Monday, January 28, 2013
Alma 58:11-12...Otherwise Entitled: Sand on the Sidewalks
*NOTE TO THE READER: This particular post is not a required one for my Book of Mormon class - I've decided that I kinda like blogging. So I said to myself: "Sam, you are your own man - it's your blog, you can write a post whenevs you want to." And so that's what I've decided to do. Be warned, though: Another blog will be coming later this week in conjunction with my religion class.
Don't say I didn't warn you.....
I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Little kids. I love little kids! They're the best! At times they can be kinda crazy, at other times they can be a little loud and rambunctious - yet at the end of the day, they're still some of our best examples of how to truly live and become more like God.
Take, for example, a cousin of mine. He had watched as his mother, older sisters, and myself had played a card game that was fast-paced and exciting; obviously he wanted to be a part of this adventure too! He quietly came to me one morning and said, "Sam, can you teach me how to play?"
After giving him the affirmative, I started teaching him the rules of the game. For a young kid it was quite a hard and complicated game; it required a fair amount of speed and agility, something that my little cousin was still developing. He and I sat at his kitchen table, and I taught him the rules. He was a little clumsy with the cards at times, and often missed obvious moves; there were times when I felt impatience rising within me, but after looking at him, watching how intently he focused on playing the game, I realized that there was no way that I could ever be upset with him.
My cousin was trying so hard to play the card game; he made some mistakes, but he moved past those mistakes and continued forward in learning this game that, for most children his age, would have been an exceedingly difficult task.
I love my little cousin so much, and I'm so grateful for the example he showed to me that day we played the card game. As I relive that experience, I also recall another that illustrates that same principle.
I was walking up towards the temple (a building in which are performed the most sacred of ordinances on this earth) one morning; it was chilly, brisk, and the sidewalk beneath my traction-less church shoes was extremely slippery. I fought to stay upright; there was no way I was going to fall down - I was in church clothes, I was cold, I was ready to get to the temple...but how much longer was the sidewalk going to be this slippery? Maybe I should just turn around...
As I continued to traverse the gentle incline of the sidewalk, I noticed something - a gradual change in the surface beneath my feet. There, scattered all over the sidewalk, was sand - likely placed there to help poor kids like me with only traction-less church shoes make it to the temple without slipping and falling to our deaths. Walking up the sidewalk and making it to the temple was now much easier, since there was sand there to provide me sure footing.
Before I try to attempt to explain the point behind these two stories, I'd like to share Alma 58:11-12, the scripture referred to in the title of this post:
"Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.
"And we did take courage with our small force which we had received, and we were fixed with a determination to conquer our enemies, and to maintain our lands, and our possessions, and our wives, and our children, and the cause of our liberty."
The setting of these verses is in the middle of a war-zone; a beleaguered army, running low on supplies and men, is desperate to retake a pivotal stronghold in the region...but they are running low on supplies and men. And so they pray to the Lord for strength, under the direction of their leader, who is not only a warrior but also a prophet.
And He spoke peace to their souls.
When I was walking to the temple, I realized that the trials, challenges, tribulations, heartaches and breaks, tough times, bad days, and unexpected tragedies of life can all be summarized by two words: slippery sidewalks. Those slippery sidewalks don't disappear or go away - they're still there, no matter what direction life takes us. And yet, our loving God doesn't leave us stranded on slippery sidewalks. He provides us sand to walk on, something that our traction-less shoes can grip, something that our spirits can take hold of and follow.
Sand can come in so many different forms - Beloved friends who hear, cheer, and comfort you; parents and family members who guide and counsel you; scriptures to inspire and correct you; an everlasting Atonement to wash away the bruises and bleeding knees for those who have slipped on the sidewalks of life.
Realizing that sand is beneath our shoes; accepting and listening to the peace in our souls - that's not always easy, but sometimes we need to slip or miss that peace for a little bit of time before we can truly appreciate the sand and the comfort to our souls. Sometimes we have to go through the hard times to make us appreciate the good ones; and once we do make it through such times, we can then go forward and upward. We can do as the second verse of the above scripture suggests; we can "take courage...and [be] fixed with a determination to conquer..."
