Author: David A. Bednar
Source:
Student Devotional
Date given:
May 10, 2005
Location:
Brigham Young University
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Count Your Blessings
Author:
Mom
Source:
Date given:
Mother's Day, May 10, 2009
Location:
Sharon 6th Ward
Today while riding on a bus I saw a maid with golden hair.
I envied her, she seemed so sweet, and I wished I were as fair.
But then I saw her rise to leave, and as she hobbled down the aisle,
She had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I have two feet, the world is mine.
And then I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who sold them had such charm.
I stopped and chatted with him a while, he seemed so cordial and so warm.
It’s really been nice talking to you, he said, for you have been most kind—
I sometimes get quite lonesome here, because, well sir, I’m blind.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I have two eyes, the world is mine.
Then as I walked on down the street, I met a boy with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play. It seemed he knew not what to do.
I watched and then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?”
He just kept looking straight ahead, and then I knew he could not hear.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I have two ears, the world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go—with eyes to see the sunsets glow—and ears to hear the things I’d know—Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I’m truly blessed. The world is mine.
When you woke up this morning did you think about great it is to be alive and to have a new day to enjoy?
That your health is as good as it is, even though it may not be perfect?
Did you think about our Savior Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for us?
How blessed you are to have testimony?
Did you notice the beautiful world around you? The flowers, the blossoms....
Did anyone think about how blessed we are to not have to go miles and miles to church but can just run out the door the last minute?
On this Mother’s Day, how many have stopped and thought about how blessed we are to have mothers?
Did you take time to pray this morning? If you did, did you really think about your blessings?
During my father’s later life he loved to build things, garden, and read, especially in the scriptures. He was going on age 84 when my mother passed away. Over the next six years he experienced some major disappointments with his health. In addition to surgeries, he had macular degeneration, which got to the point that he could no longer see to read. Eventually it worsened so that he couldn’t distinguish faces to know who people were. His body became unstable, requiring a cane and then a walker, in order to get around. His mind began to forget things and this gradually became a big obstacle and frustration for him. He was no longer able to use his hands to build and do carpentry work as he had done throughout his life. He did what he could in the garden but soon his poor eyesight and unstable body made that impossible to accomplish. It got to the point that he could do very little on his own. This could be very discouraging to anyone –to not be able to do anything --and it was very disappointing to him. Often when he would be feeling badly about not being able to do something, he would tell me that he didn’t understand why he had to stay so long on earth in this condition but that he would endure as well as he could if that’s what the Lord wanted. Then, almost every time, he would add the words to the familiar hymn:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
He would then tell us blessings Heavenly Father had given him. Other times we would go over and find him discouraged and we would do the same with him – start reminding him about all of the wonderful blessings he had. This would help him cheer up and keep him going. Right up to the day before he passed away, my dad wanted to hear the song “Count Your Blessings”. I think this hymn became his theme to get him through his darkest hours. I saw first-hand that when you are feeling down, if you will think about your blessings, it will lift you up and you will see that everything is not as bad as you imagine and there is a lot of good.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly
And you will be singing as the days go by.
I would probably be right to say that everyone of us has had problems in our lives – different kinds, at different times and to different degrees. However, almost always, if we are willing to acknowledge it, after we have been through the trial, we can look back and see how the Lord blessed us and made that trial a stepping stone for us instead of a road block.
My sister and I were driving to Richfield and as we were talking, we decided to list as many blessings as we could think of. This went on for quite a long while until we got to Richfield. It was amazing how many things you can write down when you are really thinking about it. I realized that I could have filled more than one journal just listing all of the blessings I have received throughout my life. Look for the blessings! You will find them everywhere!
President Eyring gave a talk in October 2007 conference which changed the way I write in my journal and made me more aware of my blessings. Many of you may remember when he told us how we should ponder the question, “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch me today?” and then write down what we noticed. He said, “My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. Take the time to think of specific blessings that often go unnoticed and write them down. Then, whenever you are feeling down, pull out your journal and remind yourself of your many blessings.”
The following is a story from the New Era by Geri Christensen:
“It started innocently enough. Like most other children, I would sit by the window, look out at the stars, and repeat the chant:
“Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.”
Then I would close my eyes and make my wish. I wished for everything my childish mind could dream of: a pony, a puppy, a fairy godmother. I never got my wishes, but that was okay because it was all done in fun.
I grew older and stopped wishing on stars, but, unfortunately, I didn’t stop wishing. Now it took on a definite greenish tint. I wasn’t wishing for a puppy or a pony, but I wished I could be more like Kathy, because all the boys liked her, or I wished I had clothes like Linda’s.
Whenever I saw someone with something I didn’t have, I thought of how much happier I would be with it, so I’d start wishing for it. Almost everyone I met seemed to have something I didn’t have. I began to believe that everyone else had everything, and I had nothing.
Of course I began to feel sorry for myself. I’d whine, “If only things were different.” Or, “It’s just not fair!” Or, “Why me?”
So how did I ever find my way out of envy and self-pity? Believe it or not, I found my answer in the Church hymnbook. One Sunday I was sitting behind a girl who had the most beautiful hair. I was wishing that mine were that long and shiny, when we began singing “Count Your Blessings.”
Now, I had probably sung that song dozens of times, but it never meant anything to me until then. For the first time, I paid attention to the words. Why was I always wishing for things I didn’t have? Why did I feel angry and cheated because life wasn’t treating me fairly? The answer was right there in the hymn. I wasn’t counting my blessings. All I ever thought about were the things I didn’t have, which completely obscured my awareness of all the things I did have.
I went home from church and did exactly what the hymn said to do. I made a list of all my blessings. First came the obvious ones like home and family, and food and clothing. But then I wrote down other things like my personal strengths and assets, the many opportunities and positive experiences I’d had, my understanding of the gospel and the unique perspective that added to my life. When I added them up, I counted more than 100 blessings. Like the hymn says, I really was surprised.
I carried this list for a long time, and whenever I found myself slipping back into my old wishing habit, I would read the list. It always helped me to have a feeling of gratitude rather than one of envy and self-pity.
Finally the day came when I didn’t have to carry the list anymore because I no longer needed to wish for things. I was happy for others and their blessings, because I was more aware of my own blessings. I became so much happier once I finally quit wishing.”
When you look at others with their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.
Certainly money does not buy eternal happiness. We so easily forget that we came into the world without worldly goods and we will leave without them. Why, then, do we place them so high on our priority list while we are here? We should shift our thoughts to eternal goals and faithfully keep the commandments. By so doing, we will see many blessings come into our lives. A favorite scripture that I often think about is Mosiah 2:41:
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
On this Mother’s day I want to express my gratitude for my own sweet mother. She is a great example to me and my family. She has been gone from our presence for eight years, although many times I feel her near. As I was growing up, we didn’t have the newest house, a fancy car, extravagant vacations, the latest styles, or many of the things people in the world feel are important. But oh, how we were blessed. People might have classified us as more on the poor side but we were rich, indeed. We had everything money could not buy – especially loving parents who taught us about Heavenly Father and who helped us gain a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. My parents put high priority on their family and spent time with us. And what a blessing it was to me and my brothers and sisters. My mother went by the motto: Fix is up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” This helped her live within her means, even if it wasn’t a lot, and it helped her stay happy. She did not worry about what she didn’t have or things she couldn’t afford. She was happy and cheerful and made the best with what she was blessed with. She emulated our Savior in the way she went about her life. She looked for the good and acknowledged her blessings. She often told us, “You will find what you look for. If you look for bad, that’s what you’ll see and if you look for good, that’s what you’ll find.” She had extremely great faith and knew that Heavenly Father was watching out for us and was blessing us. She too, on many occasions, would remind us to think of the wonderful blessings we had. And she cautioned us to consider how the choice we were making would affect us eternally. She was an optimist and I can still hear her words, “Don’t worry, things will work out.”
When I think of blessings, I think of being cheerful and optimistic, because when you are aware of all of your blessings and are thankful for them, it makes you happy. Everyone can become discontented if he ignores his blessings and looks only at his problems. In the last general conference, President Monson said: “It would be easy to become discouraged about the future if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church…..” President Hinckley said, “I see so many people…who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”
So amid the conflict, whether great or small
Do not be discouraged, God is over all
Count your many blessings, angels will attend
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your many blessings; See what God has done
As you become more aware of your blessings, make your personal prayer more sincere by taking time to think before you pray. Ponder on the events of the day and thank Heavenly Father for specific blessings, such as having another day on earth, our health, our Savior and the blessing of the Atonement, our testimonies, the beauties around us, our mothers … … And as it says in Alma 34:38 “…live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.”
Author's Comments:
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Charity, Pure Love of Christ
Author: Ashley Day
Source: Talk
Date given: Feb 8th 2009
Location: BYU 117th ward?
\What is Charity? When I think of that question, I think of the scriptures, Moroni 7:47
“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
What is the purse love of Christ and how to we receive it? Max Caldwell said in a 1992 conference talk entitled Love of Christ:
People who have charity have a love for the Savior, have received of his love, and love others as he does.
So first we have to develop a love for the Savior. Bonnie D. Parkin said:
one thing is needful, to follow Him each day. Choose ye therefore Christ the Lord. Choose to feast upon His word. Choose to trust in Him above. Choose to wait upon His love. Choose to give Him all your heart. Choose ye therefore that good part.
We can make a conscious decision to follow Christ, and then carry out that decision. We need to study the scriptures, do our best to follow him, and cast our burdens on him. He loves us so much, and wants to help us with everything. If we rely on him and have faith in him, we can put all our troubles on his Yolk and carry it together. And then it will be made light.
