Water polo season is here...again! Our three oldest children play this intense, fast-paced, and very challenging sport. It requires them to get up early (4:30 for 5:00am practices), practicing after school, and giving up their Saturday mornings to also practice. When games start the schedule gets even crazier and involves weekends. There is a lot of sacrifice on their part to participate in this sport. And I must say, sacrifice for the whole family. We all end up giving up our time, our Saturdays and many other days to drive, watch games, and some of us also give up our sleep. Polo season is a time of sacrifice. Sacrificing sleep and disciplining oneself to go to practice that early in the morning is not an easy thing. The sacrifice of sleep, personal interests, and time for the gain of being in peak physical condition, increased coordination, better communication skills from working with a team, and increased self confidence are some of the blessings that come from all the sacrifices made to play and commit to being a good player. These sacrifices end up not only blessing their lives in the short term, but also in the long run. The reality is, it takes sacrifice and willingness to suffer a little for the blessing of a whole lot more.
Sacrifice is to give up something, such as sleep, for the gain of something greater, such as a gain of being on the varsity water polo team. Sometimes the challenge is knowing what to sacrifice so that there is growth and not stumbling. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf taught how to discern between a good sacrifice and a stumbling one. He said, "Every person and situation is different, and a good sacrifice in one instance might be a foolish sacrifice in another. How can we tell the difference for our own situation? We can ask ourselves, 'Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?' There are so many good things to do, but we can't do all of them. Our Heavenly Father is most pleased when we sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective." (Forget Me Not my bold added).
"In ancient days sacrifice meant to make something or someone holy. It has now come to mean to give up or suffer the loss of worldly things for the Lord and His kingdom. Members of the Lord's Church should be willing to sacrifice all things for the Lord. Joseph Smith taught that 'a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.' In the eternal perspective, the blessings obtained by sacrifice are greater than anything that is given up" (The Guide to the Scriptures). We should ask ourselves, "Am I willing to "suffer the loss of worldly things for the Lord and His kingdom"? Today, we are asked to sacrifice a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" (3 Nephi 9:20 (19-22)) rather than sacrificing the "firstlings of our flocks" (see Moses 5:4-8). Are we willing to sacrifice our will, have the "broken heart" so that His will becomes ours? Jesus Christ sacrificed His will, "He descended below all things, in that He comprehended all things, that He might be in all and through all things, the light of truth" (D&C 88:6). Through the Atonement Christ understands our sacrifices and our sufferings. Our small sacrifice to give up sleep sometimes seems difficult to get out of bed to attend church, let alone play water polo. But the "loss of worldly things", to get something better is totally worth the sacrifice of sleep, especially to renew the covenants we made at baptism to "follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of [our] sins, witnessing unto the Father that [we] are willing to take upon [us] the name of Christ" (see 2 Nephi 31:13)
Sacrifice can be small, but make an incredible difference. Think about the sacrifice of money to pay tithing and fast offerings, the sacrifice of our will to conform to the will of God (sometimes this is small and at others we have to make great sacrifices depending on how far we have strayed, but the sacrifice is so worth it!), the sacrifice of our time, our talents, our sleep (think of all the parents in the world who wake to care for a crying child or aid another in need). All these sacrifices are done without the thought of "what's in it for me" making it a true sacrifice. When we make true sacrifices we are following the example of Christ, who "offereth Himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered" (2 Nephi 2:7).
We truly can make a difference in our world by sacrificing our time, our talents, choosing to "sacrifice something good for something far greater with an eternal perspective" (Elder Uchtdorf). Eternal perspective is Christ's perspective and it feels so good when we keep this in our minds view as we learn to live the "law of sacrifice" (see The Law of Sacrifice). We will become more like Christ as we learn the difference between a good sacrifice and a great sacrifice, "willing to suffer the loss of worldly things for the Lord and His kingdom". This I testify will make us stronger and better disciples of Christ as we follow His example of "suffering the will of the Father in all things from the beginning" (3 Nephi 11:11).
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
"For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10).
Some days, when it rains, mud appears. It happens. Mud gets on my boots, my clothes, and then my floor and I don't even know it. So, I have to clean. But there are benefits to mud and rain. As I walked home the other day, there were tiny buds poking their heads out of the ground, through the mud, indicating that spring is about to come. Hallelujah! I need spring. Spring means flowers, warmer weather, and more sunshine. It also means rebirth. I love seeing these buds coming out of the ground after their rest all winter long. As I have pondered this, I think it is a perfect metaphor for life. We all have cycles of good days, bad days, periods of rest and rejuvenation, also rebirth and growth. There is no getting around it, it's part of life to have to go through the "winter" of life in order to enjoy the "spring" of life.