We can and will make mistakes, but God will correct those mistakes when we let Him. And after the chastening and the correction, He will help us back up on our feet; He will mend the bruises and scrapes from slipping on the sidewalk, and He will direct us as we move forward. Just as my cousin illustrated when learning how to play that difficult card game: We have to "take courage" and move forward and upward, past those mistakes, just as he (my little cousin) did.
We can and will do it. We can and must do it.
And the best part?
We don't have to do it alone. Friends, family, neighbors, peers, associates are all there to help us...and, ultimately, the very God of Heaven.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
Friday, January 25, 2013
Alma 49:2...Otherwise Entitled: The Allegory of the Legos (Kinda)
I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Legos. You can go ahead and mock me all you like, but Legos are legit! You can build the worlds, places, and characters that the box and instructions tell you to, but you also have the liberty to make entirely different and original creations as well. You have no idea how many times I've sat by myself on my bed and played with those things, crafting persons and castles and Army vehicles and pretty much any other thing that is Lego-ly possible on the planet :) Suffice it to say, I'm a Lego fan.
I believe that Legos have much more application to life than some might suspect. Yes, they are amazingly awesome toys; and yes, they hurt like the devil when you step on them in the middle of the night, without any protective footwear; but there is also a great truth behind them as well. You can build Legos any way you want - what you make is all up to you. However, sometimes Legos get stuck together, and are rather hard to pull apart; getting them unstuck can take a lot of manpower - but once you do, you can start rebuilding them in a new and better way.
The same can be said for life. You can 'build' your life in any way you want - what you make is all up to you. However, sometimes you make poor, careless, hurtful, and/or wrong decisions that get you metaphorically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally 'stuck'. And yet, with a lot of manpower - and some divine guidance, comfort, and aid as well - you can get your life 'unstuck', and start rebuilding it in a new and better way.
Cool, huh?
Alma 49:2 is a scripture that perfectly reflects this principle:
"And behold, the city [Ammonihah] had been rebuilt..."
For those unfamiliar with the storyline of the Book of Mormon, the city of Ammonihah had once been a vile, wicked, and evil place, full of nasty, idolatrous, and unrepentant people. It had been destroyed by an invading enemy some years prior, but, thanks to the effort of a wise and strong leader, it had been rebuilt into something stronger that would be able to withstand any incoming attacks by his enemies. In other words, something that was once wicked and unclean had, through righteous efforts, been made strong.
We are all humans; we are all mortal; and we all make mistakes throughout our lives. There are times when we are strong, there are times when we are weak, there are times when we're something-in-between. There are times when we need help, and times when we need to help.
Our first and foremost source of strength and help is none other than God - His arms can encircle us about in everlasting love, healing, cleansing, and protecting us. But it is not simply enough to be healed by our Savior; it is not simply enough to become strengthened ourselves.
Yes, we have to become purified and made stronger through Him; and yes, He is the only One who can make us pure and strong; but after we repent, return to Him, and are cleansed, we must then go forth and show others that same light. Once we have our Legos 'unstuck' and remade into something better, we must go find our brothers and sisters whose Legos are 'stuck' as well. We must help them as best we can, primarily in showing them the light of the Gospel and helping them come unto Christ as well, so that the Redeemer of Israel can pull apart their 'stuck' Legos and help them to fashion their lives into something better as well.
I pray that we all may be able to get our own Legos 'unstuck', and then go forth and help others come to the realization that their personal Ammonihahs can be rebuilt, that their own Legos can be 'unstuck', in and through the atoning grace and power of Jesus Christ.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
I believe that Legos have much more application to life than some might suspect. Yes, they are amazingly awesome toys; and yes, they hurt like the devil when you step on them in the middle of the night, without any protective footwear; but there is also a great truth behind them as well. You can build Legos any way you want - what you make is all up to you. However, sometimes Legos get stuck together, and are rather hard to pull apart; getting them unstuck can take a lot of manpower - but once you do, you can start rebuilding them in a new and better way.
The same can be said for life. You can 'build' your life in any way you want - what you make is all up to you. However, sometimes you make poor, careless, hurtful, and/or wrong decisions that get you metaphorically, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally 'stuck'. And yet, with a lot of manpower - and some divine guidance, comfort, and aid as well - you can get your life 'unstuck', and start rebuilding it in a new and better way.
