Follow the Order

I recently had the opportunity to re-read Elder L. Tom Perry's talk "Obedience Through our Faithfulness" in preparation for a lesson I was asked to teach.  The concept of obedience and the doctrine taught in this talk are by no means new or deep.  It's essentially just lessons children learn at church:  listen to the Holy Ghost and do what's right.  But the things he said were what made it such a moving address.

The bulk of his talk was based on a specific conversation he had with his grandfather.  He asked his grandpa something a lot of people struggle with.  He wanted to know how he could be sure he was always doing the right thing.  And, as old people often tend to do, he didn't really tell him the answer, but danced around it in a way he felt would be easier to understand.

"He taught me about breaking in a team of horses so that they would work together. He explained that a team of horses must always know who is in charge. One of the keys to asserting control and directing a horse is a harness and bit. If a member of the team ever believes that it does not need to obey the will of the driver, the team will never pull and work together to maximize their ability."

Elder Perry likened all these back to the gospel.  We are the horses.  We have different personalities.  Some of us are very keen to following direction.  Others fight direction and correction when given.  And as our personalities differ from others', we may not work so well together.  The leader of a team of horses, or rider of a single horse, is of course Jesus Christ.  He trains us and guides us in the best direction for our righteous goal, which is really his goal for us.  But why wouldn't eternal life be our adopted goal as well?

There are some horses that go against the bit.  They reject when the rider pulls one direction or the other.  Maybe they're just slow at responding.  I'm certain they understand which way the rider wants them to go, but their attitude tells them their way is much better.  We know what isn't good.  We know how far is too far.  We know when tasks need to be done.  Negligence, ignorance, and procrastination are sins that simply put us farther and farther behind pace in our journey to our eternal promise.

The harness and bit were related to the Holy Ghost and promptings from him.  When the rider wants the horse(s) to go in another direction, he'll pull on the reins, pushing the bit into a side of the horses mouth.  Trained horses understand that is the way they are intended to go.  Our task on earth is to come more sensitive to the tugs of the leader-or promptings of the Spirit.  And, to answer young Elder Perry's question, I'm sure his grandpa meant to drive home the concept of, "Just do what you're told."  A rider won't pull the reins if he wants the horse to keep doing what he's doing.  When a change of course is due, a gentle tug is issued.  Even in emergencies, no extreme reactions ensue, but always painless prodding in the right direction and out of danger.

In Japanese, the characters used for obedience include the character for "follow" and then the character for "order".  God's house is a house of order.  There is order in the church.  There should be order in our lives.  Commandments are given us to outline the order.  The spirit-bit is in our hypothetical mouths to clarify order when needed.  The order is before us, and our purpose is to, if I may be so redundant, obediently follow that order.

As I said, our task is to learn how we receive guidance from the Holy Ghost.  What does his voice sound like to you?

I testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior and he is the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  He is the leader of my current family and will be the leader of my future family.  He is the leader of my life.  I pray that we may all bite the bits in our mouths and have the courage to fall into his hands and be guided.

Backsliding

I found myself today reading the Teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith during sacrament meeting.  Convenient to the ordinance, I was studying the Plan of Salvation and specifically, the atonement of Jesus Christ.  President Smith bore such beautiful, powerful testimony of the truthfulness and power of Christ's atonement for us.  He tells us that "The driving of the nails into his hands and into the Savior's feet was the least part of his suffering...His great suffering occurred before he ever went to the cross.  It was in the Garden of Gethsemane, so the scriptures tell us, that blood oozed from every pore of his body; and in the extreme agony of his soul, he cried to his Father." (63)  As a missionary, I was able to see a glimmer of hope come to the light of a single mother of three as these two unknown white men told her that she was not alone...she was loved.  I've seen a man covered in tattoos beg for a way to be clean from the things he regrets.  I've seen myself change into the man I am now.  And, because of Christ's atonement and example, I see the man I can yet become.

