Yoked to Christ: He Will Carry Your Load

Life is crazy. I can't emphasize that enough; each and every day I feel pulled in every direction, spread thinly over all of my responsibilities and activities. Some days it's an achievement when I simply 'get through' the day, hardly enjoying the journey as I simply try to keep my head above water. However, there is One who knows exactly what I'm going through--He knows how to make my burdens light. Jesus Christ invites us,"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" (Matthew 11:28-30).

A yoke is a beam carved from a single piece of wood that is fitted to oxen's shoulders and it's used to harness a pair of animals (oxen) so that they can drag a load as efficiently as possible. Christ wants us to be yoked to Him so that we can help do His work with Him. As we 'follow him,' Christ helps carry our burdens, so that we're "not pulling life's load alone," rather Christ, who knows best how to make our lives happier, pulls us along with Him.

I know that if I 'come follow Him' and make Christ the center of my life--by attending the temple prayerfully, falling to my knees often, studying the Word of God, preparing myself spiritually for a mission, and giving Christ-like service whenever I can--I will be happier and my burdens will be made lighter (or I will be made stronger, through Christ, to be more able to carry my load).

With God, We Can Do All Things

"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with god nothing shall be impossible." ~St. Luke 1:34-37

I believe we have all heard it--that phrase that states "with God all things are possible". We, being mortals, cannot always comprehend this concept. Zacharias couldn't comprehend it when an angel told him that his wife, who was well past child-bearing years, would have a son named John. However, Mary was faithful when an angel told her of the miracle that would take place within her. "And blessed is she that believed" says the scripture in Luke. Many times people, even faithful members, do not believe that a certain miracle can happen. They are forgetting that God can do anything. He who created the world and worlds without number, can grant any righteous desire so long as it follows His will. What does this mean for me? It means that I should never think that I cannot do something. If I want to bring sheep unto the fold by means of a mission, then I should pray for strength, guidance, and support to achieve my dream. The sky is the limit. 

"A man’s mind should be single to the glory of God in everything that he starts to accomplish. We should consider that of ourselves we can do nothing. We are the children of God. We are in darkness, [unless] God enlightens our understanding. We are powerless, [unless] God helps us. The work that we have to do here is of that nature that we cannot do it unless we have the assistance of the Almighty. … Here is the great trouble with men of the world, and too much so with the Elders of Israel; we forget that we are working for God; we forget that we are here in order to carry out certain purposes that we have promised the Lord that we would carry out. It is a glorious work that we are engaged in. It is the work of the Almighty; and He has selected the men and the women whom He knows from past experience will carry out His purposes."

But it Mattereth Not...

When we have trials in life, we have two choices: to either become better or bitter. President Brigham Young once compared being offended to a poisonous snakebite. He said that “there are two courses of action to follow when one is bitten by a rattlesnake. One may, in anger, fear, or vengefulness, pursue the creature and kill it. Or he may make full haste to get the venom out of his system.” He said, “If we pursue the latter course we will likely survive, but if we attempt to follow the former, we may not be around long enough to finish it.” 

Pahoran, the chief judge and governor, had this very choice before him when Moroni sent him a very angry and provocative letter. Moroni had sent him an epistle requesting more men and supplies to be sent to his army in order to protect the cities from the Lamanites. Little did Moroni know, that Pahoran had his own problems to deal with, and was unable to spare men or even time for a correspondence letter due to the kings-men who were trying to overthrow the government. Therefore, acting in anger and misunderstanding, Moroni accused Pahoran of "indifference concerning the freedom of their country" as well as treason, neglect, "slothfulness" and sitting upon his throne in a "thoughtless stupor".

Pahoran could very well have gotten angry and spiteful that Moroni would accuse him of such things, when he had no idea what was going on within the Nephite government because of wicked kings-men. However, after explaining his situation, rather than rebuke Moroni for judging too harshly, Pahoran says to Moroni, "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgement-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free" (Alma 61:9). 

Even in times when the person who has offended us is not rightly justified in their anger (as was Moroni), we are expected to 'forgive all men' despite what they do to us. However, as David E. Sorenson put it, "This is not to say that forgiveness is easy. When someone has hurt us or those we care about, that pain can almost be overwhelming. It can feel as if the pain or the injustice is the most important thing in the world and that we have no choice but to seek vengeance. But Christ, the Prince of Peace, teaches us a better way. It can be very difficult to forgive someone the harm they’ve done us, but when we do, we open ourselves up to a better future. No longer does someone else’s wrongdoing control our course. When we forgive others, it frees us to choose how we will live our own lives. Forgiveness means that problems of the past no longer dictate our destinies, and we can focus on the future with God’s love in our hearts."

