope anchors your soul and makes you sure, steadfast, and always abounding in good works. This, naturally, brings glory to God. True faith changes your life. It transforms you into someone better. That is because when you humble yourself enough to act in faith on what God asks you to do, you activate His grace in your behalf. This is when amazing things happen and miracles occur.

As Moroni said, “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.”

If you want to pass the trial of your faith, you’ll take action upon commandments and spiritual impressions. As you step into the darkness, Christ’s grace is activated on your behalf. It doesn’t matter how untalented, weak or incapable you may be, with God all things are possible.

“And if men come unto me, I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble: and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me: for if they humble themselves before me and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).

One of the most singular beliefs of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that Jesus Christ visited the Americas after his resurrection from the dead. The centerpiece of The Book of Mormon is a record of this visit and what Jesus taught the people here right after his resurrection. One of my favorite parts of this account is found in 3 Nephi 17.

When Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them.

And he said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you. Have ye any that are sick among you? Bring them hither. Have ye any that are lame, or blind, or halt, or maimed, or leprous, or that are withered, or that are deaf, or that are afflicted in any manner? Bring them hither and I will heal them, for I have compassion upon you; my bowels are filled with mercy.

For I perceive that ye desire that I should show unto you what I have done unto your brethren at Jerusalem, for I see that your faith is sufficient that I should heal you.

When he had thus spoken, all the multitude, with one accord, did go forth with their sick and their afflicted, and their lame, and with their blind, and with their dumb, and with all them that were afflicted in any manner; and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him.

And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.

And it came to pass that he commanded that their little children should be brought. So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst; and the multitude gave way till they had all been brought unto him.

When they had all been brought, and Jesus stood in the midst, he commanded the multitude that they should kneel down upon the ground.  When they had knelt upon the ground, Jesus groaned within himself, and said: Father, I am troubled because of the wickedness of the people of the house of Israel.

When he had said these words, he himself also knelt upon the earth; and behold he prayed unto the Father, and the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude did bear record who heard him.

And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father;

No tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.

And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the joy of the multitude that they were overcome. Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise. And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith. And now behold, my joy is full.

When he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.

When he had done this he wept again; and he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.

And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

The multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.