The prophet Isaiah said, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10). Every stage of life is a process and has to be done in order. Gratefully, rain and mud and dung help in this process. Dung is the "fertilizer" that gives us the strength and wisdom to learn and know the difference between right and wrong, truth and error. And we get to do this! We don't have to do it. All the steps are important so that we can the bread that comes from the process, "eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days" (D&C 64:34)
The Savior said, as He has taken care of His vineyard, (the vineyard being symbolic of His people): "Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh" (Jacob 5:47). He cares for and nourishes us, even fertilizing us with dung. Sometimes, the "dung" in our lives is awful, smelly, terrible and very difficult to deal with. Dung isn't something we want to lay around in, but there is always a purpose. Dung as a fertilizer makes us stronger, healthier, and more vibrant. Without fertilizer, eventually plants don't get the nourishment they need and aren't strong enough to withstand the trials and challenges that come their way. Too much dung can also have the same effect and make us weak. We don't need to go around looking for dung to walk in and bring it into our homes, adding an extra burden to our already overloaded garden of life. But sometimes we step in it and we have to clean it up. Dung is part of life...we can choose to wallow in it or clean it up and throw it out where it belongs.
Rest is definitely needed, probably even more than we get in our fast paced, busy lives. In the vineyard, there is a time to rest. Spring reminds me that rest is a good thing. It's funny that winter isn't the reminder of that, but spring is. As these tiny buds are poking their heads out of the ground they are waking up from a long winters rest. We are all seeking to "enter into His rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of His glory" (D&C 84:24). When we are in the "rest of the Lord" the prophet Joseph F. Smith taught:
Just as the tiny buds need the "snow from heaven" to water them and they in turn give us beauty and joy, our lives too need water, "that [we] might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Christ said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). As we "drink" of His water, it will fill us up, bringing forth "the fruit of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5:22). Who doesn't need more of that kind of fruit in their lives these days? I know I sure do. This spring we can drink of His water through small acts of kindness, feeling His love spread as the buds of love push their way through the mud and make a wonderful garden in our lives. Gratefully, we have a new day, every day to keep trying, to work in our "garden of life" and keep "pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ" (see 2 Nephi 31:20), planting seeds of faith (see Alma 33:1) and try again.
I love spring. I love the signs of new life, of hope, of rebirth popping out of the ground all around us at this time of year. Every day is a new day, for all things "are the typifying of [Christ]" (2 Nephi 11:4). Christ lives! And we can too can live with renewed faith in Him, every day, a little at a time, just as the tiny buds push their way up through the mud and grow into a beautiful garden. Gratefully we only have to do it one day at a time. This I testify is His way, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6).
The prophet Isaiah said, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater" (Isaiah 55:10). Every stage of life is a process and has to be done in order. Gratefully, rain and mud and dung help in this process. Dung is the "fertilizer" that gives us the strength and wisdom to learn and know the difference between right and wrong, truth and error. And we get to do this! We don't have to do it. All the steps are important so that we can the bread that comes from the process, "eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days" (D&C 64:34)
The Savior said, as He has taken care of His vineyard, (the vineyard being symbolic of His people): "Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh" (Jacob 5:47). He cares for and nourishes us, even fertilizing us with dung. Sometimes, the "dung" in our lives is awful, smelly, terrible and very difficult to deal with. Dung isn't something we want to lay around in, but there is always a purpose. Dung as a fertilizer makes us stronger, healthier, and more vibrant. Without fertilizer, eventually plants don't get the nourishment they need and aren't strong enough to withstand the trials and challenges that come their way. Too much dung can also have the same effect and make us weak. We don't need to go around looking for dung to walk in and bring it into our homes, adding an extra burden to our already overloaded garden of life. But sometimes we step in it and we have to clean it up. Dung is part of life...we can choose to wallow in it or clean it up and throw it out where it belongs.
Rest is definitely needed, probably even more than we get in our fast paced, busy lives. In the vineyard, there is a time to rest. Spring reminds me that rest is a good thing. It's funny that winter isn't the reminder of that, but spring is. As these tiny buds are poking their heads out of the ground they are waking up from a long winters rest. We are all seeking to "enter into His rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of His glory" (D&C 84:24). When we are in the "rest of the Lord" the prophet Joseph F. Smith taught:
“The ancient prophets speak of ‘entering into God’s rest’; what does it mean? To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. … The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into ‘God’s rest,’ … rest from doubt, from fear, from apprehension of danger, rest from the religious turmoil of the world” (Gospel Doctrine, 58; see also Matthew 11:28–30)" (New Testament Teacher Resource Manual, (2002), 223–25).