A Chisel in the Master's Hand

While reading in Third Nephi chapter 28, we discussed the apostles and what they desired from Jesus. Nine of the Twelve asked to continue in the ministry until "the age of a man" and then to come speedily to their father in heaven. The other three asked to not taste of death so that they can continue to bring souls unto the gospel. "And it shall come to pass, when the Lord seeth fit in his wisdom that they shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be fulfilled, and also because of the convincing power of God which is in them." (3 Nephi 28:29) The apostles basically asked to be made into more profitable servants for the Lord. We, as latter-day saints, go through a similar conversion in order to be useful to our Lord. However, ours is not a translation as it was for the apostles. Rather, the process that turns us into profitable servants, or tools for the Lord is long and gradual. It is like the process you go through to create a chisel. Chisels begin as metal that must be made malleable by going through a hot fire (much like the process of going through trials and afflictions to become humble). Then the blacksmith (or God, in this case) will begin to pound on the metal (us) until he has shaped it (us) into something that can be useful to him. Then we can see the good things that he is able to do with that transformed hunk of metal (us), now that it is the shape that he needs in order to do his work. 

The Lord can make a lot more out of us than we can make out of ourselves.

 "In addition to stimulating our repentance, the very experience of enduring chastening can refine us and prepare us for greater spiritual privileges. Said the Lord, “My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom” (D&C 136:31). 

Hugh B. Brown once told a story that I believe relates to this. 

"He told of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

President Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”

God knows what our potential is; we hold the power to become Gods and Goddesses, Heavenly Mothers and Fathers, so long as we are humble, repentant, and tools in the Master's hand.  

Tithing: Parables of the Bicycle and the Grateful Cat

In Third Nephi chapter 24, Nephi (Son of Nephi, who was the son of Helaman) copies into the record Malachi chapter 3, which talks about tithing. "Will a man rob God?" The Lord asks. He says that we rob him when we do not pay tithes and offerings (3 Nephi 24: 8). Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asks, "How can we ever repay the debt we owe to the Savior? He paid a debt He did not owe to free us from a debt we can never pay. Because of Him, we will live forever. Because of His infinite Atonement, our sins can be swept away, allowing us to experience the greatest of all the gifts of God: eternal life" (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/earthly-debts-heavenly-debts?lang=eng).

One story that reminds me of our inability to repay the savior is 'the parable of the bicycle'. In this story a little girl desperately wants a bicycle. When she asks her father for one he tells her that she can work hard to earn money and eventually save up for her own bike. She worked as hard as her age would permit; selling lemonade, doing chores around the house, washing the dog, mowing the lawn, etc. Finally, the day came when she went to the bicycle shop to see if she had enough for her bike...

"There it was! The most beautiful bicycle that had ever been dreamed of! She ran to it, stroking its shiny chrome and running her fingers through the colorful streamers that flowed from its handle grips. Never could there be a more perfect bike than this one. She clapped her hands with the pure delight of it.Then she reached for the price tag.

The next moment in the little girl's eyes had melted away into tears. 'Oh, Daddy,' she wept. 'I'll never have enough. Never.' She threw herself into his arms."

Upon seeing the price of the bike, the little girl became upset and knew that she would never be able to have enough to buy the bike herself. Her loving father took her in his arms and said, "if you give me all that you have, I will make up the rest". This little allegory is similar to our relationship with our heavenly father. He wants us to be happy more than anything else, and to truly be happy, we have to make it back to live with our heavenly father. He knows that nothing we do will ever repay what the Savior did for us through the atonement. However, because of the atonement, Jesus Christ, our father through his sacrifice of blood and water, makes up the enormous slack so that we may return to our heavenly parents. Tithing is the same way. We give 10% of everything we earn back to the church. This amount is nothing compared to everything we have been given by the Lord. Our very lives and spirits we owe to Him. The least we can do is be grateful.