To understand Charity, we must also have received of our Saviors love. Bonnie Perkin said in talk in 2003,
The one thing that is needful is to choose eternal life. We choose daily. As we seek, listen, and follow the Lord, we are encircled in the arms of His love—a love that is pure.
And in Elder Caldwell’s talk, he said:
Through his compliance with the severe requirements of the Atonement, the Savior offered the ultimate expression of love. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13.) And by permitting his Son to make such a selfless and suffering sacrifice, the Father provided us with an ultimate expression of his love as his gift to the rest of his children.
We have all experienced the Love of Christ through our daily lives and the atonement. I often fail to recognize all he has done for me. In fact, Our Heavenly Father has blessed us in so many ways daily, that I think it very well may be impossible to realize or understand every single way that we have been blessed. We are loved by the Savior and our Heavenly Father with a pure love.
To understand what Charity truly is, we must exercise Charity towards others. How did Christ develop this love? ________ Caldwell said,
Jesus’ love was inseparably connected to and resulted from his life of serving, sacrificing, and giving in behalf of others. We cannot develop Christ like love except by practicing the process prescribed by the Master.
Elder Marvin J. Ashton said, “Perhaps the greatest charity comes when we are kind to each other, when we don’t judge or categorize someone else, when we simply give each other the benefit of the doubt or remain quiet. Charity is accepting someone’s differences, weaknesses, and shortcomings; having patience with someone who has let us down; or resisting the impulse to become offended when someone doesn’t handle something the way we might have hoped. Charity is refusing to take advantage of another’s weakness and being willing to forgive someone who has hurt us. Charity is expecting the best of each other.”
Sometimes, it is hard for us to feel this love towards everyone. Or, sometimes we feel the love but have a hard time serving the person. For example, I spent 2 years as an RA in the Helaman Halls dorms. One of the years, there was a girl who I will name Sasha. Sasha was one of those girls who drove me crazy. I normally don’t have a hard time getting to know people or getting along with them but I really struggled with this girl. Our personalities just didn’t get along well. It got to where I would see her in the hall, and hope she didn’t see me, or try to find an excuse not to talk to her. I was her RA! My job was to be her friend and how was I supposed to do that if I didn’t want to talk to her? (I was very careful so she wouldn’t know how much I was struggling with liking her, so she wasn’t aware of that struggle I was going through) Missionary week was coming up where we are divided into companionships for daily scripture study, a tracting activity, etc. You were suppose to spend as much of your day as possible with this person, trying to make is as similar to a mission as possible. I knew if I did my plan, I would end up her companion, but I did it anyway. I prayed and asked Heavenly Father for help learning to love this girl. In the missionary week meeting, everyone picked companions and the last one was Shasha. She looked at me with a big smile on her face and said, Ashley! Looks like we get to be companions! I smiled to her had said yeah! I was not looking forward to the hour scripture study we would have the next day. I knew that the personality quirks that bothered me so much would be there and I didn’t want to have to put up with them. But we had it, and by the end of the study, I remember thinking, that went pretty well. I even enjoyed it. By the end of the week, I looked forward to the times I would meet with this girl. I loved our time together, and I learned to love her. She became a good friend and those things that bothered me, disappeared. I didn’t mind them anymore. I realized that it wasn’t her personality that was wrong, it was me. I needed to learn to have Charity and love her. We are still good friends today and I am so thankful that Heavenly Father helped me get over my own flaws so that I could have her as a friend in my life.
When we serve others and get to know them, we can learn to love them as Christ loves them and serve them as Christ serves them. I have been blessed in my life by having a unique family. One thing I have learned from my family, is a deep love for those who have gone astray from the Gospel. I have 2 brothers who have left the church and I would do anything possible to help them get back. But it has taught me about loving those who do things against what the gospel teaches. As I have watched there lives choices lead to where they are today, I think of how blessed I am for the choices I have made. These aren’t in material things or money. But in the peaceful and happy life that I live. It’s not that I don’t have trials or struggles. I definitely do. It’s that I see how much my life has been blessed by turning to the Savior in times of need, instead of rejecting him. But when I think of that, I think of those like my brothers who I love and I want them to have that too. I want them to know that they can rely on their Savior. That they can turn to him and cast their burdens on him. He loves them and will always be there for them. I wish they knew and understood that. I rely on my Savior so much, I want them to too. I want to do everything possible for those who are outside of the gospel path to come back. I often think of Christ’s love for these who have gone astray and how much he loves them as he holds his hand to them inviting them to come to him. As we develop this love for our fellow brothers and sisters, we can be an instrument in the Lords hand to help them find the Savior weather again, or for the first time. Charity is love those of our brothers and sisters in need and doing what we can to help them.
Through Charity, we are often blessed in our own lives. Sister Elain Jack said
Both the giver and the receiver are blessed. For charity purifies and sanctifies all it touches, and “whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him”
I had an interesting experience in class a few days ago. I was in a group vocal lesson and we were performing songs we have been working on. We are divided into study groups and my group has a total of 3 people in it. One of the girls in my group had hit her head ice-skating and so she was in a lot of pain a lot of the time. She got up to sing, sang a few notes and started crying. The teacher told her she didn’t have to sing and she, still crying left the room. The next girl in my group got up and started to sing, because it was her turn. I remember thinking, I hope that girl is okay, and then turning and listening to the other girl in my group. In my New Testimate class we have gospel principles or ideas that we apply to our lives for a week and then write a paper on our experiences. For this particular week, I chose, Stand as a Witness. As I was listening ot my other partner sing, my thoughts kept going back to the girl in the hall. But I though, Ashley, it’s almost your turn to sing. You don’t want to get in trouble because you aren’t here and left class. Then I though, “Stand as a Witness, what would Christ do?” I immediately knew the answer, he would be out there comforting his sister and not sitting in class worried about his grade. As soon as my partner stopped singing, I grabbed my water bottle and headed into the hall. I found her sitting on a bench still crying. I gave her some water, a few hugs and just talked with her. By the end of class, (which was only about 10 minutes later) we were sitting out there and she was smiling and laughing again. I walked her to her next destination, dinner at the cannon center, and then walked home. I felt so uplifted, I had listened to a prompting, found a new friend, and learned more about Charity.
I would like to end with a quote from Sister Elain jack,
The greatest acts of charity come from giving of yourself and receiving expressions of charity with humility as well. President Spencer W. Kimball illustrated this truth in an inspiring example. He said: “[The Savior’s] gifts were rare ones: eyes to the blind, ears to the deaf, and legs to the lame; cleanliness to the unclean, wholeness to the infirm, and breath to the lifeless. His gifts were … forgiveness to the repentant, hope to the despairing. His friends gave him shelter, food, and love. He gave them of himself, his love, his service, his life. … We should strive to give as he gave. To give of oneself is a holy gift” I’ve thought about this: “To give of oneself is a holy gift.” “We should strive to give as he gave.” What wise counsel! When we give our time, our energy, our commitment, our testimony to others, we are giving of ourselves. We are sharing intangibles, not easily left on the doorstep but easily deposited in the heart.
When we love Christ, feel his love, and give of ourselves to others, we can have a true love for others and really learn to feel for them and love them as Christ feels for them and loves them and us.
I know that this church is true and that we truly can rely on our Savior. I know that through his help, we can develop charity, a pure love of Christ for all those around us. I love my Savior and am so thankful for all the blessing I have. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Author's Comments:
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Remember Lot's Wife
Author: Jeffery R. Holland
Source: Speeches.byu.edu
Date given: January 13, 2009
Location: Marriott Center
You all look so good. Sister Holland walked in and said, “I think I’m going to cry.” You have to understand: Give yourselves 20 or 30 years—then you’ll know how we feel coming back here.
We love this campus. We’re thrilled to be with you on it, and we love you personally with all our hearts.
You have had, will have, and now have better university presidents than I was, but you’ll never have one who loves you and loves this university more than I do. Thank you for serving here, and thank you for being in attendance on a bright, clear, January morning.
We are grateful to President and Sister Samuelson for their kindness and their leadership at this university. We actually know something about their jobs and what they entail. You and we are very lucky to have them at the helm of this special school, and we praise them publicly for the time they spend, the success they are having, and the strength that they bring. I loved every word of their counsel to you last week, and I pray that my remarks to you today are consistent with their messages about light, about trust, and about the privilege it is to have the gospel of Jesus Christ enhance our study at BYU. President and Sister Samuelson, we do love you. You have our prayers, our gratitude, and our support.
The start of a new year is the traditional time to take stock of our lives and see where we are going, measured against the backdrop of where we have been. I don’t want to talk to you about New Year’s resolutions, because you only made five of them and you have already broken four. (I give that remaining one just another week.) But I do want to talk to you about the past and the future, not so much in terms of New Year’s commitments per se, but more with an eye toward any time of transition and change in your lives—and those moments come virtually every day of our lives.
As a scriptural theme for this discussion, I have chosen the second-shortest verse in all of holy scripture. I am told that the shortest verse—a verse that every missionary memorizes and holds ready in case he is called on spontaneously in a zone conference—is John 11:35: “Jesus wept.” Elders, here is a second option, another shortie that will dazzle your mission president in case you are called on two zone conferences in a row. It is Luke 17:32, where the Savior cautions, “Remember Lot’s wife.”
Hmmm. What did He mean by such an enigmatic little phrase? To find out, I suppose we need to do as He suggested. Let’s recall who Lot’s wife was.
The original story, of course, comes to us out of the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, when the Lord, having had as much as He could stand of the worst that men and women could do, told Lot and his family to flee because those cities were about to be destroyed. “Escape for thy life,” the Lord said, “look not behind thee . . . ; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed” (Genesis 19:17; emphasis added).
