Principles of the Nativity: Wise Men Still Seek Him

So I have been thinking a lot about each person in the nativity and how each of the characters teach me lessons about who I want to be. Each member plays such a significant role in that miraculous night and I want to pay tribute to them all this month, starting with the wise men.

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There are so many things we can learn from the wise men and their journey to Christ. The wise men traveled for a long time by the guidance of the star that appeared at Jesus' birth. Assuming they began as soon as the star appeared it took them roughly two years to reach the Savior. Once they got to Christ they gave him three valueble and meaningful gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. I find it also interesting that once they found Christ they "went back another way". This was because they were warned in a dream to avoid Herod. After that we don't really know what happened to them. But this small insert in the nativity story brings to mind three lessons we can learn from them.

1-We are all on a journey to find Christ. It may be a long and sometimes difficult journey, just I am sure the desert land these men had to travel through included hot days, sand storms, and the discomfort of camel travel. But, I am sure there were good times. I am sure they got to know each other and be there for each other many a time during their journey to find Christ, just as all of us can be. I am sure there were also some beautiful scenes, sunrises, sunsets, oasis, and other moments of peace and contentment. On our way to Christ we can find joy in the journey so long as we follow His star to find Him. Today we have the star of the gospel that will lead us directly to Christ; not nearby or close enough or in the general area, but exactly to Christ like no other thing can. May we follow this star and find joy in our own journey to Christ.

2-When they found Christ they gave him meaningful and expensive gifts. When we come to Christ do we give him gifts that mean something to Him? Are they gifts that show Him we understand who He is? Do we give gifts that take sacrafice and effort to give? Only gifts of this kind allow us to truly find Christ and let Him change ourselves to become more like Him through the Atonement. Gifts such as faith, repentance, baptism, temple worship, kindness to our family and fellowmen, the study of His words; these are gifts that allow Christ to change us and show Christ our love and knowledge of Him as the Savior of the World. This allows item three to occur in us.
3-When the wisemen left they "departed into their own country another way" (Matthew 2:12). When we find Christ, do we? Do we have spiritual experiences that touch our hearts and immediately go back to who we were before? Or do we act upon those moments, "go back another way", and strive to become more like Jesus our brother? Like Nephi and his brothers of old that saw an angel we all have a choice when we see the hand of God in our lives-act and become or go back to what was comfortable (1 Nephi 3:31-4:4). The latter is much easier, but if we seek to have true joy in our lives we must take the higher way. If we do so we will "go back another way". If not, we risk spiritually killing Christ out of our lives as the wisemen would have put Christ in danger had they gone back to Herod. Only when we choose to act when we find Christ do we leave our journey as a new creature on our path to truly become sons and daughters of God.