The second parable is the one of the grateful cat, written by James E. Talmage. It goes as follows:

 "He told the story of a naturalist in the nineteenth century who had been called to a grand estate in Great Britain to be honored for his contributions in the world of science. He left his cottage early in the morning to go for a walk, and while he was out walking, he saw two boys down by the lake. He also heard the frantic meowing of a cat; and so, curious, he walked down to see what was happening.

When he arrived he saw the two boys with a mother cat and some kittens. The boys were taking each kitten, tying it up in a rag with a rock, and tossing it into the lake. As you can imagine, the mother cat was just frantic, watching her kittens being drowned.

A little upset, the naturalist asked the boys what they were doing. It turned out to be quite innocent on their part. The mistress of the great estate had an old mother cat that she loved, but she didn't want any more cats around. Whenever the mother cat had a litter, the woman hired the two boys, who were children of some of the servants, to go down to the lake and drown the kittens.

The naturalist talked to the boys and said he would make sure they didn't get in trouble, but he would take care of the remaining three kittens. To the scientist's surprise, the mother cat behaved as if she understood exactly what was happening. As he walked back to his cottage with the kittens, she ran alongside him, rubbed his leg, and purred happily. He took the kittens into his cottage, gave them some milk, and put them in a warm boat.

The next day, when all of the company was gathered together in the great house to honor the scientist, suddenly the door pushed open and in came the mother cat with a large fat mouse in her mouth. She walked to the scientist and laid the mouse at his feet.

In the words of Elder Talmage, here is the marvelous parable that he drew from this story:

"What think you of the offering, and the purpose that prompted the act? A live mouse, fleshy and fat! Within the cat's power of possible estimation and judgment it was a superlative gift. To her limited understanding no rational creature could feel otherwise than pleased over the present of a meaty mouse. Every sensible cat would be ravenously joyful with such an offering. Beings unable to appreciate a mouse for a meal were unknown to the cat.

"Are not our offerings to the Lord—our tithes and our other free will gifts—as thoroughly unnecessary to His needs as was the mouse to the scientist? But remember that the grateful and sacrificing nature of the cat was enlarged, and in a measure sanctified, by her offering.

"Thanks be to God that He gages the offerings and sacrifices of His children by the standard of their physical ability and honest intent rather than by the gradation of His esteemed station. Verily He is God with us; and He both understands and accepts our motives and righteous desires. Our need to serve God is incalculably greater than His need for our service."

Prepare to be Stretched...

In the book of Ether, we read about the Brother of Jared, or Mahonri Moriancumer, and his task of getting his family to the "Promised Land". While on this journey, Mahonri and his family arrived at the shore of the 'many waters' which the Lord said they must cross to get to the promised land. God commanded Mahonri to build eight barges giving him every little instruction on how to build them, however, He left to problems to be solved by Mahonri alone: how were they to see, steer, and breathe whilst on their journey on the sea. The Lord solved two of his problems by telling Mahonri not to worry about steering, for He would send forth a wind that would direct the barges to the promised land, as well as directing Mahonri to cut two holes into each barge that could be plugged when underwater. However, God left the third problem to be solved by Mahonri. In this way, God was asking Mahonri to think for himself, even though Mahonri could easily have found his task impossible. So, Mahonri ended up molting out of the mount, sixteen small, transparent stones. After all this work, the best that Mahonri could put forth, the rocks still did not give forth light. Often we may feel the way the brother of Jared must have felt. Even after we try our very hardest to do something right, it may not even get the result we tried so hard to achieve. However, just as the Lord did with Mahonri, He only asks us to put our best effort onto the altar and to then ask God to magnify it and make it shine.

"No light will come from your finest work without the help of God."

God will find each and every one of us, wherever we may be in our spiritual progression and capacity, and He will stretch us to become better. God doesn't ask less of us as we get better, simply he helps make us strong enough to handle harder things. As President Eyring put it, "the more faithful service you give, the more the Lord asks of you. Your smile is a happy one because you know that He increases our power to carry the heavier load" (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/o-ye-that-embark?lang=eng). At times we may feel like the road before us is too difficult to travel, but I know that if we pray for guidance and help, that the Lord will lift us up to more than we could ever be on our own. He's going to stretch us, but if we trust in Him and follow Him, we can successfully grow to higher heights than ever before. 