There is a common saying in America:  "Freedom isn't free!"  This points to the courageous men and women that have fought so valiantly for our freedoms here.  The only price I've had to pay for my freedom is taxes, but comparatively, I have paid nothing.  Not unlike our freedom fighters, Christ rallied for our freedom.  We were trapped by the communistic grasp of Adam's fall:  no matter what we did, we would still be unclean and lack a perfect body.  Christ took the challenge, accepted the weight, and stood in our place as the punishment for everything you and I have and will do came raining down on him in the form of blood seeping from his pores.  He eliminated that deficiency remaining only the separation of body and spirit to be solved.  After his famous prayer in the garden, he was tortured and taken to Golgotha and hung on a cross.  He died.  In Japan, some told me that I couldn't very well worship someone who couldn't even beat death!  But oh, what joy there is in knowing that there is more to this story!  Three days later, his spirit was again united with his body and he eliminated death's final hold on us.  We are free, but should always remember the cost behind it.  And, as President Smith tells us, "No man could do what he did for us.  He did not have to die, he could have refused."

He could have backed out?!  He could have said, "Forget the moochers, they can try and find their own way back!"  He voluntarily took our pains and sins.  He begged with God to provide another way so that he wouldn't have to endure such pain.  He didn't want to do it.  As I said, it was voluntary, so it isn't like it was even an obligatory compulsion.  Naturally, he had told everyone in Jerusalem and Capernaum and the surrounding areas that he was to be the savior, so to bail out would have been rather awkward.  But, he could have used the excuse, "You try it!" because if the only perfect man who ever walked the earth couldn't do it, nobody else could.  And that's exactly it.  Nobody else could.

How often do we find ourselves not willing to do things asked of us?  Often these are tasks that we might feel are our obligation, but really we still have the choice whether or not to comply.  In an attempt to guide us to true and lasting happiness, our loving Heavenly Father has given us commandments, or rules, to follow.  But how often are we faced with a scenario that challenges our resolve to follow these fundamentally simple guidelines?  We try to fight the man, but we forget that the man is the man that created the world and all things.  I, myself am guilty of backsliding, or sticking my heels in the dirt to try and inhibit my progression forward.  These are things to me that are legitimately hard.  To others, they are rookie mistakes.  Backsliding is bad, but repentance clears out all our wrongs.  However, if we fail to repent, or change from what we're doing, we have a promise:  "But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of the pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit-and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink-".

Christ provided the way.  It's there.  Allow yourself to be changed.  It is so scary to fall into the hands of God, but it is more rewarding than anything you could ever do alone.  In this world of dark, how nice it would be to be guided by a light.  Let your light be Jesus Christ.  And when that is your light, "Let your light so shine."

"All things denote that there is a God"

When I finished my service in Japan as a missionary, I came across an organization of tour guides that target Japanese clientele.  I took this opportunity and have completed several tours when I'm not at school.  As the guide, I pick up my passengers at their hotels in Las Vegas and then drive them to national parks, tourist attractions, gift shops, and other places of interest explaining what I know about these areas in Japanese.  One of the places we go to is Sedona, Arizona.  Sedona once was known for its apple and peach orchards, but has since developed a new reputation:  one of supernatural influence.  Per capita, there are probably more Psychics in Sedona than there are lawyers in Las Vegas.  Many of the gift shops sell special crystals and help you obtain power from four places in the area that have been deemed power spots where you can feel the energy of the universe and be healed.  On any given day, you can find someone meditating at the top of these vortexes.  The view from these locations is truly beautiful, but when I heard about power spots, I thought, "Oh no, this place is just full of hippies!"  I've been to Sedona for work multiple times, and I've had passengers that feel the power of the vortex and those who don't feel anything but muscle pain from the hike.  However, this week was different.  I had a group of 4, and at the first location, none of them felt anything.  We went to the last location before our stop in uptown for shopping, and pieces started coming together.  They asked me if I had ever felt anything at these places, but I told them that I didn't feel anything special because I always feel good when I'm in the outdoors or get to see an impressive landscape.  Then, on our way down, they all came to the agreement that they did feel something.  They felt like old, bad feelings were all gone and that they felt renewed.  Perhaps a single word to summarize it would be, 'reborn'.  Then I realized this whole thing was a little more serious than I was giving it credit.