Cool, huh?
Alma 49:2 is a scripture that perfectly reflects this principle:
"And behold, the city [Ammonihah] had been rebuilt..."
For those unfamiliar with the storyline of the Book of Mormon, the city of Ammonihah had once been a vile, wicked, and evil place, full of nasty, idolatrous, and unrepentant people. It had been destroyed by an invading enemy some years prior, but, thanks to the effort of a wise and strong leader, it had been rebuilt into something stronger that would be able to withstand any incoming attacks by his enemies. In other words, something that was once wicked and unclean had, through righteous efforts, been made strong.
We are all humans; we are all mortal; and we all make mistakes throughout our lives. There are times when we are strong, there are times when we are weak, there are times when we're something-in-between. There are times when we need help, and times when we need to help.
Our first and foremost source of strength and help is none other than God - His arms can encircle us about in everlasting love, healing, cleansing, and protecting us. But it is not simply enough to be healed by our Savior; it is not simply enough to become strengthened ourselves.
Yes, we have to become purified and made stronger through Him; and yes, He is the only One who can make us pure and strong; but after we repent, return to Him, and are cleansed, we must then go forth and show others that same light. Once we have our Legos 'unstuck' and remade into something better, we must go find our brothers and sisters whose Legos are 'stuck' as well. We must help them as best we can, primarily in showing them the light of the Gospel and helping them come unto Christ as well, so that the Redeemer of Israel can pull apart their 'stuck' Legos and help them to fashion their lives into something better as well.
I pray that we all may be able to get our own Legos 'unstuck', and then go forth and help others come to the realization that their personal Ammonihahs can be rebuilt, that their own Legos can be 'unstuck', in and through the atoning grace and power of Jesus Christ.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
2 Nephi 2:3...Otherwise Entitled: HOPE
*NOTE TO THE READER: This particular post is not a required one for my Book of Mormon class - I've decided that I kinda like blogging. So I said to myself: "Sam, you are your own man - it's your blog, you can write a post whenevs you want to." And so that's what I've decided to do. Be warned, though: Another blog will be coming later this week in conjunction with my religion class.
Don't say I didn't warn you.....
I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: The musical Les Miserables (I know, I know, I didn't put the little accent thingy in the name like I should, but that takes a lot of time and energy, and I'm lazy).
The lyrics, the power of the music itself, the actors (I'm a Team Colm Wilkinson/Phillip Quast man myself :), the whole thing is just amazing! If you've never listened to it, watched it, and/or absolutely fallen in love with it, you should probably pause in reading this here post and get yourself to YouTube and watch/listen to a few of the songs. They are so powerful!
In thinking about Les Mis I can't help but think of one of my all-time favorite moments of that great musical. In it, we see the two main characters - protagonist Jean Valjean and antagonist Javert - confronting each other. Valjean is an escaped convict who is living under a false name, trying to become a good man of good deeds. Javert is the hardened policeman who has hunted Valjean for many years, and who is intent on seeing him in prison again. These two sing an amazing duet that is full of turmoil, anger, power, emotion, and some pretty awesome lyrics - this number is known as 'The Confrontation'.
'The Confrontation' has always held a special place within my heart. Why? Because it was a song that me and my brother would often sing together, he in the role of Jean Valjean, me portraying Javert (For those who are unaware, my brother is the beloved family member I refer to in the first blogpost). With the passing of my brother, 'The Confrontation' has become even more dear to me - it is something that connects me to my brother.
Everywhere I go I look for those connections - something, anything, that reminds me of my brother. Sometimes it's the way the mountains look with the snow adorning their mighty heads; sometimes it's the song that comes on the radio; sometimes it's the movie I'm watching, or the book I'm reading, or the story I'm writing, or the words I'm hearing, or the faces I see, or the things I eat. Sometimes it's everything that reminds me of him.
My brother and I were the closest of friends. I loved him so much - I still do. He was my closest and dearest friend; my accomplice in the various pranks we pulled on our sisters; my best buddy and compatriot. We'd sing songs together, we'd not-pay-attention-in-church together, we'd play games together, we'd fight together, we'd laugh together, we'd ride bikes together - we were, and still are, brothers.