The Pure Love of Christ

What is Charity? Is it tax-deductible money that you give to the poor and homeless? Or is it something more? According to Mormon, charity is "the pure love of Christ" (Moroni 7:47). Wow. What an amazing concept. Christ's love equals charity. I mean, it makes sense, even with the 'world's' definition of charity. Webster defines charity as " benevolent goodwill toward humanity and generosity especially toward the needy or suffering". Doesn't that just epitomize the savior's life on Earth? Jesus Christ, He who was the Prince of Peace, the Lord of all, a king, our ruler, governor, and Savior, healed the sick, made the deaf to hear, the blind to see. He walked among beggars, thieves, liars, sinners: for those who are not sick need to physician. 

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matt. 25:40)

 As C. Max Caldwell stated years ago, "People who have charity have a love for the Savior, have received of his love, and love others as he does." It's rather simple, really, those whom we love, we serve. Christ loves us to the point where he suffered, bled, and died for us. He went through incomprehensible torment and pain. And He did so for us, His brothers and sisters, and in a spiritual sense, His eternal children. We, all of us, can have a portion of this Christ-like love. Sometimes, briefly, when we step out of our selfish shells, we can feel this love for God's children. We are not perfect, and we all sin differently. Therefore, how can we judge others, when we have so many of our own flaws? If Christ could be the friend of terrible sinners, then we, who are infinitely less than our elder brother, can learn to love and befriend those who make terrible mistakes and use poor judgement. As Mother Teresa said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” I pray that I may learn to be more forgiving, less judging, more patient, and forever remember that Christ loves me despite all of my flaws and sins. Therefore, who am I to judge another, when I walk so imperfectly? May we all have the pure love of Christ of our fellow brothers and sisters throughout the world in whatever circumstance they may be in. 

Obedience will set you free

While studying Third Nephi 18, Jesus commands his disciples to bring forth bread and wine. Then he took of the bread and "blessed it" and he gave it back to the disciples for them to eat, and they gave it to the multitude (3 Nephi 18:3). Bro. Griffen elaborated on these verses saying that God's commandments always come back to bless us in some way or another. Just like the analogy of a fence that represents God's commandments, that keeps us from the dangers of sin and wickedness, commandments keep us on the strait and narrow path back to him. They are not for God's benefit, they are entirely for our protection. God's commandments are not restrictions, rather they are guidelines that help bring us freedom and happiness. "Our choice in this life is not whether we will or will not be subject to any power. Our choice is to which authority we will yield obedience: God’s or Satan’s." Which team will we suit up for? The choice isn't between obedience and freedom. Rather, our choice is whether to be obedient to God or to Satan. 

"The gospel... is a plan of freedom that gives discipline to appetite and direction to behavior. This plan puts us on a path of increasing knowledge and capacity, increasing grace and light. It is the freedom to become what you can and ought to be. But for your freedom to be complete, you must be willing to give away all your sins, your willfulness, your cherished but unsound habits, perhaps even some good things that interfere with what God sees is essential for you." (D. Todd Christofferson)

My Beloved Bretheren

In Helaman chapter 15, Samuel is prophesying and preaching unto the wicked Nephites. Throughout the text, Samuel addresses them as his "beloved brethren (Hel. 15:1, 4) Even though the wicked Nephites reject him and his message, and have tried to kill him, Samuel still makes an effort to have a horizontal relationship with them. Samuel may be admonishing the Nephites' wicked ways, however he still treats them as his brethren, as equals, and with Christlike love. God cannot look upon sin with the least bit of allowance, but that does not mean that he hates us sinners. We must learn to treat people as Samuel and Christ would, with love and understanding, without compromising our standards for what is right and wrong. Hate the sin, but love the sinner. 

"As we step back and try to understand this love of God, we are astounded by its profound impact. At its center is the reality of a literal Father in Heaven whose love for His children knows no bounds. All truths, wisdom, power, goodness, and love He desires to share with His children, whom He created and sent to earth. He would have us reach up and know Him as a Father, as one who forgives, as a helper, as friend, as lawgiver—as one anxious to grant to every man the full opportunity of His love and potential and ultimately the blessing to one day become like Him." (James M. Paramore)

No one is perfect, that's obvious, and no one sins exactly the same. As Uchtdorf once said, "don't judge others because they sin differently than you do". We all need Christ and need help to return to him, so we, as members with the fullness of the gospel, should help as many lost sheep return to Him, no matter what they have done in the past. That is not up to us to judge.

What Will Your Legacy Be?