Our Call of Duty

So I have to admit I am no "Call of Duty" junky but I did spend many an hour happily watching my brother Mark play. He was money with the tomahawk and we spent good sibling bonding time together with this past time. I never played, but I did get to know some of the basics. First of all it is realistic as far as games go, second it can be intensely frustrating, and thirdly that it can be intensely rewarding. Although it wasn't fun to get snuck up on or sniped or have the other team get dogs or helicopters, it was very fun to do this things and thus win and thus be on your way to an upper level. As I watched my brother play he explained that you can prestige. You can earn you way through I think it was 50 levels and then you kicked back down to level 1 again. You had to re-earn your weapons and such but you continued to win points to buy more things to make your guy look really cool; camouflage, face paint, etc. I'll be honest that's about as much as I understand about it and you'll have to excuse any inaccuracies, but based off of this summation of Call of Duty I think there are some really good things we can glean from this game about the Book of Mormon.
1-Just like Call of Duty the Book of Mormon is very realistic. In fact, it is real. The people that lived and wrote and learned in the Book of Mormon are real people with real problems and real solutions. As we remember that and build a friendship with these people the Book of Mormon becomes alive for us. When we view them as friends we can better relate and apply the lessons they left for us. They loved us enough to share their knowledge, strengths, and even weaknesses. Let us love them enough to treat them as real and build a relationship with these people and make the Book of Mormon realistic to us.
2-The Book of Mormon can be frustrating at times. When I hit the Isaiah chapters I start to get flustered that I haven't the slightest idea what is going on. I get annoyed that I feel I am reading and its just going way over my head. But just as in Call of Duty we often get killed by our lack of paying attention or lack of being where we should or lack of well, skill, we often have the same phenomenon when reading the Book of Mormon. We aren't going to understand it all the first time through, just as it takes time to perfect the game of Call of Duty. Even as we increase in skill we are still going to have frustrating moments, BUT we cannot let this stop us from reading. The Holy Ghost is with us to teach us "all" things (Moroni 10:5) and we should live worthy of this gift by being where we need to be in life and by paying attention/listening for it so we can avoid most of our frustrating moments while reading the Book of Mormon. I promise that as we seek to live worthy of the Holy Ghost and strive to listen to its promptings, we will have greater understanding and a lot less frustration as we seek to read, learn from, and apply the Book of Mormon into our lives.
3-The Book of Mormon can be immensely rewarding as we read it over and over again. In Call of Duty as we continue to do well we progress through different levels and thus are awarded with new levels and new equipment to play the game with. We are then kicked back down to level one but we continue to gain new skill, equipment, and good memories as we play the game through again. The Book of Mormon does the same thing in our own lives. As we read the Book of Mormon over and over again we will gain new knowledge, truth, testimony, and witness every single time we read it. It never gets old and it never runs out of ways to help us grow. Each reading will open our understanding to new truths we can use as tools or "weapons" to better survive and live in the "game" of life. There is never a top off or end point in reading this incredible Book; we can never stop reading it because it will never stop bettering us. That is the beauty of the Book of Mormon: it is literally a never ending fountain of truth and happiness bringing principles that ultimately guide us back to our Heavenly Father. That is what it is here for.
I promise that if we read the Book of Mormon daily we will receive blessings without end and beyond what we could ever comprehend ourselves. The Book of Mormon is realistic and we can apply lessons from its characters as we treat them as people that really lived because they really did. It can be frustrating at times but we can lessen this frustration as we live worthy of and listen to the Holy Ghost and continue to increase in "skill" as we read and reread it. And most importantly, the Book of Mormon is a book that will bless our lives every time we read it, whether it is the first or hundredth time we have read its pages. It is amazing all that we receive from simply reading the Book of Mormon simply because it is not just a book, it is the pure word of God written for our day. The Book of Mormon truly is our latter day "Call of Duty".