Throughout the weeks that have intervened since his passing, he has almost constantly been in my thoughts. There are so many times when I wish that he could come back; that the Savior I love and worship, who performed so many mighty miracles and who raised men from the grave, would give me my brother back.
And yet, I've come to realize something...something that I'd like to share with you. It is partially embodied in 2 Nephi 2:3, the scripture I've chosen for this blogpost:
"Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi..." (emphasis added).
For those who are unfamiliar with the Book of Mormon: One of the principal characters of its first 100 or so pages is a man named Nephi. Stalwart, courageous, loyal, faithful, strong, loving, wise, and firm - all of those are adjectives for Nephi...and for my brother. When I came across this scripture, I replaced 'Nephi' with the name of my brother. This has now become a source of hope for me.
I will get to see my brother again. I will be with him someday, and we will do all the things we've done in the past, plus so much more. We will be brothers still, just as we are brothers now. He has surely influenced me since his passing; I can't help but wonder how many times he has had his hand on my shoulder during my private moments of grief and pain in the past few weeks.
Why is this a source of hope for me? Why do I now look forward to being with my brother more than almost any other thing?
"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:6, KJV).
And then there's this scripture that is companion to the previous:
"...Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope" (1 Timothy 1:1, KJV).
The Savior of the World came to earth, was raised in a humble home in a backwater village, traversed the length and breadth of the Holy Land preaching His Gospel, and then suffered Himself to be captured, mocked, and crucified by wicked men. But that is not the end of the story! Jesus Christ rose on the third day, and He Lives today! Because of this truth, all of our loved ones - yours and mine - will rise again, their spirits and bodies reunited, never to be sundered again. I shall have my brother again, and we shall clasp hands and hug and cry and laugh all at once. :)
Hope - that's the single word to describe everything I've said in this post. Hope - This world could use a lot more of it. There are so many dark, bad, and scary things out there; there is so much rampant evil on earth today. And yet...With as much evil as there is, there is even more good. Sometimes that good is hard to see, sometimes that good is hard to find, but it is there! And we can and must hope in it - or rather, we can and must hope in Jesus Christ, who atoned for our sins and who lives again.
Hope.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
Don't say I didn't warn you.....
I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: The musical Les Miserables (I know, I know, I didn't put the little accent thingy in the name like I should, but that takes a lot of time and energy, and I'm lazy).
The lyrics, the power of the music itself, the actors (I'm a Team Colm Wilkinson/Phillip Quast man myself :), the whole thing is just amazing! If you've never listened to it, watched it, and/or absolutely fallen in love with it, you should probably pause in reading this here post and get yourself to YouTube and watch/listen to a few of the songs. They are so powerful!
In thinking about Les Mis I can't help but think of one of my all-time favorite moments of that great musical. In it, we see the two main characters - protagonist Jean Valjean and antagonist Javert - confronting each other. Valjean is an escaped convict who is living under a false name, trying to become a good man of good deeds. Javert is the hardened policeman who has hunted Valjean for many years, and who is intent on seeing him in prison again. These two sing an amazing duet that is full of turmoil, anger, power, emotion, and some pretty awesome lyrics - this number is known as 'The Confrontation'.
'The Confrontation' has always held a special place within my heart. Why? Because it was a song that me and my brother would often sing together, he in the role of Jean Valjean, me portraying Javert (For those who are unaware, my brother is the beloved family member I refer to in the first blogpost). With the passing of my brother, 'The Confrontation' has become even more dear to me - it is something that connects me to my brother.
Everywhere I go I look for those connections - something, anything, that reminds me of my brother. Sometimes it's the way the mountains look with the snow adorning their mighty heads; sometimes it's the song that comes on the radio; sometimes it's the movie I'm watching, or the book I'm reading, or the story I'm writing, or the words I'm hearing, or the faces I see, or the things I eat. Sometimes it's everything that reminds me of him.
My brother and I were the closest of friends. I loved him so much - I still do. He was my closest and dearest friend; my accomplice in the various pranks we pulled on our sisters; my best buddy and compatriot. We'd sing songs together, we'd not-pay-attention-in-church together, we'd play games together, we'd fight together, we'd laugh together, we'd ride bikes together - we were, and still are, brothers.