Just as the tiny buds need the "snow from heaven" to water them and they in turn give us beauty and joy, our lives too need water, "that [we] might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25). Christ said, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14). As we "drink" of His water, it will fill us up, bringing forth "the fruit of the Spirit...love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Galatians 5:22). Who doesn't need more of that kind of fruit in their lives these days? I know I sure do. This spring we can drink of His water through small acts of kindness, feeling His love spread as the buds of love push their way through the mud and make a wonderful garden in our lives. Gratefully, we have a new day, every day to keep trying, to work in our "garden of life" and keep "pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ" (see 2 Nephi 31:20), planting seeds of faith (see Alma 33:1) and try again.
I love spring. I love the signs of new life, of hope, of rebirth popping out of the ground all around us at this time of year. Every day is a new day, for all things "are the typifying of [Christ]" (2 Nephi 11:4). Christ lives! And we can too can live with renewed faith in Him, every day, a little at a time, just as the tiny buds push their way up through the mud and grow into a beautiful garden. Gratefully we only have to do it one day at a time. This I testify is His way, "by small and simple things are great things brought to pass" (Alma 37:6).
Friday, March 09, 2012
"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22)
The other morning as I was coming back from taking one son to school I noticed a white SUV on the opposite side of the road. It was cold, had snowed the night before, and was icy out. I thought, "What a bummer to be broken down in this weather". I drove home and proceeded to take my youngest son to his school and dropped him off safely. On my return home from doing this, which was about 45 minutes later, I noticed the same car still sitting there on the side of the road. I wasn't headed in that direction, but I wondered if someone was still sitting in the car waiting for help. I drove through the light, but I decided to turn around and just check to make sure someone wasn't still in the car. I flipped a U-turn, headed back to the light, and pulled into traffic. I was able to easily pull in front of the car. There was a woman still sitting in the car. I parked, got out, and walked back to the car. She rolled down her window. I asked if she was okay or if she needed help. She said she was waiting for AAA and it would take them another hour, but she and her daughter were fine. I asked if there was anything I could do and she told me no. She told me she appreciated that I had stopped because no one else had stopped. I told them to take care and I thought to myself, I will pray for them, because sometimes that's all one can do to help.
As I drove down the road and back up again past her to head back home, I was praying for her. The thought came to me how much we are all loved. Christ "suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam" (2 Nephi 9:21). He has suffered for us. His Atonement is "an infinite atonement" (2 Nephi 9:7), it doesn't just help once, it is eternal, "infinite". My brain can't even begin to comprehend infinite. But Christ can, does, and aides us when we call upon His name. (see D&C 100:17; Helaman 3:27; Romans 10:13; Psalms 99:6; 1 Chronicles 16:8). It's interesting that in today's world it is so easy to call others, we have cell phones and other electronic devices and can call anyone pretty much anytime we want, or text them or email them. But to understand what it really means to "call upon His holy name" (Helaman 3:27) changes our behavior, changes us.
There is this Hymn, Have I Done Any Good? (#223) that asks if we have done anything to help "another on their way". When we decide to call upon Christ and follow Him, James teaches us an important lesson, that it is more than just saying a name. He says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). We have to do more than just say we follow Christ. We actually have to let our actions speak for us. It's interesting as I write this, because I realize how difficult this is at times, to acknowledge that I have done something wrong and make it right isn't easy, but it is important. It is important because it is about our personal growth. Our growth is impeded when we don't make the wrong things right. This might mean that we need to forgive our neighbor who has deeply hurt us and used us, however near or far that neighbor may live (see 3 Nephi 12:44; Matt 5:44). Remember I said it was necessary for our growth, I didn't say it was easy.
The beauty of the plan of God (see Moses 6:62; Alma 24:14; Alma 34:31), is that God knew we would make mistakes, that we would screw up, even after we had committed to following His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore I must say as Jacob, "O the wisdom of God, His mercy and grace! (2 Nephi 9:8); "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape" (2 Nephi 9:10); O how great the plan of our God" (2 Nephi 9:13)!
Just as the sun rises each day, even on cloudy days when we can't see it, we get a new opportunity to try again. This is the same when we "in the sincerity of [our] hearts, call upon His holy name" (Helaman 3:27), we are sincerely trying to change, to repent, to become a new creature in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). When we are "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17) "we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him" (1 John 2:3-4). When we walk the walk and not just talk the talk, but are true Christians, we "love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them who despitefully use [us] and persecute [us]" (3 Nephi 12:44; Matthew 5:44), even when it is the most difficult thing to do. And why do we do this? Because, ultimately, we love Jesus Christ more than we love staying the same in a "carnal and fallen state" and we want to be "born again; yea, born of God" (Mosiah 27:25).