Mary: Behold the Handmaid of the Lord

I have been thinking a lot about Mary this Christmas season, especially after the amazing new videos put out by the Church about the birth of Christ (visit lds.org to view these clips). What really stuck out to me was the visit of the angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her she would be the mother of Jesus the Savior of the World. I think of how I myself would feel if I had received such a calling. The fact that she was only 14 years old at the time adds to the tremendous respect I feel for her response. In those time infidelity when espoused could mean at best rejection by society and future spouse and at worst death by stoning. I am sure she feared what would happen to her as she faced the community as an espoused women now pregnant. How many would believe her? What would Joseph do? Ultimately her fate rested in his hands and in his belief or unbelief of her claim to be the mother of the Christ. And even if Joseph believed her what would her family, friends, neighbors, community say? For the rest of her life she could be marked as an adulterer and scorned and regarded as a fallen and degraded youth. Besides all of these challenges I can think of more; what would it feel like to know you would raise the perfect Son of God? I think of my first day in the mission field and how overwhelmed and unprepared I felt. There are few more frightful and uncomfortable feelings than those of inadequacy and the sense of being overwhelmed with things we feel we are not up to performing. I am sure being told I would raise the Savior of the World would be far more overwhelming than anything I have ever been asked to do for the Lord. And ultimately I can only imagine the pain of being a mother watching a son go through what Christ would go through, scorned and hated of men, rejected by his own, and ultimately, to watch him bleed and die on the cross, suffering for our shortcomings, sorrows, and sins, knowing that just hours before he had bled from every pore under the pain and pressure of performing the infinite and all powerful Atonement. I am not a mother but I can only imagine how that would feel to watch the man I raised and cared for for 33 years go through what the Savior went through. And yet, Mary did not let these doubts, fears, and feelings of inadequacy stop her from performing what the Lord asked her to do. I am sure she had a deep seeded testimony of our Heavenly Father and the wisdom of His will, His callings, His commandments. She knew the Lord knew she could do it and would do it. She knew that following the Lord's will brings blessings that far exceed any sorrow or ridicule the world can bring. She knew that ultimately we must all "trust in the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding". She knew that God would be with her every step of the way, and understood the honor and blessing of her calling, that she Mary, would be considered "blessed among women" (Luke 1:28). She may have understood the pains and struggles she might have because of her calling, but she also understood the amazing experience and blessing raising the literal Son of God would be. She understood who Christ was and the "glad tiding" the message of His coming really was. In short, she trusted God and his words. May we all learn to do as Mary did when we are called to do. Great blessings await those that do so, and as we seek to understand who God and Christ really are, we will gain the ability to trust all his words, and we will have the strength to say as Mary did ""Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38).

Ether's Barges

I am nearly to the end of the Book of Mormon and there is always a little feeling of excitement for me as I complete reading this remarkable book. Right now I am reading in Ether, a record of a people that came to the America's soon after the fall of the Tower of Babel. I love reading about how they make their journey here to the promise land. The brother of Jared is asked to build barges "tight like unto a dish" (Ether 2:17). He faithfully builds these barges and then discovers he has two problems; no light and no air. He goes to the Lord to ask for his help. The Lord tells him to cut a hole on the top and bottom of the barges, that way, when they need air, they can unstop the hole and let air in. If water comes in instead, they were to just stop the hole up. The brother of Jared again faithfully completes the Lord's instructions, THEN he goes back and asks about the light. Our Savior doesn't tell him how to overcome this problem, he tells the brother of Jared "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels? For behold, ye cannot have windows, for they will be dashed in pieces; neither shall ye take fire with you, for ye shall not go by the light of fire...Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?" (Ether 2:23-25). The brother of Jared again faithfully follows the Lord's instructions. He thinks about it, cuts some stones out of the mountain, and returns humbly to the Lord and asks him to touch the stones and make them give off light. Then something amazing happens, the brother of Jared sees the finger of the Lord touch each stone, and, they give off light. After an incredible visitation of the pre-mortal Christ the brother of Jared again returns off the mountain to accomplish what the Lord has asked him to do-place the stones in the barges and then take a leap of faith, enter them, and trust the Lord will guide him and his family to the promise land. Of course, the journey was long and not easy, in fact, the "winds did never cease to blow" (Ether 6:8), but they blew always in the direction of the promise land, and 344 days later the Lord did as he promised, and every one of those barges made it safely to the land prepared for them-the promised land.

What a beautiful pattern for our own journey to the promise land-to live with our Heavenly Fater again. We all have taken the leap of Faith to be here on Earth and seek to be like our Father so that we can live with him some day. The brother of Jared has taught me some  powerful lessons about this journey:

1) When we have problems in life we go to our Heavenly Father, but we don't just ask for help, we willingly follow his advice no matter how hard or crazy the advice sounds. Personally I would have hoped for a better answer than "cut holes in your boat and open them when you need and just hope water doesn't spill in instead". But the brother of Jared didn't wait for an answer he wanted, he went and did.