Hiking and outdoor activities are physically strenuous.  However, upon return from such an outing, I personally also feel renewed as my passengers did.  Perhaps it's taking my lungs that are used to polluted air and escaping to the clean mountainous environment that gives the feeling of renewal.  I look at landscapes and stand in wonder at the beauty.

So...what?

Having studied and taught the creation of the earth as much as I have, I can say with unwavering confidence that God created this Earth and that he created it for us.  The things that exist are for our use, and certainly the mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans, and other terrain are meant for our enjoyment.  As I came down from the vortex yesterday, not only did I feel renewed, but I realized that these views were arranged for our pleasure and edification.  All these things work in such harmony together.  Such incredible coincidences!

To clarify, by 'coincidence', I meant "not a coincidence."  Many people defy Christians to prove that God exists, that Christ was resurrected, and that there is life after death.  They present their argument in a manner that suggests they alone have struggled with this dilemma or that they represent a new perspective on this controversy.  Excerpts from ancient prophets' records shows us that these concerns did not originate with this new, scientific mindset that sprouted in the recent decades.  One of these prophets, Alma, is quoted in the Book of Mormon when he addressed a man named Korihor who presented this exact same argument, expecting to discourage everyone that couldn't provide solid evidence to the existence of God.  To this, Alma said, "Thou hast had signs enough...yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:44)  To those that feel like their situation is different, just try to climb a mountain, look across at all the things you see and remember that the trees you see are screaming their testimony of God's existence.  The flow of the river, formation of the rocks, and sway of the reeds in the wind orchestrate a powerful testimony of a Supreme Creator's existence and presence.

Back to the Basics

In lieu of recent General Conference talks, Devotionals, and promptings from the spirit, I've decided and committed to a theme and purpose for my blog.  I will share the experiences I've had that have touched me or helped me influence God's intervention into my life.  I hope not to praise myself, but to share my testimony and my gratitude because, without my Father in Heaven, I most certainly would NOT be the man I am today.

On Thursday, I finished my last final exam before the end of my first semester of college after returning from a 2-year mission in Japan.  My mission was an incredible experience, and I wish I could relate the feelings of love I have for the Japanese people and that culture.  Sadly, words cannot express the joy I felt while serving as a missionary or the void I feel having returned home.

But my experiences in this semester have led me to more strongly trust in the scripture in Deuteronomy 4:9

"Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things 

which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life..."

In other words, do what you know you need to do or else you will forget the things you've learned and become numb to the feelings you once sought.  And in simpler words, if you've been given a gift...use it or lose it!  

As a missionary, I grew significantly as a person and acquired various "gifts" from God(see 1 Corinthians chapter 12).  I very much approved of the person I had become after 2 years and desired to further my progression.  I hit a wall when I got home and failed to develop a solid scripture study program.  When I went to school, I tried so hard to block out an hour everyday for diligent scripture study, and I felt bad when I often ran out of time for anything more than reading a chapter before retiring to bed.  But my prayers remained constant and my effort was acknowledged.  The study skills and certain personality traits I had acquired can still be found in my persona.  They may not be upgraded; in fact, I may have taken steps backwards.  But, I am still proud of the person I am, and I was able to bounce back from a poor GPA I acquired before my missionary service. 

God listens to our every prayer.  He knows our deepest desires.  He wants to guide us down our life path so it isn't so lonely even if all others have abandoned us, but "When [He] came, was there now man?"  WE abandon him.  WE turn off our phone.  WE don't answer the door.  

Answer the door.  Find him.  Call him up and counsel with him on your decisions and grievances.  There is guidance to be had and lessons to be learned, and they all depend on ourselves.  The gospel is simple, and it is this:  be better than you are through the help of Jesus Christ.  And oh, how true that is.  It does not matter where we are, Christ can show us the way to better men, better women, and a better people.  Converse with him through prayer.  Read his answers in the words of his prophets, ancient and modern.  These simple things will help you because they have helped me.  And they do help me.