With less than immediate obedience and more than a little negotiation, Lot and his family ultimately did leave town, but just in the nick of time. The scriptures tell us what happened at daybreak the morning following their escape:
The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven;
And he overthrew those cities. [Genesis 19:24–25]
Then our theme today comes in the next verse. Surely, surely, with the Lord’s counsel “look not behind thee” ringing clearly in her ears, Lot’s wife, the record says, “looked back,” and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
In the time we have this morning, I am not going to talk to you about the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, nor of the comparison the Lord Himself has made to those days and our own time. I am not even going to talk about obedience and disobedience. I just want to talk to you for a few minutes about looking back and looking ahead.
One of the purposes of history is to teach us the lessons of life. George Santayana, who should be more widely read than he is on a college campus, is best known for saying, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (Reason in Common Sense, vol. 1 of The Life of Reason [1905–1906]).
So, if history is this important—and it surely is—what did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? As something of a student of history, I have thought about that and offer this as a partial answer. Apparently what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before they were past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her. As Elder Maxwell once said, such people know they should have their primary residence in Zion, but they still hope to keep a summer cottage in Babylon (see Larry W. Gibbons, “Wherefore, Settle This in Your Hearts,” Ensign, November 2006, 102; also Neal A. Maxwell, A Wonderful Flood of Light [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1990], 47).
It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind. We certainly know that Laman and Lemuel were resentful when Lehi and his family were commanded to leave Jerusalem. So it isn’t just that she looked back; she looked back longingly. In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future. That, apparently, was at least part of her sin.
So, as a new year starts and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone, nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead, we remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives. So a more theological way to talk about Lot’s wife is to say that she did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently she thought—fatally, as it turned out—that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as those moments she was leaving behind.
It is here at this moment in this little story that we wish Lot’s wife had been a student at BYU enrolled in a freshman English class. With any luck, she might have read, as I did, this verse from Edwin Arlington Robinson:
Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,
Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;
He wept that he was ever born,
And he had reasons.
Miniver loved the days of old
When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;
The vision of a warrior bold
Would set him dancing.
Miniver sighed for what was not,
And dreamed, and rested from his labors;
He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,
And Priam’s neighbors. . . .
Miniver cursed the commonplace
And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;
He missed the medieval grace
Of iron clothing. . . .
Miniver Cheevy, born too late,
Scratched his head and kept on thinking;
Miniver coughed, and called it fate,
And kept on drinking.
[Miniver Cheevy (1910), stanzas 1–3, 6, 8]
To yearn to go back to a world that cannot be lived in now; to be perennially dissatisfied with present circumstances and have only dismal views of the future; to miss the here-and-now-and-tomorrow because we are so trapped in the there-and-then-and-yesterday—these are some of the sins, if we may call them that, of both Lot’s wife and old Mr. Cheevy. (Now, as a passing comment, I don’t know whether Lot’s wife, like Miniver, was a drinker, but if she was, she certainly ended up with plenty of salt for her pretzels.)
One of my favorite books of the New Testament is Paul’s too-seldom-read letter to the Philippians. After reviewing the very privileged and rewarding life of his early years—his birthright, his education, his standing in the Jewish community—Paul says that all of that was nothing (“dung” he calls it) compared to his conversion to Christianity. He says, and I paraphrase: “I have stopped rhapsodizing about ‘the good old days’ and now eagerly look toward the future ‘that I may apprehend that for which Christ apprehended me.’” Then comes this verse:
This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:13–14]
No Lot’s wife here. No looking back at Sodom and Gomorrah here. Paul knows it is out there in the future, up ahead wherever heaven is taking us where we will win “the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
At this point, let me pause and add a lesson that applies both in your own life and also in the lives of others. There is something in us, at least in too many of us, that particularly fails to forgive and forget earlier mistakes in life—either mistakes we ourselves have made or the mistakes of others. That is not good. It is not Christian. It stands in terrible opposition to the grandeur and majesty of the Atonement of Christ. To be tied to earlier mistakes—our own or other people’s—is the worst kind of wallowing in the past from which we are called to cease and desist.
I was told once of a young man who for many years was more or less the brunt of every joke in his school. He had some disadvantages, and it was easy for his peers to tease him. Later in his life he moved away from his community. He eventually joined the army and had some successful experiences there in getting an education and generally stepping away from his past. Above all, as many in the military do, he discovered the beauty and majesty of the Church and became very active and happy in it.
Then, after several years, he came back to the town of his youth. Most of his generation had moved on, but not all. Apparently when he returned quite successful and quite reborn, the same old mind-set that had existed before was still there, waiting for his return. To the people in his hometown he was still just old “so and so”—you remember the guy who had the problem, that idiosyncrasy, this quirky nature, and did such and such and such and such. And wasn’t it all just hilarious?
Well, you know what happened. Little by little this man’s Pauline effort to leave that which was behind and grasp the prize that God had laid before him was gradually diminished until he died about the way he had lived in his youth. He came full circle: again inactive and unhappy and the brunt of a new generation of jokes. Yet he had had that one bright, beautiful midlife moment when he had been able to rise above his past and truly see who he was and what he could become. Too bad, too sad, that he was again to be surrounded by a whole batch of Lot’s wives, those who thought his past was more interesting than his future. Yes, they managed to rip out of his grasp that for which Christ had grasped him. And he died even more sadly than Miniver Cheevy, though as far as I know the story, through absolutely no fault of his own.
That happens in marriages, too, and in other relationships we have. I can’t tell you the number of couples I have counseled who, when they are deeply hurt or even just deeply stressed, reach farther and farther into the past to find yet a bigger brick to throw through the window “pain” of their marriage. When something is over and done with, when it has been repented of as fully as it can be repented of, when life has moved on as it should and a lot of other wonderfully good things have happened since then, it is not right to go back and open up some ancient wound that the Son of God Himself died trying to heal.
Let people repent. Let people grow. Believe that people can change and improve. Is that faith? Yes! Is that hope? Yes! Is it charity? Yes! Above all, it is charity, the pure love of Christ. If something is buried in the past, leave it buried. Don’t keep going back with your little sand pail and beach shovel to dig it up, wave it around, and then throw it at someone, saying, “Hey! Do you remember this?” Splat!
Well, guess what? That is probably going to result in some ugly morsel being dug up out of your landfill with the reply, “Yeah, I remember it. Do you remember this?” Splat.
And soon enough everyone comes out of that exchange dirty and muddy and unhappy and hurt, when what God, our Father in Heaven, pleads for is cleanliness and kindness and happiness and healing.
Such dwelling on past lives, including past mistakes, is just not right! It is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is worse than Miniver Cheevy, and in some ways worse than Lot’s wife, because at least there he and she were only destroying themselves. In these cases of marriage and family and wards and apartments and neighborhoods, we can end up destroying so many, many others.
Perhaps at this beginning of a new year there is no greater requirement for us than to do as the Lord Himself said He does: “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more” (D&C 58:42).
The proviso, of course, is that repentance has to be sincere, but when it is and when honest effort is being made to progress, we are guilty of the greater sin if we keep remembering and recalling and rebashing someone with their earlier mistakes—and that “someone” might be ourselves. We can be so hard on ourselves, often much more so than with others!
Now, like the Anti-Nephi-Lehies of the Book of Mormon, bury your weapons of war, and leave them buried. Forgive, and do that which is harder than to forgive: Forget. And when it comes to mind again, forget it again.
You can remember just enough to avoid repeating the mistake, but then put the rest of it all on the dung heap Paul spoke of to those Philippians. Dismiss the destructive and keep dismissing it until the beauty of the Atonement of Christ has revealed to you your bright future and the bright future of your family and your friends and your neighbors. God doesn’t care nearly as much about where you have been as He does about where you are and, with His help, where you are willing to go. That is the thing Lot’s wife didn’t get—and neither did Laman and Lemuel and a host of others in the scriptures.
This is an important matter to consider at the start of a new year—and every day ought to be the start of a new year and a new life. Such is the wonder of faith and repentance and the miracle of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We started this hour with a little verse remembered from one of my BYU English classes. May I move toward a close with a few lines from another favorite poet whom I probably met in that same class or one similar to it. For the benefit of all BYU students in the new year of 2009, Robert Browning wrote:
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saith, “A whole I planned,
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!”
[Rabbi Ben Ezra (1864), stanza 1]
Sister Holland and I were married about the time both of us were reading poems like that in BYU classrooms. We were as starstruck—and as fearful—as most of you are at these ages and stages of life. We had absolutely no money. Zero. For a variety of reasons, neither of our families was able to help finance our education. We had a small apartment just south of campus—the smallest we could find: two rooms and a half bath. We were both working too many hours trying to stay afloat financially, but we had no other choice.
I remember one fall day—I think it was in the first semester after our marriage in 1963—we were walking together up the hill past the Maeser Building on the sidewalk that led between the President’s Home and the Brimhall Building. Somewhere on that path we stopped and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. Life that day seemed so overwhelming, and the undergraduate plus graduate years that we still anticipated before us seemed monumental, nearly insurmountable. Our love for each other and our commitment to the gospel were strong, but most of all the other temporal things around us seemed particularly ominous.
On a spot that I could probably still mark for you today, I turned to Pat and said something like this: “Honey, should we give up? I can get a good job and carve out a good living for us. I can do some things. I’ll be okay without a degree. Should we stop trying to tackle what right now seems so difficult to face?”