Throughout the weeks that have intervened since his passing, he has almost constantly been in my thoughts. There are so many times when I wish that he could come back; that the Savior I love and worship, who performed so many mighty miracles and who raised men from the grave, would give me my brother back.
And yet, I've come to realize something...something that I'd like to share with you. It is partially embodied in 2 Nephi 2:3, the scripture I've chosen for this blogpost:
"Wherefore, thy soul shall be blessed, and thou shalt dwell safely with thy brother, Nephi..." (emphasis added).
For those who are unfamiliar with the Book of Mormon: One of the principal characters of its first 100 or so pages is a man named Nephi. Stalwart, courageous, loyal, faithful, strong, loving, wise, and firm - all of those are adjectives for Nephi...and for my brother. When I came across this scripture, I replaced 'Nephi' with the name of my brother. This has now become a source of hope for me.
I will get to see my brother again. I will be with him someday, and we will do all the things we've done in the past, plus so much more. We will be brothers still, just as we are brothers now. He has surely influenced me since his passing; I can't help but wonder how many times he has had his hand on my shoulder during my private moments of grief and pain in the past few weeks.
Why is this a source of hope for me? Why do I now look forward to being with my brother more than almost any other thing?
"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay" (Matthew 28:6, KJV).
And then there's this scripture that is companion to the previous:
"...Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope" (1 Timothy 1:1, KJV).
The Savior of the World came to earth, was raised in a humble home in a backwater village, traversed the length and breadth of the Holy Land preaching His Gospel, and then suffered Himself to be captured, mocked, and crucified by wicked men. But that is not the end of the story! Jesus Christ rose on the third day, and He Lives today! Because of this truth, all of our loved ones - yours and mine - will rise again, their spirits and bodies reunited, never to be sundered again. I shall have my brother again, and we shall clasp hands and hug and cry and laugh all at once. :)
Hope - that's the single word to describe everything I've said in this post. Hope - This world could use a lot more of it. There are so many dark, bad, and scary things out there; there is so much rampant evil on earth today. And yet...With as much evil as there is, there is even more good. Sometimes that good is hard to see, sometimes that good is hard to find, but it is there! And we can and must hope in it - or rather, we can and must hope in Jesus Christ, who atoned for our sins and who lives again.
Hope.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Alma 39:17-19...Otherwise Entitled: "Dear Elder Mitchell..."
I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Travel. I've never been out of Wyudahoming before (that's Wyoming/Utah/Idaho for those of you who didn't know) in my ENTIRE LIFE - that being said, you can imagine how badly I want to see the rest of the world. England, Scotland, New Zealand, Guatemala, Hawaii, the Alps, the Mediterranean, Israel, Mecca, Paris, Istanbul, Tikal, Kyoto, Madagascar, Sydney...yeah, I could go on forever and ever about the places I want to see and the things I want to do once I get there. This world is SO BIG, and I just want to be able to see it all.
Well, that wish will soon be coming true. On January 16, 2013, I received a large envelope from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - my mission call! I waited to open it until the following day, and here is what it read:
"Dear Elder Mitchell,
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Singapore Mission...You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center...[and] prepare to preach the gospel in the Mandarin Chinese language."
:)
Yeah, I was in complete awe at the place I'd been assigned to. Singapore!? Thousands-of-miles-away-in-the-middle-of-a-tropical-clime-assigned-to-speak-one-of-the-most-difficult-languages-on-the-face-of-the-planet Singapore!?
Yep, the one and only.
At times I feel very inadequate that I've received this call, but I'm also reassured by the fact that even though I have no idea what I'm doing, God knows what He's doing. That is what is most important after all. There are people in Singapore (and in Malaysia, also contained within the Singapore Mission boundaries) that need to hear 'glad tidings of great joy', that need to know that there is always hope, and that we have an older Brother and loving Father that have hands outstretched towards all of us, beckoning home.
There is a great scripture that we covered in my religion class that perfectly describes this truth:
"...Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming? Is it not as necessary that the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto their children? Is it not as easy at this time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us as unto our children, or as after the time of his coming?" (Alma 39:17-19).