2) Sometimes the Lord trusts us to come up with a solution. He may give us some guidance, but ultimately, He wants us to come up with a solution, and then come to him in Faith and ask Him to approve our solution. He will either approve it or tell us to keep searching, and when we do have a solution, He is avaliable to help us with it. It is these experience that build our Faith and build ourselves the most. The brother of Jared increased His faith from this that he could "not be kept back from beholding within the veil" (Ether 3:19)  and actually saw the finger and then the pre-mortal body of of Savior Jesus Christ.
3) Finally that we all must take a leap of Faith sometimes and get into the boat. There were 8 barges and none of them had any way of talking to each other and no way to steer in their journey, yet they got in the boat and "commended themselves unto the Lord their God" (Ether 6:4). We must all take leaps of Faith sometimes that are scary and sometimes long-lived, like 344 days long. BUT we will always end up where the Lord wants us to end up, and the journey will be far worth not only the destination, but what we ourselves have become because of the journey. Though the winds never ceased to blow, they blew towards the promise land. Our journey may not be easy, it may be very windy, but we can know that these trials are for our good and without them, we would never steer and move towards the promise land.
I know that the scriptures have great lessons for us to learn and that we can apply them to our lives with both Faith that the Lord can and Hope that He will perform these same miracles in our own lives. May we search the scriptures daily as we strive to progress on our own journey back to the presence of our loving and, might I add very anxious to see us again, Heavenly Father...

Gratitude: A Heart of Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving tomorrow gratitude has been on my mind. Sister John pointed out to me a scripture that has really got me thinking even more about gratitude. It is in Alma 10:5 and it is Amulek speaking of his conversion as a missionary in his home town. This is what he says, "Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people." What Sister John pointed out to me is that Amulek had had God's hand in his life all along, but he hadn't always noticed it. Looking back now, he sees that the Lord has been there every step of the way in his life. He even sees clear back to his fathers and all that they have been delivered from and how grateful he is for that. In short, he begins to have true gratitude in his heart. My mother has a similar idea that is probably currently sitting in some prominent area of her home. Every November she gets out a fake bonsai apple tree and places a wooden figurine of a hog or pig under neath. She has a quote that says something along the lines of "ingratitude is like a pig eating apples and never looking up to see the tree they come from". As I have thought of these things I realized something; gratitude truly is for us. Like any other commandment from our loving Heavenly Father it is for our benefit. Think of the fruits of gratitude-contentment, selflessness, closeness to God, joy, a feeling of peace with what you have, a heart full of love for those people around you... The list goes on and on. I know when I take a step back and think of everything I have been given and all that I have and all that the Lord has promised we will have as we endure I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by a peace and love for life, my Savior, and my family. In essence, I have found that I am happiest when I am grateful. I am most full of charity when I am grateful. I am more like my Savior when I am grateful. And now, I realize, that it is a commandment with blessings, just like any other commandment we are given. So, though I know that gratitude should come out of sincere love, respect, and awareness of our Heavenly Father, I also know that He has asked to be grateful not really much for His sake, but for ours. I have come to realize it is just another gift from Him for the betterment of our lives. I have come to realize that gratitude is a gift we give ourselves by commandment of our Father above. And so, I have found that I have yet another great thing to be grateful for this Thanksgiving: gratitude. May we all fill our hearts with it so that we can truly enjoy this season of blessings and begin to have the happiness and joy that comes from a heart full of thanksgiving for our God.