In my best reenactment of Lot’s wife, I said, in effect, “Let’s go back. Let’s go home. The future holds nothing for us.”
Then my beloved little bride did what she has done for 45 years since then. She grabbed me by the lapels and said, “We are not going back. We are not going home. The future holds everything for us.”
She stood there in the sunlight that day and gave me a real talk. I don’t recall that she quoted Paul, but there was certainly plenty in her voice that said she was committed to setting aside all that was past in order to “press toward the mark” and seize the prize of God that lay yet ahead. It was a living demonstration of faith. It was “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). So we laughed, kept walking, and finished up sharing a root beer—one glass, two straws—at the then newly constructed Wilkinson Center.
Twenty years later I would, on occasion, look out of the window of the President’s Home across the street from the Brimhall Building and picture there on the sidewalk two newlywed BYU students, down on their money and down even more on their confidence. And as I would gaze out that window, usually at night, I would occasionally see not Pat and Jeff Holland but you and you and you, walking that same sidewalk. I would see you sometimes as couples, sometimes as a group of friends, sometimes as just a lone student. I knew something of what you were feeling. Some of you were having thoughts such as these: Is there any future for me? What does a new year or a new semester or a new major or a new romance hold for me? Will I be safe? Will life be sound? Can I trust in the Lord and in the future? Or would it be better to look back, to go back, to go home?
To all such of every generation, I call out, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the “high priest of good things to come.”
My young brothers and sisters, I pray you will have a wonderful semester, a wonderful new year, and a wonderful life all filled with faith and hope and charity. Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep, and I leave a blessing on you—every one of you—to be able to do so and to be happy, in the name of Him who makes it all possible, even the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Tenderness of Compassion
Author: R
Source: Research paper, New Testament class RelA211 at BYU-Provo
Date given: December 8, 2008
Getting up early one morning, the morning news is heard in the background while breakfast is prepared. The television is on in the next room, where a program is being presented to sponsor poor families in another country. You ignore that extra noise, and instead turn your attention to your son who happened to be up late the previous night. Before letting him speak, you lecture him on how it is his fault he is tired and how he should not wake you up when he gets home late. Your wife burns your toast, your car does not start, and when you finally make it to work that day, your classes of students are exceptionally distracted due to upcoming finals. That only irritates you more and you wonder why everybody is out to make your day bad. What this father does not realize is that arrogance is blocking him from showing what Christ would show for him: compassion because his day was not going well.
Compassion is more than just feeling sorry for someone else, although this is a big step in the right direction. It is the humane and often divine quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.1 There is no greater example of this than our Savior Jesus Christ. During his mortal ministry he exemplified compassion on everyone He met. Christ showed that many fundamental doctrinal concepts—such as mercy, time, service, sympathy, love, and endurance—together create the godly attribute of compassion. But when broken down, His divine concepts can be seen as a list of steps that one progresses through when showing the action of compassion towards another person. We must initially seek out those we can help, act and sacrifice for their benefit, and remember them even after the situation fades away.
The first thing one must do to show compassion is to forget oneself and make the active effort to look towards others. Do not get so caught up in your schedule that helping others is a hindrance to your busy day. Instead, make it a part of your day. A wonderful neighbor decided to do one act of kindness each day. She was very busy in school and work, but still set apart some time to think and genuinely help someone else, even if the gesture was small. After a few months it was easy to see that she was genuinely happier.
In our families we must take time to notice opportunities to show compassion. It is very common to see advertisements put out by the church on television and radio where the message always played contains "...isn't is about time?" How amazing it is that when we take time for others, we are the ones really blessed.
Home is the perfect place to foster the seeds of love and compassion, for what children see is what they often do. In an ever-increasing sinful world, now more than ever we should teach our children to show love for others. Growing up emotionally healthy is very critical in a child's life because they are developing mentally over time; adults are no different. Our children need a loving touch and words of love and encouragement. However, their greatest need is a spiritual need that comes from spiritual guidance. Physical infirmities moved Jesus with compassion, but there was the greater illness of spiritual sickness.2 "...When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"3 The laborers are us, and we are shepherds for each other.
In the land Jesus lived during his mortal ministry, many shepherds kept sheep. There were two types of people: sheepherders and shepherds. A sheepherder moves a mass of sheep from behind. This is like how Satan wants to force the human race forward without choices and agency. A shepherd, on the other hand, led the group from front, and the sheep followed in a line because they wanted to and they esteemed and trusted their leader. 4 That is why Christ is known as the Great Shepherd. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 5
Taking time to realize others and their problems allows you to focus on them and not your trials, and in turn, your burden becomes lighter. The apostle John recorded this exchange between the Lord and His disciples, that, "In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat.' But He said to them, 'I have food to eat of which you do not know.' Therefore the disciples said to one another, 'Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!'"6 Jesus was saying physical food is not as important as spiritual meat and spiritual responsibilities. Those needs are met in home and as you forget your own trials and take upon those of others.
It may be considered by some that showing kindness is a form of weakness, and that you are stooping down to a lower level. That is exactly what must be done, for Christ did it many times. When eating with sinners and publicans, He said, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."7 In the play Camelot,8 King Arthur makes the profound statement of, “Violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness.”--and neither is helping others.
Actively focusing on others may be a challenge when it comes to those you do not like. That brings the next step of showing compassion: action. Just like it was a sacrifice to initially help someone, there may be a need to sacrifice resources and even more so, your time. Seeing someone in peril and not doing anything about it will not aid them. Similarly, finding your enemies and helping them will rid you of enmity and unforgiving tendencies. Jesus was full aware of healing outcasts, terminally ill, or the physically challenged. But that did not stop him. He knew the suffering He would undergo for His own brethren who hated him. However, he grieved not for himself, but for them.
Christ even loved his enemies to the end. Judas, the betrayer, was held in high honor at the last supper. At the table, Judas was in the spot where the highest guest of honor would sit. Jesus washed Judas's feet as a token of a Passover gift. Christ even dipped unleavened bread into the communal stew and gave the sop to Judas, an extremely high honor. These actions were a display of love for his enemies even to the end of His life in the Passover, the trials, and the crucifixion. He spent time with those he loved the most: all men.
Spending time provides an example and is an action that shows true care. The expression, "Jesus wept,"9 is a revealing passage on compassion. Those who were present on the occasion of Lazarus' death saw the tears as tokens of love and compassion for a departed friend and loved one. The apostle Paul later said, "Weep with those who weep."10 Christ did not say anything, but his example displayed loving care. Examples shine brighter than the sun and write longer novels than any dictionary could produce. "...Whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."11 Not only what we say, but also what we do is very important.
Do not be afraid of the gesture to give a sad child a hug or give the elderly neighbor a handshake. While on earth, Christ showed his willingness to love by His touch. His hands touched the sick so they could heal. "Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'"12 People were fearful of lepers and leprosy. Lepers were outcast and separated from society. Yet, Jesus was willing not only to heal this individual but He reached out to him and touched him. In another instance, Jesus had compassion on the blind, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight and they followed him.13
One does not have to perform miracles or solve worldwide problems to be great in the sight of God. Oftentimes joy comes in helping one person. In Luke, Jesus teaches by the parable the importance of one soul. The case of the prodigal son is a picture of compassion for the penitent, for those who are willing to turn from sin and to come back to God. After wasting his inheritance, the son came sullenly back home expecting to be shamed. "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. . . For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."14 Elder Scott said, “We are not second-class citizens of the Celestial Kingdom.” The creation shows who we are, and the Fall shows the condition we are in (carnal state). The lie comes—like it did to the prodigal son—that the condition you are in defines who you are. That is not true. The degree of mercy we show to others will show and indicate how close we are to God.
The prodigal son had a very loving father who wanted to help his wayward son and was charitable by being sensitive to his predicament. When approaching someone you desire to help, it is important to be sensitive to his or her feelings. Pray for help to see them as God does.26 This includes not exercising unrighteous judgment. When confronted with a woman in adultery, Jesus told the accusers, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."15 The Master later said, "Woe unto you. . . for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers."16 You cannot pass judgment and blame when you yourself have not dealt with that trial. The only thing you can do is try your best to help them, for that is all God asks of us. After that we must leave the rest of the world for Him to judge, for "He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice."17 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus rebuked this unrighteous judgment by saying, "first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."18 When you are not clouded by your hypocrisy, the Holy Ghost will prompt what to say and do in the appropriate time.
But no matter how sensitive you might be, you must look at your own intent. Did the father want his prodigal son back that he might use him as another servant of the house, or did Christ eternally condemn the adulterer? In situations that arise today, is the purpose of giving them counsel for your own benefit and gain? Do you desire to know their problems that you might gain the upper hand, feel superior, and spread gossip? None of these reasons are in harmony with the church. Bishops do not share personal trials of ward members in sacrament meeting. Similarly, true friends do not use information to gain power and hurt the one in need. Consider the motives behind the counsel, and that will show the real intent behind your actions. When we are sensitive to the soul's value and the destination of the disobedient, hearts will be filled with compassion as tears fill the eyes. We will work hard to ignite the Light of Christ to the entire world. Compassion will compel us to do so. 2 Our savior set the example by ending His life with the greatest act of compassion possible: the Atonement.
Reading passages from the New Testament makes one realize how often the words "Jesus was moved with compassion" appears. In the New Testament alone "compassion" appears nineteen times, showing its critical importance. But what does it mean to be 'moved with compassion'? Sometimes there are problems that cannot be solved quickly but take time. It also means that you are aware of their needs and place yourself in their position. "Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting."19 Being in similar situations make you a better teacher, although that cannot always be the case. Helping a friend overcome alcoholism when you have never drank can be difficult. But it is not addictive sin that always calls the need for help.