I had to flip a U-turn to get to the woman in the white SUV and she didn't even need any help, but life is like that. We need to make U-turns all the time, correct our course. We need to see that we are "checked as to the pride of [our] hearts, and [begin] to humble [our]selves before God... watching and praying continually, that [we] might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction" (Alma 15:17). Check ourselves, make sure we are driving, walking, talking, living, in the right direction. When we do this "great check" (Alma 15:17) on a daily basis, for it only takes a couple of minutes, just as stopping to see if the woman needed help to only a couple of minutes, then there are great rewards (see Matthew 5:12). After the Lord taught the Sermon on the Mount He said, "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad" (Matthew 5:12) because He had just taught them how to live, how to walk, how to become as He is, full of love, kind, patient, meek, humble. He taught a higher, a celestial law.
Life can be hard, but it is also full of joy. The prophet Jacob taught, "But, behold, the righteous (note that it is not self-righteous), the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever" (2 Nephi 9:8). We can walk the walk, and talk the talk and sincerely change and be "born again" (John 3:3; Mosiah 27:25) because we have faith in Christ and we desire to truly follow Him. This I testify.
As I drove down the road and back up again past her to head back home, I was praying for her. The thought came to me how much we are all loved. Christ "suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam" (2 Nephi 9:21). He has suffered for us. His Atonement is "an infinite atonement" (2 Nephi 9:7), it doesn't just help once, it is eternal, "infinite". My brain can't even begin to comprehend infinite. But Christ can, does, and aides us when we call upon His name. (see D&C 100:17; Helaman 3:27; Romans 10:13; Psalms 99:6; 1 Chronicles 16:8). It's interesting that in today's world it is so easy to call others, we have cell phones and other electronic devices and can call anyone pretty much anytime we want, or text them or email them. But to understand what it really means to "call upon His holy name" (Helaman 3:27) changes our behavior, changes us.
There is this Hymn, Have I Done Any Good? (#223) that asks if we have done anything to help "another on their way". When we decide to call upon Christ and follow Him, James teaches us an important lesson, that it is more than just saying a name. He says, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). We have to do more than just say we follow Christ. We actually have to let our actions speak for us. It's interesting as I write this, because I realize how difficult this is at times, to acknowledge that I have done something wrong and make it right isn't easy, but it is important. It is important because it is about our personal growth. Our growth is impeded when we don't make the wrong things right. This might mean that we need to forgive our neighbor who has deeply hurt us and used us, however near or far that neighbor may live (see 3 Nephi 12:44; Matt 5:44). Remember I said it was necessary for our growth, I didn't say it was easy.
The beauty of the plan of God (see Moses 6:62; Alma 24:14; Alma 34:31), is that God knew we would make mistakes, that we would screw up, even after we had committed to following His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore I must say as Jacob, "O the wisdom of God, His mercy and grace! (2 Nephi 9:8); "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape" (2 Nephi 9:10); O how great the plan of our God" (2 Nephi 9:13)!
Just as the sun rises each day, even on cloudy days when we can't see it, we get a new opportunity to try again. This is the same when we "in the sincerity of [our] hearts, call upon His holy name" (Helaman 3:27), we are sincerely trying to change, to repent, to become a new creature in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). When we are "in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17) "we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in Him" (1 John 2:3-4). When we walk the walk and not just talk the talk, but are true Christians, we "love [our] enemies, bless them that curse [us], do good to them that hate [us], and pray for them who despitefully use [us] and persecute [us]" (3 Nephi 12:44; Matthew 5:44), even when it is the most difficult thing to do. And why do we do this? Because, ultimately, we love Jesus Christ more than we love staying the same in a "carnal and fallen state" and we want to be "born again; yea, born of God" (Mosiah 27:25).
I had to flip a U-turn to get to the woman in the white SUV and she didn't even need any help, but life is like that. We need to make U-turns all the time, correct our course. We need to see that we are "checked as to the pride of [our] hearts, and [begin] to humble [our]selves before God... watching and praying continually, that [we] might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction" (Alma 15:17). Check ourselves, make sure we are driving, walking, talking, living, in the right direction. When we do this "great check" (Alma 15:17) on a daily basis, for it only takes a couple of minutes, just as stopping to see if the woman needed help to only a couple of minutes, then there are great rewards (see Matthew 5:12). After the Lord taught the Sermon on the Mount He said, "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad" (Matthew 5:12) because He had just taught them how to live, how to walk, how to become as He is, full of love, kind, patient, meek, humble. He taught a higher, a celestial law.
Life can be hard, but it is also full of joy. The prophet Jacob taught, "But, behold, the righteous (note that it is not self-righteous), the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever" (2 Nephi 9:8). We can walk the walk, and talk the talk and sincerely change and be "born again" (John 3:3; Mosiah 27:25) because we have faith in Christ and we desire to truly follow Him. This I testify.
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