How true this is! No matter our various religions, political orientations, physical and racial appearances, social backgrouns, or economic standing - God loves us. I'm always astounded by this truth. Looking back upon my own life, there are so many times when I have not behaved in a manner that would reflect this fact. I have faltered, I have failed, I have struggled, I have given up hope, I have lost sight of the Light, I have fallen short of glory.
And yet I am loved.
And so are you.
I don't know who will read this, nor do I know the various struggles you're going through. Perhaps there are trials in your life that involve broken hearts and loss of friends or family members; perhaps you are tempted by addictions or dark thoughts; perhaps you have lost hope of seeing the Light again; perhaps you are just having a bad day. Whatever your case may be, I pray that you will allow me to testify this simple but brilliant and marvelous truth to you: God Lives, and He Loves You :)
I don't really comprehend the depth nor breadth of that love, but I know that it exists. I felt it when I opened my mission call, I've felt it several times throughout my life, and I hope that I will feel it more throughout the coming days, weeks, months, and years ahead of me. I know that you too can feel of this love - find a quiet place, all by yourself, and sit there. Talk to your Father and to your Savior. Let Them talk back, through a peaceful, still, small, and wonderful voice that you can feel whilst reading your scriptures, pondering the eternities, or simply staring at the depths of the heavens above. Love God, and let God love you!
I testify that His love is real, and that He will watch over and care for you as long as you remain on this earth. Come unto Him, feel of His love, and know that, in the end, all wrongs will be righted and all hurts will be healed.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
Well, that wish will soon be coming true. On January 16, 2013, I received a large envelope from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - my mission call! I waited to open it until the following day, and here is what it read:
"Dear Elder Mitchell,
You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Singapore Mission...You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center...[and] prepare to preach the gospel in the Mandarin Chinese language."
:)
Yeah, I was in complete awe at the place I'd been assigned to. Singapore!? Thousands-of-miles-away-in-the-middle-of-a-tropical-clime-assigned-to-speak-one-of-the-most-difficult-languages-on-the-face-of-the-planet Singapore!?
Yep, the one and only.
At times I feel very inadequate that I've received this call, but I'm also reassured by the fact that even though I have no idea what I'm doing, God knows what He's doing. That is what is most important after all. There are people in Singapore (and in Malaysia, also contained within the Singapore Mission boundaries) that need to hear 'glad tidings of great joy', that need to know that there is always hope, and that we have an older Brother and loving Father that have hands outstretched towards all of us, beckoning home.
There is a great scripture that we covered in my religion class that perfectly describes this truth:
"...Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming? Is it not as necessary that the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto their children? Is it not as easy at this time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us as unto our children, or as after the time of his coming?" (Alma 39:17-19).
How true this is! No matter our various religions, political orientations, physical and racial appearances, social backgrouns, or economic standing - God loves us. I'm always astounded by this truth. Looking back upon my own life, there are so many times when I have not behaved in a manner that would reflect this fact. I have faltered, I have failed, I have struggled, I have given up hope, I have lost sight of the Light, I have fallen short of glory.
And yet I am loved.
And so are you.
I don't know who will read this, nor do I know the various struggles you're going through. Perhaps there are trials in your life that involve broken hearts and loss of friends or family members; perhaps you are tempted by addictions or dark thoughts; perhaps you have lost hope of seeing the Light again; perhaps you are just having a bad day. Whatever your case may be, I pray that you will allow me to testify this simple but brilliant and marvelous truth to you: God Lives, and He Loves You :)
I don't really comprehend the depth nor breadth of that love, but I know that it exists. I felt it when I opened my mission call, I've felt it several times throughout my life, and I hope that I will feel it more throughout the coming days, weeks, months, and years ahead of me. I know that you too can feel of this love - find a quiet place, all by yourself, and sit there. Talk to your Father and to your Savior. Let Them talk back, through a peaceful, still, small, and wonderful voice that you can feel whilst reading your scriptures, pondering the eternities, or simply staring at the depths of the heavens above. Love God, and let God love you!