A bishop once traveled to Africa to help a poor village. He met a family where both parents had passed away and the oldest son of six--at the tender age of ten--was taking care of the family. There was little hope for a bright future, and they constantly wondered when or if they would get another meal. The bishop tried to help the best he knew, but the young boy refuted saying, "You do not know what it is like. You've never been in that situation. You do not know what it is like to be hungry and hear your sisters crying all night from the cold." With tears in his eyes, the bishop said, "No, I don't, and I probably will never have the same situation. But I know someone who does know what it is like. Christ Jesus has suffered for the pains you are facing. He knows what it feels like." For the next few years, when the bishop had business in Africa and would always visit that small family. Eventually they grew up into teenagers, and humbly told him that the only way they got through those dark and cold nights were because of his consoling that someone, Christ, did know them and understood what they were feeling. Seeing the bishop return each year reminded them of this important message. Remember those you help and return to them, for in saving others we save ourselves.20
Perhaps one of the better known stories of biblical compassion comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan. Many ignored the injured man, but it was the commonly hated Samaritan that finally gave him love and care. One might wonder whether he was afraid of ridicule for helping someone who was considered lowly. But true character shows by your ability to help another person in need, even it if makes you looked down on or made fun of.
The parable of the Good Samaritan reviews the steps taken when showing compassion. “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him . . . and said unto [the host of the inn], ‘whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.’ ”21
First, the Samaritan came. Even if his traveling destination was not to that exact location of the injured man, he went with an open mind and no biases. Upon finding a injured man, the Samaritan went and showed compassion by giving of his own substances of oil and wine. He placed the man on his beast, sacrificing by having to walk to an inn. Even after the wounds were bound he still remembered the healing man by offering to return later and pay any occurred debts. Many people forget that helping solve a problem does not mean it can be forgotten. Losing a child, for example, may still cause pain for the parents years after the incident. A family in Orem, Utah lost their precious son to a terrible accident when a metal slide fell and broke his neck. The healing comes, but comes slowly and we all need support from each other. If an acquaintance repents and is baptized they still need support in the future by the care of ward members. As we remember others, God remembers us.22 In turn both the lives of the giver and receiver are blessed.
Jesus Christ performed the greatest act of compassion for us when he took upon Him the sins of the world and suffered for our mistakes and sins. He lived a complete life of actively seeking others He could heal and make whole. He was kind to them and genuinely cared, and never forgot them after they were healed. He led a life that we can all pattern our life after, a pattern of perfection. He remembers us and knows of our trials. Even when upon the cruel cross, Jesus looked down at this mother and cried out, “Woman, behold thy son,” and to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” He was cut, bruised, and broken, but he still had compassion on his mother as she saw him dying.23 He cared for her well-being.
Returning to the scenario presented at the beginning of this discussion, that father had a particularly difficult day with his family, work, and attitude. There are definitely hard times that everybody will face. But the attitude to change it despite the odds is what makes the difference. That father did not take the time to understand the reasons why he felt the world was against him. His son was out late the night before because a friend got in a car accident, and his wife burned the toast because she had been trying to consol her hurt son. Perhaps because of irritation prayers were skipped, and the car did not start because it was a reminder how important prayer is in the morning. At school, the distracted students were focused on finals because they had a deep desire to obtain knowledge. He became frustrated with his situation. You must learn compassion. Oh what a different world it would be if only compassion was shown. How different it would be! We would not be so quick to judge others and have a greater desire to help them. Christ did not pick and choose whose sins to suffer for based on His judgments of us and our decisions, but atoned for all our sufferings. Understanding this concept will change us, for "True doctrine, understood, changes lives.”24 I testify that this divine statement is true. Understanding the gospel does change lives as individuals look to others instead of themselves. Seek actively to find people in need, even if they are different or do not like you. Have a clear motive that their needs come first and God will then fulfill yours. Try to be sensitive and caring especially after the problem is solved. Do not abandon them, for even in old age widows need love and former addicts need encouragement. "Needed are souls filled with compassion, that we might communicate not only eye to eye, or voice to ear, but in the majestic style of the Savior, even heart to heart.”25 Dare to be different. Dare to be loving. Dare to forget yourself and have compassion on another son or daughter of God our Creator.
1. wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn:“compassion”
2. http://www.tftw2.org/Articles/compassion.htm
3. Matthew 9:36-38
4. See 4 Nephi
5. Matthew 11:28-30
6. John 4:31-35
7. Mark 2:17
8. First Presidency Message, Ensign, March 2007
9. John 11:35
10. Romans 12:15
11. 1 John 3:17,18
12. Mark 1:40
13. Matthew 20:34
14. Luke 15:20,24
15. John 8:7
16. Luke 11:46
17. Psalms 9:8
18. Matthew 7:5
19. Matthew 15:32
20. "In saving others we save ourselves.” F. Burton Howard, First Quorum of Seventy
21. Luke10:30-37
22. President Henderson, Ensign, October 2003
23. John 19:26-27
24. Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Do Not Fear,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 79
25. see Jude 1:22; Thomas S. Monson, Ensign November 1994 pg 70
26. See 1 Samuel 16:7
Author's Comments:
I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave your reactions in the form of a comment!
Source: Research paper, New Testament class RelA211 at BYU-Provo
Date given: December 8, 2008
Getting up early one morning, the morning news is heard in the background while breakfast is prepared. The television is on in the next room, where a program is being presented to sponsor poor families in another country. You ignore that extra noise, and instead turn your attention to your son who happened to be up late the previous night. Before letting him speak, you lecture him on how it is his fault he is tired and how he should not wake you up when he gets home late. Your wife burns your toast, your car does not start, and when you finally make it to work that day, your classes of students are exceptionally distracted due to upcoming finals. That only irritates you more and you wonder why everybody is out to make your day bad. What this father does not realize is that arrogance is blocking him from showing what Christ would show for him: compassion because his day was not going well.
Compassion is more than just feeling sorry for someone else, although this is a big step in the right direction. It is the humane and often divine quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.1 There is no greater example of this than our Savior Jesus Christ. During his mortal ministry he exemplified compassion on everyone He met. Christ showed that many fundamental doctrinal concepts—such as mercy, time, service, sympathy, love, and endurance—together create the godly attribute of compassion. But when broken down, His divine concepts can be seen as a list of steps that one progresses through when showing the action of compassion towards another person. We must initially seek out those we can help, act and sacrifice for their benefit, and remember them even after the situation fades away.
The first thing one must do to show compassion is to forget oneself and make the active effort to look towards others. Do not get so caught up in your schedule that helping others is a hindrance to your busy day. Instead, make it a part of your day. A wonderful neighbor decided to do one act of kindness each day. She was very busy in school and work, but still set apart some time to think and genuinely help someone else, even if the gesture was small. After a few months it was easy to see that she was genuinely happier.
In our families we must take time to notice opportunities to show compassion. It is very common to see advertisements put out by the church on television and radio where the message always played contains "...isn't is about time?" How amazing it is that when we take time for others, we are the ones really blessed.
Home is the perfect place to foster the seeds of love and compassion, for what children see is what they often do. In an ever-increasing sinful world, now more than ever we should teach our children to show love for others. Growing up emotionally healthy is very critical in a child's life because they are developing mentally over time; adults are no different. Our children need a loving touch and words of love and encouragement. However, their greatest need is a spiritual need that comes from spiritual guidance. Physical infirmities moved Jesus with compassion, but there was the greater illness of spiritual sickness.2 "...When He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'"3 The laborers are us, and we are shepherds for each other.
In the land Jesus lived during his mortal ministry, many shepherds kept sheep. There were two types of people: sheepherders and shepherds. A sheepherder moves a mass of sheep from behind. This is like how Satan wants to force the human race forward without choices and agency. A shepherd, on the other hand, led the group from front, and the sheep followed in a line because they wanted to and they esteemed and trusted their leader. 4 That is why Christ is known as the Great Shepherd. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 5
Taking time to realize others and their problems allows you to focus on them and not your trials, and in turn, your burden becomes lighter. The apostle John recorded this exchange between the Lord and His disciples, that, "In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat.' But He said to them, 'I have food to eat of which you do not know.' Therefore the disciples said to one another, 'Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!'"6 Jesus was saying physical food is not as important as spiritual meat and spiritual responsibilities. Those needs are met in home and as you forget your own trials and take upon those of others.
It may be considered by some that showing kindness is a form of weakness, and that you are stooping down to a lower level. That is exactly what must be done, for Christ did it many times. When eating with sinners and publicans, He said, "They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."7 In the play Camelot,8 King Arthur makes the profound statement of, “Violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness.”--and neither is helping others.
Actively focusing on others may be a challenge when it comes to those you do not like. That brings the next step of showing compassion: action. Just like it was a sacrifice to initially help someone, there may be a need to sacrifice resources and even more so, your time. Seeing someone in peril and not doing anything about it will not aid them. Similarly, finding your enemies and helping them will rid you of enmity and unforgiving tendencies. Jesus was full aware of healing outcasts, terminally ill, or the physically challenged. But that did not stop him. He knew the suffering He would undergo for His own brethren who hated him. However, he grieved not for himself, but for them.
Christ even loved his enemies to the end. Judas, the betrayer, was held in high honor at the last supper. At the table, Judas was in the spot where the highest guest of honor would sit. Jesus washed Judas's feet as a token of a Passover gift. Christ even dipped unleavened bread into the communal stew and gave the sop to Judas, an extremely high honor. These actions were a display of love for his enemies even to the end of His life in the Passover, the trials, and the crucifixion. He spent time with those he loved the most: all men.