 Last week we were studying Helaman 5 in Brother Griffen's class; in this chapter, Nephi and Lehi remember the words of their father, Helaman, when he told them to keep the commandments, declare God's word to the people, and to " do that which is good, that it may be said of [them]...even as it has been said and written of [their forefathers] (Helaman 5:7). Here we get the essential questions, "how do you want to be remembered?" and "what legacy do you want to leave for your posterity?" If we were to live our lives with this end goal in mind, the goal of becoming someone our future generations can look up to, then we would have a more firm desire to do what is right and to do good unto others. Rather than simply 'bumbling' through life, we would be able to keep an eternal perspective knowing that what we do today will affect generations to come. Dieter Uchtdorf said once, speaking to the sisters,

"Live the standards in For the Strength of Youth. These standards guide and direct you to your “happily ever after.” Living these standards will prepare you to make sacred covenants in the temple and establish your own legacy of goodness in your individual circumstances. “Stand … in holy places, and be not moved,” regardless of temptations or difficulties. I promise you that future generations will be grateful for you and praise your name for your courage and faithfulness during this crucial time of your life." 

Though it can be hard at times (most of the time), to look at the big picture of life when we're caught up in our weekly trials, activities, temptations, desires, needs, and wants, we must do as Helaman advised his sons and "do that which is good" in order to leave a legacy to be proud of. I know that this life is fleeting, and if we take our time for granted, we will come to the end of our journey and have nothing to show for it. I want to live a life worth living. 

Count Your Many Blessings...

I've been thinking lately of how blessed I am. I am lucky to be at this amazing university, even if I don't deserve to be here. I have amazing roomies who have great senses of humor and put up with my abnormalities :). I have an awesome ward, here and at home in Nampa, who are a blast to hang out with. I have so many great friends who are always there to help. I have been blessed enough to have two jobs (even if they leave me without much sleep), in a time when many people can't find a job. I'm grateful to have good health (knock on wood) and to be able to participate in lots of intramural sports. I have an awesome family, whom I miss sooo much and love with every fiber of my being (so sappy...). I have the best extended family a girl could ask for, who plan crazy reunions, let me crash at their homes for the summer, invite me to dinners, drive out at 3 am to pick me up when i'm stranded with a broke-down car, lend me a vehicle and fix my bike, make personalized crocheted blankets for all the cousins, and keep each other (particularly the missionaries) in their prayers. I am so proud to be both a Baldwin and a Flake. And most of all, I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints, and for the atonement offered by my savior. I couldn't ask for a single thing in the world that I need more than what I've got. 

Clean the Inner Vessel

Moroni was one of the most strategic and clever war leaders in the Book of Mormon. He was constantly rebuilding and fortifying his soldiers and cities to be prepared from the attacks of the Lamanites and Zoramites. His soldiers were righteous and they fought for righteous reasons (life, liberty, and property). Despite the fact that the Nephites were in the midst of war, it says "there never was a happier time," which is a direct result of their righteousness (Alma 50:23). They keep the commandments, therefore they are blessed. This can be applied to any day and age; external influences do not have to determine your happiness. Rather, those things that are external trials and/or temptations, will serve to strengthen you so long as you remain strong internally. Moroni had such a great army because he began with the inner vessel. Once the inner vessel was clean and strong, then Moroni would focus on protecting his soldiers with shields and breastplates, and his cities with "strongholds", ditches, and towers (Alma 50:6).

 A few years later, we see that "there began to be a contention among the people," because many people wanted to alter the law in order to have a king, rather than a chief judge (Alma 51:2). These people would not take up arms to defend their country, therefore they were a weakness to Moroni's armies. Therefore, even though Moroni had all of his strongholds and protections, the Lamanites were able to attack and slay many of the Nephites, and this because the Nephites "were not sufficiently strong in the city of Moroni" as a direct result of their internal struggles with the kings-men. To apply this to my life, I need to be sure that my faith, testimony, and works are strong and facing Christ, before I can expect to bring others unto Christ whilst on my mission.

10-weeks to Come Closer to Christ

Specific ~ My project is to come closer to Christ through preparing for a full-time LDS mission. That is fairly vague, so I narrowed it down to six objectives for the 'spiritual' part of my preparation (excluding the physical and financial). These are...