I testify that His love is real, and that He will watch over and care for you as long as you remain on this earth. Come unto Him, feel of His love, and know that, in the end, all wrongs will be righted and all hurts will be healed.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
Monday, January 14, 2013
Alma 32:6...Otherwise Entitled: So...Here We Begin
*Before I begin I would just like to note that I am speaking what's on my mind and in my heart; my words are NOT doctrine or official policies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as the LDS Church or the Mormon Church). I am a faithful member thereof, but I'm also human, and my judgment will sometimes be in error. The faults that may be found herein will be of my own making, and do not reflect the Church in any way.
So...here we begin.
I've never done a blog before; hopefully this will be a good experience for us all (and by us all, I mean whoever reads this...which, in my case, could be just one person: moi. Oh well). I'd like to offer a private warning to the reader though: I like to use smiley faces [e.g. :) ] a lot, and I'm also a fan of current, hip lingo - the word I will most likely use is 'whatevs'. For those who might not be aware of that particular word's meaning: 'Whatevs' is equivalent to 'whatever'.
You're welcome :)
I am the kind of guy who enjoys to ramble (You'll hopefully notice that the word 'ramble' is cleverly hidden in the web address of this here blog). Get me started on a subject I love to talk about, and I'll ramble for hours. A prime example of that: Books. From lengthy tomes to 'Far Side' comic collections, I am an avid fan of books. They are able to transport you to otherworldly realms; they're able to welcome you into their pages with a familiar warmth that only true friends and family can physically afford you; they're inviting and enticing and adventurous and romantic and mysterious and bizarre and so much more. Books are an escape and a journey, a pathway that can be revisited time and time again. Books are like coming home. Although I am a tremendous fan of fantasy and science fiction, the book that offers the greatest 'coming home' feeling, the greatest warmth, the greatest adventure, and the greatest joy is not one borne of the human mind. It is actually the Word of God - it is nonfiction, it is a historical work, it is a spiritual awakening.
Hopefully you're all aware by now that I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. I'm a Mormon). I invite any and all to read this blog, and even more so I invite any and all to read the volume I have referenced above - The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. I do not want to force Mormonism 'down anyone's throat', nor do I wish to sound like some sort of religious zealot. I'm an ordinary person (maybe even sub-ordinary) that loves God and the words He's given us; I know that I hold common beliefs with Baptists, Methodists, Evangelicals - yes, and with Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists as well - and I believe that if we would look to our commonalities instead of our differences we could certainly make this world a better place. I do not mean to turn you from whatever beliefs you now have; I mean to share my light with you, a light that has helped me through some pretty dark times.
Recently my family suffered the terrible loss of a loved one. For those of you who know the pain that death brings to a family or to friends, you will likely sympathize and understand the immense amount of anguish that my soul underwent in the first few hours and days following this loss. I did suffer from the guilt that many endure - the pain of 'Why?' and 'What if...' - but more than that I felt the absolute horror of realizing that, in this life, I'd never see my loved one again.
I crawled into my closet, shut the door, and screamed. My throat burned from the physical pain, but that was nothing compared to the weight of sorrow in my heart. "Just bring him back!" I cried. "I just want to see him one more time! I know You can do it! Just bring him back! Please..."
There were ebbs and flows in my breakdown that night. There were moments of quiet, when I could no longer cry the tears I wanted to; then there were the moments of noise, when I sobbed and screamed and petitioned God to please bring back the loved one now gone from our midst. I received no voice from the heavens, nor did a sudden memory of a scripture flare into my mind - it was just me in that closet, sobbing into a pillow, my hands clenched into fists of...well, I guess a mixture of rage and pain.
Over the time that has passed betwixt that moment and this post, I've had time to reflect on what was the hardest of my mortal experiences thus far. It has become the near-constant focus of almost all of my thought and concentration; it was very present in my mind when I attended a religion class. Throughout the class we studied several chapters in the Book of Alma, with a particular emphasis on the 32nd chapter. Several themes throughout this portion of the book are humility and faith. As noted in the title of this post, I want to pay close attention to the sixth verse of this chapter:
"[Alma, the prophet of God] beheld that [the people's] afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word" (Alma 32:6; emphasis added).