Spending time provides an example and is an action that shows true care. The expression, "Jesus wept,"9 is a revealing passage on compassion. Those who were present on the occasion of Lazarus' death saw the tears as tokens of love and compassion for a departed friend and loved one. The apostle Paul later said, "Weep with those who weep."10 Christ did not say anything, but his example displayed loving care. Examples shine brighter than the sun and write longer novels than any dictionary could produce. "...Whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."11 Not only what we say, but also what we do is very important.
Do not be afraid of the gesture to give a sad child a hug or give the elderly neighbor a handshake. While on earth, Christ showed his willingness to love by His touch. His hands touched the sick so they could heal. "Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'"12 People were fearful of lepers and leprosy. Lepers were outcast and separated from society. Yet, Jesus was willing not only to heal this individual but He reached out to him and touched him. In another instance, Jesus had compassion on the blind, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight and they followed him.13
One does not have to perform miracles or solve worldwide problems to be great in the sight of God. Oftentimes joy comes in helping one person. In Luke, Jesus teaches by the parable the importance of one soul. The case of the prodigal son is a picture of compassion for the penitent, for those who are willing to turn from sin and to come back to God. After wasting his inheritance, the son came sullenly back home expecting to be shamed. "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. . . For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."14 Elder Scott said, “We are not second-class citizens of the Celestial Kingdom.” The creation shows who we are, and the Fall shows the condition we are in (carnal state). The lie comes—like it did to the prodigal son—that the condition you are in defines who you are. That is not true. The degree of mercy we show to others will show and indicate how close we are to God.
The prodigal son had a very loving father who wanted to help his wayward son and was charitable by being sensitive to his predicament. When approaching someone you desire to help, it is important to be sensitive to his or her feelings. Pray for help to see them as God does.26 This includes not exercising unrighteous judgment. When confronted with a woman in adultery, Jesus told the accusers, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."15 The Master later said, "Woe unto you. . . for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers."16 You cannot pass judgment and blame when you yourself have not dealt with that trial. The only thing you can do is try your best to help them, for that is all God asks of us. After that we must leave the rest of the world for Him to judge, for "He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice."17 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus rebuked this unrighteous judgment by saying, "first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye."18 When you are not clouded by your hypocrisy, the Holy Ghost will prompt what to say and do in the appropriate time.
But no matter how sensitive you might be, you must look at your own intent. Did the father want his prodigal son back that he might use him as another servant of the house, or did Christ eternally condemn the adulterer? In situations that arise today, is the purpose of giving them counsel for your own benefit and gain? Do you desire to know their problems that you might gain the upper hand, feel superior, and spread gossip? None of these reasons are in harmony with the church. Bishops do not share personal trials of ward members in sacrament meeting. Similarly, true friends do not use information to gain power and hurt the one in need. Consider the motives behind the counsel, and that will show the real intent behind your actions. When we are sensitive to the soul's value and the destination of the disobedient, hearts will be filled with compassion as tears fill the eyes. We will work hard to ignite the Light of Christ to the entire world. Compassion will compel us to do so. 2 Our savior set the example by ending His life with the greatest act of compassion possible: the Atonement.
Reading passages from the New Testament makes one realize how often the words "Jesus was moved with compassion" appears. In the New Testament alone "compassion" appears nineteen times, showing its critical importance. But what does it mean to be 'moved with compassion'? Sometimes there are problems that cannot be solved quickly but take time. It also means that you are aware of their needs and place yourself in their position. "Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting."19 Being in similar situations make you a better teacher, although that cannot always be the case. Helping a friend overcome alcoholism when you have never drank can be difficult. But it is not addictive sin that always calls the need for help.
A bishop once traveled to Africa to help a poor village. He met a family where both parents had passed away and the oldest son of six--at the tender age of ten--was taking care of the family. There was little hope for a bright future, and they constantly wondered when or if they would get another meal. The bishop tried to help the best he knew, but the young boy refuted saying, "You do not know what it is like. You've never been in that situation. You do not know what it is like to be hungry and hear your sisters crying all night from the cold." With tears in his eyes, the bishop said, "No, I don't, and I probably will never have the same situation. But I know someone who does know what it is like. Christ Jesus has suffered for the pains you are facing. He knows what it feels like." For the next few years, when the bishop had business in Africa and would always visit that small family. Eventually they grew up into teenagers, and humbly told him that the only way they got through those dark and cold nights were because of his consoling that someone, Christ, did know them and understood what they were feeling. Seeing the bishop return each year reminded them of this important message. Remember those you help and return to them, for in saving others we save ourselves.20
Perhaps one of the better known stories of biblical compassion comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan. Many ignored the injured man, but it was the commonly hated Samaritan that finally gave him love and care. One might wonder whether he was afraid of ridicule for helping someone who was considered lowly. But true character shows by your ability to help another person in need, even it if makes you looked down on or made fun of.
The parable of the Good Samaritan reviews the steps taken when showing compassion. “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him . . . and said unto [the host of the inn], ‘whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.’ ”21
First, the Samaritan came. Even if his traveling destination was not to that exact location of the injured man, he went with an open mind and no biases. Upon finding a injured man, the Samaritan went and showed compassion by giving of his own substances of oil and wine. He placed the man on his beast, sacrificing by having to walk to an inn. Even after the wounds were bound he still remembered the healing man by offering to return later and pay any occurred debts. Many people forget that helping solve a problem does not mean it can be forgotten. Losing a child, for example, may still cause pain for the parents years after the incident. A family in Orem, Utah lost their precious son to a terrible accident when a metal slide fell and broke his neck. The healing comes, but comes slowly and we all need support from each other. If an acquaintance repents and is baptized they still need support in the future by the care of ward members. As we remember others, God remembers us.22 In turn both the lives of the giver and receiver are blessed.
Jesus Christ performed the greatest act of compassion for us when he took upon Him the sins of the world and suffered for our mistakes and sins. He lived a complete life of actively seeking others He could heal and make whole. He was kind to them and genuinely cared, and never forgot them after they were healed. He led a life that we can all pattern our life after, a pattern of perfection. He remembers us and knows of our trials. Even when upon the cruel cross, Jesus looked down at this mother and cried out, “Woman, behold thy son,” and to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” He was cut, bruised, and broken, but he still had compassion on his mother as she saw him dying.23 He cared for her well-being.
Returning to the scenario presented at the beginning of this discussion, that father had a particularly difficult day with his family, work, and attitude. There are definitely hard times that everybody will face. But the attitude to change it despite the odds is what makes the difference. That father did not take the time to understand the reasons why he felt the world was against him. His son was out late the night before because a friend got in a car accident, and his wife burned the toast because she had been trying to consol her hurt son. Perhaps because of irritation prayers were skipped, and the car did not start because it was a reminder how important prayer is in the morning. At school, the distracted students were focused on finals because they had a deep desire to obtain knowledge. He became frustrated with his situation. You must learn compassion. Oh what a different world it would be if only compassion was shown. How different it would be! We would not be so quick to judge others and have a greater desire to help them. Christ did not pick and choose whose sins to suffer for based on His judgments of us and our decisions, but atoned for all our sufferings. Understanding this concept will change us, for "True doctrine, understood, changes lives.”24 I testify that this divine statement is true. Understanding the gospel does change lives as individuals look to others instead of themselves. Seek actively to find people in need, even if they are different or do not like you. Have a clear motive that their needs come first and God will then fulfill yours. Try to be sensitive and caring especially after the problem is solved. Do not abandon them, for even in old age widows need love and former addicts need encouragement. "Needed are souls filled with compassion, that we might communicate not only eye to eye, or voice to ear, but in the majestic style of the Savior, even heart to heart.”25 Dare to be different. Dare to be loving. Dare to forget yourself and have compassion on another son or daughter of God our Creator.
Endnotes / References
1. wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn:“compassion”
2. http://www.tftw2.org/Articles/compassion.htm
3. Matthew 9:36-38
4. See 4 Nephi
5. Matthew 11:28-30
6. John 4:31-35
7. Mark 2:17
8. First Presidency Message, Ensign, March 2007
9. John 11:35
10. Romans 12:15
11. 1 John 3:17,18
12. Mark 1:40
13. Matthew 20:34
14. Luke 15:20,24
15. John 8:7
16. Luke 11:46
17. Psalms 9:8
18. Matthew 7:5
19. Matthew 15:32
20. "In saving others we save ourselves.” F. Burton Howard, First Quorum of Seventy
21. Luke10:30-37
22. President Henderson, Ensign, October 2003
23. John 19:26-27
24. Elder Boyd K. Packer, “Do Not Fear,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2004, 79
25. see Jude 1:22; Thomas S. Monson, Ensign November 1994 pg 70
26. See 1 Samuel 16:7
Author's Comments:
I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave your reactions in the form of a comment!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Drawing Closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus
Author: Becky Boone
Source: Becky Boone
Date given: 2008
Location: Lehi Utah
When I got the topic of what it means to draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus I first thought of the basic answers of prayer, scripture study, going to church and seminary, and attending the temple. When we follow God's will and live as He would have us live, we become more like Him and His Son. But why do we want to become more like God? In D&C 132:20 it states: “Then shall they be gods”. That is our final goal.
Let’s start out with a couple of the “seminary answers” of things that can draw us closer to God. How about our prayer and church attendance. Are we like the Zoramites with their Rameumptoms? Do we offer up repetitious prayers or are we only a “Sunday” Mormon who worships God once a week instead of everyday? If this is our case, will that help us draw closer to our Heavenly Father?