·         Attend the temple regularly

·         Read the book of Mormon daily

·         Read the entire Ensign monthly

·         Read from ‘Jesus The Christ’ regularly

·         Read ‘Preach my Gospel’ weekly

·         Write in my journal to record what I’ve learned and to track my progress

Measurable ~ In order to measure my progress, I will create reading charts to cross off what I need to read daily, weekly, and tri-weekly. I also will record in my journal my growth and movement.

Applicability ~ This project is relevant to my life because I am at the crossroad in my life when I should be prepared to make the next big step in this mortal life, which is celestial marriage. However, my choice to serve a mission will help me to prepare for that step by coming closer to Christ and developing consistency in the small and simple things such as studying the scriptures, praying daily, studying and learning how to teach the gospel, and keeping a journal.

Rigor ~ As long as I stay diligent, this 10-week project will push me to more soul-searching and will help me create a consistent pattern of essential habits in learning to become like my Savior. Though these steps and goals seem simple, remembering to do them, giving them priority, and doing them consistently are very difficult for me. Therefore, this project will be rigorous for me to dedicate to.

Time ~ 

·         I will attend the temple every week

·         I will study the Book of Mormon for 20 minutes everyday

·         I will read the Ensign for 30 minutes, 3 times a week (ex. Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday)

·         I will read ‘Jesus The Christ’ for 20 minutes every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday

·         I will read ‘Preach my Gospel’ for 20-30 minutes once a week (ex. Every Wednesday)

·         I will write in my journal every Sunday (at least) for 10-weeks to track my progress and to develop my testimony and faith

Scripture tie-in ~ The verse from the BoM that corresponds to my project is Alma 37:46. In this verse, Alma is speaking to his son, Helaman. Though Helaman hasn’t had a really wicked past like some of his brothers (and his father), Alma reminds Helaman to “not be slothful because of the easiness of the way.” The way is already prepared for us as Latter day Saints. We know what is right and wrong. We have a prophet who leads and directs this church. However, many members, myself included, do not remain diligent in keeping the commandments. The ‘big 10’ may be simple in keeping, though the smaller ones, like daily prayer, scripture study, keeping the Sabbath day holy, and keeping Christ as the center of our lives, are much easier to simply forget to do. So even though my project may seem simple and obvious, these are the things that I struggle with doing consistently, and I want to avoid being ‘slothful’ because of the easiness of the way.

People Can Change...So Let Them Change

Last Thursday, I was in my Brother Griffen's class, and we were going over chapter 31 of Alma. After reading the following verse, Bro. Griffen told us that these men who went with Alma, were the 'dream missionary team'.

 "Therefore he took Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner; and Himni he did leave in the church in Zarahemla; but the former three he took with him, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, who were at Melek; and he also took two of his sons." (Alma 31:6) 

Then he asked,"What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name 'Zeezrom"? If you have read his story before, you might think back on what this Zeezrom character had done. 

"And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you? Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you? And Amulek said unto him: Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord. And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being." (Alma 11:21-22)

Obviously, Zeezrom has had a change of heart by the time he serves a mission with some of the most righteous men of that time. 

Though Zeezrom has changed, all of us students only remembered his wicked past. This shows me how I should always allow people to change, repent, learn, and grow. I should never fit anyone into a box that once defined who they were, but that is not flexible for a change of heart. I do not know what everyone is going through, or at what level of spiritual development they are at, therefore, I have no right to keep them at a point in their life that could have been the result of a wrong choice or mistake. Do not judge others because they sin differently than you. That is the basic gist I'm going for. I know that if I treat others with optimism and faith that they can become better, that I can be a strength for good to those I interact with day by day. 

Enter to Learn

This first week back from winter break has been very fulfilling. First of all, my cup over-floweth with blessings from heaven. I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had a fireside tonight at the Marriot Center where we were able to listen to an apostle of the Lord...Dieter F. Uchtdorf. I just love him!!! He spoke about truth, and how Jesus is the way, the light, the life, and the truth. He puts his trust in us, and we must ponder, search, and pray to find truth, which in turn, brings us closer to Christ. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

That is what searching the scriptures is all about. We find answers and truth when we prayerfully study the scriptures and the words of holy prophets. I know that if I can read and study the word of God daily, and write my reflections down at least weekly, that I will find more joy in my life, and will be able to uplift and serve those around me. I just hope that I can learn as much as possible and maximize my time here at BYU. I do not want to miss opportunities to teach myself and others the wonderful things I learn here at this inspired institution.