The Lord often tells us in various areas of scripture - for my purposes I'll state the Old and New Testaments in addition to The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, although I'm sure that He does the same thing throughout other religious texts as well - that our faith is meant to be tried, and that sometimes this life is just gonna hurt.
But it is in our hurting that we must make a choice. As stated in the Book of Mormon:
"But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war...many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility" (Alma 62:41).
We can either harden our hearts in our afflictions, or we can do something that exerts even more courage and tenacity: We can become humble. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm NOT a perfect example of humility - far from it! - but the loss I've felt is definitely something that has humbled me and that has forced me to make a choice: Sam, you can either hate God, or you can love Him even more.
I chose the latter. My life is still far from perfect, and I still make mistakes every single day - but I'm not going to let that stop me from being calmed by the light of love that our eternal Heavenly Father extends to each of us. I've decided that I want this experience to humble me and bring me closer to God.
I'm also currently studying Biblical Hebrew, and we learned in one of our many classes that one of the Hebrew verbs meaning to hear actually means even more than that. The particular verb implies hearing what's been said/commanded...and then acting on it. So when we read in Alma 32:6 that the people "were in a preparation to hear the word", we can understand that their afflictions and their heartaches and trials and tribulations and sufferings had brought them to the same choice that I was forced to make, a choice that we all, in one way or another, will be forced to make.
Choose humility. Choose allowing yourself to be broken down - that's the only way God can build you back up again.
That being said, I want to reiterate it: When we're broken down is the best time for God to build us back up again, better, stronger, greater. In Isaiah 40:29-31 (KJV), we read:
"[God] giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
I invite each and every one of us - myself included - to allow the Lord's redeeming love to build us back up when we are broken down by the hard things of this world. I invite each and every one of us to choose His light and His love over our fears and frailties. I invite each and every one of us to choose to be humble and to accept that God knows all things, that our trials are part of His plan, and that He will make us stronger and greater than we could ever make ourselves. I have experienced this, I am experiencing it now, and I hope that I will continue to experience it for the rest of my life.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
"[Alma, the prophet of God] beheld that [the people's] afflictions had truly humbled them, and that they were in a preparation to hear the word" (Alma 32:6; emphasis added).
The Lord often tells us in various areas of scripture - for my purposes I'll state the Old and New Testaments in addition to The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants, although I'm sure that He does the same thing throughout other religious texts as well - that our faith is meant to be tried, and that sometimes this life is just gonna hurt.
But it is in our hurting that we must make a choice. As stated in the Book of Mormon:
"But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war...many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility" (Alma 62:41).
We can either harden our hearts in our afflictions, or we can do something that exerts even more courage and tenacity: We can become humble. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm NOT a perfect example of humility - far from it! - but the loss I've felt is definitely something that has humbled me and that has forced me to make a choice: Sam, you can either hate God, or you can love Him even more.
I chose the latter. My life is still far from perfect, and I still make mistakes every single day - but I'm not going to let that stop me from being calmed by the light of love that our eternal Heavenly Father extends to each of us. I've decided that I want this experience to humble me and bring me closer to God.
I'm also currently studying Biblical Hebrew, and we learned in one of our many classes that one of the Hebrew verbs meaning to hear actually means even more than that. The particular verb implies hearing what's been said/commanded...and then acting on it. So when we read in Alma 32:6 that the people "were in a preparation to hear the word", we can understand that their afflictions and their heartaches and trials and tribulations and sufferings had brought them to the same choice that I was forced to make, a choice that we all, in one way or another, will be forced to make.
Choose humility. Choose allowing yourself to be broken down - that's the only way God can build you back up again.
That being said, I want to reiterate it: When we're broken down is the best time for God to build us back up again, better, stronger, greater. In Isaiah 40:29-31 (KJV), we read:
"[God] giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
I invite each and every one of us - myself included - to allow the Lord's redeeming love to build us back up when we are broken down by the hard things of this world. I invite each and every one of us to choose His light and His love over our fears and frailties. I invite each and every one of us to choose to be humble and to accept that God knows all things, that our trials are part of His plan, and that He will make us stronger and greater than we could ever make ourselves. I have experienced this, I am experiencing it now, and I hope that I will continue to experience it for the rest of my life.
May God be with you till we meet again, my friends.
Sam
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