As we make a habit of approaching God in prayer, we will come to know Him and draw nearer to Him. Our desires will become more like His. We will be able to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that He is ready to give if we will ask in faith.
Another way to draw nearer to God is through studying the scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets. Today as we look around there are many anti-Christ’s or things that will draw us away from Heavenly Father. If we read the scriptures and listen to the prophet, we will know exactly what God wants us to do and it will open us up for promptings of the Holy Ghost.
We can also come to know our Father by learning about Christ and applying the gospel in our lives. The Savior taught His disciples: "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. . . . He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:7, 9). When I think about some of Christ’s characteristics I think of honesty, love, and compassion.
The articles of faith have been given to us as a guideline to help us become more Christlike. The thirteenth article of faith reminds us that "We believe in being honest. In the book“True to the Faith” it states: “When we are honest in every way, we are able to enjoy peace of mind and maintain self-respect. We build strength of character, which allows us to be of service to God and others. We are trustworthy in the eyes of God and those around us.
On the other hand, if we are dishonest in our words or actions, we hurt ourselves and often hurt others as well. We lose the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
I am sure everyone has a little story about when they learned the principle of honesty. I remember mine. When I was little, we had a gumball machine that my mom would fill with candy. We could use our pennies in it and get a treat. One day, I did not have a penny, but I really wanted a piece of the candy. I knew that my older sister had penny in her drawer so I took it and went the gum ball machine. I still remember my mom asking me if that penny was mine. I told her it was. I don’t know how she knew, but she asked me a second time. That time I cracked and told her that is wasn’t. After that we had a little discussion about what honesty was even if it was just a penny. That experience, even though it happened years and years ago, has stuck with me. Honesty is a Christlike characteristic, and if we have it, we can draw closer to our Heavenly Father.
Having love and compassion for others will help us grow closer to our Heavenly Father also. He loves everyone and so should we. Our expressions of love for others may include being kind to them, listening to them, mourning with them, comforting them, serving them, praying for them, sharing the gospel with them, and being their friend. Our love for those around us increases when we remember that we are all children of God—that we are spirit brothers and sisters.
I learned many lessons growing up. I remember one in particular that my Grandpa taught me one day about showing love and compassion to my sisters. I don’t remember what the occasion was, or where we were going, but two of my sisters , me, and my grandparents were getting into the car. Now, typical of siblings, we were fighting over who got to sit by the windows. When grandpa heard us, he had us all get out of the car. I still remember the look of disappointment at us on his face. I don’t remember his exact words, but the idea was that as sisters we should love each other, look out for each other and try our best to make each other happy, even if it means sacrificing something that you want. In our case it was those window seats. Right then and there, I decided that I would never fight for the window seat which would make my sisters happy. I don’t know how much later is was that I actually discovered that the middle seat was in fact the best seat because I could look out both sides and see everything!
Love and compassion for others starts in the home. Growing up I can’t ever remember hearing my either sets of my Grandparents or my own parents ever yell or scream at each other in anger or speak bad about each other, nor could I even imagine them doing so. To me that is a wonderful Christlike characteristic that can be passed down from generation to generation. What children see, they are more than likely to carry on when they grow older. I was fortunate to marry a husband that grew up in similar circumstances with his parents. After we got married we lived in an apartment complex in Provo for a while. As in apartment complexes, it is easy to overhear things going on in apartments around you. Ben told me that as he was walking past one, he heard the couple yelling and screaming at each other. Right then and there we made a goal never to scream or yell at each other. Because of the examples I had growing up, it was not too hard for me to quickly agree. I am grateful for the Christlike examples I had growing up that have helped me grow closer to my Heavenly Father.
To draw closer to our Heavenly Father, we must remember that no one is perfect and that we must have faith that we can still reach our final goal of becoming Gods and Goddesses through the gift of the atonement and repentance. Sin is a heavy burden. In the hymn “How Gentle God’s Commands”, the third verse states “Why should this anxious load press down your weary mind? Haste to you Heavenly Father’s throne and sweet refreshment find”. God wants us to be happy and we can if we will turn to him.
In closing, I want to read a portion of a letter that Paul wrote to Timothy right before his death. He wrote: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.”
I encourage you to draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus so in the end you can say you have fought a good fight and a crown of righteousness awaits you.
Author's Comments:
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The Faith of a Child
Author: Elder Thomas S. Monson
Source: lds.org
Date given: October 1975
Location: General Conference
What a truly glorious period of the year is conference time. Temple Square in Salt Lake City is the gathering place for tens of thousands who travel far, that they might hear the word of the Lord. Today the Tabernacle is filled to overflowing. Friendly conversation has been replaced by the music of the choir and the voices of those who pray and who speak. A sweet reverence fills the air.
It is a humbling experience to gaze into your faces and to appreciate your faith and devotion to truth. Patiently do you sit on those historic benches which the passing of time has somehow not made more comfortable.
Particularly am I grateful for the children who are here. In the balcony to my left I see a beautiful girl of perhaps ten years. Sweet little one, I do not know your name or whence you have come. This, however, I do know: the innocence of your smile and the tender expression of your eyes have persuaded me to place aside for a future time the message I had prepared for this occasion. Today, I am impressed to speak to you.
When I was a boy your age, I too had a teacher in Sunday School. From the Bible she would read to us of Jesus, the Redeemer and Savior of the world. One day she taught us how the little children were brought unto him, that he should put his hands on them and pray. His disciples rebuked those that brought the children. “But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14.)
That lesson has never left me. Indeed, just a few months ago I relearned its meaning and partook of its power. My teacher was the Lord. May I share with you this experience.
Far away from Salt Lake City, and some eighty miles from Shreveport, Louisiana, lives the Jack Methvin family. Mother, dad, and the boys are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Until just recently there was a lovely daughter who, by her presence, graced that home. Her name was Christal. She was but ten years old when death ended her earthly sojourn.
Christal liked to run and play on the spacious ranch where her family lives. She could ride horses skillfully and excelled in 4-H work, winning awards in the local and state fairs. Her future was bright, and life was wonderful. Then there was discovered on her leg an unusual lump. The specialists in New Orleans completed their diagnosis and rendered their verdict: carcinoma. The leg must be removed.
She recovered well from the surgery, lived as buoyantly as ever and never complained. Then the doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to her tiny lungs. The Methvin family did not despair, but rather planned a flight to Salt Lake City. Christal could receive a blessing from one of the General Authorities. The Methvins knew none of the Brethren personally, so opening before Christal a picture of all the General Authorities, a chance selection was made. By sheer coincidence, my name was selected.
Christal never made the flight to Salt Lake City. Her condition deteriorated. The end drew nigh. But her faith did not waver. To her parents, she said, “Isn’t stake conference approaching? Isn’t a General Authority assigned? And why not Brother Monson? If I can’t go to him, the Lord can send him to me.”
Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, with no knowledge of the events transpiring in Shreveport, a most unusual situation developed. For the weekend of the Shreveport Louisiana Stake Conference, I had been assigned to El Paso, Texas. President Ezra Taft Benson called me to his office and explained that one of the other Brethren had done some preparatory work regarding the stake division in El Paso. He asked if I would mind were another to be assigned to El Paso and I assigned elsewhere. Of course there was no problem—anywhere would be fine with me. Then President Benson said, “Brother Monson, I feel impressed to have you visit the Shreveport Louisiana Stake.” The assignment was accepted. The day came. I arrived in Shreveport.
That Saturday afternoon was filled with meetings—one with the stake presidency, one with priesthood leaders, one with the patriarch, then yet another with the general leadership of the stake. Rather apologetically, Stake President Charles F. Cagle asked if my schedule would permit me time to provide a blessing to a ten-year-old girl afflicted with cancer. Her name: Christal Methvin. I responded that, if possible, I would do so, and then inquired if she would be at the conference, or was she in a Shreveport hospital? Knowing the time was tightly scheduled, President Cage almost whispered that Christal was confined to her home—more than eighty miles from Shreveport!
I examined the schedule of meetings for that evening and the next morning—even my return flight. There simply was no available time. An alternative suggestion came to mind. Could we not remember the little one in our public prayers at conference? Surely the Lord would understand. On this basis, we proceeded with the scheduled meetings.
When the word was communicated to the Methvin family, there was understanding but a trace of disappointment as well. Hadn’t the Lord heard their prayers? Hadn’t he provided that Brother Monson would come to Shreveport? Again the family prayed, asking for a final favor—that their precious Christal would realize her desire.
At the very moment the Methvin family knelt in prayer, the clock in the stake center showed the time to be 7:45. The leadership meeting had been inspirational. I was sorting my notes, preparing to step to the pulpit, when I heard a voice speak to my spirit. The message was brief, the words familiar: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14.) My notes became a blur. My thoughts turned to a tiny girl in need of a blessing. The decision was made. The meeting schedule was altered. After all, people are more important than meetings. I turned to Bishop James Serra and asked that he leave the meeting and advise the Methvins.
The Methvin family had just arisen from their knees when the telephone rang and the message was relayed that early Sunday morning—the Lord’s day—in a spirit of fasting and prayer, we would journey to Christal’s bedside.
I shall ever remember and never forget that early-morning journey to a heaven the Methvin family calls home. I have been in hallowed places—even holy houses—but never have I felt more strongly the presence of the Lord than in the Methvin home. Christal looked so tiny lying peacefully on such a large bed. The room was bright and cheerful. The sunshine from the east window filled the bedroom with light as the Lord filled our hearts with love.