My Dad

November is the month to be grateful, and I have a lot to be grateful for. Wonderful parents, sisters and brothers, good friends, an incredible trainer, wonderful members, and the breathtaking big sky of Montana. But what I want to focus on right now is my Father. I know its not Father's Day, June is a ways away, but I still want to pay tribute to him today. My Dad is amazing. There are a lot of reasons why but what I love most about him is how he has taught me by example of God's love for all of us. In the last Conference President Urchtdorf taught us about God's love for us by relating to us the story of Moses. Moses had grown up as the Prince of Egypt. He has been surrounded by architectural, cultural, and scientific wonders. He has grown up by the side of the Pharaoh-a man revered and respected as a god. He had grown up with every opportunity to have success and wisdom of the world. In essence, he had grown up thinking that man is great, that man has and will accomplish incredible things, that man is everything. But Moses had an experience that would change this forever. He sees God and all He has created. The expanses of stars, planets, and worlds untold. Overcome by the majesty of it all he falls to the ground and proclaims "Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed." (Moses 1:10) Who wouldn't feel that way after beholding what Moses saw? And yet in the very same chapter we learn an eternal truth that is vital for us to understand, "For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) Despite all that He has created, despite all that He is and will continue to be, God loves us and cares for us so deeply, that WE are His work and His glory. This incredible being cares deeply and individual for us so much that He is willing to do all He can to make sure we have success, that we become, and that we return to Him. Why? Simply because we are His children. We do not have to do anything to qualify for his love. We do not have to prove or accomplish or overcome anything for Him to love us; He already does and He always will-forever. This perfect unconditional love is majestic and humbling. It is something I am still wrapping my head around. But I would like to pay tribute to the man who has taught me more about this than anyone else: My Dad. He is amazing. He has accomplished and overcome incredible things, both in the world and as a worthy Priesthood holder of God. He's an incredible surgeon, can ski both on the lake and mountain, knows doctrine in depth, can fix things from cars to broken hands, and yet this man, highly educated in the world of science and refined spiritually by trial, has and always will love each and every one of his children. I know this because he lets us know by his actions and words every day. I have never in my life met someone who cares so much for his family simply because they are that; his family. No matter what I do or have done, no matter my successes or failures, my Dad has always loved me just the same, because I am his daughter. I could always count on him after a big race, test, or performance to be excited and happy for me despite the outcome. Whether first or last place it was always the same; he was always proud of me and happy for me and glad I had at least tried. His tenderness and love is hard to explain or convey to anyone else, but I feel it so deeply that I know it is there with all my heart. This is exactly how I know our Heavenly Father feels about each and everyone of us. It is impossible to convey or describe, but impossible to deny once felt. I thank my Dad every day for teaching me about the Lord's love for me and every one of his children, and I try everyday to love as he loves. I testify that God loves us, and that really truly feeling that makes all the difference in the world. Its there if we will just recognize it and allow it to enter our hearts and if we do, we will feel and know this is true, and doing so will make all the difference in the world. Thanks Dad for showing me it is there...

Telephone Poles

 

The other day Sister John and I were driving to Conrad. I was a little tired so I was just looking out the window at the horizon and thinking. Being a new missionary can be overwhelming at times, as is any new stage we go through. With so many new things to learn and understand, so many new people to know, and so many directions to have down pat, I was feeling very flustered. I kept thinking, "life will sure be nice once..." and I mentally listed a million things-when I have the lessons down, or when I can get from town to town without a GPS, or when I teach enough that I don't feel like I am going to pass out with nerves. As these thoughts chased each other I stared at the long gravel road I noticed the telephone poles standing erect far into the horizon. I noticed that the further away the telephone poles were, the closer together they seemed to be. I looked behind, and noted the same phenomenon. It was then something hit me, a lesson that I have always struggled with; the time to be content is NOW. I noticed that a lot of times, just as the telephone poles looked closer together in the horizon, I think the future looks a lot better, easier, or more exciting. But that is all it is-it only looks that way. As soon as we drive a few miles we get to those telephone poles and realize that they are exactly the same distance apart-that we have been bamboozled. We then look ahead and see more, drive to them earnestly, and find them to still be the same distance apart. At this point we might begin to look back at the telephone poles we have already passed, and see that now, suddenly, they look closer together, and we begin to wish to be back where we were. And I realize, looks are really deceiving. Instead of deciding to be happy "when", and speed my truck towards the next telephone pole, I need to enjoy the now, because really, every moment in life can and should be enjoyed, because really, every moment in life is exactly the "same distance apart", just like those telephone poles...