The family surrounded Christal’s bedside. I gazed down at a child who was too ill to rise—almost too weak to speak. Her illness had now rendered her sightless. So strong was the spirit that I fell to my knees, took her frail hand in mine, and said simply, “Christal, I am here.” She parted her lips and whispered, “Brother Monson, I just knew you would come.” I looked around the room. No one was standing. Each was on bended knee. A blessing was given. A faint smile crossed Christal’s face. Her whispered “thank you” provided an appropriate benediction. Quietly, each filed from the room.
Four days later, on Thursday, as Church members in Shreveport joined their faith with the Methvin family and Christal’s name was remembered in a special prayer to a kind and loving Heavenly Father, the pure spirit of Christal Methvin left its disease-ravaged body and entered the paradise of God.
For those of us who knelt that Sabbath day in a sun-filled bedroom, and particularly for Christal’s mother and father as they enter daily that same room and remember how she left it, the immortal words of Eugene Field will bring back precious memories:
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair,
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
So toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamt of the pretty toys.
And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue,—
Oh, the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder, as waiting these long years through,
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there.
(“Little Boy Blue,” One Hundred and One Famous Poems, Chicago: Reilly & Lee, 1958, p. 15.)
For us there is no need to wonder or to wait. Said the Master, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” ("John 11:25–26.) To you, Jack and Nancy Methvin, he speaks: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ("John 14:27.) And from your sweet Christal could well come the comforting expression: “I go to prepare a place for you. … that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2–3.)
To you, my little friend in the upper balcony, and to believers everywhere, I bear witness that Jesus of Nazareth does love little children, that he listens to your prayers and responds to them. The Master did indeed utter those words, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14.)
I know these are the words he spoke to the throng gathered on the coast of Judea by the waters of Jordan—for I have read them.
I know these are the words he spoke to an apostle on assignment in Shreveport, Louisiana—for I heard them.
To these truths I bear record, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Source: lds.org
Date given: October 1975
Location: General Conference
What a truly glorious period of the year is conference time. Temple Square in Salt Lake City is the gathering place for tens of thousands who travel far, that they might hear the word of the Lord. Today the Tabernacle is filled to overflowing. Friendly conversation has been replaced by the music of the choir and the voices of those who pray and who speak. A sweet reverence fills the air.
It is a humbling experience to gaze into your faces and to appreciate your faith and devotion to truth. Patiently do you sit on those historic benches which the passing of time has somehow not made more comfortable.
Particularly am I grateful for the children who are here. In the balcony to my left I see a beautiful girl of perhaps ten years. Sweet little one, I do not know your name or whence you have come. This, however, I do know: the innocence of your smile and the tender expression of your eyes have persuaded me to place aside for a future time the message I had prepared for this occasion. Today, I am impressed to speak to you.
When I was a boy your age, I too had a teacher in Sunday School. From the Bible she would read to us of Jesus, the Redeemer and Savior of the world. One day she taught us how the little children were brought unto him, that he should put his hands on them and pray. His disciples rebuked those that brought the children. “But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14.)
That lesson has never left me. Indeed, just a few months ago I relearned its meaning and partook of its power. My teacher was the Lord. May I share with you this experience.
Far away from Salt Lake City, and some eighty miles from Shreveport, Louisiana, lives the Jack Methvin family. Mother, dad, and the boys are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Until just recently there was a lovely daughter who, by her presence, graced that home. Her name was Christal. She was but ten years old when death ended her earthly sojourn.
Christal liked to run and play on the spacious ranch where her family lives. She could ride horses skillfully and excelled in 4-H work, winning awards in the local and state fairs. Her future was bright, and life was wonderful. Then there was discovered on her leg an unusual lump. The specialists in New Orleans completed their diagnosis and rendered their verdict: carcinoma. The leg must be removed.
She recovered well from the surgery, lived as buoyantly as ever and never complained. Then the doctors discovered that the cancer had spread to her tiny lungs. The Methvin family did not despair, but rather planned a flight to Salt Lake City. Christal could receive a blessing from one of the General Authorities. The Methvins knew none of the Brethren personally, so opening before Christal a picture of all the General Authorities, a chance selection was made. By sheer coincidence, my name was selected.
Christal never made the flight to Salt Lake City. Her condition deteriorated. The end drew nigh. But her faith did not waver. To her parents, she said, “Isn’t stake conference approaching? Isn’t a General Authority assigned? And why not Brother Monson? If I can’t go to him, the Lord can send him to me.”
Meanwhile in Salt Lake City, with no knowledge of the events transpiring in Shreveport, a most unusual situation developed. For the weekend of the Shreveport Louisiana Stake Conference, I had been assigned to El Paso, Texas. President Ezra Taft Benson called me to his office and explained that one of the other Brethren had done some preparatory work regarding the stake division in El Paso. He asked if I would mind were another to be assigned to El Paso and I assigned elsewhere. Of course there was no problem—anywhere would be fine with me. Then President Benson said, “Brother Monson, I feel impressed to have you visit the Shreveport Louisiana Stake.” The assignment was accepted. The day came. I arrived in Shreveport.
That Saturday afternoon was filled with meetings—one with the stake presidency, one with priesthood leaders, one with the patriarch, then yet another with the general leadership of the stake. Rather apologetically, Stake President Charles F. Cagle asked if my schedule would permit me time to provide a blessing to a ten-year-old girl afflicted with cancer. Her name: Christal Methvin. I responded that, if possible, I would do so, and then inquired if she would be at the conference, or was she in a Shreveport hospital? Knowing the time was tightly scheduled, President Cage almost whispered that Christal was confined to her home—more than eighty miles from Shreveport!
I examined the schedule of meetings for that evening and the next morning—even my return flight. There simply was no available time. An alternative suggestion came to mind. Could we not remember the little one in our public prayers at conference? Surely the Lord would understand. On this basis, we proceeded with the scheduled meetings.
When the word was communicated to the Methvin family, there was understanding but a trace of disappointment as well. Hadn’t the Lord heard their prayers? Hadn’t he provided that Brother Monson would come to Shreveport? Again the family prayed, asking for a final favor—that their precious Christal would realize her desire.
At the very moment the Methvin family knelt in prayer, the clock in the stake center showed the time to be 7:45. The leadership meeting had been inspirational. I was sorting my notes, preparing to step to the pulpit, when I heard a voice speak to my spirit. The message was brief, the words familiar: “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14.) My notes became a blur. My thoughts turned to a tiny girl in need of a blessing. The decision was made. The meeting schedule was altered. After all, people are more important than meetings. I turned to Bishop James Serra and asked that he leave the meeting and advise the Methvins.
The Methvin family had just arisen from their knees when the telephone rang and the message was relayed that early Sunday morning—the Lord’s day—in a spirit of fasting and prayer, we would journey to Christal’s bedside.
I shall ever remember and never forget that early-morning journey to a heaven the Methvin family calls home. I have been in hallowed places—even holy houses—but never have I felt more strongly the presence of the Lord than in the Methvin home. Christal looked so tiny lying peacefully on such a large bed. The room was bright and cheerful. The sunshine from the east window filled the bedroom with light as the Lord filled our hearts with love.
The family surrounded Christal’s bedside. I gazed down at a child who was too ill to rise—almost too weak to speak. Her illness had now rendered her sightless. So strong was the spirit that I fell to my knees, took her frail hand in mine, and said simply, “Christal, I am here.” She parted her lips and whispered, “Brother Monson, I just knew you would come.” I looked around the room. No one was standing. Each was on bended knee. A blessing was given. A faint smile crossed Christal’s face. Her whispered “thank you” provided an appropriate benediction. Quietly, each filed from the room.
Four days later, on Thursday, as Church members in Shreveport joined their faith with the Methvin family and Christal’s name was remembered in a special prayer to a kind and loving Heavenly Father, the pure spirit of Christal Methvin left its disease-ravaged body and entered the paradise of God.
For those of us who knelt that Sabbath day in a sun-filled bedroom, and particularly for Christal’s mother and father as they enter daily that same room and remember how she left it, the immortal words of Eugene Field will bring back precious memories:
The little toy dog is covered with dust,
But sturdy and staunch he stands;
And the little toy soldier is red with rust,
And his musket moulds in his hands.
Time was when the little toy dog was new,
And the soldier was passing fair,
And that was the time when our Little Boy Blue
Kissed them and put them there.
“Now, don’t you go till I come,” he said,
“And don’t you make any noise!”
So toddling off to his trundle-bed
He dreamt of the pretty toys.
And as he was dreaming, an angel song
Awakened our Little Boy Blue,—
Oh, the years are many, the years are long,
But the little toy friends are true!
Ay, faithful to Little Boy Blue they stand,
Each in the same old place,
Awaiting the touch of a little hand,
The smile of a little face.
And they wonder, as waiting these long years through,
In the dust of that little chair,
What has become of our Little Boy Blue
Since he kissed them and put them there.
(“Little Boy Blue,” One Hundred and One Famous Poems, Chicago: Reilly & Lee, 1958, p. 15.)
For us there is no need to wonder or to wait. Said the Master, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” ("John 11:25–26.) To you, Jack and Nancy Methvin, he speaks: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” ("John 14:27.) And from your sweet Christal could well come the comforting expression: “I go to prepare a place for you. … that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2–3.)
To you, my little friend in the upper balcony, and to believers everywhere, I bear witness that Jesus of Nazareth does love little children, that he listens to your prayers and responds to them. The Master did indeed utter those words, “Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14.)
I know these are the words he spoke to the throng gathered on the coast of Judea by the waters of Jordan—for I have read them.
I know these are the words he spoke to an apostle on assignment in Shreveport, Louisiana—for I heard them.
To these truths I bear record, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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